Uruguay v Costa Rica: World Cup 2014 – as it happened Uruguay 1 Costa Rica 3
Cristian Rodriguez of Uruguay controls the
ball as Yeltsin Tejeda of Costa Rica tries to catch him. Photograph:
Robert Cianflone/Getty Images
Evening.
I’m happy. Are you happy? What’s that? Oh, good. I
bet you’re not as happy as a Costa Rican, though. Costa Ricans are the happiest
people in the world. It’s official.
See. Told you. Ignore what Gary Lineker said earlier about Colombia.
They're merely mildly satisfied. A country that doesn’t bother having
an army has got to be the happiest. And how can you be unhappy when you
can have Gallo Pinto for
breakfast each morning? Costa Rica's football team is feeling pretty
chuffed to be in Brazil too. They qualified for the World Cup with two games to
spare, conceding only seven goals in 10 games. They may be a cheerful bunch but
they can be miserly too. They’ll need to
be in this group. Uruguay, England and Italy are a cut above what they have
faced in Concacaf so far. And after winning only one of their six most recent
friendlies they may have to draw on their plentiful reserve of serotonin over the next three games. Diego Lugano, Uruguay’s captain,
who was having a giggle when he pretended to be a defender at West Brom
last season, says fans in Uruguay are expecting great things. They think the trophy is heading back to Montevideo with La Celeste. Yes. Little Uruguay. History has got them all a lather you see. The
last time they won it was in Brazil. Look, here they are breaking 200,000 Brazilian hearts in the Maracanã. Including those of some very polite-looking ladies and lots of stern-looking men in suits. Uruguay win the World Cup in 1950!
And although it was 64 years ago, they
reckon it’s their time again. Can it be? Uruguay's ropey World Cup qualification campaign would
suggest not. But South American qualifying has always been as
unpredictable as the British weather. Both
Argentina and Brazil have cut it fine in recent years. With
European-based players
jetting in and out between busy domestic fixtures it can often be a bit
of a
tombola until the late, late stages, when teams get their gamefaces on.
Uruguay bounced back from seventh to seal a playoff spot and a 5-0
aggregate win over Jordan. Their main problem was their leaky defence.
Bolivia and Colombia both rattled four past them in qualifying and
Argentina found their defence very welcoming too. And it wasn't all
Lugano's fault either. He didn't play in two of those games. On
paper/screen/tablet/phone/other device Maximiliano Pereira, Diego
Lugano, Diego Godín and Martín Cáceres, look solid enough. All right,
Lugano sticks out like a sore thumb among the Benfica, Atléti and
Juventus players but he hasn't always been that bad. And he is their
captain.
And, in any case, Costa Rica are hardly going to be dictating play tonight – Panini's Joel Campbell
is likely to be their biggest threat – so defending isn't likely to be a
primary concern. Keeping key players fit will be. They've not got the
deepest squad. Diego Forlán, no young pup at 35 but still incredibly fit,
will start instead of the recovering Luis Suárez, who is still planning
to return in time to give Gary Cahill and co the heebie-jeebies next
week. One expects Uruguay will need momentum to go far in Brazil. And a
convincing win here could be the foundation for that. My prediction: Uruguay 3-0 Costa Rica
So Colombia have ensured the 100% record for South American teams is intact.
I don't see Uruguay harming that nice little statistic. Going forwards I
expect them to have more than enough, even without Luis Suárez.
Cristian Stuani, Cristian Rodriguez, Diego Forlán and Edinson Cavani
should provide plenty firepower. Costa Rica's greatest hope of pulling
off a shock s perhaps their goalkeeper, Keylor Navas. He's being touted
for a big move after a stellar season at Levante.
Here's a tenuous link for you. Alan Irvine has just been appointed as West Brom's new manager.
If – and it's a BFG-sized IF – he decided that Diego Lugano does have a
future at the Hawthorns, the Uruguay captain will be coached by my
coach when I was in Blackburn's youth ranks. It won't happen. I'm just
filling some space before kick-off.
"I reckon Costa Ricans are so happy because whenever
they want they can pop out to the forest and look at sloths - and what
could be better than that?" offers Marie Meyer. "And remember folks: the
next time you see a sloth crossing the road, hold up traffic and get it to the other side safely.
