It was impossible not to spot a “Sele” jersey yesterday. Either red or blue, they were everywhere, at the supermarket, the mall, the airport as Ticos of all sizes and shapes were out to support their national team.
But Spain brought Costa Rica back to reality. No to the reality of Concacaf, the North, Central American and Caribbean soccer “where the ball seems to move at another pace,” in the words of José Pablo Alfaro Rojas in La Nacion.
The final score: Spain 5 – Costa Rica 0.
The friendly was played at Estadio La Rosaleda (La Rosaleda Stadium) in Malaga on Saturday evening, before a crowd of 30,000.
Both teams have already qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Not much consolation for the fans in Costa Rica.
⚽ Así alinea #LaSele???????? para el encuentro ante @sefutbol ????????
¡#VamosTicos! pic.twitter.com/43mnLuW6eP— FEDEFUTBOL (@FEDEFUTBOL_CR) November 11, 2017
Without Bryan Ruiz and neither Keylor Navas in the net, they were a disaster.
Costa Rica actually showed flashes of promise early on, but that quickly vanished as Spain took control. The Ticos finally found their offensive footing midway through the second half and Johan Venegas came close when he passed the ball across goal that Marco Urena failed to connect with.
The team moved the ball senseless, just waiting for the attacks from Spain, without reaction. The concept of collective game was forgotten
Like the boxer who keeps standing, though he already knows he lost the fight, only pride, keeps him there as the blows keep coming.
But there are seven months between now and June and things, we can hope, can only get better.
