Italy v Costa Rica, World Cup 2014: as it happened
Italy vs Costa Rica World Cup 2014: Latest news updates, score and result, our live minute-by-minute match report of the Group D game at Arena Pernambuco, Recife, on Friday June 19 2014, kick-ff 17.00 (BST)
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Have you recovered from England's defeat? Should Roy Hodgson do one? Are you in love with Andrea Pirlo, like every inhabitant of Earth? Would you buy a Pirlo doll? Email your thoughts on these subjects and where Joel Campbell might play for Arsenal next season to rob.bagchi@telegraph.co.uk
Italy 0-1 Costa Rica
We're out of time. As are England. Please join Mehreen Khan forSwitzerland v France.
Manfred Breiter gives us some cold German truth
The fate of the Three Lions depending on how others play ...This could have been avoided by an English side with enough guts.
Did they lack guts, Manfred? Or did they lack technique and the ability to defend?
Liz Shaw is pleased
Costa Rica deserve the credit for playing confident, exciting, attacking football. My sweepstake pick is looking pretty good right now!
Full time Costa Rica have qualified for the last 16! England are out. Italy and Uruguay will play for the final place, a draw would put Italy through on goal diifference.
90+3 min Italy have disappointed England, says Robbie Savage. England have disappointed England, say all the rest of us.
90+2 min Brenes wraps his foot around a shot from the left of the box, trying to curl it into the top right corner but it doesn't bend back in quickly enough and misses by a few feet.
90+1 min Four minutes are added on.
90 min The corner is a good one, over the heads of the big defenders, who are all grappled to a standstill by Costa Rica, but Cassano has a sniff at the far post, sticks out his leg but had to stretch and could not redirect it towards goal.
89 min Diaz again makes a crucial block, stopping Cerci's cross but conceding a corner.
88 min Do you fancy Italy's chances against Uruguay?
87 min Cerci again wastes an opportunity by straying a foot offside whne the ball is played through to him wide on the bright of the box. He had a clear view and could call exactly when to make his dart yet completely cocked it up.
85 min Italy think the ball has run out of play on the left but Brenes whips it away on the touchline and keeps it in. Italy are runnin through treacle.
83 min Chiellini stops Urena's charge up the middle, with some help from the sub himself, who loses heart and cuts inside instead of bombing on into the box, allowing the Juve defender an opportunity to pinch it off him.
81 min At last something different, Cerci, spinning a pass through the middle with his left foot that Insigne makes a total Horlicks of, falling backwards while trying a laughably bad scissors kick.
80 min Costa Rica's goalscorer and captain Bryan Ruiz is going off and Randall Brenes comes on.
79 min Diaz, the left-back, shows Abate the way to defend when taken on by a dribbler. He watches the ball, stays on his feet and makes a snapping but fait tackle.
77 min The Italian substitutes have yet to make much of an impact, Barzagli resorting to the big boot upfield over the Costa Rica central back three but they stay togethr, track the runner and see out the danger easily.
75 min Robbie Savage is doing that weird lilt at the end of his sentences thta make shim sound like Phil Neville. Not the infamous Melbourne interrogative but there's some lack of conviction. Gamboa hounds down Pirlo and robs him.
73 min Cerci is flagged offside. The 673rd transgressor this half. Costa Rica take off Campbell and send on Urena.
71 min This Italy are barely recognisable. Are Costa Rica so good or England so bad? Discuss. A second, successive game in dense humidity must be draining, but even so.
69 min Cubera steals the ball off Cassano, a guilty victim because of his heavy touch, but the defenders dod the heavy lifting, feeding the ball back to Cassano who overhits his pass through to Balotelli who again made a run that wasn't the one the provider was anticipating.
68 min Balotelli is yellow-carded for pulling down Cubero as a cross comes in. Italy sub, Marchisio off for Cerci.
67 min Costa Rica sub, Cubero on for Ruiz
65 min Italy look sapped at the moment, just when they have the opportunity to play a proper ball over the defence, this one a raking diagonal from right-to-left by Marchisio, they can't hold their runs. Insigne the latest offender.
64 min Costa Rica are oléing it around Italy, keeping the ball for nearly a minute, giving Italy the run around.
62 min Shot from Cassano but he's struggling to find the space he needs to, in Bobby Robson's immortal phrase, 'drop his little hand grenades'.
Daniel Martinez writes
Great performance of Costa Rica, considered as a "small" team, together with the others of Concacaf like USA and Mexic. It is for the best for the football, that the distance between teams consider "big" versus "small" is reducing.
60 min Abate brings down Bolanos and gives up a free-kick. He's had mare, Abate.
