That’s it from me. Sid Lowe has filed his match report (third draft, thanks to Soler and Morata), and it’s as good as you’d expect.
Thanks for your company and emails – goodnight.
Spain (3.79) 7-0 (0.00) Costa Rica
— The xG Philosophy (@xGPhilosophy) November 23, 2022
There’s more one game today: Belgium 7-0/1-2 Canada. You can follow that one with Beau Dure.
Graeme Souness’s verdict on Costa Rica
“I could have played where Busquets did. Today.” He turns 70 next May.
One last statgasm
“Costa Rica made more incomplete passes than Spain (67-62),” writes Tracy Mohr, “despite attempting about 20 per cent as many. That FIFA stat counter is indeed addictive.”
What it all means
If Japan beat Costa Rica on Sunday, and football’s smartest brains consider this a possibility, Germany will be out unless they get at least a point against Spain on Sunday night.
Realistically Germany need a win, and if that happens Spain will be in serious danger. Which is a strange thing to write when they have just won 7-0.
“Spain have just passed a team to death, but I’m fairly sure the ITV commentary team didn’t mention tiki-taka even once,” says Pádraig McAuliffe. “Let’s see if someone can commentate on Brazil tomorrow without mentioning samba.”
Clive Tyldesley and Lee Dixon may be above cliches, but the Guardian MBM most certainly is not.
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That’s an adequate statement of intent from Spain: their biggest victory at a World Cup. t was the kind of thrashing that only Spain can dispense. Costa Rica were tiki-takad to death, with Spain racking up an eye-watering 994 completed passes to Costa Rica’s 166.
The goals came from Dani Olmo, Marco Asensio, Ferran Torres (2), Gavi (who became the third youngest goalscorer in World Cup history), Carlos Soler and Alvaro Morata. It’s hard to know what it tells us about Spain, because Costa Rica were so compliant, but, well, they won 7-0.
Full time: Spain 7-0 Costa Rica
Peep peep!
90+8 min Here’s Gavi’s goal, which put Spain 5-0 up, I think.
What. A. Goal. 🔥
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) November 23, 2022
Gavi becomes Spain's youngest goalscorer at a World Cup finals with this absolute stunner!! 🇪🇸🚀#ITVFootball | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/SiscLFR16O
90+7 min Joel Campbell is booked for taking his frustration out on Balde’s left foot.
90+6 min When they won the World Cup in 2010, Spain scored eight goals in seven games. They almost get their eighth here when Soler strokes wide from the edge of the area after a surging run by Gavi.
90+5 min
Oh not you as well, ffs. Morata, you pain.
— Sid Lowe (@sidlowe) November 23, 2022
It was another fine goal. Morata received the ball on the edge of the area with his back to goal. He created a bit of space by playing a wall pass with Dani Olmo and then threaded a low left-footed shot past Navas.
GOAL! Spain 7-0 Costa Rica (Morata 90+3)
Sid will love this.
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90+2 min The joys of writing a live match report.
Oh, Carlos. You've just SCREWED my intro, you bastard
— Sid Lowe (@sidlowe) November 23, 2022
90+1 min Eight minutes of added time.
Two of the Spain substitutes combined for the goal. Williams roasted Matarrita and drove a perfect cross into a dangerous area. Navas had to go for it but could only push it to Soler, and he swept the ball nonchalantly into the net.,
GOAL! Spain 6-0 Costa Rica (Soler 90)
This is now Spain’s biggest World Cup victory!
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89 min Morata reaches a through pass before Navas, then ignores the ball. That was a bit strange. I can only assume he thought/knew he was offside, but there was no harm in trying to score because there was no chance of any other Spain player getting to the ball.
88 min “Had to leave you to participate in a yoga class,” says Bill Hargreaves. “Looks like I missed a training match for Spain. Re that Ringo Star song - could Budweiser potentially adopt that as a tournament anthem?”
I mean, I’ve heard worse ideas.
88 min Next up for these teams: Japan v Costa Rica (Sunday, 10am GMT) and, yes please, Spain v Germany (Sunday, 7pm GMT)
87 min Dani Olmo’s floats a chip towards the far corner that is headed away by one of the Costa Rica defenders, I’m not sure which.
