A sensation in Brazil, Costa Rica seeks to repeat the 2014 World Cup campaign in Qatar

Gustavo Matosas, a 55-year-old Argentine naturalized Uruguayan, caused a surprise in 2019 by announcing his departure from the Costa Rica national team. The reason, he said, was boredom.

“I didn’t know that being coach of a national team was so boring”, he argued. The lack of constant training and a daily routine bothered him.

Perhaps he would change his mind if he knew he would have the chance to lead the team at the World Cup. Colombian Luis Fernando Suárez, who succeeded him in office, will have that opportunity in Qatar.

The 62-year-old coach embarks on a mission to repeat the country’s campaign at the 2014 World Cup, when Costa Rica was the sensation of the tournament, advancing to the quarterfinals.

When there was the draw for the groups of the competition held in Brazil, few bet on it. The country was in the group considered as the “group of death”, alongside three world champions: Italy, Uruguay and England.

None of them managed to defeat the Caribbean nation.

Uruguay (3-1) and Italy (1-0) were defeated. In the last round, a goalless draw with England gave Costa Rica the lead in the group – the Uruguayans advanced in second.

In the next phase, Greece gave more work. A 1-1 tie persisted on the scoreboard after extra time even with the Central America team playing with one less since the second half.

On penalties, the star of the one who was mainly responsible for making the Caribbeans resist the pressure of the Europeans – including in the group stage – shone, the goalkeeper Keylor Navas. He saved Gekas’s kick, and Costa Rica won 5-3.

During the Costa Ricans’ 510 minutes at the World Cup, the goalkeeper conceded just two goals (one of them from a penalty, converted by the Uruguayan Cavani).

To stop Costa Rica’s momentum, then Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal had to adopt an unexpected tactic in their quarter-final clash. After the goalless draw in more than 120 minutes of ball rolling, he pulled goalkeeper Cillessen and bet on Tim Krul for the penalty shootout.

The surprise worked. The substitute saved two free kicks, and the orange team won 4-3. Even so, Costa Rica returned home in the arms of its fans.

Bathed by the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, the Caribbean country is one of the most peaceful places on the planet, with low rates of violence and mortality. It extinguished its army in 1949 and gained notoriety for respecting human rights and environmental preservation. The success in the World Cup in Brazil was just another source of pride.

In Qatar, the nation will play a World Cup for the sixth time. In addition to the historic campaign during the edition on Brazilian soil, it went to the round of 16 in 1990, in Italy. In the others (2002, 2006 and 2018), it still fell in the group stage.

This time, the team was the last to confirm its presence in the competition, beating New Zealand in the repechage.

In the Middle East, the squad led by Luis Fernando Suárez will have some remnants of the historic campaign in Brazil. Keylor Navas is the main one.

After the 2014 World Cup, he was signed by Real Madrid, the team for which he was a starter for three consecutive seasons, in which he won the Champions League three times.

The goalkeeper’s experience is added to the youth of Jewison Bennette, 18, who plays for Sunderland, in the English second division. Skillful and fast, he is a bet on the attack, especially on the left.

Even with the mix of young talent and more experienced athletes, it won’t be easy for Costa Rica to go beyond the group stage in Qatar. The country fell into Group E, alongside Spain, Germany, and Japan. His debut will be on November 23 against the Spaniards. He will then face the Japanese on the 27th and end the first phase against the Germans on December 1st.

“It’s always nice to play against the big teams. In the end, we have to believe in ourselves, as we’ve done so far. Every World Cup is different, but the dream can be the same or bigger [do que na Copa de 2014]so let’s enjoy this moment”, summarized Navas.