The World Cup often lends itself to the underdog story.
Take North Korea in 1966, Cameroon in 1990 or Senegal in 2002 for example.
Now, in 2014, the World Cup has another minnow creating history in the form of the small Central American nation of Costa Rica.
Listed as rank outsides in the only group that featured three World Cup winners, Costa Rica were given virtually no chance of making an impact in Brazil.
How things can change.
A 1-0 victory over Italy in Recife, courtesy of Bryan Ruiz’s header on the stroke of half time, ensured Costa Rica would qualify for the round of 16 for just the second time in its history.
With talented individuals operating within a solid and effective system, Jorge Luis Pinto has moulded his side into an efficient unit.
Michael Umana and Giancarlo Gonzalez were, as ever, the two standout defenders in the victory over Italy, while Pinto’s decision to try and crowd the midfield suffocated an Italian team that thrives on space through the centre.
Andrea Pirlo, Daniele de Rossi, Thiago Motta and Claudio Marchisio were all denied space, with Costa Rica giving their more fancied opponents absolutely no room to play.
Then, just as they had against Uruguay, the Central Americans struck lethally on the counter attack. Joel Campbell once again showed maturity beyond his years up front, while Ruiz and Christian Bolanos provided adequate support in a creative sense.
It was therefore just reward when, on 44 minutes, Junior Diaz’s far-post cross picked out Ruiz. His towering header crashed off the underside of the crossbar, clearly crossing the goal line before it was hacked away by the Italian defence.
The second half was a struggle under the increased pressure from their opponents, but Pinto’s tactics were spot on and Costa Rica booked their ticket to the knockout stages at the expense of England.
Italy now face a do-or-die game with Uruguay in the last match of Group D, with the winner progressing to the round of 16.
Costa Rica advances to KO stage, upsets Italy behind Ruiz’s winner. England is eliminated. http://t.co/FMUGF16H2Mpic.twitter.com/NmWR70tlKd
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 20, 2014
Later in the day, France stamped their authority on the World Cup with a 5-2 thrashing of Group E rivals Switzerland in Salvador.
The French were irresistible, playing with a fluidity and a team unity barely seen over the last decade.
Franck Ribery’s absence was hardly noticed, with Karim Benzema shifting to the left and Olivier Giroud playing centrally. It worked a treat, with France scoring twice in a minute to shock their Swiss counterparts.
Giroud headed home the first from a corner, before Blaise Matuidi was set clear by Benzema, beating Switzerland ‘keeper Diego Benaglio too easily at his near post.
Benzema missed a penalty and Yohan Cabaye struck the crossbar, but France continued to strive forward on the counter attack to great effect. They soon had their third before the break, with Giroud slipping the ball to Mathieu Valbuena at the back post.
Benzema and Moussa Sissoko then added to Switzerland’s woes, as Ottmar Hitzfeld’s usually impeccably reliable defensive tactics were completely undermined.
Only late consolation goals to Blerim Dzemaili and Granit Xhaka gave the Swiss fans something to cheer. But for the men in red, the damage was done – and severely so.
Ecuador took advantage of the Swiss slip-up in the day’s final match, coming from a goal down to beat Honduras 2-1.
Carlo Costly had blasted Honduras into a first-half lead, but a brace with goals on either side of the break from Enner Valencia ensured Ecuador moved into the qualifying positions of Group E with a game remaining.
- Tweet of the Day
I guess now’s not the time to mention Scotland are ranked above Costa Rica.
— Jonathan Northcroft (@JNorthcroft) June 20, 2014
- Quote of the Day
“Maybe there are a lot of people who didn’t have faith in us because we were in the ‘Group of Death’, but the other guys are the ones who are dead and we’re going to the next round.”
– Bryan Ruiz.
- Player of the Day
For the second consecutive time, striker Karim Benzema stood out above the rest in a dominant France side. Proving his versatility on the left, Benzema scored one, set up another two, won a penalty (which he subsequently missed) and was the biggest threat all match. He’s proving one of the players of the tournament.
- Tomorrow’s Schedule
Argentina can go a long way to securing their place in the round of 16 when they take on Asian minnows Iran in Belo Horizonte.
Germany will then look to further establish themselves as the pace-setters of this World Cup when they play Ghana in Fortaleza.
And in the day’s final game, Bosnia and Herzegovina face their sternest challenge for a place in the knockout stages when they come up against Nigeria in Cuiaba.
Riley Beveridge is a third-year Bachelor of Sport Journalism student at La Trobe University and is the editor of upstart’s Sport and World Cup department. You can follow him on Twitter: @RileyBev.
