Costa Rica’s World Cup campaign is off to a promising start after it held Spain to a 1-1 draw on Tuesday. The Central American side will look to sustain the momentum from that opening stalemate when it takes on South Korea in a pivotal Group E showdown this coming Saturday.
Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this critical clash and while you’re at it, you can check out our World Cup previews of USA vs. Sweden and France vs. Colombia.
South Korea stumbled in its opening group game, losing 2-0 to powerhouse Brazil. It was a record-setting night for the Brazilians as Marta and Formiga etched their names in the history books with their phenomenal display on Tuesday. Marta became the tournament’s all-time leading scorer (15 goals) with her strike in the 53rd minute while Formiga became the oldest player to find the net in this event’s history with her 33rd-minute opener.
[sc:Soccer240banner ]But all hope of qualifying is not yet lost for South Korea, which only trails the second-placed teams in Group E by just one point. A victory against Costa Rica this coming Saturday would go a long way in preserving their qualification hopes in this competition.
For South Korea to grab all three points this coming weekend, it’s paramount that they control possession this time around. They only had 38% of the ball against Brazil in the group opener. The Koreans will take heart in the fact, though, that they were able to threaten the Brazilians even with that limited possession. The Koreans had nine shot attempts against Brazil on Tuesday with two of those going on target.
The onus is on the tireless Ji Soyun to work her way into more threatening positions against Costa Rica. Ji has scored 38 goals in 76 appearances for the South Korean national team.
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Betting on Costa Rica
World Cup debutants Costa Rica grabbed a valuable point on Tuesday as it held Spain to a 1-1 draw in their Group E opener. Midfielder Vicki Losada opened the scoring in the 13th minute to give the Spaniards the early advantage but the Costa Ricans refused to budge, issuing a quick reply just a minute later.
Defender Lixy Rodriguez delivered a killer ball for the unmarked Raquel Rodriguez who went on to score her 25th goal in her 38th international appearance. It wasn’t just Rodriguez, though, who stole the show for the Costa Ricans. Much of the credit for this amazing result should go to goalkeeper Dinnia Diaz who was solid between the posts for Costa Rica against a swarming Spanish attack. Diaz recorded six saves against the Spaniards in this match.
Next up for Costa Rica is a matchup with Asian giants South Korea. For Costa Rica to grab the advantage in this encounter, it needs to take control of the midfield and dominate possession. The Costa Ricans only had 44% of the possession in their last match against Spain. As a result, they were outshot by the Spaniards in attempts (19-3) and in the shots on target department (7-2).
They will need to create more chances for striker Shirley Cruz in order for them to defeat South Korea. Cruz has been a vital cog for Costa Rica, scoring 18 goals in 29 appearances for the national team.