"Because the karmic retribution for causing the death of a sloth
would be epic." Indeed Marie. Not much chance of seeing a sloth in Kings
Place (insert lazy journalism gag here).
"Evening Gregg," begins Simon McMahon. "Looking forward to the next match in what has been a
fabulous tournament so far. Costa Rica at the World Cup brings back
bittersweet memories for us Scots, as they remind us that once upon a
time we actually used to qualify for the Finals, but also that when we
got there we invariably lost. Think I'd be as happy as a Costa Rican if
we make it back anytime soon."
"They’ll need to be in this group. Uruguay, England and Italy are a cut above what they have faced in Concacaf so far."
Uh
oh. Dave Hogg has quoted this back at me. "Based
on England's friendly with Honduras? Based on their valiant
second-place finish to the US in the group-stage four years ago? After
yesterday, is England even definitely a cut above Mexico?" I still think
so, and I'm no misty-eyed England fan. But in qualifying Roy's England
were consistent.
Will Luis Suárez come on for Uruguay tonight? I doubt it. Unless they're desperate. And I don't think they'll be desperate. Luis Suárez, on the bench he'll warm tonight. Photograph: Georgi Licovski/EPA
"Costa Rica are not favourites, but they definitely have the best
name of all players in the pitch: Yeltsin Tejeda. First name given by
his mother inspired by former Russian president Boris Yeltsin," writes
Octavio Sequeiros. And he'll be face to face with the scariest-looking
footballer at the World Cup, Arevalo Rios. Would you mess with this man? Would you eff! Leg it. Photograph: Handout/Reuters
"I believe that any time Joel Campbell is involved in a match being
covered in an MBM the MBMer should be contractually obligated to show
Campbell's egregious dive against the USA! USA!! USA!!! last year," says HR in Illinois. "Here we go…"
Oh,
that's awful. I suppose Campbell will be hoping to do something at this
World Cup not only to try and alert Arsène Wenger to his existence as
an Arsenal player but also to stop people remembering him for another
lowlight in his career, his purchase of 100 Panini packets in the hope
of finding his sticker in there to no avail.
Here's a positive thing he did last season. Boom!
"I'd be very, very surprised if it's 3-0 Gregg," writes Shaun Lawson, sticking a blade in my prediction. "That's not Uruguay in
opening games; it's not Uruguay in any tournament games (unless they're
against Tahiti I suppose) at all! This article will hopefully help explain why.
PS. Arevalo Rios's nickname is El Cacha. Because, just like Diego
Simeone did, he plays like he has a knife between his teeth."
Here's an alternative composite image for tonight's game. Just ignore the fact that Luis Suárez isn't starting. Cheap Panini.
How good has this World Cup been so far? Entertaining matches, wonderful goals, colourful crowds, dodgy refereeing and heat. Let's hope it continues through tonight. Here's Jamie Wills on the same subject: "This is the first World Cup I have watched that has been based in South
America, and it is already tempting to say the crowds are hugely
different from anything I've seen in previous competitions. The lift
South American teams (and Mexico) should get looks like the traditional
European powerhouses aren't only dealing with the heat, but potentially a
feeling of being very far away from home. Uruguay fans proving Jamie Wills's point. Photograph: Alex Livesey - Fifa/FIFA via Getty Images
"Of course teams will get knocked out eventually, but with Colombia's
draw and the potential for Chile to take out at least one of the
favourites, it's going to take a strong European team to build
tournament-winning momentum. Despite the 5-1 I reckon it won't be until
the last 16 until we truly know which European team - if any - has the
potential to, in US terms, take game 7. It makes this World Cup a lot
more interesting."
Right. Time for football. Come on football! The teams emerge
from a wide tunnel with shiny steps. More like an expansive railway
station walkway, if anything. Anyway, there's a huge roar as they come
on to the pitch at Estádio Castelão and line up for the national
anthems.
It's time for the national anthems. First Uruguay's. Here's how it sounded in 2010: Uruguay's anthem.And here's what Big Pop Song's David Gray makes of it.
