REPORT: Spain demolishes Costa Rica 7-0 in its biggest ever WC win, at Qatar 2022
Full Time! Spain thrashes Costa Rica 8-0
90+3’ Goal after goal after goal for the Spaniards in Qatar!
90’ GOAL! Soler piles on Costa Rica’s misery
Costa Rica fans look dejected after what has been a rather unimpressive performance from their side. Campbell, who helped it reach the World Cup with an early goal, has been silenced by the La Furia Roja. No shots from him or his side so far in the match.
Offside! Morata gets the ball in the penalty box and shoots on target, but the linesman had his flag up.
75’ GOAL! Gavi makes it 5-0 with a stunning strike from outside the box
Gavi of Spain scores the fifth goal during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group E match between Spain and Costa Rica at Al Thumama Stadium on November 23, 2022 in Doha, Qatar. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Dani Olmo carries the ball along the left flank after a pass from Morata and the pass in the follow-up for Nico Williams is intercepted and caught by Navas.
Spain kept an average possession of 75 percent in its World Cup qualifying campaign. Against Costa Rica tonight, its possession has been 84 percent so far, with 11 shots and six of them on target.
Double change for Spain! In: Koke, Balde, Out: Busquets, Alba
63’ Chance for Morata to score!
Double change for Costa Rica! Costa Rica looks up to its oldest player and veteran Bryan Ruiz for hopes of a comeback in this one-way contest so far. In: Zamora, Ruiz, Out: Contreras, Bennette
Spain tries to draw its opposition in its half for a counter attack, sees Unai Simon kick the ball away when Costa Rica forces a ball back into the Spain penalty box.
Chance in personnel for Spain! Luis Enrique looks for options in his arsenal as he reshuffles his attack with the comfortably in Spain’s favour. Alvaro Morata and Carlos Soler replace Ferran Torres and Pedri.
54’ Torres gets his second of the day
Spain’s Ferran Torres, right, scores his side’s fourth goal during the World Cup group E soccer match between Spain and Costa Rica, at the Al Thumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar. | Photo Credit: AP
Back passes to slow build-up from the midfield to the final third, Spain’s modus operandi looks smooth as Torres finally gets the ball along the right flank and crosses in the centre for Olmo, but Costa Rica intercepts to concede a throw-in.
Shot! Azpilicueta makes a run into the Costa Rica half, passes to Asensio on his left and the Real Madrid player shoots from outside the box. But the ball flies over the net.
Costa Rica has replaces Carlos Martinez with Kendall Waston as the side looks to patch gaps in its defence. Waston has a reputation of being sent of 17 times in his career, something the team will be cautious of.
Second half begins!
Half-Time! Spain 3-0 Costa Rica
Pedri carries the ball in the final third and passes for Asensio, who shoots just off-target in the last minute of stoppage time.
Spain tries to build an attack with small passes in the Costa Rica box as Pedri and Asensio get together for the passes. However, his pass for Alba is stopped for a foul.
Spain tries an attack on the counter, but the in the Costa Rica box is intercepted by Keylor Navas this time as he kicks it out of danger.
It is Costa Rica chasing shadows as the midfield veteran Sergio Busquets calls the shots, controlling the ball, pulling the game back to Spain in its half and then forcing spaces in the opposition defence.
Spain continues to run up the pitch, with Olmo galloping along the left flank and just before he could crosss to his right, Martinez intercepts only to see the linesman already having the flag up for a Spain offside.
About an hour more to go and it already looks like game over for Costa Rica. But football has seen comebacks from here, with Liverpool beating AC Milan in the Champions League final. Only time will tell if Keylor Navas and his side can pull off another such victory here.
31’ GOAL! Torres makes it 3-0 for Spain
Spain’s Ferran Torres scores their third goal from the penalty spot against Costa Rica in a Group E game of the FIFA World Cup 2022. | Photo Credit: REUTERS
Jordi Alba keeps the ball stuck to his feet, beats Martinez with a standing tackle and gets it to the midfield. The Barcelona midfielder is one of the five players from the Catalan side in the starting lineup tonight and has been a firm presence along the flaks so far.
Luis Enrique’s side has dominated possession from kick-off and will be very happy with two early goals in the first half. As it stands, Spain sits on top of Group E, with Japan at second, based on goal difference.
