After securing qualification to the knockout stages, after taking a maximum of the six possible points available so far, Costa Rica have gone from the group whipping boys to group favourites in a matter of days. The 3-1 victory against Uruguay came as a surprise to many, but they proved this wasn't to be a one-off, following up the result with a 1-0 victory over the Italians. It was a historic performance from a team with apparently little or no chance of progressing, and they have shown that in football everything is hard to predict.
Coach Jorge Pinto was angered by comments ahead of the game, as although they achieved a good result against Uruguay, many didn’t anticipate they could go on to beat Italy. Pinto proved their critics wrong and amongst them Jose Mourinho. The Costa Rica boss also revealed they had a plan for Andrea Pirlo and it most certainly worked. After the game Pinto thanked God for his success and stated “Against them I think we played really well”. They most certainly did.
Looking ahead to the rest of the tournament, the Columbian said “We want to go further,” he said. “I have told my team keep calm, we’re here and we want to stay. I don’t know if we’ll be first or second in the group. But first always has advantages, so we’d like to be first. It won’t be easy, England will be very tough opponents.” However, if recent performances are anything to go by, England would do well to beat their Central American opposition, but they will be looking to salvage some scrap of pride.
Before the game last night, many in England had hoped that the Italians would brush aside the Costa Rican side. It wasn’t to be and Hodgson’s men went crashing out. The Costa Rican team won’t be underestimated again after two of the standout performances in Group D. The passion shown before the game, during and after the final whistle was immense. This is a nation who will do anything to achieve success for their country - something the English players should aspire to do.
The furthest Costa Rica have ever been is the last 16 at Italia 90’. Dependent on where they finish, they could possibly play Columbia, Greece, Ivory Coast or Japan as only Columbia have qualified so far in Group C. Regardless of the outcome in the last 16 and the rest of their World Cup, they have entertained and made the tournament special. Impressive displays against top teams Italy and Uruguay suggests they individually lack quality, but on their day as a team they can beat anyone. The attacking style they play has been refreshing
Although nobody has any belief they could go on to win it, we have learned to never write Costa Rica off.