I’m
getting oodles of eastern pride with lusty overtones of death or glory,
I’m getting a spine of florid pomposity with top notes of Tom and
Jerry, I’m getting Viennese marching music with a strong hint of
moustache oil, I’m getting really bored, this thing goes on and on …
Weighing in at a hefty five minutes, six seconds, this is officially the
longest national anthem in the world.
And now for Costa Rica's, cut and pasted from 2006: Costa Rica'a anthem. Hopefully the same one as at Germany 2006.Spandau Ballet's warbler Tony Hadley's a fan:
It’s
an incredibly grandiose and rousing tune, extremely jolly and strident,
almost like an operatic piece. It’s a big anthem, and a big lyric, for a
small country. The words talk about peace and blue skies and the nation
as a “loving mother” – it’s not as sabre-rattling as some other
countries. I can imagine it played in the stadium, with all the fans –
I’m not sure how many fans Costa Rica take to a World Cup, but however
many of them there are – singing and feeling very proud. There might be a
few tears. I know from experience that when you’re in that situation,
singing a song that’s meaningful to you and thousands of people joining
in – whether it’s a national anthem or Gold – it brings a sense of
pride. It’s a special moment. I visited Costa Rica a few years ago, and
trekked from one side to the other to raise money for Action Medical
Research, so I’ve been there and experienced the country and the jungle.
It’s a fascinating and beautiful place. It took about 14 days to go
from the Caribbean coast to the Pacific and it was a fabulous trip. We
took a couple of short cuts.
Both anthems are sung with gusto but Uruguay would appear to have the greater support in the stadium. Not surprising, given it's just down the road from Brazil, um, kind of.
Peep! Uruguay get the game under way. They're wearing their
usual light blue and shooting from right to left on my telly. Costa
Rica, in white, are going t'other way.
1 min: Uruguay take control of possession from the start. All
assured touches at the back before Cristian Rodriguez is released down
the left. He shows a flash of his jet-heeled pace but is marshalled well
by Cristian Gamboa. Cristian Rodriguez of Uruguay races away from Yeltsin Tejeda of Costa Rica. Photograph: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images
Updated
2 min: Joel Campbell has a foray down the inside-left
channel, but is shrugged off the ball by Diego Godin, who was a rock at
the heart of Atlético Madrid's soon-to-be-dismantled team last season.
Updated
4 min: Rios lives up to his image by cutting down Bryan Ruiz
in midfield. He looks like he fancies a scrap tonight. Well, his face
looks like it fancies a scrap every night. Rios sticker
Updated
7 min: Forlán almost gets a free shot at goal after Gonzalez
loops a header up into the air in his own 18-yard box that, thankfully
for happy Costa Ricans, Navas is alert too, rushing off his line to
gather.
8 min: Joel Campbell brings the ball down with a deft touch
and turns his marker halfway inside the Uruguay half, he looks to his
left and slips Bolanos in on the left channel, but Pereira is sharp,
dinking the ball out for a corner.
9 min: The corner comes to nought, Chiefly because Lugano
made a big deal of a minor nudge in his back. he should have done that
at West Brom last season. That would have been a better way of ensuring
the Baggies didn't concede goals than his sliced clearances were.
10 min: Costa Rica are having a little go here. Borges is
finding space intelligently between Uruguay's defence and midfield. He's
involved in a smart move in which Ruiz gets on to the end of a whipped
in cross from the left but Godin does enough to make sure it bounces off
the Fulham forward's head and harmlessly over.
13 min: Lugano has been guilty of lumping the ball aimlessly
towards the head of Cavani. He;s getting nowhere near it. I expect
better of Uruguay, to be honest. Maybe not Lugano, mind.
14 min: Gooooaaaa … oh … it's disallowed. Godin scuffed the
ball into the net just outside the six-yard box, but the linesman is
spot on, the striker was offside by this much. Uruguay's defender Diego Godin (L) loops the
ball over Costa Rica's goalkeeper Keylor Navas. Photograph: Gabriel
Bouys/AFP/Getty Images
Updated
17 min: And then Cavani has another chance, but he makes a
right hash of it. Forlán plays a free-kick into the box from the right.
