Costa Rica got their first win at the 2022 FIFA World Cup after netting late to secure a 1-0 win over Japan on Sunday afternoon.
Two additions for Costa Rica from the thumping received against Spain saw Kendall Waston and Gerson Torres restored, but Japan once more named Arsenal’s Takehiro Tomiyasu on the bench.
Not a lot of openings and spell of purpose from Costa Rica as well as the Asian nation happened and loose passes around the offensive and defensive areas highlighted the earlier stages instead.
The struggle to a breakthrough from the respective outfits continued well around the closing exchanges of half which required Daichi Kamada and Joel Campbell respectively to launch shots from afar.
A double substitution by Japan before the resumption had Ayase Ueda introduced for Takuma Asano and veteran Yuta Nagatomo withdrawn and Takuma Asano thrown on.
Japan nearly bagged the front-foot within the opening seconds where a flying shot from inside the edge of the area by Kamada reduced Keylor Navas to an acrobatic palm.
The Japanese were on the charge again minutes apart and a ball from substitute Asano to the path of Wataru Endo amongst others once again put the man in the opposite goal Navas to work.
Costa Rica didn’t cause the Samurai Blue a lot of issues around the latter exchanges as a succession of free-kicks instead from the Asian outfit by Yuki Soma and Asano worried the Costa Ricans.
However, Costa Rica made the breakthrough from their first meaningful threat nine minutes before time as Keysher Fuller dropped an angle in the box and curled in the far corner.
Japan very nearly got the equaliser around the closing minutes with a snap shot from Kamada, but Navas accompanied by his defence cleared and 1-0 it finished.
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