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Joe Cole is basically lost for words. Costa Rica do that to you.
Man of the match? The entire Costa Rica defence?
If World Cup football is your thing, do we have a treat for you? Belgium v Morocco live with Rob Smyth. Oooooof!
A great day for Costa Rica. They showed incredible commitment in defence to keep out Japan. Their goal was a touch fortunate but that’s football for you.
The cat is very much among the pigeons in Group E.
| Pos | Team |
|---|---|
| 1 | Spain |
| 2 | Japan |
| 3 | Costa Rica |
| 4 | Germany |
Full time: Japan 0-1 Costa Rica
Japan were the better team but were unable to break down Costa Rica who scored through their only shot of target of the match (and tournament). It is a great win for Costa Rica after their thrashing by Spain.
90+5 mins: The Japan fans are roaring their team on …
90+4 mins: Mitoma is having fun down the left, getting round his man again to pull it back into a dangerous area but Costa Rica throw bodies at the ball and get it clear.
Endo goes into the book for a late challenge. Fuller ends up off the pitch after heading clear and crawls back on. Costa Rica are bringing on a sub to waste some more time. Chacon is on for Campbell.
90+2 mins: Costa Rica are about to take timewasting to new levels, I suspect. Navas takes 45 minutes to perfectly line up his goal-kick. They get a throw-in inside the Japan half and it is sent towards the corner where Campbell tries to hold it up under pressure from three defenders in blue. Japan clear but then just launch it straight to Navas. They have lost their calm and composure, resulting in terrible decisions all round.
90 mins: Six minutes added on. Plenty of time for Japan.
88 mins: Mitoma beats Fuller on the left, he pulls the ball back to Kamada who sidefoots a shot at goal. Navas saves and then it is pinball in the box for a few seconds until the goalkeeper manages to regain possession.
They keep replaying the goal and it looks worse from Gonda with every viewing.
86 mins: Everyone in red is behind the ball, regardless of where Japan have possession on the pitch.
85 mins: Bennette tries to go beyond Itakura but the defender decides to bodycheck the Sunderland man, not that he will mind because Costa Rica are even more desperate to run down the clock.
Navas pings the ball straight to his opposite number. Not the smartest move.
83 mins: Costa Rica score with their first shot on target of the tournament. The goalkeeper will have to have a long, hard look of himself after that. It’s fair to say, I did not see that happening.
GOAL! Japan 0-1 Costa Rica (Fuller, 81)
RUDDY HELL! A mistake from Japan gifts the ball to Costa Rica, it is passed to Fuller who takes aim from the edge of the box. The shot has limited power and goes through the goalkeeper’s hands. What a shock!
80 mins: Costa Rica try to mount a counter attack but it ends because Bennette is incorrectly adjudged to be offside.
78 mins: Another Soma cross comes into the box. It is better directed, forcing a defender to turn the ball behind. Soma whips in the corner and it is headed away for a corner on the other side. The pressure is mounting on Costa Rica.
Kamada ends up in the deck after his teammate runs into him.
76 mins: Soma whips a cross into the box from the right but it overhit and drifts out for a throw-in. Costa Rica are doing their best to waste time here.
74 mins: Campbell is now playing as a central striker, mainly because he seems to be the best at holding up the ball for Costa Rica. An underrated skill.
He is fouled near the halfway and takes the free-kick himself, lumping the ball into the box. Waston tries to attack the ball but goes down after having his shirt pulled. The referee nor VAR are interested in the alleged offence.
72 mins: Calvo pulls back Junya Ito on the edge of the box just as he is about to pull the trigger. He goes into the book for his cynicism. John Hartson thinks he is lucky to not get sent off.
Kamada puts the ball down right on the 18-yard line. He pings it into the wall.
69 mins: Costa Rica are sticking to their task: doing everything they can to earn a 0-0 draw. They do get a cross into the box but Itakura is there to head clear.
67 mins: Another Japan change, means we now have two Itos on the pitch. This will be confusing. We have Hiroki Ito in defence and Junya Ito in midfield.
65 mins: Contreras and Torres are off. Sunderland’s Bennette and Nottingham Forest’s Aguilera are on.
Forest signed Aguilera on the recommendation of chief executive Dane Murphy.
63 mins: Soma takes the free-kick from the edge of the D but he curls the ball over the bar.
Mitoma is on for Yamane. I was at Wolves v Brighton recently and Mitoma was excellent. He could make a huge difference here.
61 mins: Costa Rica have 11 men behind the ball. They are just putting a wall up and making Japan try to knock it down. There is half an hour to go. I am not sure how sustainable it is.
