Qatar World Cup 2022: Fuller's lone winner breaks Japanese hearts as Costa Rica remains in pre-quarters race
Qatar World Cup 2022: Costa Rica pulled off an upset as it eclipsed Japan 1-0 on Sunday, thanks to Keysher Fuller's lone winning goal. Consequently, the former stays in the pre-quarters race alongside the latter.
FollowIt turned out to be a thrilling contest between Japan and Costa Rica in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Played at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium in Al-Rayyan on Sunday, the latter eeked out a win, thanks to the sole winning goal from Keysher Fuller in the 81st minute, thanks to Yeltsin Tejeda's crucial assist. While it was the opening win for Los Ticos in the competition, they stayed in the pre-quarters race alongside the Samurai Blue. The flop has resulted in the Japanese dropping to second place in their Group E table, while the Costa Ricans have risen to third.
As for the match, the Japanese dominated in possession and came up with nearly three-time-better-attacking attempts (13) than the Cota Ricans (4). The goal happened to be the latter's only shot on target, which resulted in a goal, as Japanese goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda deflected it into his net through his fists.
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Japan was better in terms of passes (504) than Costa Rica (355). However, the former conceded 22 fouls, while the latter managed just nine. Nonetheless, the Samurai Blue was vigilant in laying the offside trap, as Los Ticos fell into it on two occasions, unlike its opponent, which was never involved in it.
However, the Japanese did earn five corner kicks, unlike the Costa Ricans. Another Group E match occurs later on Sunday between the two giants, Spain and Germany. A win for Red Fury would virtually seal its place in the pre-quarters, while a win for National Eleven would surely open up the group until their final group-stage games.
