In the 2014 World Cup few, if any, gave Costa Rica little chance of qualifying out of Group D, the 2014 World Cup group of death. Group D had Uruguay, semi-finalist in 2010 and defending Copa America champions, and powerhouses Italy and England.
While Costa Rica had a very competitive team with key players playing in Europe when matching them against the other three nations pundits were hard-pressed to give Costa Rica a chance of qualification. They would be competitive and may even get a result, but the stars would need to align in order to qualify from the group.
The stars did in fact align and Costa Rica surprised everyone in the world qualifying first in Group D, undefeated and going on a spectacular quarterfinal run, which would make them the darlings of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Surviving the Group of Death
Costa Rica’s improbable World Cup run began with their opening group match against Uruguay. Uruguay had come in after a remarkable 2010 World Cup and after winning the 2011 Copa America. Things did not get off to a good start for the CONCACAF nation as Edinson Cavani converted a penalty to go into halftime 1-0 in Uruguay’s favor. In the second half things would start clicking, a much faster Costa Rica side caused havoc on the slower Uruguayan flank, Joel Campbell tied the match at 1, and Óscar Duarte scored off a header to give the Ticos a 2-1 lead. A shocked Uruguay could provide little answers as Marco Ureña made it 3–1 and took home the early and much needed three points.
In their second match against Italy, the Italians played much tighter and held Costa Rica, while late in the first half Bryan Ruiz scored off a header to give Costa Rica the lead. In the second half, Costa Rica held on and would become the second nation to beat two former World Cup champions in the Group stage of the World Cup. They would also qualify for the knockout stage, for the first time since 1990.
Against England, the match was forgettable, with Costa Rica qualified to the next round and England eliminated after their loss to Uruguay both teams would play a boring 0-0 match. None the less the result was a massive achievement for a CONCACAF team, it marked the first time Costa Rica ended a World Cup Group stage undefeated.
The Knockout Stages
In the second round, Costa Rica would tie Greece 1-1 after 90 minutes and extra time. In the penalty kick shootout, Keylor Navas turned hero when he saved a penalty and gave Costa Rica their first quarterfinals appearance in a World Cup ever.
In the quarterfinals match in one of the most historic games in Costa Rican football against the Netherlands the Ticos held the mighty Orange machine to a 0-0 stalemate. Once again, the game was decided on penalty kicks, but this time Costa Rica would miss two penalties and would lose the match 4-3. It was the first time a CONCACAF team would go undefeated in a World Cup tournament and it is still one of the best performances by a CONCACAF nation ever in the World Cup.
