After surprising everyone with a 3-1 win over Uruguay, Costa Rica pulled another stunner with a 1-0 win over Italy.
Costa Rica was one of the four teams that were part of the group of death. Early predictions had it that the other three teams could earn an easy three points in their game against this country. Little were they expecting the surprise that awaited them.
Costa Rica left the FIFA World Cup 2014 audience in a daze when they secured a 3-1 victory over Uruguay. They pulled another stunner with a 1-0 win over Italy. Their win also eliminated England from the tournament.
Costa Rica coach Jorge Luis Pinto lined up five defenders but his squad was able to advance forward with one swift, sweeping movement - just like in the 3-1 win over Uruguay.
"Maybe there are a lot of people who didn't have faith in us because we were in the 'Group of Death,' said Costa Rica captain Bryan Ruiz, who scored the key goal, according to a Washington Post report. "But the other guys are the ones who are dead and we're going to the next round."
Costa Rica leads Group D with six points, while Italy and Uruguay have three each. Their match against each other will decide who will go through to the knockout stage. Costa Rica has only reached this far in the tournament in 1990 when it made its World Cup debut under the guidance of coach Bora Milutinovic. Back then, it defeated Sweden, Scotland and Czechoslovakia.
The other three teams in the group have had much better luck in the tournament. England has won the World Cup once, Uruguay twice and Italy four times. In the 2010 World cup, Italy was the defending champion but was eliminated in the group stage, a fate similar to what Spain suffered this time round.
This World Cup, it seems like the least expected teams are doing well for themselves. Chile beat Spain 2-0. Mexico drew with Brazil and though Bosnia was defeated by Argentina, it managed to concede only 2 goals and score one.
As of now, Netherlands, Chile and Costa Rica are the only three teams that have made it through to the next round, though they still have to play each other. In the same group, Spain will play Australia but the results won't matter as both countries have been eliminated.