86 min “You mentioned the Brazil game in 1990,” says Fulham fan Richard Hirst. “Bryan Ruiz was probably playing then as well!”
83 min Completed passes: Spain 863-124 Costa Rica.
Meanwhile, in Bulawayo, a cover drive for four off Ray Price takes Jacques Kallis into the 140s.
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82 min: Costa Rica substitution Ronald Matarrita replaces Bryan Oviedo.
81 min Navas saves with his legs from Morata, though he was offside so it wouldn’t have counted.
81 min Costa Rica haven’t had a shot at goal, on or off target. On ITV, Clive Tyldesley’s – whose commentaries remain such a pleasure – tells us that the last such shot-shy team at a World Cup was, yep, Costa Rica against Brazil in 1990.
80 min I may have gambled responsibly by putting £0.00 on Spain, despite them being my tip for the tournament, but I’m dumping the farm on them for 2026, and 2030, and maybe 2034.
79 min Waston squares up to Koke and then Gavi, who is about half his size, and then Campbell gets involved. The referee settles for words rather than cards.
At the start of the game, Gavi became Spain’s youngest player at a World Cup, and now he’s their youngest goalscorer. Balde went on a thrilling run infield and slid the ball through to Morata. Navas dived bravely at his feet but Morata retrieved the ball on the left side of the area, turned and lofted a pass to Gavi. He ran onto the ball, 12 yards out, and flicked a daisy-cutting volley that went into the net off the inside of the post. Gavi’s technique to control the shot, slicing it ever so slightly with the outside of the foot, was immaculate.
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GOAL! Spain 5-0 Costa Rica (Gavi 75)
Gavi marks his special day with a lovely goal!
Updated
74 min I’m becoming addicted to following Spain’s completed pass count. I haven’t had this much fun since I tracked Jacques Kallis’s Test average as he churned out another unbeaten hundred against Zimbabwe.
72 min: Costa Rica substitution The match is petering out amid the substitutions. Brandon Aguilera, 19, replaces Celso Borges, 34.
71 min “Thanks for forwarding on all of those,” writes Ben Lake. “Changing browser (I was already on Chrome) but apparently ITV get on better with Firefox. Massive thanks to everyone!”
When good and vaguely tech-savvy people come together, great things can be achieved.
69 min: Spain substitution Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams (no relation) replaces Marco Asensio.
68 min Calvo lunges wearily at Soler and is booked.
68 min Completed passes: Spain 741-103 Costa Rica. This really is one helluva doing.
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67 min In theory Japan’s defeat has blown the group wide open,” says Kári Tulinius, “but going by today’s performances, Japan and Spain should comfortably beat Costa Rica and Germany respectively, leaving a pair of dead rubbers for the third round.”
The Group of Death: Redefined.
66 min Thanks for all your ITV Player suggestions, which I’ve forwarded on to Ben.
Meanwhile, Spain are still pushing for more goals, and rightly so – it’s not beyond the realms that they, Japan and Germany could all end up on six points in this group.
64 min: Spain substitution Barcelona’s teenage left-back Alejandro Balde comes on for his debut in place of Jordi Alba. Koke replaces Sergio Busquets.
63 min Morata misses a half chance, shooting well wide of the near post from a tight angle. He made an excellent run onto Azpilicueta’s pass but then lost his bearings a touch.
63 min “Try a different browser for ITV Hub,” says Zachary Scahill. “Chrome works for me etc.”
62 min: Costa Rica substitution Bryan Ruiz, 37, and Alvaro Zamora replace Anthony Contreras and Jewison Bennette.
61 min How good are Spain? For now the question is interrogative rather than rhetorical, though that will change if they submit Germany to death by silk on Sunday.
60 min Here’s Spain’s fourth goal, the defending for which left plenty to be desired.
The show goes on!! 🎭@FerranTorres20 bags his second goal of the afternoon with this expert turn and finish! 🔥#ITVFootball | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/b6zeFmtevq
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) November 23, 2022
59 min “I’ve been literally unable to get the ITV Player to work in my browser,” says Ben Lake. “I click on their World Cup coverage and I just get the screen the stream is supposed to play onto but no actual video. I’ve found nothing through googling but I remember another MBM included some gnashing of teeth about the ITV’s player. Maybe someone has some idea how to fix this?”
