Costa Rica Shocks Italy, 1-0, as Caribbean Basin Continues Strong World Cup
Above: Costa Rica’s footballers in action
By the Caribbean Journal staff
The Caribbean Basin is taking this World Cup by storm.
Following Colombia’s thrilling victory over Cote d’Ivoire on Thursday, Costa Rica continued its surprising run, beating heavily-favoured Italy 1-0 in Brazil.
Costa Rica won the game on a goal in the 44th minute of play, when Bryan Ruiz put one home on a header from the right side, assisted by Junior Diaz.
It was a tough match that saw Italy hold a strong 55-45 percent advantage in time of possession.
It was a rather shocking win for tiny Costa Rica, which came into play ranked 28th in the world, while Italy entered play as the ninth-best team in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking.
The win means Costa Rica advances to the knockout round.
