Of the 32 teams who played at this World Cup, Costa Rica have gone the furthest in exceeding expectations, providing the tournament with a genuine David to take on football’s Goliaths.
When they were drawn in the same group as Italy, Uruguay and England, teams with seven World Cup titles between them, no one gave the Central Americans a chance of making the second round.
But they did so in style, beating Uruguay 3-1 and Italy 1-0 before strolling to a goalless draw with England to clinch top spot in the group.
They showed gritty determination to battle past Greece in the second round, playing for nearly an hour with 10 men to take the match to a penalty shootout which they won.
Even in their quarter-final defeat by the Netherlands on Saturday, they contained Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie for 120 minutes of open play before finally succumbing to defeat in a penalty shootout in Salvador.
“During this World Cup we have done very beautiful things that many people didn’t believe we could achieve – wonderful things,” their Colombian coach Jorge Luis Pinto said.
“We played against great powerhouses of football. We leave the tournament unbeaten (in open play). It’s incredible.”
Costa Rica’s achievements are all the more remarkable given the injuries they suffered in the run-up to the tournament.
Their main striker, the lightning-quick Joel Campbell, has made most of their headlines and after spending last season on loan in Greece might well have done enough to earn a permanent move to England.
Campbell has been admirably supported by captain Bryan Ruiz and Christian Bolanos in the attacking midfield roles. The latter’s pin-point free kicks and corners have been a feature of Costa Rica’s World Cup.
But it is in defence that Pinto’s
side have really shone. In five matches in Brazil they conceded just two goals in open play and one of them was from a penalty.
Source: Dhaka Tribune