Anyone?
57 min: Spain substitution No hat-trick for Ferran Torres; he’s replaced by Alvaro Morata. And Carlos Soler is on for the brilliant Pedri.
Updated
Gavi’s sharp cutback found Torres on the edge of the area. He ran into traffic and lost the ball, but two Costa Rica defenders dithered and Torres was able to steal it back before shooting past Navas on the turn. That was far too easy.
GOAL! Spain 4-0 Costa Rica (Torres 54)
Ferran Torres helps himself to seconds at the Costa Rica buffet.
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53 min Asensio plays in the underlapping Dani Olmo, who hammers a low cross that is well cleared by one of the 47 Costa Rica defenders in the six-yard box.
51 min At the worst of times, Spain still make the ball do the work. In this situation, 3-0 up against a team whose spirit they have broken, they can conserve even more energy throughout the second half.
Updated
49 min Oviedo’s sharp cutback finds Bennette on the edge of the area. He tries to wriggled past Pedri and is serenely dispossessed.
Pedri is a farce of a 19-year-old.
48 min Azpilicueta charges 40 yards and plays a good square pass to Asensio on the edge of the D. He takes a touch and pings a rising drive over the bar.
48 min “Barca’s geriatrics deserve much more credit,” says Jazi Zilbert. “Busi & Alba, Rob!”
Fair point, especially Alba. But surely it’s geriatricos? Or is that just Real Madrid players?
46 min Costa Rica begin the second half, having made a half-time substitution: Kendall Waston replaces Carlos Martinez, which means a switch from 4-4-2 to 5-4-1. What we have, we hold.
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“Joel Campbell needs to get off that pitch now,” says Alexandra Fullerton. “No movement, nothing. So disappointing. Ahhh, dreams of 2014...”
Thing is, even if they lose 47-0 today, they are far from out of it. Japan’s win over Germany has blown the (rest of the) group wide open.
“Outside of the key reason being that the underdog teams are just better (coached, prepared, etc.) these days, I’m tempted to believe that location is a contributing factor to the strong performances by some of those nations so far,” says Dunstan Kesseler. “Those who’ve won or drawn so far against a recognised ‘bigger’ opponent are either from Asia or Northern Africa. All have got significant experience of playing in the Gulf states and their experience of the football and social environment out there might well mean that they have been capable of hitting the ground running in this uncanny valley of a World Cup…”
That’s an excellent point, and another parallel (sort of) with 2002.
Half-time reading
Half time: Spain 3-0 Costa Rica
The end of a first half that was a delight for both the connoisseur and the statto. Spain took the ball and passed the ball as only they can, with Pedri and Gavi (combined age 37) especially charming.
Dani Olmo, Marco Asensio and Ferran Torres got the goals, but all 10 outfield players helped put Costa Rica to sleep. It was death by silk. Spain completed 548 passes; Costa Rica managed 73.
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45+5 min That could have been four. Busquets’ backheel found Pedri, who waited for the right moment to angle a through pass to Asensio in the area. He took the shot on the turn but splashed it wide of the near post.
45 min There will be five minutes of additional Costa Rican pain.
43 min “Greetings from the Eastern Time Zone (i.e. one hour ahead of Chicago), Rob!” says Joe Pearson. “I would have thought of you as the cranky Beatle, John Lennon, funny and cranky at the same time. But ‘soft’ penalty? He fouled him twice!”
Well, there is that. I suppose I meant the contact itself. For example, in the below clip there is only one foul, but I doubt even Kimbo Slice would have described it as soft.
40 min The extent of Spain’s dominance is shown not only by the possession stats (86 per cent!) but that, for the first time since Opta records began, Cesar Azpilicueta hasn’t given the referee, or anyone on the opposing team, a mouthful.
38 min Campbell’s long, driven pass finds Oviedo on the left side of the area. His lobbed cross is headed away by Rodri, and then Spain play their way out of trouble in style. Life’s just one big long rondo to this lot.
