Costa Rica defeated Japan giving Germany a World Cup lifeline. Costa Rica upset Japan 1-0 with a late goal at the World Cup on Sunday, blowing Group E wide open and handing Germany a potential lifeline.
With a win, Japan, who stunned four-time winners Germany 2-1 in their opener in Qatar, could have taken a significant step towards the last 16.
Instead, they struggled for much of the game against a Costa Rican team that had been thrashed 7-0 by Spain, before defender Keysher Fuller scored with a deflected strike in the 81st minute.
Costa Rica’s first attempt on goal in this World Cup could be extremely beneficial to the Germans.
Spain, Japan, and Costa Rica all finished with three points. Spain will play Germany in another critical match later Sunday.
Japan made five changes to the lineup that stunned Germany in their first match, as coach Hajime Moriyasu used his whole 26-man roster.
Japan promptly went on the attack and won a corner within 30 seconds to express their intent amid temperatures of 32 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit) at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium. Costa Rica defeated Japan giving Germany a World Cup lifeline.
Costa Rica coach Luis Fernando Suarez had resisted making sweeping changes to the team that had been thrashed by Spain, instead benching teenage winger Jewison Bennette and defender Carlos Martinez.
Gerson Torres and Kendall Waston, 34, were named to an aging XI that had four players from the 2014 World Cup quarter-finals.
However, Japan’s early promise faded in the Doha sun, and the first shot on goal – a weak effort that went high and wide – did not come until 10 minutes before halftime, via Costa Rica’s 30-year-old Joel Campbell.
A dull first half ended with “Los Ticos” having more of the ball but neither team managing a shot on goal.
Moriyasu had had enough and made two changes at halftime, one of which was the entrance of Bundesliga-based striker Takuma Asano, who scored the game-winning goal against the Germans.
The Blue Samurai were instantly more aggressive, and midfielder Hidemasa Morita drew the first genuine save of the game with a thunderous strike just seconds after the restart.
Just after the hour, Moriyasu substituted Brighton forward Kaoru Mitoma for a defender as Japan sought a win that would send them into the round of 16.
As the match entered its last 20 minutes in front of 41,000 spectators, it was all Japan.
Substitute Junya Ito appeared to have wriggled free and was closing in on goal, only for Costa Rica defender Francisco Calvo to viciously tug him back on the edge of the box, earning him a yellow card that could have easily been red.
Costa Rica had done little as an attacking force for the majority of the game, but they nicked it nine minutes from time when Fuller’s effort deflected and looped in.
