The final group matches of Group D matched up the group leader Costa Rica against the eliminated England. Costa Rica already has their ticket into the Round of 16. England has lost 2 out of 3 of their group matches against Italy and Uruguay. Costa Rica comes with their two previous group matches with victories over Italy and Uruguay. Frank Lampard led the British onto the field wearing the captain’s armband one last time. He retired from the International team today. The young Southampton star defender, Luke Shaw started in his first FIFA World Cup match.
The match began just like any other game with both teams trying to get the upper hand by taking control of the game. Both sides looked evenly matched at the start of the game with no close chances. England didn’t have a good World Cup this time. The first half had both teams playing some not so interesting football. Costa Rica is qualified with whatever result but England is already eliminated. Those could have been the reasons for the terrible first half. They couldn’t finish any of their chances.
The second half saw a bit more of England emerge with more pressure being put on the Costa Rica defense. They came closer to score but not enough communication to put it in the back of the net. Ross Barkley received the first yellow card of the match on the 53rd minute. Adam Lallana received the second yellow card of the match on the 57th minute. The first substitution of the match saw Randal Brenes being replaced by Christian Bolanos. Giancarlos Gonzalez received the first yellow card for the Costa Rican side on the 60th minute for a hard challenge on Ross Barkley. The first substitution for England had Adam Lallana being replaced with Raheem Sterling on the 62nd minute. Marcos Luna replaced Joel Campbell on the 65th minute for Costa Rica. Steven Gerrard Joined Frank Lampard in the midfield as Gerrard came on for Jack Wilshere on the 76th minute.
Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney came on for James Milner on the 76th minute as the last substitution for the England side. The last substitution for Costa Rica had Michael Barrantes replace Celso Borges in the midfield. The match ended with a 0-0 draw leaving Costa Rica undefeated in the group. The England fans thanked Gerrard and Lampard for all they have done for the national team. Who will Costa Rica face in the round of 16?
Photo Credit: Leonhard Foeger/Reuters
