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Spain began their 2022 FIFA World Cup in some fashion by hammering Costa Rica 7-0 at the Al Thumama Stadium today (November 23).
Spain's bright start was rewarded with two early goals, with Dani Olmo and Marco Asensio finding the back of the net after excellent build-ups to both goals. They soon made it three when Ferran Torres dispatched a spot-kick to put the game beyond Costa Rica's sights before the half-hour mark.
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Teenage prodigy Gavi's deft flick over the defender caught the South American country by surprise. Olmo controlled the ball before lifting it over Keylor Navas in the 11th minute.
It was followed by another sensational move that was rounded off by Asensio. The 2010 World Cup champions stitched a few passes together with their famous 'tiki-taka' style. He found Jordi Alba on the left attacking flank. The Barcelona left-back pulled the ball behind to find Asensio, whose shot found the bottom of the far post.
Nine minutes later, Alba was fouled inside the penalty box after a clumsy challenge from Oscar Duarte. Torres stepped up to deliver for the Spaniards.
The forward made it 4-0 in the 53rd minute, thanks to a lack of communication between the Costa Rican defense and the shot-stopper.
Cesar Azpilicueta picked Torres, whose heavy touch ricocheted off the defender and fell into his path. When the goalkeeper was in no man's land, Torres made a sharp turn and took a shot that nestled into the back of the net.
Morata then picked out Gavi making a late run into the penalty box. The golden boy placed the ball in the bottom right-hand corner with an outer boot finish.
Carlos Soler made it six for Spain after a poor piece of handling from Navas, moments before stoppage time. Alvaro Morata added one more in injury time to complete an utter demolition.
We shall look at how players fared from Spain's 7-0 victory.
Spain player ratings
Unai Simon - 7/10: Unai Simon was not tested by the Costa Rican forwards as Spain's outfield players rarely gave them a moment of a breather.
Cesar Azpilicueta - 7/10: Cesar Azpilicueta's defensive work enabled Spain to keep a clean sheet. He was solid defensively.
Rodri - 7.5/10: Rodri stood up to the task despite playing in an unconventional position. The centre-back was pivotal in setting the tempo from the back.
Aymeric Laporte - 7.5/10: Aymeric Laporte was not only dominant with the ball, but his aerial prowess nullified Costa Rica's attacking threats. He covered the left side of the defense and allowed Jordi Alba to bomb forward.
Jordi Alba - 9/10: Jordi Alba made use of his forward runs by picking out Asensio for the second goal. He also won a penalty to ensure two points were in his country's backpack. His creativity disrupted Costa Rica's backline.
Sergio Busquets - 8/10: It is absurd for a team to play Busquets and Rodri on the same team. Both of them are capable of controlling the game. Besides, his long diagonal balls caused a huge problem for his opponents.
Pedri - 7/10: Pedri's role was restricted to the defensive side of the game. The midfielder allowed Alba to link-up with the attackers. He kept his side ticking with intricate passes as well.
Gavi - 9.5/10: Gavi's delicious dink to pick out Olmo for the opening goal was the moment that kicked off the start of a rampage. By getting into advanced positions, he was linked in numerous attacks. He was eventually rewarded with a goal in the second half.
Marco Asensio - 9/10: Marco Asensio had an opportunity to complete the hat trick, but his other two attempts were conjured from half-chances. By playing as a false 9, Asensio synced well with the midfielders and wide forwards.
Dani Olmo - 8.5/10: Dani Olmo operated through the left flank but he changed positions with Asensio more often. He scored an early goal to break the deadlock in the 9th minute. Olmo's movement caused trouble for the Costa Rican backline.
Ferran Torres - 9/10: Ferran Torres was clinical in front of goal as he converted two chances. The Barcelona forward made things easy by handling the pressure well in his first World Cup.
Substitutes:
Carlos Soler - 7.5/10: Carlos Soler latched on to a rebound from Keylor Navas to score his fourth goal for Spain.
Alvaro Morata - 8/10: Alvaro Morata's delicious airball to find Gavi for the fifth goal was a thing of beauty. He capped off his display with a well-deserved goal.
Alejandro Balde - 6.5/10: His defensive approach helped Spain to keep the clean sheet intact.
Koke - 7/10: Koke sat at the heart of the midfield and controlled the tempo of the game after replacing Busquets.
Nico Williams - 7/10: Nico Williams' low cross forced Navas to commit a mistake for the sixth goal. He made a few crisp runs through the right wing.
Costa Rica player ratings
Keylor Navas - 2/10: Keylor Navas produced one of the poorest displays from a goalkeeper in World Cup history. He was all over the place and committed mistakes.
Carlos Martinez - 4/10: Martinez failed to keep Olmo and Alba quiet. He struggled to keep up with their place.
Oscar Duarte - 3.5/10: Duarte conceded an unnecessary penalty in the first half. He was brutally exposed by Asensio and Morata.
Francisco Calvo - 4/10: Francisco Calva was unable to deal with a wave of attacks from Spain and succumbed. He was culpable for two goals.
Bryan Oviedo - 5/10: Oviedo did not allow Ferran Torres to exploit through the left channel. He was unable to get into the attacking flank since Costa Rica were dealing with relentless attacks.
Celso Borges - 5.5/10: Borges was forced to stay with the Costa Rican backline as he had to deal with Spain's attacks for most of the game.
Yeltsin Tejeda - 5/10: Tejeda completed 70% of attempted passes and won a tackle. He was not able to contain Gavi.
Jewison Bennette - 5/10: Bennette was rarely a threat for Spain as he completed only two passes throughout the game.
Keysher Fuller - 5.5/10: Fuller's passes were easily intercepted as Jorda Alba kept running through his wing. He struggled to get a grip on the game.
Anthony Contreras - 5/10: It was the kind of game where Contreras, one of Costa Rica's forwards, won seven duels. He equaled the number of duels won by Costa Rica's four.
Joel Campbell - 5.5/10: Campbell completed 17 passes, which is the second most for any Costa Rica player against Spain. He was not able to conjure any attacks on his own.
Substitutes:
Kendall Waston - 6/10: He was decent after coming on as most of the goals arrived through Costa Rica's left side.
Alvaro Zamora - 5.5/10: He was not able to trouble the Spanish backline.
Bryan Ruiz - 6/10: The experienced campaigner was not able to affect the game after coming on.
Brandon Aguilera - 5/10: He was all over the place after coming on.
Ronald Matarrita - N/A: He came on during the closing stages of the game.