59 min Buffon has to come out sweeping when Ruiz plays a through ball with Italy's defenders pushing up to halfway.
57 min Bolanos does a personal Youtube reel of greatest dribbles as he skips and dances on the right, inviting Abate to dare to tackle him.
55 min Italy will make another substitution, moments after Pirlo threaded a pass through for Balotelli, who made a false start and was offside. Insigne on for Candreva who has been a shadow of the Manaus thoroughbred in Recife.
53 min Cassano has the No10 shirt on and is playing a more free role than Motta but when he drives at the Costa Rica back three the ball bobbles in front and allows them to prevent him dribbling through.
51 min The corner, as per, comes to nothing but Cassano latches on to the ball 30 yards out as Costa Rica try to pile out of defence and is fouled. Pirlo takes the free-kick, he gets it over the wall but Navas sees it and palms it safely out wide. Pirlo laced it but didn't get the dip or swerve he wanted.
50 min Cassano has a half-chance in the box when the ball pings around but his control is too heavy. Darmian picks up the ball on the left, cust in from the touchline and booms a shot across goal that Navas tips over.
49 min Quick break from Costa Rica, Diaz winning a corner when Abate makes a challenge. Boalnos takes to the far post on to Gonzalez's head but there isn't enough space fro him to hit either the goal or one of his team-mates.
48 min Corner taken by Pirlo, up goes Brazagli and the ball scootsto the edge of the box where Duarte beasts Balotelli in a tackle, winning the ball but flattening him and Costa Rica clear their lines.
47 min Balotelli gets behind the defence on the left and wins a corner. Up come the tall fellas.
46 min Antonio Cassano makes his World Cup debut, dropping back to pick up the ball when Bolanos's cross is blocked.
18.03 Italy sub, Motta off, Cassano on
18.03 Greg Dyke confirms Roy Hodgson will carry on as England manager until 2016.
18.02 And Joel Campbell's reaction to not being awarded a penalty.
18.00 Here is Bryan Ruiz's finish
Half time A deserved goal, in an enthralling game, in which Costa Rica have been clever tactically, really crowding Italy out of space, fearlessly pushing forward. Relax now England are out. No need to be shredded by nerves. With the fear of defeat gone, we can savour this wonderful tournament.
45 min Savage is going off on one about the referee for being too deferential towards Italy, giving them a free-kick when Motta falls. The free-kick hits the wall and bounces clear.
GOAL!! Costa Rica (Bryan Ruiz). Seconds after that penalty appeal was ignored by the referee, Diaz hits a wonderfully arcing cross from the left to the far post and Ruiz meets it on his hea, hits the underside of the crossbar, bounces over the line as Ruiz wheels away in celebration.
43 min After that praise for Barzagli, he gets away with a foul in the box when he pushes Campbell to the ground with his forearm shove to the back.
42 min The corner from the left travels across the box with Buffon flapping a little to Duarte on the right. He pust his toe under it and tries to lob Buffon who scrambles backwards as the ball eventually nestles on top of the net.
41 min Chiellini and Barzagli are giving England's centre-halfs a masterclass here, Chiellini just nipping ahead of Campbell. The difference is that they sense danger, they sniff it and will take the responsibility to deal with it.
39 min Uncharacteristically timid challenge from De Rossi allows Ruiz to burst through the inside right channel and shoot from about 20 yards with a skidding but innocuous shot.
37 min Italy are caught offside, the whistle punishing Marchisio through the middle who was nowhere near the ball when the pass found Balotelli.
35 min Borges' cross from the right is headed away by Barzagli but there's enough space in front of the Italy back four for Umana to dispossess Candreva to slide it to Boalnos on the left of the box. His low shot across goal is well-covered by the diving Buffon.
Nic Chimenti writes
Of course I love Andrea Pirlo, especially on any set piece within striking distance. And he is always under control. But my favorite man in Blue is without a doubt Daniele De Rossi. He provides the toughness needed at midfield to stay on the offensive. Forza Azzurri!
He's a marvellous player, Nic. A legionnaire.
33 min Pirlo again, curling a pass around Gonzalez for Balotelli to shoot from 18 yards. He was a foot or two off-side but there was no flag. Balotelli hit it well but too straight.
32 min Lovely ball over the top from Pirlo, picking out Balotelli's run. He is between Gonzales and Umana but his first touch takes him wider than he would have wanted and the bounce is too high for a comfortable finish. He has to wait for it to come down with the keeper approaching and has to rush a hooked shot that goes horizontal, and nowhere near goal.
