FIFA 2018: Brazil beat Costa Rica in tense encounter

Brazil lacked poise in front of goal and Costa Rica keeper Keylor Navas was in fine form.

Brazil’s Philippe Coutinho scores his team’s first goal against Costa Rica in the FIFA World Cup 2018 in St. Petersburg on Friday.

Late strikes by Philippe Coutinho and Neymar gave Brazil its first win of the World Cup in thrilling fashion against Costa Rica on Friday and broke the Central American team’s hearts by sending it out of the tournament.

The clock had ticked past 90 minutes, and the five-time champion looked to be edging to a second successive disappointing draw when Marcelo floated the ball in from the left and substitute Roberto Firmino headed across to Gabriel Jesus.

Jesus’s first touch took the ball away from the defender and into the path of Coutinho who raced in to poke past goalkeeper Keylor Navas from six metres out for his second goal of the tournament.

The result leaves Brazil with four points from two games after it drew 1-1 with Switzerland in its opening match, while Costa Rica is out with defeats in both its games.

Neymar added the second with practically the last kick of the match, volleying home Jesus’s square ball following a quick counter-attack as Costa Rica pushed for an equaliser.

Breaking down

The forward, who thought he had won a penalty in the 77th minute only for the referee to reverse the decision after consultation with the video assistant referee (VAR), was overcome by emotion on the whistle, covering his face with his hands as tears streamed down his cheeks.

That was an apt reflection of how tense the match had been for almost it’s entire duration, with Costa Rica’s flat-back five keeping Neymar on the periphery, as Johan Venegas and Cristian Gamboa both man-marked the forward out of the game.

Marcelo’s tame shot straight at Navas in the 41st minute was the first effort on target from either side before the break. Celso Borges spurned the best chance of the first period for Costa Rica when he ran on to Gamboa’s cut back, but shot wide from eight metres out.

Returning with purpose

Brazil went into half-time with the boos and whistles of its own fans ringing in its ears but emerged with a renewed sense of purpose, with Jesus heading against the bar four minutes after the restart and Coutinho sending the follow-up effort narrowly wide.

The finish was frantic as Brazil swept forward in waves, only to be repelled time and again by Costa Rica’s stubborn defence, until Coutinho came to the rescue.