36 min As with England v Iran, it’s hard to know how much of this is attibutable to Spain’s excellent and Costa Rica’s <Roy Keane> shockingness </Roy Keane>.
Sunday night, a mouthwatering, thighrubbing fixture called Spain v Germany, will tell us more.
Updated
35 min Martinez makes an important tackle on Olmo near the byline, though the flag went up subsequently.
33 min “With a lot of teams having a ‘mid block’, they only engage in a press in certain areas of the pitch. Defenders can have the ball to a certain point before they feel pressure.
“Spain’s triggers and movement to create is some of the best we have seen so far. One drops, one goes in behind or ahead of the ball. It’s so impressive.”
One of the downsides – some would say it’s an upside – of doing MBMs is that you spend half the time looking at a computer screen, so you never really got to appreciate stuff like this.
32 min Since you asked, Spain’s biggest victory at a World Cup is the futile 6-1 win over Bulgaria in 1998.
GOAL! Spain 3-0 Costa Rica (Torres 31 pen)
Ferran Torres sits Navas down and eases a cocky, Jorginho-style penalty into the net. Spain have been pretty wonderful so far.
Updated
PENALTY TO SPAIN
29 min The off balance Duarte kicks desperately through Alba’s heel in an attempt to get the ball. A soft penalty, but a penalty nonetheless.
Updated
26 min Or maybe not: apparently they completed over 1,100 against Russia (including extra-time) in 2018.
25 min Spain are playing beautifully, and have already completed over 250 passes. With all the injury time, they could well set a new World Cup record for completed passes.
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Marco Asensio, Spain’s false nine, has doubled their lead. Jordi Alba’s precise cross found him 12 yards out, and he watched the bounce carefully to drive a first-time shot through the diving Navas. Asensio controlled the shot well but Navas probably should have done better; he got a fair piece of it but only could it push it into the corner.
Updated
GOAL! Spain 2-0 Costa Rica (Asensio 21)
And that’s two.
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20 min Costa Rica are having a bit more of the ball now, although they haven’t threatened to increase Unai Simon’s heart rate.
18 min “I was trying to come up with an explanation as to why Argentina, and now Germany, have looked so uninventive in the second halves of each of their matches,” says Andy Donald, “and the only thing I could come up with was that perhaps the bigger teams benefit more from a longer build up to the tournament. Even as I have written this, my theory is tenuous at best (also Spain have just scored). Maybe Spain will look clueless in the second half and I’ll be vindicated.”
There are so many unusual variables at this World Cup that it’s hard to draw conclusions this early, though I don’t think the fact we are having shock results is in itself a surprise. With all the injuries, not to mention fatigue from the brutal schedule, it always felt like we might have a repeat of the 2002 group stages.
Updated
16 min The teenager Bennette charges down the left and wins a free-kick for Costa Rica. Campbell takes it, and Spain catch Calvo offside. It looked tight actually, but the assistant referee was certain enough to put the flag up.
15 min Here’s that Dani Olmo goal.
Pass - move - pass - move... 🇪🇸
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) November 23, 2022
Spain bag their 100th goal in the World up finals in the most Spanish-style possible! 🔥#ITVFootball | #FIFAWorldCUp pic.twitter.com/E0XzTWdabe
13 min A TV graphic shows that Spain have had 79 per cent of the possession – and that’s with 10 per cent ‘in contest’, which means Costa Rica have had 11 per cent.
Updated
Dani Olmo gives Spain the lead after a passing move that seemed to last forever. Tiki taka, tiki taka, tiki taka until eventually Gavi’s scooped pass deflected towards Olmo in the area. He controlled it delightfully on the turn and flipped it erotically over the outrushing Navas.
Updated
GOAL! Spain 1-0 Costa Rica (Olmo 11)
To say it’s been coming would be quite the understatement.
Updated
11 min Costa Rica are struggling to get out of their third, never mind their half.
9 min Pedri caresses a short pass into Asensio, who drags a first-time shot just wide from about 15 yards. He didn’t hit it properly but it almost sneaked in the corner.