30 min Balotelli is marmalised in a fair tackle. Robbie Savage on the BBC thinks it a disgrace that because he's pole-axed Costa Rica then knock the ball out.
28 min Now Costa Rica have a minute of possession, Bolanos putting too much boot on his pass to Campbell between Barzagli and Abate, so he turns it back to Borges but barzagli eventually stops the move with a block, reward for his positioning and patience.
25 min Raking pass from Pirlo, playing as old-fashioned left-half for a moment, up to Balotelli who, with back to goal, lays it off to Motta about 20 yards out but he screws a tepid shot wide to the right of goal. He's no finisher.
23 min That pass may have been from Barzagli, not De Rossi. This oneis from De Rossi to Motta betwen the Costa Rica box and the centre-circle. When he lays off to Marchisio, the referee gives the Italians a free-kick for a tame-ish challenge.
23 min De Rossi clips a long pass up the right, drawing the defender out of position for Balotelli's run. He takes it in mid-air on his foot but Gonzalez comes across, stays very tight and snuffs out the danger by restricting Balotelli's space to turn. Good defending.
21 min A run from Balotelli, injecting more speed into the attack, gets the crowd's voice up as he skips through the inside left channel, the ball at the very limit of his control, just a fraction too far ahead, until Duarte robs him and ends the immediate threat.
19 min Campbell takes the corner, but it's too long and skips away from danger. A Costa Rica cross back in from the left is greeted by huge cheers when Chiellini wears it smack in the mush and Timber! he falls.
17 min Now Candreva gives the ball away, about 20 yards inside the Italy half on the right where Diaz gets his toe ahead of him, runs on to it and chips a diagonal to Campbell who shields it on the edge of the box and, after a phase of holding their line, Costa Rica rae given a corner off a cross though their was no deflection.
15 min You may say that England were unfortunate not to play this Italy, but then again I think the victory has lulled them into playing this laxly, giving away another corner which is defended well but they rae riding their luck, striving for coherence. But most of all, they just look off the pace.
14 min Abate and De Rossi link up well down the right, happy to make slow progress but just when the killer pass has been set up and the trigger pulled, Abate has a headless moment, darts too soon and is caught offside on the right.
12 min This tempo is not allowing Italy to settle, with Costa Rica pressing so hard and so high, they are forcing errors, the latest a skewed pass from Abate.
Robin Hall writes
What I find odd about Pirlo, as I do so many players, due mainly to the longevity of their careers and thus my perception of them/him as an older statesman; is that in reading his book I find he is a lover of playing football games on his x box or playstation and realise despite the beard he is in fact A. a big kind and B. b---- younger than me! Albeit by just a year.
10 min Balotelli drops short to receive the ball in the centre-circle when Ruiz is tackled and he taps a pass out to the flank to let Candreva have a gallop. He has yards ahead of him but looks to play in Balotelli again between Diaz and Umana, but mishits his pass.
9 min Italy corner after a rampaging run from Darmian, who loks adept on the left, but when the ball is chipped to Balotelli at the far post the referee whistles to punish the centre-forward for wrestling.
7 min Costa Rica break quickly when the free-kick breaks down, attacking up the left through Ruiz and wearning a corner. After those rotten deliveries from England last night, Costa Rica produce a purler with their first, hitting Borges's run with Buffon tentatively coming for it. The header, though, a fibe chance, flies high.
6 min Out on the Italy left Marchisio, who saifd he went through the looking glass anad began hallucinating through exhaustion in Manaus, is felled by Duarte. That was cynical, he trod all over him , but the referee gives hin the benefit and no card.
4 min Mistake from Diaz on the left lets Candreva have a free run at Gonzalezs with Balotelli clverly splitting the back threee by spinning in then going short but Gonzalez stands tall and blocks Candreva's pass. He needed to.
3 min Costa Rica build from the back, Gonzalez to the right wing-back Gamboa, who recycles it all along the back five before a long ball skips out.
2 min Nice run from Bolanos ends with a rather ambitious shot after Motta dived in.
1 min Italy kick off and play it back to Brazagli who moves left, the ball comes back and is tapped up to Pirlo in the centre-circle who scoops a pass over the defence for Marchisio's run but he was a yard offside.
16.58 Hands are being shaken in the modern arm wrestling style, cocked elbow, digits pointing upwards. We'll be off in a moment.
16.55 The Italians give a rousing rendition of their national anthem. On Sunday I had a correspondent who believed that their lusty singing by contrasts with England's lacklustre efforts was the reason for their victory.
Michael from Newcastle writes:
Much as I like good football, I've never had a 'man crush'. It's just the way heterosexuality seems to work for me. That, and watching Peter Beardsley.
