Costa Rica pumped life back to their World Cup campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Japan at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium.
The North Americans had suffered a 7-0 humiliation at the hands of Spain in their opening game and were on the verge of exiting the tournament.
However, Luis Fernando Suarez’s men ensured they paid more attention to their defensive play against Japan to ensure the Samurai Blue fail to find the back of the net that could have condemned them to an early exit.
After much grit at holding Japan at bay, Costa Rica with their first shot on target in the competition struck the back of the net when Keysher Fuller curled a shot over Shuichi Gonda to take a shocking lead and keep them alive in the tournament.
The win threw Group E wide open, with Costa Rica, Japan and Spain – who face Germany later this evening – all on three points.
