Costa Rica take leave of the World Cup stage after Saturday's dramatic 4-3 penalty shoot-out loss to the Netherlands with their heads held high, Costa Rica keeper Keylor Navas said.
The small Central American nation may not have an army, but their players fought valiantly on the Salvador field of battle, holding the star-studded Dutch attack goalless for 120 minutes.
Man of the match Navas was exceptional, producing superb saves, only getting caught out when it came to spot-kicks.
"This World Cup has been a great experience and we're leaving with our heads held high," he said. "Everyone did a good job. We left everything on the pitch. Nobody likes to lose and it's hard. We didn't lose any game — a penalty shoot-out isn't a defeat."
Coach Jorge Luis Pinto was bursting with pride at his players’ contribution to the tournament which saw them see off previous winners Italy and Uruguay and draw with England in the first round before edging Greece on penalties in the last 16.
"This evening I thought we matched the Dutch and although we can improve on certain things, we're making great progress," said Pinto.
The 61-year-old Colombian added, "We've shown that we can organise ourselves, that we have good tactics and we can play football. We have left a positive and dignified impression of Costa Rican football. I'm proud of the players and so is the country. They've given everything they have."
He described the mood in the dressing room as hurt but happy after standing shoulder to shoulder with Louis van Gaal's Dutch side.
"When we came here many people didn't believe in us, but during this World Cup we've done many beautiful things. Even though we have to leave the tournament, we haven't been beaten, even by the super-powers we came up against."
Tactical Report: New formation pays off
Louis van Gaal tinkered with his system, yet again in this World Cup, opting for a three-man frontline in a 3-4-3 formation against Costa Rica.
Memphis Depay and Arjen Robben flanked Robin van Persie on the left and right respectively as the industrious Dirk Kuyt slotted in as the right-wing-back.
Wesley Sneijder and Georginio Wijnaldum started in the middle with a brief to counter the Costa Rican central midfield pairing of Yeltsin Tejeda and Celso Borges.
The Dutch enjoyed the bulk of possession (67 per cent) and completed 117 passes in the attacking third — a very high number compared to Costa Rica’s 34.
Holland flooded the wings and Robben again was heavily involved, with eight successful dribbles and five shots on goal, and was wrongfully impeded eight times during 120 minutes of play.
The five-man Costa Rican defence, however, admirably handled the pressure and ended the game with 40 clearances, 11 blocks, six saves and four interceptions. Even the offside trap worked well for the Ticos, as the Dutch forwards failed to time their runs properly. The Dutch were caught offside 13 times, their worst in a World Cup game.
The Costa Rican attacks were far and few and Joel Campbell, the sole forward, looked fatigued. He was duly replaced in the 66th minute by Marcos Urena, who dropped back and effectively linked with his midfielders to increase the team’s attacking depth.
The Dutch, too, moved to a 4-4-2 formation with Klaas-Jan Huntelaar partnering van Persie, but both sides failed to capitalise on the chances that came their way. — Ayon Sengupta
