Costa Rica's Duarte celebrating his diving header
There are very few certainties when it comes to the World Cup, but when group D was drawn it looked certain that Costa Rica would be the punching bag of all the teams. Yet in their first game against Uruguay, Costa Rica have managed to defeat the current south american champions. Uruguay were the very team which stopped Costa Rica from attending the 2010 World Cup, as the two sides faced off in the qualifier playoff which was won by Uruguay.Today's match started just yesterday's between Spain and the Netherlands, with the favourites Uruguay grabbing an early lead with a precise penalty by Cavani after Uruguay's captain Diego Lugano was dragged down in the penalty area. In the first half Costa Rica were unable to find a proper rhythm, chasing the game without really managing to worry a Uruguay side which had left Suarez on the bench due to injury worries.
However, it wasn't even ten minutes into the second half when Costa Rica spread out of their half in a passing move which ended with Joel Campbell's powerful strike into the back of the net. While Uruguay tried to recollect themselves, just three minutes later Costa Rica struck for the lead with Oscar Duarte's diving header placed into the far bottom corner of Muslera's goal. At this point Uruguay were doing damage control as Costa Rica continued to hassle and threaten the South American goal.
Urena's tight finish to make it 3-1
As the second half ticked away both coaches made a flurry of substitutions, and it was Costa Rica's which ultimately paid off just a few minutes from the end. The fresh legs of Marco Urena latched onto a well timed through ball right before cutting a tight angled finish which rolled over the line to complete the comeback. It was a glorious goal for Costa Rica, especially considering they had never beaten Uruguay in their history, and were knocked out of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup by the Uruguayans.The match ended with some tempers flaring from the Uruguayan players, with Maxi Pereira receiving a red card in injury time after a vicious hack at Joel Campbell's shin. After this loss and the suspension for Maxi Pereira, Uruguay find themselves in a difficult position in one of the most competitive groups. Meanwhile, Costa Rica will be waiting to see the result of the Italy v. England match, as a draw between the two favourites of the group could strengthen the possibility of Costa Rica qualifying for the knockout stages from the one of the toughest World Cup groups.
What are your thoughts on Costa Rica's upset comeback? Can Costa Rica challenge for the knockout stages? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
