Qatar 2022: Costa Rica suffer ignominious World Cup start in 7-0 defeat to Spain
Spain began their FIFA World Cup in superlative form on Wednesday, with the 2010 winners of the tournament thrashing Costa Rica 7-0 at the Al-Thumama Stadium to go top of Group E.
Coach Luis Enrique lined up relatively young players upfront, with Barcelona trio of Feran Torres, Gavi and Pedri all making their World Cup debut for Spain in the one-sided encounter.
With five of the seven goals scored being from the players making their FIFA World Cup debut, La Furia Roja dominated from start to finish.
Debutant Dani Olmo scored his first World Cup goal barely eleven minutes into the match when Gavi’s tipped pass struck a Costa Rica defender’s leg, landing on Olmo’s path who then calmly looped the ball past Keylor Navas.
Marcus Asensio doubled the lead in the interval after Navas failed to deal with the shot from the Real Madrid defender. Another debutant Feran Torres extended the lead from the spotkick just on the half hour mark.
Four second half goals including Torres’ second in the match, two debut World Cup goals from Gavi and Carlos Soler and a late goal from Àlvaro Morata sealed a resounding victory for the one-time winners to go top of Group E.
Costa Rica were unable to register a single shot throughout the game, becoming the second country to do so in a World Cup match since 1966, breaking the record set by themselves at 1996 World Cup game against Brazil.
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette
Hot news Home top
2023 Presidency: Sowore challenges Peter Obi to debate
Mr Sowore said he believes that the national political narratives need to be changed, and to do that, the front liners with no know-how ideas must be changed first.
Heading 5
7 Ekiti SANs demand restoration of impeached speaker Aribisogan
The seven senior lawyers described Mr Aribisogan’s removal as “an overt and brazen exhibition of illegality and use of brute force under democracy”.
Economy
Naira slumps again, exchanges at N446 per dollar at I&E window
The figure represents an appreciation of 0.11 per cent compared with N445.50 to the dollar it exchanged on Tuesday.
States
Soludo earmarks N2.5 billion to develop Anambra youths
Mr Onyeji, at an Anambra entertainers “meet and greet”, said the government was determined to revamp and sustain the entertainment industry in the state,
Anti-Corruption
Tax Evasion: Reps quizzes Shell, TotalEnergies, First E&P
the chairman of the committee, frowned at their operations regarding the payment of taxes to Federal Inland Revenue (FIRS) Service.
Lagos
Atiku loyalist seeks expulsion of Bode George from PDP over “anti-party activities”
Mr Pearse said he would officially write to the PDP national chairman, Board of Trustees (BOT) and the party leaders on the issue.