8 min “So – the great survivor, Sergio Busquets, makes it to his, what is it?” says Charles Antaki. “Surely in the hundred plus of international games. Congrats to him of course, an astounding talent; but it shows up a dearth of that kind of midfielder in Spain. Perhaps he is, as he always seems to be, just unique.”
I think it’s his 140th cap. They do have a good replacement when Busquets retires, provided they can find someone to replace him at centre-back.
Updated
7 min As expected, it’s like a training exercise: Spanish attack against Costa Rican defence.
5 min: Great chance for Olmo! Spain should be ahead. Pedri, 35 yards from goal in the inside-left channel, floated a glorious pass over the defence to find Olmo on the right edge of the six-yard box. He cushioned a volley across Navas and a few yards wide of the far post. He may have seen it late as it dropped over the defender’s head, but it was still a terrific chance.
Updated
2 min Costa Rica are actually playing their usual 4-4-2, not the 5-4-1 that we assumed when we saw five defenders in the line up. It looks like Keysher Fuller is actually playing on the right-hand side of midfield.
Costa Rica (4-4-2) Navas; Martinez, Duarte, Calvo, Oviedo; Fuller, Borges, Tejeda, Bennette; Campbell, Contreras.
Marco Asensio is the false nine for Spain.
Updated
2 min “As a Rams fan of a certain vintage it’s difficult not to feel that Costa Rica aren’t quite as much fun now Paolo Wanchope has hung up his boots,” says David Hopkins. “Say, is that enough to justify posting a video of that goal at Old Trafford? You know you want to really.”
Oh go on then.
Now that’s what I call banter.
1 min Peep peep!
The captains, Sergio Busquets and Keylor Navas, say hello in the centre-circle. I forgot to mention that Gavi is about to break Cesc Fabregas’s record and become Spain’s youngest-ever World Cup player. You barely notice such things, because he’s a 28-year-old footballer in an 18-year-old’s body.
“I also am using Guardian commentary as my Mandarin isn’t up to much!” writes Alexandra Fullerton. “Can’t wait, nailbiting stuff. Vamos La Sele! Pura Vida!!!!”
Not to put a downer on the whole thing, but we’re all going to die one day if Spain don’t win then their game against Germany will be close to an eliminator.
Enough chit-chat: the players are on the field, the fans are cheering themselves on the big screen, and it’s time for game two in el grupo de la muerte.
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“Wait, you mean Joel Campbell is a real player?” sniffs Matt Dony. “I’d always assumed he was invented by Arsenal as some kind of benefits fraud or tax dodge that I didn’t fully understand.”
Did you holiday in the Kerguelen Islands in June 2014?
“Pedant alert that you are free to ignore: San Jose, Costa Rica is in the same time zone as Chicago, where the game will kick off at 10am.” writes Matt Burtz. “I believe you might have listed the time for San Jose, California. Too many cities named San Jose!”
They literally all look the same, especially when you do a half-arsed Google search while simultaneously trying to work out who’s playing as the right-sided centre-back for Costa Rica. God bless ADHD.
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One word is used more than any other to describe Spain’s football. It’s fair to assume Luis Enrique wasn’t a Menswe@r fan.
Updated
“First time emailer long time reader,” writes Aaron in Nashville. “You’re the funny Beatle of all the MBMers, so you’re my subtitler as I watch the game in Spanish. Because let’s face it, football is just more exciting in Spanish.”
I think that’s a compliment, my first of the decade, so thank you! Wait, what?
Germany 1-2 Japan
Jamie Jackson had the abundant pleasure of being at the Khalifa International Stadium today. Here’s his report.
Luis Fernandez Suarez is about to coach his third team at a World Cup: Ecuador 2006, Honduras 2014 and now Costa Rica.
I was so so impressed with Suarez. Just a fantastic man; immediately felt like if you were a footballer this is the kind of person you would want to play for. https://t.co/L5IDNJQS4Z
— Sid Lowe (@sidlowe) November 23, 2022
Swot up, there’ll be a spot test before the game
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Full time: Germany 1-2 Japan
The first game in the group of death was a cracker: Japan came from behind to win 2-1, and Germany are off Argentina in the last-chance saloon. Already. The great Scott Murray was watching.