What? Not even Roddy Frame, Michael? In a purely aesthetic sense?
16.45 Face and body paint. That's where there are fortunes to be made. Modern football, eh?
16.40 Where did you get that hat, where did you get that tile?
16.29 Gary Lineker is wearing an Italy shirt. Give it up, man. It's over. Have you read Mehreen Khan's 37 reasons why Andrea Pirlo is the world's greatest living human man? No, you should. It's a wonderful tribute. (Next up 37 reasons why Andrea Pirlo is taking out a restraining order)
16.05 Here are your teams
Italy 1-Gianluigi Buffon; 7-Ignazio Abate, 4-Matteo Darmian, 15-Andrea Barzagli, 3-Giorgio Chiellini; 5-Thiago Motta, 16-Daniele De Rossi, 6-Antonio Candreva, 21-Andrea Pirlo, 8-Claudio Marchisio; 9-Mario Balotelli.
Subs 2-Mattia De Sciglio, 10-Antonio Cassano, 11-Alessio Cerci, 12-Salvatore Sirigu, 13-Mattia Perin, 14-Alberto Aquilani, 17-Ciro Immobile, 18-Marco Parolo, 19-Leonardo Bonucci, 20-Gabriel Paletta, 22-Lorenzo Insigne, 23-Marco Verratti
Costa Rica 1-Keylor Navas; 16-Cristian Gamboa, 3-Giancarlo Gonzalez, 4-Michael Umana, 7-Christian Bolanos, 6-Oscar Duarte, 17-Yeltsin Tejeda, 15-Junior Diaz; 5-Celso Borges, 10-Bryan Ruiz; 9-Joel Campbell
Subs 2-Johnny Acosta, 8-Dave Myrie, 11-Michael Barrantes, 12-Waylon Francis, 13-Oscar Esteban Granados, 14-Randall Brenes, 18-Patrick Pemberton, 19-Roy Miller, 20-Diego Calvo, 21-Marco Urena, 22-Jose Miguel Cubero, 23-Daniel Cambronero
Good afternoon: Shall we discount the England equation from this match between Group D's two undefeated sides until the result is confirmed shortly before 7pm UK time? I think we should because no side has ever qualified for the next round having lost both group games before, Italy have not won all three of their group games since Italia 90 and, frankly, England do not deserve to go through. For all the green shoots of promise in the front four plus Jordan Henderson and Ross Barkley, their defending has been hopelessly, negligently, incompetent.
So let us not wallow in disappointment or beguile ourselves with false hope. Even if Italy win tonight, why would anyone think England could keep a clean sheet on Tuesday?
Instead, let us enjoy the marvellous Andrea Pirlo, Daniele De Rossi, Claudio Marchisio and Antonio Candreva, let us be thrilled by Mario Balotelli and Joel Campbell while monitoring the confidence and growing verve of Christian Bolanos and Celso Borges. These two have met only once before in the build-up to the 1994 World Cup where Italy finished runners-up. Here's Beppe Signori scoring the only goal.
Just as Robert Baggio was the man for opponents to fear in 1994, so Pirlo is today. The Costa Rica manager Jorge Pinto said: "It is true I worry about [Andrea] Pirlo. I have been studying him since 2006, because in my opinion he has been the best player since then. We have to block him because he is the player who thinks best in Italy."
"Thinks best". That's a perfect description. And while we wait shall we wallow in (sorry Robbie Smyth) Pirlorotica?
Pirlo to Inzaghi. Sighs.
Azzurri Andrea
David who?
15.55 Gianluigi Buffon is playing!
15.25 It had been suggested that both Gianluigi Buffon and Andrea Barzagli would miss the game against Costa Rica. But it is being reported in Italy that both are fit to take their place in a full-strength Azzurri team.
A reminder of the likely Italy team:
Italy (4-5-1): Buffon; Chiellini, Barzagli, Paletta, Darmian; De Rossi, Verratti, Pirlo, Marchisio, Candreva; Balotelli.
14.45 A bit more on our friend Mario, who has been told by Cesare Prandelli he needs to apply himself a bit more or he risks being dropped.
"It's important for him to do what he did in the last match, to be so intense," says the Italy coach. "If he can do that for 90 minutes, great. Otherwise, we will have someone just as good and just as fresh on the pitch. We started with 23 men and he is one of those 23 men. He may be decisive, he may be important, but as in the last match he must give 100 per cent."
