After conceding seven goals in a demoralizing blowout loss to Spain, all it took was one shot to get Costa Rica back into the World Cup.
In the 81st minute against Japan, who jumped onto the scene as a potential dark horse after stunning Germany 2–1 in its opening game, Costa Rica scored with its first shot on target in the entire tournament courtesy of Keysher Fuller’s looping effort.
The Concacaf region (Canada, Mexico, U.S. and Costa Rica) had struggled as a whole, coming into Sunday with no combined wins and one goal through six games, but Costa Rica managed to secure the region’s first victory in unlikely fashion with a 1–0 win against Japan.
Despite the big win over Germany, Japan made five changes to the starting team to face Costa Rica. One of those changes was Ritsu Doan, who scored against Germany. The 23-year-old Freiburg forward dangerous in the first 15 minutes against Los Ticos, sending a volley wide of the post in the third minute while sending a tantalizing low cross across the face of goal in the 13th.
Anthony Contreras gave Costa Rica a boost in the 23rd minute with his run down the left wing, but his cutback was intercepted by Japan.
After an eventless first half, Hidemasa Morita forced Keylor Navas into a save just 30 seconds into the second half.
Minutes later, Wataru Endo’s goalbound effort was met by a critical block from Costa Rica’s Francisco Calvo as Japan continued to pile on the chances without a result.
In the 63rd minute, Japan had a free kick from a dangerous position, but Takahito Soma sent the effort over the bar. Less than 10 minutes later, Costa Rica survived another free kick chance right at the edge of the box.
But Los Ticos turned the tables on Japan in the 81st minute. After a poor turnover in Japan’s defensive third, Costa Rica pounced on the chance as Fuller sent a looping shot that tipped the gloves of the keeper for the lead on the nation’s first shot on target at the 2022 World Cup.
Fuller’s goal, only his third-ever for the national team, proved to be the eventual match-winner as now three teams in Group E stand tied on three points.
The teams will now await Sunday’s Group E showdown between Spain and Germany before Costa Rica faces Germany and Japan faces Spain in the group finale on Thursday.
Here were the lineups for both teams:
Full World Cup Squads
Japan
GOALKEEPERS: Shūichi Gonda (Shimizu S-Pulse), Eiji Kawashima (Strasbourg), Daniel Schmidt (Sint-Truiden)
DEFENDERS: Ko Itakura (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Hiroki Ito (Stuttgart), Yuto Nagatomo (FC Tokyo), Hiroki Sakai (Urawa Red Diamonds), Shogo Taniguchi (Kawasaki Frontale), Takehiro Tomiyasu (Arsenal), Miki Yamane (Kawasaki Frontale), Maya Yoshida (Schalke)
MIDFIELDERS: Ritsu Dōan (Freiburg), Wataru Endo (Stuttgart), Junya Ito (Reims), Daichi Kamada (Eintracht Frankfurt), Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad), Ao Tanaka (Fortuna Düsseldorf), Takumi Minamino (Monaco), Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton), Hidemasa Morita (Sporting CP), Gaku Shibasaki (Leganés), Yuki Soma (Nagoya Grampus)
FORWARDS: Takuma Asano (Bochum), Shuto Machino (Shonan Bellmare), Daizen Maeda (Celtic), Ayase Ueda (Cercle Brugge)
Costa Rica
GOALKEEPERS: Esteban Alvarado (Herediano), Keylor Navas (PSG), Patrick Sequeira (CD Lugo)
DEFENDERS: Francisco Calvo (Konyaspor), Daniel Chacón (Colorado Rapids), Óscar Duarte (Al-Wehda), Keysher Fuller (Herediano), Carlos Martínez (San Carlos), Ronald Matarrita (FC Cincinnati), Bryan Oviedo (Real Salt Lake), Juan Pablo Vargas (Millonarios), Kendall Waston (Saprissa)
MIDFIELDERS: Brandon Aguilera (Nottingham Forest), Jewison Bennette (Sunderland), Celso Borges (Alajuelense), Anthony Hernández (Puntarenas), Douglas López (Herediano), Bryan Ruiz (Alajuelense), Youstin Salas (Saprissa), Yeltsin Tejeda (Herediano), Gerson Torres (Herediano), Roan Wilson (Grecia), Álvaro Zamora (Saprissa)
