It wasn’t easy, but both the Netherlands and Costa Rica stamped their tickets for the World Cup quarterfinal in dramatic fashion. The Dutch needed a spectacular late-game comeback to overcome feisty Mexico, while the Costa Ricans survived going down to 10 men to defeat the Greeks in a penalty shootout.
They now meet in an intriguing quarterfinal matchup that pits the tournament’s most prolific attack with one of the stingiest defenses.
The Brazil vs. Colombia quarterfinal pits two of South America’s bright young stars in Neymar and James Rodriguez. Check out our comprehensive preview of that match here, and read on to see if Costa Rica’s Cinderella run can continue.
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Netherlands vs. Costa Rica, World Cup 2014, Quarterfinal Betting Preview and Prediction
The Netherlands were well and truly on the ropes against Mexico. Hardly looking like the side that carved Spain apart, the Dutch were trailing by a goal with just a couple minutes left.
[sc:Soccer240banner ]But the Oranje showed the resolve not present in recent Dutch teams to grab a dramatic 2-1 win. Wesley Sneijder scored the equalizer off a corner kick, and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar drilled home the winning goal after Arjen Robben won a contentious penalty kick in stoppage time. The Dutch have now scored 12 goals in four World Cup games.
Robben (three goals in four games) has been one of the outstanding players of the tournament thus far, and his pace should cause the Costa Rican defenders all sorts of problems. Sneijder hasn’t nearly been as impressive, but hopefully his goal will be the catalyst that improves his subpar performances. His cleverness in the midfield will be an important part of Holland’s work to break down Costa Rica’s stubborn defense.
Dutch coach Louis van Gaal has proven to be one of the tournament’s ultimate risk-takers. In terms of formation and personnel, van Gaal has done what it takes to win just about every game. His willingness to adapt to in-game situations on the fly, such as rolling the dice with Huntelaar in place of star striker Robin van Persie, could be a tremendous advantage for the Dutch.
van Gaal will likely be without key defensive midfielder Nigel de Jong, who suffered a muscle injury less than 10 minutes into the match against Mexico. de Jong will be missed, but Costa Rica’s unimpressive midfielders likely won’t be able to expose his absence.
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Betting on Costa Rica
Costa Rica had had to face surprisingly little adversity coming into the Round of 16, but then faced not one but two potentially catastrophic events against Greece. First, defender Oscar Duarte was sent off for two yellow cards. Then, after managing to hold on to a one goal advantage for almost 30 minutes with 10 men, they conceded a gut-wrenching equalizer in second half stoppage time.
That goal would’ve been a demoralizing blow for any other team, but the Costa Ricans dug deep to force penalties. They held their nerve to score all five of their attempts and their heroic goalkeeper Keylor Navas made the crucial save to seal their passage to the quarterfinal.
Costa Rica expended a lot of energy in playing around an hour with a man disadvantage, but they will have the benefit of almost a full week’s rest to recuperate for their match against Netherlands. As a team that relies on heavy pressing and an intense work rate, having some fresh legs will be crucial in overcoming a Dutch team that is more talented and more experienced.
Even with defender Oscar Duarte out suspended, Costa Rica’s defense should still be incredibly organized and tough to break down. If they do manage to keep the Dutch at bay, Joel Campbell and Bryan Ruiz, who’ve scored three of the Central Americans’ five goals, could take care of the rest against a Dutch defense that has not looked entirely convincing in this tournament.
Writer’s Prediction
The Netherlands (-223) and their firepower up front puts a few goals past Keylor Navas as Costa Rica’s Cinderella run finally comes to an end.
