Japan will face Costa Rica in the second match of the first round of the soccer World Cup Qatar on the 27th.

What makes Costa Rica special?

Participated in 3 consecutive World Cups and 6 times

Costa Rica is ranked 31st in the world and is participating in the World Cup for the third consecutive time and six times.



In the 2014 Brazil tournament, Uruguay, Italy, and England, who had won the first league, made it through the first round with a solid defense and no losses.



They also won the first round of the finals tournament and achieved a record-breaking top 8 finish, creating a sensation.

the characteristics of the team

The team's characteristic is a "fixed defense and quick attack" that goes from a solid defense to an attack. In the final qualifiers for the North, Central America and the Caribbean, they conceded 8 goals in 14 games, the second-lowest record among the 8 teams that participated in the tournament. was.



Coach Luis Fernando Suárez, who held a press conference before the first match against Spain on the 23rd, said, "I hope we can make our opponents uncomfortable and then show our strengths. What should we do to win? I understand," he confidently said.

Defensive team collapsing

However, the match against Spain turned out to be an unexpected one.

Spain's proud midfield players kept possession of the ball and our defense was broken many times.

Conceded goals from the beginning, conceding 3 goals in the first half alone.

In the second half, we lost 4 goals and our proud defense collapsed, and we were defeated by a large margin of 0-7.

Insufficient adjustment exposed

What was exposed in this match was the team's lack of coordination.

Costa Rica was scheduled to play a warm-up match in Iraq just before the tournament, but the match was abruptly canceled due to a passport issue at the time of entry.

The players were unable to experience the actual match just before the match, so they were facing the first match in a rush.

Anxiety of the Guardian

The 35-year-old goalkeeper Keylor Navas, who is the cornerstone of defense, was the one who received the tailwind.

The guardian deity, who was the center of the team in the 2014 tournament that caused a whirlwind, is 1.85 cm tall, which is not taller than goalkeepers in the world.



However, he stood in front of the goal with his precise positioning and outstanding reaction speed.

Real Madrid, a powerhouse of the Spanish first division, has won numerous titles, including contributing to the first-ever three consecutive victories in the European Champions League, and has been playing for Paris Saint-Germain in the French first division since 2019.



However, this season, he has been deprived of the regular and has not participated in a single game, and his condition has been worried.

Even in the first match, there were mistakes in cooperation with defenders, and it was far from normal, and it was seen that they argued with their teammates when they conceded a goal.

Switching to the match against Japan

Even so, the players smiled and yelled out in practice the day after their first match, seemingly recovering from the shock of the crushing defeat.



Defender Kendall Waston, who participated in the second half of the first match, said, "I still have a painful feeling, and it will take time to digest it, but I have to hurry. The next match against Japan will be the most important." I was on my way.



In addition, defender Keichel Frere, who played the full match, said, "We talked about how to fight Japan within the team. We are ready and will follow the coach's plan."

Retiring veterans are at the center of the offense

In the first match against Spain, we saw some issues in the offensive line as well.

There were few opportunities to break the opponent's defense, and the ball match rate was overwhelming, 17% to 74%.

Throughout the match, the attacking team lost without taking a single shot, showing the difference in power.



At the center of the offense is Brian Lewis, a 37-year-old veteran with the number 10 jersey who has played in European leagues for a long time.

The midfielder, who creates chances with his versatile kicks from his left foot and is highly capable of scoring, scored two goals in the 2014 tournament and led the attack.

Lewis has made it clear that he will retire after this tournament, and he is approaching his last World Cup with strong feelings.

how does japan fight

Japan vs Costa Rica on the 27th.

Japan's match record so far is 3 wins and 1 draw, and they have never faced each other in the World Cup.



In order to advance to the knockout rounds, Costa Rica needs to modify their defense and score points, while Japan tries to score by using spaces behind the opponents who come forward to score, and after stealing the ball, quickly set up counterattacks. It seems that the point is how to create opportunities.



If Japan wins, they will advance to the knockout stages for the second consecutive tournament, depending on the result of Spain vs. Germany, which will be held on the same day.

It will be interesting to see if the momentum of the historic victory against Germany can be brought into the second game.