It's a bad one, and cannons off a defender to Cavani, 15 yards from goal
on an angle on the right hand side. He must get this on target. But he
doesn't, slicing it, horribly, wide. Very poor. Edinson Cavani lashes over. Photograph: Georgi LicovskI/EPA
Updated
19 min: This game is lacking quality. There, I've said it.
Not up to this World Cup's high standards so far. The stadium has gone
very quiet. What this game is lacking is a bloody good header. Like one of these, in this here gallery of the top 10 headers …
20 min: Uruguay are playing very cautiously, playing aimless
balls into the channels and not taking any risks in possession. Costa
Rica, to give them some credit, are working very hard to win back
possession, mind.
Penalty to Uruguay!
22 min: Lugano is grabbed from behind and dragged to the floor. It's a clear penalty, Cavani to take. Uruguay's defender Diego Lugano falls after
being brought down by Costa Rica's defender Junior Diaz. Photograph:
Christophe Simon/AFP/Getty Images
Updated
Goal! Uruguay 1-0 Costa Rica (Cavani 24)
Cavani's body shape oozes confidence as he whips this into the
right-hand corner of the goal. Navas is close to it but his fingertips
just can't reach it. Uruguay's Edinson Cavani scores the opening goal. Photograph: Fernando Llano/APThe Uruguayan's celebrate. Photograph: Carl Recine/Action Images
Updated
25 min: Diaz's attempted tackle was naive in the extreme. He
had no chance of getting in front of Lugano, who handled the ball after
he was fouled, not that it mattered. Uruguay are trying to turn the
screw here.
27 min: Campbell, almost nonchalantly, tries his luck from
30 yards, giving Muslera an awful fright and very nearly scoring a
wonderful goal into the top-right hand corner. He looks like Costa
Rica's most likely scorer. He looks unfazed by the occasion. The
arrogance of youth and all that.
28 min: Meanwhile in Guardian Towers … hacks are abuzz with
news that Rooney will play on the right for England with Sterling in the
No10 role. Rooney has never played on the right apparently.
30 min: Back in Fortalez, Rios slams into Campbell's back, as
if to say "enough of that fancy nonsense you" and concedes a free-kick
35 yards out. It's lofted into the box quite tentatively but Uruguay
make a hash of clearing it and Ruiz doesn't connect with a decent
half-chance to equalise from 15 yards. It's am apathetic effort that
somehow goes out for a corner. Corner comes to nowt. On we go.
34 min: "Surprised this didn't make the great headers list," says Nial Mullen.
35 min: Costa Rica are too keen to win the ball back, in my
opinion. The right-back, Gamboa, particularly, is getting too tight to
Rodriguez on the left. His earlier lunge, that could have been severely
punished, led to the free-kick that, in turn, led to the penalty. They
need to relax a bit. They're chilled, surf-dude Costa Ricans. It should
be in their blood.
37 min: Costa Rica's goalkeeper lumps the ball forwards,
Bryan Ruiz jumps in vain hope, and the ball goes back into Uruguay's
possession. Costa Rica need some one to step up …
39 min: That man is probably most likely to be Lugano. He has
a touch of the Bramble about him. He almost handballs it in his own
penalty area after a pitiful cross into the box from Campbell squirts
into his midriff and inches from his hands, that should really have been
by his side.
41 min: Caceres and Rodriguez have shown moments of quality
on the left for Uruguay. The Juve left-back plays a lovely backheel
inside Gamboa to set Rodriguez away. He chooses to turn inside and finds
Forlán in space, but the old man makes a hash of an attempt to bend it
into the top-right corner.
44 min: Uruguay almost suffer a calamity at the back as a
corner is whipped in and Godin blocks his own goalkeeper off, allowing
the ball to sail past the six-yard box only a foot away from the threat
of Ruiz's forehead.
Updated
45 min: Wonderful save! It's been said before, but Keylor
Navas can keep goal. Forlán blasts a shot at a Costa Rica defender, the
ball loops up off him but Navas does what Shilton couldn't in 1990. It
was exactly like this, apart from the fact that it was nothing like
this, because Navas tipped it over.
Half-time
That wasn't the best half of football.
