World Cup U20- Costa Rica Defeats UAE and Makes a Historical Advance to Semifinals

Costa Rica was able to use its momentum after a strong 4th round performance against Egypt: the team was able to defeat the UAE in the World Cup U20 quarterfinals 2-1 on Saturday. Costa Rica’s subsequent qualification for the semifinals is a historical event for the team. Despite facing the much-favored Brazilians next, Costa Rica coach Ronald Gonzalez and his team are hoping for another great game. Costa Rica gave a good showing against the UAE. Both teams began with great strategic play, with the Emirates attacking first while Costa Rica defended and added effective counterattacks. The first dangerous play came at minute 19, when Ahmed Khalil of the UAE kicked a great shot from outside the area; fortunately, for Costa Rica, the goal went wide. Minutes later, Costa Rican player Roy Smith headed the ball from a corner kick, but goalkeeper Yousif Abdulrahman made the save. The first goal came for the UAE after a long pass to Khalil, who cross the ball from the right to Ali who, at minute 33, sent the ball in a long arc to the bottom of the net. But the joy didn’t last long; four minutes later, Costa Rica equalized with a header from Martinez after a cross from the left by Bryan Oviedo. The plays ended the first half 1-1. The second half paralleled much of the first, with the UAE attacking and Costa Rica maintaining a strong defensive strategy and great counterattacks; neither team, however, was able to score. The game moved into extra time. Both teams battled in the extra time, but with one minute left, the game seemed likely to be decided with penalties. That is, until Marcos Ureña sent a powerful shot in minute 122, beating the UAE and giving Costa Rica its first entry for the semifinals. Unsurprisingly, Gonzalez was extremely pleased with the performance of his team; he seemed to lack the words to express the import of the transition to the semifinals. He wasn’t about to grow lax in the victory however; Gonzalez was already looking ahead to the match against Brazil. “This was a really difficult result for us. The players were exhausted by the end of the match. First, I'd like to thank God, and then all my players who were magnificent. We are aware of what we have achieved so far and are very contented. Against Brazil you have to concentrate for at least (90) minutes. Against Brazil, we obviously have to pay attention to the way we defend," stated Gonzalez. Despite the loss, UAE coach Mahdi Redha said he was happy with his players’ performance. The team played well, but the football fates seemed to have whims of their own. “We're sad to go out this way, but that's life. We're very happy with how the players have done here. This is football -- you have to accept it. Sometimes you don't play well and you win and other times you play really well and you lose," expressed Redha. Costa Rica will now face Brazil, which beat Germany in the quarterfinals 2-1 to move into the semifinals, on Tuesday, October 13th. In the last match, Brazil routed Costa Rica in a 5-0 game; however, Costa Rica might just have the gumption to get past its opponent. The best of luck to both teams; expect to see some great football this Tuesday.