AA / Hatem Kattou
Costa Rica won, Sunday, against Japan, Sunday, by the score of a goal to zero, on the lawn of the Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium, on the outskirts of Doha, in a match counting for the second day of the group E of the 2022 World Cup.
The first half of the match ended in a goalless draw.
It was after the lemon break that the meeting came to an end.
Indeed, nine minutes from time, right-back Keysher Fuller (28), member of local club CS Herediano, unblocked the situation by scoring the saving goal for his team, synonymous with three points but above all a back in the race to qualify for the round of 16 of the tournament.
This is the only shot on target from the teammates of the Parisian goalkeeper, Keilor Navas, throughout the meeting, against three for Japan.
Taking advantage of a recovery error from the Japanese, Yeltsin Tejeda steals the ball and sends, towards the surface, a decisive pass which finds his teammate Keysher Fuller.
The latter fires, in first intention, a shot from the left to deceive the vigilance of the Japanese goalkeeper Gonda, although the latter has touched the leather.
Thanks to this short but precious victory, Costa Rica revived and occupied third place in Group E with three points to their credit, but remained handicapped by an unfavorable goal difference (-6) due to their defeat against to Spain on the first day by a river score of seven goals to nil.
As for Japan, it still ranks second with three points gleaned in its first victory against Germany (2-1).
Later in the day, and in this same group E, two big cars of European and world football will cross swords in what appears, theoretically at least, as the most beautiful poster of this group stage of the World Cup. This is the Germany-Spain clash which will take place on the lawn of al-Bayt Stadium.
During the next and final day of Group E, next Thursday, the Japanese will have to overcome the Spanish Armada while the German Nationalelf will have to measure themselves against the Costa Rican Los Ticos.
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