Updated
Team news
Rodri starts at centre-back for Spain, with either Ferran Torres or Marco Asensio as a false nine.
Costa Rica’s team includes Sunderland’s exciting teenager Jewison Bennette, as well as a few more familiar World Cup faces: Keylor Navas, Joel Campbell, Celso Borges and the rest.
Spain (4-1-2-3) Simon; Azpilicueta, Rodri, Laporte, Albi; Busquets; Gavi, Pedri; Torres, Asensio, Olmo.
Substitutes: Balde, Carvajal, Fati, Eric Garcia, Guillamon, Koke, Llorente, Morata, Pino, Raya, Sanchez, Sarabia, Soler, Torres, Williams.
Costa Rica (possible 5-4-1) Navas; Martinez, Fuller, Duarte, Calvo, Oviedo; Campbell, Borges, Tejeda, Bennette; Contreras.
Substitutes: Alvarado, Chacon, Hernandez, Lopez, Matarrita, Ruiz, Salas, Sequeira, Torres, Vargas, Venegas, Waston, Wilson, Zamora.
Referee Mohammed Abdulla (UAE)
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GET OUT OF MY SIGHT AND CLICK THIS LINK RIGHT NOW
Manchester City’s Rodri, who starts in defence today, also spoke to Our Sid
Spain’s Rodri: ‘When you look at it from the point of view of players, [there’s] France, England: the market value they have is incredible. But honestly at a collective level I think we’re the best national team, and that’s our trump card.’
— Guardian sport (@guardian_sport) November 23, 2022
By @sidlowe https://t.co/RewVX1lEs3
Sid Lowe’s interviews are consistently terrific. Here he chats with Unai Simon, Spain’s highwire goalkeeper.
Preamble
For most teams, the opening game of a World Cup is frequently a cagey, forgettable affair. Just ask Denmark, Tunisia, Morocco, Croatia, Mexico and Poland. The Spanish national team do things differently; of course they do. In the modern era they have started their World Cup campaign with all kinds of memorable games: belters (Nigeria 98, Portugal 18), stunning defeats (Nigeria 98, Switzerland 10, Netherlands 14), spectacular false dawns (Ukraine 06), late twists (South Korea 94, Nigeria 98 yetabloodygain) controversial defeats (Brazil 86) – and, ok, a couple of cagey, forgettable affairs (Honduras 82, Uruguay 90, and yes Ruben Sosa’s penalty does still occasionally pop up on air traffic control maps).
What will it be today? It’s tempting to expect a comfortable win, like against Slovenia in 2002, although we’ve made that mistake before. It’s probably safer to dwell on Spain’s style than their substance. They’re a unique team, fearless tightrope walkers who keep the ball better than anyone in the world. But they also – drink! – lack a reliable goalscorer.
Alvaro Morata’s record is better than you might think, 27 in 57 games (which includes 15 appearances as substitute) - but, genuinely brilliant though he can be, I doubt even he would describe himself as ‘reliable’. And there’s a fair chance he won’t start today anyway.
Morata scored the late goal against Sweden that clinched Spain’s place in Qatar. It was reasonably fraught – they had to draw that last game in Seville, mainly because of a slow start in the group – but they are legitimately one of the favourites to win the competition. Since you asked, they’re my tip, and I have gambled responsibly by placing £0.00 on them. They were arguably the best team at Euro 2020, where they lost to Italy on penalties in the semi-finals, and anyone who beats them will have to do a lot of work without the ball.
Costa Rica recovered from an even worse start to qualify via a playoff against New Zealand. Since taking over last year, their charismatic Colombian coach Luis Fernando Suarez has used – and you’ll like this – 77 players, including 22 debutants. But he has developed a team with an interesting age profile, from 35-year-old Keylor Navas to the 18-year-old Jewison Bennette, who are strong defensively and fancy their chances even in such a tough group.
And why not. The last time Costa Rica were in a group of death, with Italy, Uruguay and England in 2014, they won the bloody thing and were a penalty shoot-out away from reaching the semi-finals.
Kick off 4pm GMT, 5pm in Madrid, 810am in San Jose, 7pm in Doha.
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