Luis Fernando Suarez, the captain of Costa Rica, claimed that his team was “still very much alive” at the World Cup following a 1-0 victory over Japan on Sunday that completely opened up Group E and provided Germany with a possible lifeline.
With a victory, Japan, who stunned four-time winners Germany 2-1 in their tournament opener in Qatar, would have advanced significantly closer to the round of 16.
Instead, they struggled in the first half against a Costa Rican team that had been destroyed 7-0 by Spain. Defender Keysher Fuller then scored on a counterattack in the 81st minute.
Costa Rica is still operational. following Japan’s late victory at the World Cup
Costa Rica now has three points, tied with Japan and the tournament’s leading team, Spain, after their first shot on goal. Spain will take on Germany later on Sunday in what is regarded as the tournament’s toughest group.
“Today, these players displayed incredible skill. I won’t discuss methods or strategies. According to Suarez, whose team plays Germany on Thursday, “I need to value and appreciate what they did to obtain this win today.
“Today, we are still very much alive, even though we weren’t dead yesterday. As long as no one forgets about us, we can still dream. We are all in this together, despite what many imagined.
In order to utilise every member of his 26-man roster, coach Hajime Moriyasu made five changes to the Japan lineup that upset Germany.
At Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, where it was 32 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit), Japan launched an immediate offensive and won a corner within 30 seconds.
Gerson Torres and 34-year-old centre Kendall Waston replaced the four players from the 2014 World Cup quarterfinals in Suarez’s aged starting lineup for the team thrashed by Spain.
However, Japan’s early promise faded in the heat of Doha, and Joel Campbell of Costa Rica took the game’s first chance at goal 10 minutes before halftime, a meek attempt that flew high and wide.
“Los Ticos” enjoyed greater possession of the ball as the first half came to a conclusion, but neither team managed to get off a shot on goal.
Takuma Asano, a striker who plays in the Bundesliga and scored the game-winning goal against the Germans, was one of two substitutions that Moriyasu made at the break after having had enough.
Soon after the restart, the Blue Samurai improved their cutting edge, and midfielder Hidemasa Morita forced the first legitimate save of the game.
As the game entered its last ten minutes in front of 41,000 spectators, it was all Japan.
Nine minutes before the end of regulation, Costa Rica snatched the game after doing nothing offensively for the whole of the contest. Fuller’s shot took a deflection and looped in.
Japan’s chances of making it to the knockout phase are still good, according to Moriyasu, whose team faces Spain in a difficult final group match.
“Spain will be challenging, but we have a decent chance of winning. We’ll be well-prepared and confident going into the game,” he remarked.
In addition to denying that his team was worn out from fighting Germany, Moriyasu justified the numerous lineup changes he made.
“Costa Rica didn’t do fantastic in the first half, both of us had trouble controlling the game,” he remarked.
It was a challenging game, and perhaps both teams lacked some quality in the opening period.
