Germany defeated Costa Rica in the final match of Group E play.
The team that embarrassed Uruguay, Italy and England in 2014 are back, and looking to defy the odds at the World Cup again. They once again find themselves in a group with giants — Spain and Germany this time — so goalkeeper and star man Keylor Navas can expect to be busy…
The manager
Colombian Luis Fernando Suarez will be coaching his third side at the World Cup after leading Ecuador to the knockout stages in 2006 and guiding Honduras to the 2014 tournament in Brazil. He took over a Costa Rican side that had gone 11 consecutive games without a win and he had a rough start.
However, his side galvanised the country with a fantastic run, collecting 19 of their final 21 possible points in qualifying to get into the play-offs, where they beat New Zealand 1-0 to book a spot at the World Cup.
Despite qualifying, Suarez’s dependence on veteran players has caused consternation in Costa Rica, with the concern being that by leaning too much on those players he is imposing a ceiling on the team’s potential.
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The household name you haven’t heard of yet
There are a few players who could make an impression in Qatar, including centre-back Juan Pablo Vargas, forward Anthony Contreras and midfielder Brandon Aguilera. The one who could make the biggest impact, however, is winger Bennette, who has impressed since signing for Sunderland.
Jewi's first goal in Red and White 🇨🇷
❤️ @Jewisonoficial9 #SAFC pic.twitter.com/7bPP3ycjvu
— Sunderland AFC (@SunderlandAFC) September 18, 2022
Bennette has game-changing speed on the wing, and with Costa Rica expected to play on the counterattack, the 18-year-old’s pace could factor heavily. Two goals for the Ticos in a friendly against South Korea in September hints at his potential to break out for Costa Rica in Qatar.
Strengths
The biggest plus is that this team and the one that made a heroic run to the quarter-finals in 2014 are not too different. Costa Rica will be extremely organised defensively. It is likely in the World Cup you will see them sit in a low block — they tested a mid-block in a friendly against South Korea in September and it wasn’t great — and look to hit opponents on the break. They averaged just 39.7 percent possession in the final round of World Cup qualifying.
They do have speed up top and on the wings, when needed. Joel Campbell, who worked so tirelessly as a lone striker in Brazil eight years ago, remains a key playmaker on this team. Bennette can also cause real problems with his pace.
The biggest strength of this team, however, is in goal. They conceded just eight goals in 14 qualifiers and Navas finished with 4.97 goals fewer conceded than expected (six goals conceded versus 10.97 xGA).
Weaknesses
Costa Rica struggle to create chances at an efficient enough rate to be considered truly dangerous, especially against the best teams. They have solid attacking players, but a conservative approach and inability to produce enough strong chances is going to heavily limit the Ticos’ ceiling in Qatar.
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They finished fifth in CONCACAF, qualifying with just 12 big chances created, according to FotMob, and ranked sixth in goals per match (0.9). They can still be sloppy at the back and gave up a good number of chances in qualifying. Navas’ heroics played a major part in their qualification for Qatar.
Local knowledge
The Ticos are best known for their national slogan and way of life: Pura vida. Literally it means pure life, but it’s all about enjoying the moment and taking a positive approach. They fans love to put together songs for their national team during these runs. The most famous one is Agarrense de las Manos, though another song emerged as their rallying cry during the run to Qatar: “Hasta el ultimo minuto!” or “Until the final minute!”
Expectations back home
Costa Rica was drawn into a group that includes Spain and Germany, but in the minutes after the groups were announced the optimistic spin started to fly around the country. Remember, they said, that Costa Rica was supposed to finish last in their group in 2014, one that was arguably even harder against England, Uruguay and Italy.
Instead, Costa Rica finished top of the group, drawing against England and beating Uruguay and Italy, then made a run to the quarter-finals where they lost on penalties to the Netherlands. Realistically, people know getting out of the group would be a miracle — that doesn’t mean there isn’t belief though.
Read more: See the rest of The Athletic’s World Cup 2022 squad guides
Read more: Spain beat Costa Rica 7-0, the country’s biggest ever World Cup win.
Read more: Costa Rica beat Japan 1-0, keeping their hopes of the knockout round alive.
(Design: Sam Richardson for The Athletic)