Endo darts for the box but is crudely taken down from the side by Borges, who is rightly booked.
59 mins: Japan a very much on top here. All the play is in the Costa Rica half. The pressure is relieved by Ito pinging a long ball out for a goal kick.
57 mins: Campbell lumps a free-kick into the box … and it goes straight out for a goal kick. Classic Costa Rica.
Down the other end, Soma cuts in from the left and let’s fly from inside the area but his shot is wayward, landing closer to the corner flag than the net. At least it is a sign of intent.
55 mins: Kári Tulinius suggests: “When Hiroki Ito came on, he became the second VfB Stuttgart player on the field for Japan, alongside club captain Wataru Endo. I think this is the first time that there have been two Stuttgart players on the field in a non-German team at a World Cup. This match is so boring this might just be the most interesting thing about it.”
53 mins: Can Costa Rica match Japan’s increased tempo? I doubt it. Japan are attacking and pressing with greater intensity.
At least there is football to discuss now.
really enjoying your commentary. keeping us entertained in a long cross country drive
— andrew iyer (@andrewiyer) November 27, 2022
51 mins: Japan have already ad the ball in the box a few times since the break. The latest pinball results in Tejeda hitting the deck after getting a ball in the face. While he is treated, Costa Rica have a defensive debrief. They need to regroup.
49 mins: It is a new Japan in this half. Endo takes aim for the bottom corner from 18 yards but a diving block prevents it from reaching the net. The ball quickly comes back into the box where Asano is waiting to flick at goal but his header has no power and Navas takes hold. This is actually a football match now.
47 mins: Japan have brought Ito and Asano on for Nagatomo and Ueda. They are playing with a back three.
It’s already had an impact; Asano backheels the ball into Morita’s path, allowing him to shoot from the edge of the box. The shot is on target but Navas dives, rather spectacularly to push it clear. WE HAVE A SHOT ON TARGET PEOPLE!
Second half
Please let it be better.
I’ve had a coffee and a biscuit, at least. I used my Boston Red Sox mug, a team I have no association with or interest in.
I’d rather be that squashed possum.
@Will_Unwin
I've been out walking the dogs, so have missed the first half. From your description of it, I'd say I had more fun getting the dogs to ignore a squashed possum than you've had watching the football..
Enjoy the second half!
— phil withall (@phil_withall) November 27, 2022
Pundits: “Costa Rica are defending better than they did against Spain.”
Can’t wait for the second point.
Not sure what three pundits will have to say about that first half. This could be the perfect time for ITV to show Gabriel Clarke’s latest opus from the England training camp.
Half time: Japan 0-0 Costa Rica
No shots on target. Awful.
45 mins: Surely there can’t be much added on …
One minute! What a day.
44 mins: Yamane is cautioned for giving Campbell a kick on the back of his ankles for no reason whatsoever. Maybe the players are frustrated by how bad this all is.
42 mins: Contreras goes into the book for a late challenge on Yoshida, catching the Japan defender on the top of the boot with his studs. That is basically the first thing to have happened in this match.
They are currently showing a montage of aerial duels and tackles. I think we accept this is a poor match.
40 mins: The good news for Costa Rica is that they have kept out Japan for 40 minutes, so they will really struggle to ship seven from now on.
38 mins: I fear we are not far off John Hartson telling us an anecdote about his childhood to pass the time. I think we can expect a couple of Japan changes at half time if things continue in this fashion.
Endo takes aim from the edge of the box but Tejeda slides in to block.
36 mins: Costa Rica get the ball into the box, allowing Contreras to lay the ball off to Campbell 18 yards out. The former Arsenal man decides to shoot with the outside of his left boot but he loops high over the bar. It is a shot, though, so that’s pretty exciting.
34 mins: Good news! My order of wine and steak has been shipped.
On the pitch … plenty of sideways passing from Costa Rica and some half-hearted pressing from Japan.
32 mins: Very solid first game of the day vibes here. Not much actually happening.
30 mins: Costa Rica play some nice passes but they do not actually make it out of their own half. It is a bit of a struggle for them this match.
28 mins: It looks like we will not have a drinks break, which means no coffee for me. I have a toddler, I have been up a long time and there hasn’t been a shot on target in this match! I NEED COFFEE.
26 mins: Campbell is doing his best to hold the ball for Costa Rica because they are under a lot of pressure. The former Arsenal man is only 30, I assumed he was about 35. He is currently plying his trade in Mexico.
24 mins: I say that and then Contreras takes the ball into the box at pace but cannot slow himself down, resulting in a very weak cross while off-balance which is whacked clear.