ORLANDO, FL – Paraguay and Costa Rica shared the spoils in a scoreless draw at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida in what turned out to be an aggressive matchup for the two teams.
Composed midfield from the Albirroja
In the first half, Paraguay was able to be consistent with their attacks onto the goal and tried their best with simple passing to maintain possession. The first big chance came in the fourth minute when Derlis Gonzalez picked up the ball from the right and attempted a shot on goal which went wide of Patrick Pemberton’s goal. Four minutes later, Jorge Benitez was able to find a shot onto goal following a corner, but it was cleared out by defender Kendall Watson.
Off a corner in the 14th minute, Gonzalez’s shot was able to be played to the head of Paulo Da Silva, but the Toluca center back’s header just went wide of Pemberton’s goal on the left. The first big chance from Costa Rica came in the 17th minute when Joel Campbell’s header from a set piece went into the hands of Justo Villar. For the majority of the match, Ramon Diaz’s side was calm and composed in the midfield, especially in the center by providing simple passes and a lot of movement from the players, making it hard for the Costa Ricans to try to defend even five in the back. The defense as well from La Albirroja has become tough and rigid, making it hard for Costa Rica to find a decent finish onto goal.
Two more chances for Paraguay soon came. First, in the 42nd minute, when Miguel Samudio picked up the ball on the left and attempts to play the ball into the box to one of his teammates, but Oscar Duarte was able to clear out for a corner. Another one came only two minutes later when Dario Lezcano surged forward on the right and attempted a shot on goal. But, his shot went wide on the rise of Pemberton’s goal.
Aggressive second half
In the second half, it was a different game. The first chance of the half came from Costa Rica in the 47th minute when Villar was tested from a corner and was eventually able to clear the ball out of the box. Lezcano also had a chance in the 53rd minute but nothing came of it. In a much more aggressive half by both teams, Gustavo Gomez received a head injury following a knock during a corner but was back on the pitch just a few minutes later.
In the 62nd minute, Campbell again was trying to play the ball to Ruiz into the box, but the Paraguayan defense, as stingy as they can be, continued to create problems for Los Ticos. Four minutes later, off a breakaway, Campbell had a shot on goal but was denied by La Albirroja defense that also included an opportunity denied to Randall Azofeifa.
In the 71st minute, Gomez’s went close with another shot which was saved.
Seven minutes later, Christian Gamboa played a ball to Waston on the right, but his header went straight into the hands of Villar. One last big chance came from Costa Rica in the 87th minute from Christan Bolaños as his shot went straight to the Paraguay goal, but Villar was able to take it out for a corner.
In the end, both teams were deserving of a point and now will face two tough matches next. Paraguay will play Colombia on Tuesday at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, while Costa Rica takes on the hosts, the United States at Soldier Field in Chicago on the same date as well.