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“Let’s not forget Costa Rica” ran the Guardian headline. It was December 2013, a few days after the World Cup draw had intertwined England’s destiny with those of Italy, Uruguay and the Ticos, and the media coverage was all about how England would cope with Mario Balotelli and Luis Suarez. Italy had dumped England out of Euro 2012, Uruguay are the reigning Copa America champions: how would Gerrard and co tackle them? In this saturation coverage, the tiny Central American nation of 5 million, lacking World Cup pedigree and star names, was largely ignored.
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This group finale was supposed to be a formality, with England ‘assured’ a win against Costa Rica; but that, ran conventional wisdom, might still not be enough. How easily the media can get these things wrong. Remember the Sun in 2010? “E-A-S-Y” screamed the headline: England, Algeria, Slovenia, Yanks - too easy a group for the inventors of football. The dreadful football that followed was unexpected. In Brazil, at least they’ve been prepared for a capitulation.
England have lost to both Italy and Uruguay, who have both lost to Costa Rica, putting it two rungs above England on the food chain. Jose Pinto doesn’t need to field his best XI, although he may play for a draw to ensure the Ticos top the group. England are playing for pride alone – and that could ensure an entertaining contest.
Venue
Estádio Mineirão, Belo Horizonte (Capacity: 62,160)
Kickoff
24th June, 21:30 (IST), 13:00 (Local time)
Team news
Tricky to predict, given that this is effectively a dead rubber. Costa Rica’s 3-man defence and wing-backs could get some rest, as could the midfield; but Pinto’s options from the bench are limited. He may decide to grind out a draw, and his defensive tactics after going 1-0 up worked well against Italy.
Costa Rica XI: Navas; Duarte, Gonzalez, Umana; Gamboa, Borges, Tejedo, Diaz; Ruiz, Bolanos, Campbell
Frank Lampard will take the armband and midfield role from Steven Gerrard, playing alongside Jack Wilshere and James Milner. Hodgson has indicated that he will give Ross Barkley and Luke Shaw their first competitive starts, while Adam Lallana, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling could all get their first starts in this tournament.
England XI: Foster; Johnson, Cahill, Jagielka, Shaw; Lampard, Wilshere, Milner; Barkley, Lallana, Sturridge
Tactics
Hodgson might finally ditch his bizarre 4-2-4, though it’ll be interesting to see England minus Wayne Rooney.
Costa Rica’s wing-backs do a tremendous amount of running – indeed, the attacking full-back has seen a resurgence this World Cup. Lallana will have plenty of space to run into, and Raheem Sterling could find space out wide. Although he thrived in a central position against Italy, moving him to the right against Uruguay was arguably Hodgson’s most controversial decision thus far.
Match Facts
- This is the first time England will face Costa Rica, they have never played each other before.
- If Costa Rica avoid defeat, they will finish as the top team in Group D.
- Costa Rica have scored in all seven of their previous World Cup meetings with teams from Europe.
- Hodgson has lost his last four games at the World Cup, two with Switzerland and two with England.
- England have conceded eight goals in their last three World Cup games, as many as the previous 14 games combined.
- Fun fact (not if you’re English though): Belo Horizonte was where England lost 0-1 to an amateur USA team in the 1950 World Cup, widely considered the lowest point in English sport.
Key Battles
Ruiz vs Lampard
A Fulham discard, Ruiz has powered his side to two excellent victories, and his well-timed forward runs often serve as a decoy for Joel Campbell sneaking into goalscoring positions. Stopping the Ticos captain will be Frank Lampard’s biggest task on the night. The former Chelsea man has been given a single match to prove he can adapt to the CDM role. If he nullifies Ruiz, it will go a long way towards prolonging his international career.
Duarte vs Lallana
Gamboa will be a more immediate threat for Lallana, but he’s likely to bomb down the flank as well, so Lallana’s primary battle will be with the right-sided centre-back. The Southampton captain has been in stellar form for his club this season, but hasn’t had enough chances in the World Cup, twice being subbed on to try and salvage a lost cause. He’s capable of tearing Costa Rica apart with his agility and creativity, but in Duarte he will find a confident opponent yet to put a foot wrong.
Prediction
The result depends heavily on the team sheets, but since this looks like England attack vs Costa RIca defence, England have a chance to win this game. Predicted Scoreline: England 2-1 Costa Rica
Match Officials
Referee: Djamel Haimoud (Algeria)
Assistant Referee 1: Redouane ACHIK (MAR)
Assistant Referee 2: Abdelhak ETCHIALI (ALG)
Fourth official: Alireza FAGHANI (IRN)
[Some stats sourced via Opta]
