Uruguay 1-3 Costa Rica - Costa Rica’s Marco Ureña completes fairytale of shock win over Uruguay
But Jorge Luis Pinto had stressed that famous jerseys meant nothing and the present was all that mattered. On a marvellous night for the Costa Rica manager and his players, they wrote a glorious new chapter, surely one of the finest of their history.
They did it the hard way, falling behind to an Edinson Cavani penalty and looking second best during the first half. But they were electric after the interval, hurting Uruguay with quick-fire goals from Joel Campbell, the man of the match, and Óscar Duarte. And to complete the fairytale, the substitute Marco Ureña ran on to Campbell’s pass to slide beyond Fernando Muslera only minutes after his introduction.
On this evidence, Campbell may yet have a chance at Arsenal, his parent club, from where he has been loaned for the past three seasons. The striker was full of intelligent running and he showed not only that he possessed a ferocious shot but composure, too. His equaliser was the goal of the evening and by the end, the Uruguay right-back Maxi Pereira felt the red mist descend. He swung a spiteful kick at Campbell, as they tussled by the corner, to receive a straight red card.
Uruguay could not escape the pitch quick enough after the second half of their nightmares. Óscar Tabárez chose not to risk Luis Suárez, even as a substitute, and he now faces a mammoth task to lift his players for Thursday’s meeting against England. Their hopes appear to hang by a thread.
Costa Rica had initially been determined not to be breached, with Pinto starting with his favoured back five and four-man midfield. The priority would be to remain compact, rather than commit too many forward in support of the striker, Joel Campbell, who did look a threat when he saw the ball.
Uruguay also prefer to counter but they stepped on to the front foot from virtually the first whistle, sensing that the initiative would have to come from them. Whereas Costa Rica sometimes chose route one, Uruguay sought to get the ball down and pass it. They worked some attractive triangles and they flickered before the breakthrough goal.
From Martín Caceres’s cross, Cavani flicked on and Diego Godín, the ultra-composed Atlético Madrid defender, guided home. His joy, though, was cut short by an offside flag that, to general relief, after the first couple of days that the tournament has had, was raised correctly. Godín smiled. Moments later, following Diego Forlán’s free-kick, a fluffed attempted clearance from Yeltsin Tejeda and a ricochet off Michael Umaña, the ball broke to Cavani. It was a big chance. He miskicked the volley.
Costa Rica could lament the breakthrough on several levels. Tejeda did not need to leap into the challenge on Cristián Rodríguez with both feet off the ground and, if he was lucky not to be booked, a harsher punishment would briskly be meted out. Forlán whipped in the free-kick with pace and power and Júnior Díaz allowed Diego Lugano to get goal side of him. His attempt to repair the damage was both clumsy and damaging, as he wrapped his arms around Lugano’s waist. The Uruguay captain went down, Felix Brych, the German referee, pointed to the spot and Cavani never looked as though he would miss.
With Rodríguez prominent on the left, Uruguay had the better of the first half and they might have been further in front but for a wonderful save by Keylor Navas on 44 minutes; the goalkeeper scrambled back to tip over Forlán’s deflected shot in acrobatic style.
For Costa Rica, Campbell fizzed a left-footed rocket wide from distance and, following two set-pieces, Giancarlo González had the scent of goal. On both occasions, though, he could not apply the decisive touch.
England and Italy would have noted Uruguay’s vulnerability to set pieces – together with their lack of invention in central midfield and all-round pace – and Costa Rica ought to have equalised when Duarte tiptoed round the back to meet Christian Bolaños’s free-kick only to head straight at Muslera.
Uruguay’s reprieve was temporary. Costa Rica were a team transformed after half-time and they left their opponents reeling with a devastating one-two punch. First, Cristian Gamboa chased a seemingly lost cause, won it and crossed from the byline on the right. Celso Borges attacked it but Campbell cutely held back and, when the ball came to him, he took charge to slam past Muslera.
Moments later, Uruguay were on their knees. From another Bolaños free-kick, Duarte once again attacked the far post, ahead of Rodríguez to score with a stooping header. If there was the suspicion of offside, his bravery in putting his head near to Rodríguez’s boot was commendable. Campbell would then curl another long-range shot inches wide. “Cost-a-Ric-a,” chanted the crowd, many of whom were Brazilian. There is no love lost between Brazil and Uruguay.
Back came Uruguay, with three substitutions, although not Suárez. Cavani got into a dangerous area and crossed but to nobody while he also worked Navas with a header. Yet it was Ureña who had the last word. Costa Rica had produced a seismic shock
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