Uruguay probably deserve to be 1-0 up but no more. Costa Rica have had a
few half chances. If they equalise it will be Joel Campbell brilliance
or a Uruguayan calamity that leads to it. Costa Rica's Keilor Navas's spectacular save. Photograph: Dominic Ebenbichler/Reuters
Updated
Some emails
"Arrgggghhhh!!!" Arrgggghhhhs, ThomasJC83.
"How can the ref be so inconsistent???
he gives a penalty for pulling in the box against Costa rica and then
fails to see a worse foul by Godin down the other end?? Bloody
frustrating beyond belief. However, I do like Lugano's tactic of
handballing it every time he wants to show the ref he has been fouled."
He's a walking penalty-kick, Thomas.
"Joel Campbell's looked really impressive so far," oozes Kalim Quadri. "Can't see him not getting a
work permit after the World Cup. It'll be interesting to see if he's
integrated into Arsenal's squad next year."
"Is it me or is the
Uruguayan kit a bit mixed up," writes a confused Erica Billingham. "The
shirts are nipple
sparingly tight tight but the shorts are practically culottes big enough
to lose a pit pony in. Some sort of kit malfunction?" Perhaps
Uruguayans just like a breeze down there, Erica. It's hot, hot, hot!
A stat!
Peep! It's the second half. Let's hope it's a bit better than
the first. This World Cup has standards, you know. We want a header
from 25 yards. Lugano OG anyone?
46 min: Campbell shows some nice foootwork to get away from
his marker, he plays it out wide to Gamboa on the right. But he blasts
it low into Caceres. The young lad's all wound up. Relax Christian. Let
the football flow.
48 min: The game has passed Forlán by so far. He is older
than time, mind. It's a shame seeing him look a bit heavy-legged. Such a
likeable footballer too. Suárez is doing some prep on the sidelines.
Could he come on?
49 min: And the winner of the first yellow card goes to …
Lugano of course. He's an hour late in an attempted tackle on Campbell.
The free-kick, from a central area 30 yards out, is whipped in
beautifully by Ruiz to Bolanos on the far post. He's unmarked and heads
straight at Muslera, who parries before the ball is finally hacked
clear. That was a lovely delivery.
Updated
52 min: Cavani, who has looked horribly isolated, has a wild thrash at goal from 30 yards. It goes wide by a mile.
Goal! Uruguay 1-1 Costa Rica (Campbell 54)
A brilliant, brilliant goal. Gamboa should have given up on chasing a
ball flicked from Ruiz down into the corner. He doesn't, because he
loves huffing and puffing and arcs a cross into the box and behind the
Uruguay defence towards Campbell. He chests the ball down and strikes it
fiercely into the far-right corner as Pereira tries in vain to launch
his body in the way of it. Great goal. Joel Campbell lashes home Costa Rica's first goal. Photograph: Mike Blake/ReutersCampbell celebrates scoring. Photograph: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
Updated
Goal! Uruguay 1-2 Costa Rica (Duarte 57)
Hello! Costa Rica's happy rating goes up another notch. A
free-kick in an identical spot to the one before the goal is whipped in
to the far post by Ruiz, I think, towards the onrushing left-back who
leaps bravely past Stuani's limp, dangled boot to thump a header into
the bottom left corner. Wow! A close-up shot of Costa Rica's Oscar Duarte heading home the second goal. Photograph: Dominic Ebenbichler/ReutersCosta Rica celebrate taking a remarkable lead. Photograph: Christophe Simon/AFP/Getty Images
Updated
60 min: Costa Rica have got their tails up all right. They
smell blood here. They don't look the defensive and disjointed team of
the first half. Uruguay have made two changes. Nicolas Lodeiro and
Alvaro Gonzalez are on. I only saw Forlán leave. Sorry, don't know who
the other player to be yanked was.
62 min: Campbell has just had an almighty effort from 30
yards again, seeing Muslera marginally off his line and trying to bend
it up and around him after a Costa Rica break. He hits the stancheon.
This match is reaching this World Cup's high standards at long last.
64 min: A replay has just shown that Duarte was probably half
a step offside. But ease up on any berating of the officials. It was
very close. And Uruguay have kind of brought this on themselves by
sitting back.
66 min: "Re Campbell's celebration. Can you explain the whole
thumb-in-mouth, ball-under-the-shirt nonsense?" asks Evan Brewer. "The
pants halfway down was a nice touch too." He should have pulled his
Panini sticker out of his undies. That would have been a good one.
