Keysher Fuller scored the only goal of the game to help Costa Rica produce one of the narrow World Cup scores in the weekend action. After being humiliated 7-0 by Spain in their opening game, Luis Fernando Suarez’s team placed a high priority on defense. Despite the early afternoon heat, they were able to keep their opponents at bay enough. The team’s first shot on target of the competition came from Keysher Fuller, who curled a shot over Shuichi Gonda (81) to make up for Japan’s failure to take advantage of their superior offensive position. With Spain, Costa Rica, and Japan all on three points at this juncture and facing Germany later this evening, the late winner completely opened up Group E.
After their unexpected victory against Germany the last time they played, Japan came out firing and tried to put Costa Rica on the back foot right away. They immediately had the game’s pace under control. Ritsu Doan of Japan played a deceptive ball across the box from the right side, which required just one touch to find the back of the net, while Joel Campbell, an ex-Arsenal forward, missed his improvised attempt by a good several feet and the crossbar at the opposite end.
In an effort to encourage creativity, Hajime Moriyasu changed the shape of his team at halftime, switching to a back three. At first, it appeared to be working, as Takuma Asano, the team’s substitute, forced a save with his very first touch. Although the Japanese started to dominate once more, the game’s Sunday League-like atmosphere persisted. Their passing became less accurate, and their long balls and crosses frequently became overcooked and wasted. The critical second arrived after that. A cheap turnover by Hidemasa Morita allowed Yeltsin Tejeda to set up Fuller for a successful curl over Gonda. The goalkeeper was well off his line and, despite getting his fingertips on the shot, he was powerless to stop it from looping into the goal.
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