Ruiz inspires Costa Rican rapture in Recife
Gianluigi Buffon, Andrea Pirlo and Italy were the heavy favourites, but Keylor Navas and Bryan Ruiz propelled Costa Rica to a huge upset at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Brazil 2014 | Group stage Arena de Pernambuco, Recife Attendance: 40,285 Costa Rica goal: Ruiz (44)
Coach: Cesare Prandelli Starting XI: Gianluigi Buffon; Matteo Darmian, Andrea Barzagli, Giorgio Chiellini, Ignazio Abate; Antonio Candreva, Daniele De Rossi, Andrea Pirlo, Thiago Motta, Claudio Marchisio; Mario Balotelli Substitutions: Antonio Cassano for Motta (46), Lorenzo Insigne for Candreva (57), Alessio Cerci for Marchisio (69)
Coach: Jorge Luis Pinto Starting XI: Keylor Navas; Giancarlo Gonzalez, Cristian Gamboa, Oscar Duarte, Michael Umana, Junior Diaz; Celso Borges, Yeltsin Tejeda, Bryan Ruiz, Christian Bolanos; Joel Campbell Substitutions: Jose Miguel Cubero for Tejeda (68), Marco Urena for Campbell (74), Randall Brenes for Ruiz (81)
1 Italy win 0 Costa Rica wins 0 draws
While Costa Rica were the only non-former champion in the group, they arrived into Brazil 2014 brimming with confidence after a sparkling Concacaf qualifying campaign in which they finished second in the final round. Los Ticos were no match for the gilded names on Italy’s roster, but there was still quality in the form of PSV’s Bryan Ruiz, Joel Campbell of Olympiacos (on loan from Arsenal) and Levante goalkeeper Keylor Navas.
Both teams had emerged victorious in their openers. Balotelli earned Italy a 2-1 win over England, while Campbell inspired Costa Rica to a 3-1 upset of Uruguay. Heading into their second contest, all signs pointed towards a victory for the Europeans. Italy had won the World Cup four times, while Costa Rica were participating in the tournament for only the fourth time.
Pinto had Costa Rica set up in their trademark 5-4-1 formation, and not even 30 seconds had elapsed when Italy were halted in their tracks by Costa Rica’s effective offside trap, which became a recurring theme during the 90 minutes. The Ticos’ high line hindered Italian midfield maestro Pirlo’s ability to create, but he still served up an inch-perfect beauty for Balotelli just after the hour-hour mark, only for the striker to spoil it.
It was just the let-off Costa Rica needed, with Ruiz heading home a Diaz off the underside of the crossbar. Italy coach Cesare Prandelli went into chase-the-game mode, bringing on Cassano, Insigne and Cerci. It didn't matter. Pinto’s well-drilled bunch never lost their shape and endlessly frustrated the Azzurri in the final third. Navas wasn't even tested in the final quarter-hour. Italy’s incredulity turned to acceptance as the last minutes bled into the final whistle.
“We were playing against an incredible team and we’re very proud. I don’t want to seem like I’m being over-positive, but I honestly think that our defence were simply perfect today. It’s not easy tackling a team of Italy’s quality. It must be said that much of what I now know about the game I owe to Italy, having always followed Italian football. The people of Costa Rica deserve this. They supported the team and me. This was for them.” Jorge Luis Pinto, Costa Rica coach
“It was a defeat where Costa Rica were much more aggressive and played with passion. If we had scored, then perhaps it would've been a different game, but we deserved this defeat. I don't know if we were superficial, and it would be a huge mistake if we were. The players ran hard and, in these conditions, gave all they had. We had a plan, but Costa Rica were smart to close down every gap for the passes to go through.” Cesare Prandelli, Italy coach
“Just the other day I took a taxi and the driver told me, ‘Bryan, you made me cry with your goal against Italy.’ Here in Costa Rica the people experienced it with a lot of passion and it will be difficult to forget that. It is a gift that lasts a lifetime.” Bryan Ruiz, Costa Rica player to FIFA in 2024
Italy were flagged for offside 11 times on the day, never managing to solve the Central Americans’ high line and timely step-ups.
Costa Rica were by far the more physical side, committing 23 fouls to Italy’s 10. Los Ticos also won 19 tackles to the Azzurri’s nine.
After missing Italy's opener, legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon became just the fifth Italian player to play in a fourth World Cup.
Costa Rica became just the third Concacaf nation to win their first two matches at a World Cup, matching the feats of USA at Uruguay 1930 and Mexico at Korea/Japan 2002.
With the victory, they also matched the feat of Denmark in 1986 (Uruguay and West Germany) and 2002 (Uruguay and France) by beating two former World Cup champions (Uruguay and Italy) in a group stage.
Costa Rica's win came 24 years to the day of their victory against Sweden at Italy 1990, which qualified them for the knockout phase for the first time.