68 min: Uruguay are struggling to breech this Costa Rican
backline. Cavani and Rodriguez combine well on the left, the big striker
hooking a cross into the six-yard box only for the ball to be smothered
by a swarm of defenders.
69 min: And then Navas punches a Cavani header, from 10
yards, clear when he probably could have gathered it. He's enjoying
himself in goal methinks.
71 min: Maxi Pereira has a rare run forwards and wins a
corner. But it's overhit horribly by Lodeiro and sets Gamboa off on a
counter-attack. Unfortunately it's a counter-attack consisting of only
Gamboa, who is eventually harried out of possession by Caceres and
Rodriguez.
73 min: Olé! Olé! Olé! Who thought they'd hear Costa Rican
fans doing that in this match? That must sound like Freddy Krueger's
fingers down a blackboard to Uruguayan ears.
74 min: Yeltsin Tejeda's shift is over for the night. He's put in some yards in midfield. He's replaced by Cubero.
75 min: And off goes Cristian Rodriguez for Abel Hernandez.
So there'll be no Luis Suárez tonight. And it is desperate for Uruguay,
as I didn't predict before the match. Suarez watches on from the bench. Photograph: Dominic Ebenbichler/Reuters
Updated
76 min: Joel 'The Outlet' Campbell has just got on to the end
of another lost-cause ball down a channel. He's got pace to burn. A
little reminiscent of the less-refined Daniel Sturridge of a few years
ago. He's making it hard for Uruguay to commit too many men forwards as
he's such a threat.
77 min: Lodeiro almost slices the Costa Rica defence open
with a pass fired in towards the feet of Cavani who timed his run well
behind the Costa Rican wall of defenders. A prod diverts the ball away,
though, and Costa Rica prepare to repel another attack as Uruguay gain
possession.
80 min: Caceres should be sent off for a lunge on Gamboa that
could have resulted in a broken leg had the Costa Rican defender's leg
been planted. He's only booked for it, though. Lucky lad. It was of his
own making too after a dreadful first touch.
82 min: Bryan Ruiz, whose delivery from set-pieces has been
impressive tonight, is replaced by Marco Urena, whose work I'm not
familiar with, but who does said work as a striker for Kuban Krasnodar.
Goal! Uruguay 1-3 Costa Rica (Urena 84)
I'm familiar with his work now. And what a ball by Campbell, who
slices a sloppy Uruguay defence open with an inch-perfect left-footed
dagger for the Kuban Krasnodar striker to roll home from a tight angle
and kick-off some wild celebrations in the stands. Costa Rica's Marco Urena scores their third goal. Photograph: Carl Recine/Action Images
Updated
86 min: Diego Lugano's sloth-like turn played a part in that
goal too. Uruguay have been poor in many areas tonight but a lack of
movement has led to them getting picked off in midfield and has allowed
Costa Rica to get these opportunities.
Updated
89 min: Where does this rank as a shock? Pretty high I'd say.
It's not quite Senegal-France or Holland-Spain the other night but a
3-1 defeat of a team ranked seventh in the world who they have never
beaten before has got to be up there.
Updated
90 min: Poor Uruguay. There's going to be five more minutes of this.
90+1 min: "Is this enough of a performance to earn CONCACAF
some respect?" gloats Dave Hogg."Uruguay would struggle to get out of
the Hexagon at this pace."
90+3 min: Pereira's had enough of this. He's off. Red card! He
swings a Tommy Smith-Norman Hunter-esque leg at Campbell's shin and
sends him up in the air. That's a shocking display of ill-discipline. Maximilliano Pereira walks off after being red carded for a wild challenge. Photograph: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
Updated
Full-time
Peep! That's it. What a shocker. Uruguay were stodgy in
possession and lacked any kind of creativity. Costa Rica grew into the
game and were a potent threat on the break in the second half. The star
of the show was Joel Campbell, who lit up Fontaleza with his footwork,
energy and youthful arrogance. A drab game turned into a brilliant and
unexpected World Cup shock. Well done this World Cup. You've delivered
again. Now for England. Oh!
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