After their resurrection at the World Cup in Qatar, the footballers from Costa Rica didn’t think at all of the DFB team.
“We did it for ourselves. That’s football. We gave everything today,” said midfielder Celso Borges after the unexpected 1-0 (0-0) victory over Germany’s conqueror Japan, who made a spectacular comeback for Costa Rica after the hearty 0:7 against Spain means – and at the same time massively helps the German national team. “We never stop believing in ourselves,” said Keysher Fuller, who decided the weak game with a flick in the 81st minute.
The DFB-Elf drew 1-1 against favorites Spain in the evening – but even before the eagerly awaited top game, it was clear that Germany would have a chance of reaching the round of 16 against Costa Rica until the group final on Thursday (8:00 p.m.). Now coach Hansi Flick’s team must defeat the Central Americans in order not to be eliminated in the preliminary round, as was the case in Russia in 2018. But even a win could not be enough if Spain lose to Japan and Germany don’t win high enough.
Japan frustrated – Costa Rica celebrate
After the final whistle, Japan’s Daichi Kamada slouched through the sun-drenched arena with his head bowed, the euphoric pros from Costa Rica ran straight onto the pitch: It was a big surprise that the Central Americans managed a few days after the shame against Spain. And it fueled the motivation to show it to ex-world champion Germany. “We’re still alive. Now we have to think about Germany. Nobody can forget us, we’re still here,” said coach Luis Fernando Suárez. Another win – and Costa Rica would suddenly be in the round of 16.
Japan and Costa Rica each have three points – but moods in Al-Rajjan could not have been more different. “We initially tried not to concede a goal. In the end we played to make it 1-0, but we didn’t make it,” said Japan’s coach Hajime Moriyasu, who, despite the coup over the eleven by national coach Hansi Flick, made five changes in the starting eleven prompted. Japan struggled with deep-seated opponents and powerful Costa Rica keeper Keylor Navas – and looked puzzled in the closing stages when the underdogs had their only chance to win.
While the first Advent was celebrated in Germany in sunshine and cold temperatures, the two outsiders negotiated decisively in front of 41,479 spectators in Qatar about the further starting position of the DFB team. One thing was clear: the better the Germany victors do against Costa Rica, the more difficult it will be for Hansi Flick’s team to create an acceptable starting position.
Moriyasus swaps don’t pay off
Moriyasu’s five changes didn’t pay off, even though Freiburg’s Ritsu Doan came in as a starter. “We didn’t start the game well, it was better against Germany. Now we have to see how the constellation is in the evening,” said Doan. The constellation is now as follows: Spain has four points, Japan and Costa Rica three each, Germany is currently last with one point. No team has already qualified for the round of 16, no team is already out. Spain also need a point against Japan to be on the safe side.
The most spectacular thing about the game was the winning goal, otherwise boredom prevailed. In addition to the dreary lunchtime kick, there was almost no atmosphere in the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium. A phenomenon that had already been observed in Japan against Germany four days earlier. After the break, Moriyasu brought Germany terror Takuma Asano directly, who was supposed to help with speed and technique to finally overcome the outsider’s massive bulwark. “The performance was right, but the result wasn’t. We have to work on that,” said Moriyasu.
Key figures in the outsider’s victory included goalkeeper Navas, who made several saves to keep from conceding – and Fuller, who created the winning work of art when no one was expecting a goal anymore. “It was a huge effort from my pros,” said head coach Suarez. He didn’t want to talk about technique and tactics, all that counted for him on the biggest possible football stage was the excellent morale four days after severe humiliation.
