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Tag: Costa Rica National Soccer Team

  • Costa Rica rallies late to beat Japan 1-0 in Group E

    Costa Rica rallies late to beat Japan 1-0 in Group E

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    AL RAYYAN, Qatar — Keysher Fuller scored in the 81st minute to lift Costa Rica to a 1-0 victory over Japan on Sunday, leaving both teams with three points after two games in Group E of the World Cup.

    Fuller took advantage of a defensive error when Japan failed to clear the ball and hit the net from 18 meters just off the fingertips of leaping Japan goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda.

    The match at Ahmad Bin Ali stadium was tactical and largely lackluster, particularly in a first half that did not yield a single shot on goal. The second half was slightly better with Japan pressing throughout until Costa Rica broke through.

    Costa Rica keeper Keylor Navas came up with several rapid fire saves in the final minutes to ensure the victory.

    Japan has one Group E game remaining with Spain, and Costa Rica faces Germany in its final group match. With a victory, Japan could have all but wrapped up a place in the knockout stage after a 2-1 upset of Germany in its opener. Costa Rica was pounded by Spain 7-0 in its first game and just trying to survive.

    Japan had the edge in corners, shots, and possession but could not find the net.

    The first half might have been one of the worst of the tournament that has already seen four 0-0 draws. Neither team had a shot on goal in a tactical stalemate.

    Ritsu Doan, who scored one of Japan’s goals in the 2-1 win over Germany, looked the most threatening early with runs down the right side looking to cut in crosses.

    Costa Rica’s most menacing player always looked like Joel Campbell, trying to use his speed on the left flank.

    There was more action in the first two minutes after the break than in the entire first half.

    Hidemasa Morita tested Navas with a blistering shot in the first minute, and Takuma Asano forced another save a minute later.

    Despite Japan’s attacking intent, the late defensive error cost the team, which seemed headed for a draw and a valuable point.

    Japan, which is appearing it its seventh straight World Cup, has reached the knockout stage on three occasions, losing each time in the round of 16. Costa Rica reached the quarterfinals in Brazil in 2014.

    Japan may not win the World Cup, but it’s winning goodwill with its tradition of cleaning up fan areas and player dressing rooms after the match. This dates from Japan’s first appearance in the World Cup in 1998. This time Japanese team officials have arrived with 8,000 trash bags with thank-you greetings in Arabia, Japanese, and English.

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    AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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  • Japan aims for World Cup knockout stage against Costa Rica

    Japan aims for World Cup knockout stage against Costa Rica

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    DOHA, Qatar — How big was Japan‘s 2-1 upset of Germany in the opening round of the World Cup?

    Newspapers in Japan used the term “Daikimboshi” from sumo wrestling to describe the magnitude of the surprise: when a low-ranked wrestler overpowers a grand champion.

    The victory has also been compared to Japan’s 34-32 upset of powerful South Africa in the 2015 rugby World Cup in England.

    Japan was the underdog against four-time champion Germany, but it will be a strong favorite in its next Group E match against Costa Rica, where a victory could move Japan into the knockout stage with a game to spare.

    A loss by Costa Rica on Sunday would eliminate it from advancing. Costa Rica faces Germany in its final match and Japan goes against Spain.

    Costa Rica is reeling from a 7-0 thrashing against Spain in its opener, and it’s anyone’s guess how the Ticos will respond. With a population of just over 5 million, the tiny Central American country is appearing in its sixth World Cup. It reached the quarterfinals in 2014 in Brazil.

    Japan has never reached the quarterfinals at a World Cup, and that’s the aim this time. This is Japan’s seventh straight appearance, and it has reached the round of 16 on three occasions, including in Russia in 2018. It lost 3-2 in stoppage time to Belgium after leading 2-0.

    It was eliminated by Paraguay on penalties in 2010, and lost to Turkey 1-0 in 2002 when the country co-hosted the event with South Korea.

    Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu has spoken often about going farther this time and breaking the “final-16 hex.”

    Substitutes Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano scored late goals against Germany — they both play in Germany’s Bundesliga — to lead Japan to the upset. Asano got the winner in the 83rd minute, squeezing the ball behind German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer from a very sharp angle.

    Costa Rica was overwhelmed by Spain with only 28% of the possession. It would also face the same problem against Japan, which is able to hold the ball for long spells, and is also a quick, counterattacking threat.

    “We couldn’t complete three or four passes,” Costa Rica coach Luis Fernando Suarez said of the Spain loss.

    The Ticos will have to do much more against Japan.

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    AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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  • Teen Gavi leads Spain to 7-0 rout of Costa Rica at World Cup

    Teen Gavi leads Spain to 7-0 rout of Costa Rica at World Cup

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    DOHA, Qatar — Not since Pelé in 1958 had someone as young as Gavi scored a goal at the World Cup.

    The 18-year-old midfielder led the way Wednesday as Spain pulled off the biggest World Cup victory in its history, routing Costa Rica 7-0.

    “I could never have imagined it,” said Gavi, who was named the game’s most valuable player. “I know I’m the youngest in the team and I respect everyone, but on the field it’s different and I bring out my best.”

    Pelé scored two goals in the 1958 final, when Brazil won its first World Cup by beating Sweden 5-2.

    “I’m proud to be in that podium,” he said. “Not even in my dreams I had imagined this.”

    Gavi only managed to score one goal on Wednesday, but his teammates added plenty of others.

    Not long after Japan surprised Germany 2-1 in the other Group E match, Spain’s young squad avoided any chance of an upset with Dani Olmo, Marco Asensio and Ferran Torres scoring a goal each in the first half. Torres, Gavi, Carlos Soler and Álvaro Morata added to the lead in the second half.

    In addition to Gavi’s mark, Olmo’s goal was the 100th at World Cups for “La Roja,” which became the sixth nation to score more than 100 times in the tournament.

    It was the first time Spain scored seven goals in a World Cup match, and the first time a team completed 1,000 passes in a 90-minute game at the tournament.

    “Our only goal is to control the game continuously, and to do that you need to have the ball,” Spain coach Luis Enrique said.

    With Gavi and 19-year-old Pedri starting, Spain also became the first European nation with two teenagers in the starting lineup of a World Cup match in 60 years, according to statistics platform Opta.

    Gavi and Pedri were among the many youngsters picked by Luis Enrique in a revamped squad in Qatar — the third-youngest team among the 32 nations, after the United States and Ghana.

    The young duo helped Spain control the pace of the match from the start at Al Thumama Stadium. The 22-year-old Torres, who is dating the daughter of coach Luis Enrique, scored his first World Cup goal from the penalty spot in the 31st minute. The others came during the run of play.

    “When things go your way like this, soccer becomes wonderful,” Luis Enrique said. “We played exceptionally well with and without the ball.”

    Costa Rica looked overwhelmed throughout the game in its third straight World Cup campaign, failing to even get a single attempt on goal. The team came to Qatar hoping to repeat its surprise run to the quarterfinals in 2014 in Brazil, and avoid a repeat of its winless showing four years ago in Russia.

    “We didn’t hold on to the possession as we should have done it,” Costa Rica coach Luis Fernando Suárez said. “We couldn’t complete three or four passes.”

    Spanish players made it look easy with the ball on their feet, finishing the match with 72% of possession.

    Spain, which didn’t get past the round of 16 in Russia, is trying to break through with a major title after making it to the final of the Nations League and the semifinals of last year’s European Championship. This year the team also qualified for the Final Four of the Nations League for a second straight time. Spain’s last major triumph came at Euro 2012, two years after it won its lone World Cup title in South Africa.

    Only five countries have scored more goals than Spain at the World Cup — Brazil, Germany, Argentina, Italy and France.

    Spain next faces four-time World Cup champion Germany on Sunday in one of the most anticipated matches of the World Cup.

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    AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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    Tales Azzoni on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tazzoni

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