21’ GOAL! Asensio doubles the lead for Spain; ESP 2-0 CRC
Marco Asensio of Spain scores the team’s second goal during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group E match between Spain and Costa Rica at Al Thumama Stadium on November 23, 2022 in Doha, Qatar. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
A mistake by Busquets sees Campbell steal the ball and try and find a gap in the Spanish box, but Spain tracks back in time, to deny his cross from causing any damage whatsoever.
Jordi Alba scurries into the Costa Rica half with the ball stuck to his feet, plays a one two with Olmo, but Tejeda intercepts on the right time to stop the development, close to the penalty box.
Foul! Gavi tries to make a forward run and is fouled by Calvo close to the penalty box. The free kick that follows, sees Pedri try and combine with Olmo, but CRC marks the men in red well enough to contain he danger at the moment.
11’ Olmo gives Spain the lead
Spain’s Dani Olmo, third right, scores his side’s first goal during the World Cup group E match between Spain and Costa Rica, at the Al Thumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar. | Photo Credit: AP
9’ Chance! Asensio’s shot just off-target
Pedri takes back control of the ball in the midfield and passes it to Alba, and the ball finally is delivered for Olmo. However, Navas intercepts and comes to Costa Rica’s rescue
Chance! Olmo gets a cross from the left from Torres, but his contact sees the ball whiff off target. First real gap in Costa Rica’s defence.
Olmo makes a run along the right flank, but the white shirts soon get to the ball and Spain is forced to switch play. Thousands of seats still empty in the stadium, but more fans continue to come in.
Spain starts with three conventional defenders and Sergio Busquets as a fluid midfielder and an additional centre-back while Rodri plays the role of a holding midfielder.
Kick Off!
Minutes to kick off!
9:00 pm: Form Guide
Spain comes into the match with four wins and a loss in its last five matches, which came against Switzerland. Costa Rica, on the other hand, has three wins in its last five mixtures and comes into the match after a 2-0 win over Nigeria.
Its latest clash against Iraq was cancelled due to passport issues.
Head-to-head:
Since 2010, Spain and Costa Rica have met three times and not once has the 2010 World Champion lost the clash, winning two and drawing one.
Starting lineups:
MATCH PREVIEW
Spain will look to forget its 2014 and 2018 World Cup campaigns when it turns over a new leaf in the 2022 edition against Costa Rica in its opening fixture on Wednesday, in Qatar.
Luis Enrique has to go with a younger side, choosing to fly to Qatar without veterans like Sergio Ramos and Thiago Alcantara.
Instead, he will expect the brigade of Pedri, Gavi Paez and Ansu Fati will lead the country’s quest for a second World Cup.
La Furia Roja comes into the World Cup after a 3-1 win over Jordan in its final warm-up match, one that saw Fati and Gavi find their names on the scoresheet.
On the other hand, Costa Rica comes into the tournament with the reputation of a surprise giant killer.
In the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Costa Rica stunned Italy – a four-time World Cup winner – and Uruguay – a two-time World Cup winner – to finish as quarterfinalists.
The FIFA World Cup 2022 has already seen a massive upset with Argentina losing to Saudi Arabia in its opening fixture.
With Spain coming into the match as the stronger side on paper, it will need to be cautious not to be complacent on a stage that is always subject to surprises.
Form Guide:
Spain comes into the match with four wins and a loss in its last five matches, which came against Switzerland. Costa Rica, on the other hand, has three wins in its last five mixtures and comes into the match after a 2-0 win over Nigeria.
Its latest clash against Iraq was cancelled due to passport issues.
Head-to-head:
Since 2010, Spain and Costa Rica have met three times and not once has the 2010 World Champion lost the clash, winning two and drawing one.
Predicted lineups:
- Spain: Simon – Carvajal, Torres, Laporte, Alba – Pedri, Busquets, Gavi – Sarabia, Morata, Torres
- Costa Rica: Navas – Oviedo, Calvo, Watson, Duarte, Fuller – Bennette, Tejeda, Borges, Contreras, Campbell
Spain vs Costa Rica: Kick-off, telecast and live streaming details
When does the Spain vs Costa Rica match kick-off?
Where does the Spain vs Costa Rica match kick-off?
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