Post by mesi10 on Jan 10, 2024 22:55:25 GMT -6
A free-kick goal by Serbian defender Alexandar Kolarov on the hour mark brought down the strength of Costa Rica (0-1) in the World Cup debut in Russia, which until then had remained firm thanks to the good performances of the goalkeeper Keylor Navas.
The defeat put an end to the five-match unbeaten series of last year's quarterfinalists, who were then eliminated by the Netherlands in a penalty Binance App Users Data shootout. Costa Rica thus leaves only Germany and Holland with an open series of matches without losing.
Serbia achieved with a set piece what it had not been able to achieve with play, in which despite its dominance of the match, it crashed again and again against the defensive discipline of Óscar Ramírez's men.
DIFFICULT COSTA RICAN BEGINNING. Cruel defeat for the Costa Rican team that dreams of extending the good performance of this generation of players who four years ago surprised the world by reaching the quarterfinals at the World Cup in Brazil.
Their debut now makes it very difficult for them to overcome the first phase, because, as the Tico coach pointed out in the preview , Serbia appeared to be the most affordable rival on paper.
As it did in the last World Cup, when it surpassed the group stage ahead of Italy, England and Uruguay, Costa Rica is now forced to perform a feat of identical dimensions, since its next rival will be the five-time champion Brazil.
Kolarov's goal ended the good collective work that the Tico team had maintained until that moment , which even had chances to take the lead on the scoreboard.
But he once again showed that his powder is wet, as in the three preparation duels prior to his arrival in Russia. He lacks punch to Ramírez's team, which alone with tactical rigor is not enough to reinvent the magic of four years ago.
The coach arranged his usual formation, with five men at the back and Marcos Ureña alone up front, with the support from the wing of Johan Venegas as the most offensive midfielder.
The defeat put an end to the five-match unbeaten series of last year's quarterfinalists, who were then eliminated by the Netherlands in a penalty Binance App Users Data shootout. Costa Rica thus leaves only Germany and Holland with an open series of matches without losing.
Serbia achieved with a set piece what it had not been able to achieve with play, in which despite its dominance of the match, it crashed again and again against the defensive discipline of Óscar Ramírez's men.
DIFFICULT COSTA RICAN BEGINNING. Cruel defeat for the Costa Rican team that dreams of extending the good performance of this generation of players who four years ago surprised the world by reaching the quarterfinals at the World Cup in Brazil.
Their debut now makes it very difficult for them to overcome the first phase, because, as the Tico coach pointed out in the preview , Serbia appeared to be the most affordable rival on paper.
As it did in the last World Cup, when it surpassed the group stage ahead of Italy, England and Uruguay, Costa Rica is now forced to perform a feat of identical dimensions, since its next rival will be the five-time champion Brazil.
Kolarov's goal ended the good collective work that the Tico team had maintained until that moment , which even had chances to take the lead on the scoreboard.
But he once again showed that his powder is wet, as in the three preparation duels prior to his arrival in Russia. He lacks punch to Ramírez's team, which alone with tactical rigor is not enough to reinvent the magic of four years ago.
The coach arranged his usual formation, with five men at the back and Marcos Ureña alone up front, with the support from the wing of Johan Venegas as the most offensive midfielder.