Japan beats Germany and loses against Costa Rica, that's how unfathomable soccer is, that's how redeeming for teams like Tica, which goes from depression to euphoria in four days after rescuing the hallmarks with which they lived their best days, those of an intensive withdrawal, defensive aid and optimization of opportunities.
Costa Rica needed a single shot on goal to score the goal that was worth a win, the rest was shrinking, coming together, gritting their teeth, bothering an opponent who found no space and when he did, he ran into a wall that blocked the way. to the goal
Japan despaired, complicating a qualification to the round of 16 that for many minutes felt in hand.
Perhaps his coach also felt it, who introduced up to five changes in the eleven that started the game against Germany, also with respect to the one who ended it exultant and victorious.
He touched up all the lines of the team and four of those pieces (Yamame, Morita, Soma and Ueda) had not participated for a minute in the epic against the Germans.
The decision left several footballers with the ability to move in confined spaces out of the eleven, especially the excellent Mitoma and Asano, who when they had a pitch changed the game.
But it was just then, when Japan looked more and better towards the goal, when the punishment came.
Costa Rica struck with a quarter of an hour to go in a game in which no one shot on goal during the entire first half.
In the final score, Japan was hurt by that lost time against a reserved rival that was grouped in that 5-4-1 that they discarded in the initial match plan against Spain and that they feel almost like a talisman, so valued by the team's veterans , who do not forget that this was the base that led them to the gates of the semifinals in the Brazilian fields eight years ago.
Japan suffered for the poor performance of Kamada, their best footballer, but on this occasion erratic, mistaken and clueless.
His coach waited for him until the end, kept him on the field to the detriment, for example, of Kubo, who stayed in the reserve.
They entered, yes, Asano, Ito, Mitoma or Minamino, cheeky who always look towards the rival goal.
They had already experienced it.
To resist is to win for a supportive group that is not used to suffering revolts like the ones that Spain gave it.
Costa Rica worked until exhaustion, managed to make sure nothing happened in the first half, finally found Keylor Navas when Japan pressed just after the break, they chased the hyperactive Japanese, Mitoma's stiletto on the left flank.
And they took the biggest prize in an action that Celso Borges and Joel Campbell, two of the legionnaires, built, an act of faith because after losing the ball instead of executing the withdrawal, the former Deportivo player threw Yeltsin Tejeda, another veteran of Brazil , to launch, for once, the pressure and recover the ball near the front of the Japanese area.
There the ball came to Fuller,
The rush stirred an agonizing end.
No one could stop Mitoma, but Costa Rica turned upside down in front of their goal to repel all the shots that came there.
It seemed incredible, but it is real: once again, the one who resists wins.
Classification
Group E | PT | P.J. | PG | PE | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 ENG | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
two JAPAN | 3 | two | 1 | 0 | 1 |
3 CRC | 3 | two | 1 | 0 | 1 |
4 GER | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Group E | PT | P.J. | PG | PE | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 ENG | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
two JAPAN | 3 | two | 1 | 0 | 1 |
3 CRC | 3 | two | 1 | 0 | 1 |
4 GER | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |