QCOSTARICA – Though Sunday’s game, win, lose or draw, was insignificant with the overall standing, the tie 0-0 with the Aztecas allows Costa Rica to continue adding and keep alive the dream of reaching the playoffs towards the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
The game that could change La Sele’s travel plans in November is on Wednesday, against Jamaica, a game that Costa Rica needs to win.
In Mexico on Sunday, La Sele coach (técnico in Spanish) Luis Fernando Suárez made four variants regarding the team that beat Panama on Thursday.
Suárez strengthened the midfield with the entry of Youstin Salas along with Yeltsin Tejeda and Celso Borges. The plan was to have a short team, with the lines close together, and the plan worked thanks to a lot of collective effort and deployment.
Mexico dominated possession, once again showing themselves to be a team with very good ball circulation and presence in the rival area, but couldn’t beat Keylor Navas.
La Sele maintained the tactical order in the complementary stage, but lost clarity from midfield forward due to wear and tear and the intensity of a rival who attacked from all flanks, but sometimes ran into the solidity of the Costa Rican central defenders and in others with his lack of aim.
This Monday morning the headlines described the game “little soccer but lots of heart”.
The tie allows Costa Rica to reach 13 points and is 4 behind Panama, which beat Jamaica 3-2. The Canaleros (Panama team) visit the Azteca on Wednesday and the La Sele plays at the home of the Reggae Boyz (Jamaica team).
A loss or a tie on Wednesday means the remaining games are “pura vida” for Costa Rica’s national team.
The remaining games for La Sele:
- February 3 vs Jamaica
- March 24 vs Canada
- March 27 vs El Salvador
- March 30 vs USA