"If we look at the four years we have had with Mario, they have been times when he has been our weapon, he was the asset, he was the man who would have taken us to the moon," he said, referring to the Milan striker's efforts at Euro 2012, when he scored twice in the semi-final.
"And then after two months, he wasn't performing. Many thought that he would not make it to the World Cup at all, so what really matters is that he concentrated and he is focused."
England fans will be hoping he's concentrated and focused today.
14.15 Having been defeated by the brilliance of one Premier League maverick striker last night, England are dependent on the brilliance of a former Premier League maverick striker to bail them out today against Costa Rica.
Mario Balotelli says he's happy to help, but only on condition of a kiss from the Queen - on the cheek, of course. Full story here.
13.45 If a) you're stuck at work and can't watch the game, or b) an England fan who doesn't want to go through the misery of it all any more, avoid all the hassle and just watch our simulation of what's going to happen. It's got commentary from Thom Gibbs and JJ Bull:
13.15 The probable teams for today's game:
Team news
Italy (Possible, 4-5-1): Buffon; Chiellini, Barzagli, Paletta, Darmian; De Rossi, Verratti, Pirlo, Marchisio, Candreva; Balotelli.
Tests: Buffon (ankle), De Sciglio (leg).
Costa Rica (Possible, 4-4-1-1): Navas; Gonzalez, Umana, Duarte, Gamboa; Bolanos, Diaz, Tejeda, Borges; Ruiz; Campbell.
Referee: Enrique Osses (Chile)
Betting: Italy 1-2, Costa Rica 6-1, Draw 3-1.
- Read the rest of John Ley's Italy v Costa Rica match preview
12.45 Costa Rica coach Jorge Pinto has hit back at Jose Mourinho for belittling his team and says they are confident they can beat Italy and reach the World Cup knockout stage (and eliminate England in the process). Read the full story here, by Jim White in Recife.
11.00 There are not supposed to be any easy games at the World Cupand Italy are certainly not expecting one against Costa Rica on Friday.
The Azzurri say they have been paying close attention to the Central Americans and have reviewed plenty of recordings of their opponents since being drawn to face them in Group D.
Costa Rica's 3-1 triumph over Uruguay in their opening game in Brazil should have sharpened the Italians' focus even more.
Cesare Prandelli's side will know if they have done their homework properly on Friday as the two teams meet at the Arena Pernanbuco in Recife.
"For months we've known about the calendar," Prandelli said at Thursday's press conference. "We have followed with particular interest this team.
"They are very well organised and know their style by heart and their own system of play.
"It's a team to fear a lot and for us it's going to be a rather difficult game."
If Italy are going to have success again after their 2-1 victory over England in their opener, they will have pay close attention to the attacking play of their opponents.
Jorge Luis Pinto's team tore Uruguay apart in the second half.
"Costa Rica have three players up front that are very strong, so we have to be worried," Prandelli said.
It remains to be seen which players are in the Italy line-up.
Prandelli had to do without captain Gianluigi Buffon in the first game while first-choice left-back Mattia De Sciglio also missed the England clash due to a muscular injury.
"Until tomorrow (Friday) we can't say who will play because we have to look at whether certain players have recovered from their minor injuries," Prandelli said. "Yesterday, (Andrea) Barzagli had a minor problem but today he is well.
"We shall see how he is tomorrow morning. If he has less pain, he will play.
"Buffon has taken part in the last three training sessions, (but) he still has a bit of swelling. If the reaction after today's training is good, Buffon will play."
The player who scored Italy's second and decisive goal against England, Mario Balotelli, is eager to play again.
There were many to wonder if he would make Italy's World Cup squad because of his lack of form late in the Serie A season with AC Milan but Prandelli took him to Brazil, with Balotelli rewarding his coach for the faith he showed with a goal.
He was also named the man of the match after the 2-1 win.
Balotelli said on Thursday: "Costa Rica are a very good side and we must respect them, trying to give 200 per cent on the pitch.
"I'm calm, I have no pressure. I want to go as far as possible in this World Cup and score as many goals as possible but the important thing is that Italy wins and progresses."
Costa Rica coach Pinto, meanwhile, says he has been looking forward to the Italy game for a long time.
"This is a dream come true for me because I have watched them play in at least 30 World Cup games," he said. "I've always said that I love how Italy play, their tactical structure, their style.
"I know I will benefit from having watched them for so long."
Pinto believes there is a misconception about Italy.
"I think it's a lie those that say that Italy defends," he said. "I disagree. They are a balanced and structured team."
Costa Rica defender Giancarlo Gonzalez knows a tough game awaits his team.
"We know that Italy are a great rival that has a lot of virtues," he said. "We have worked hard, not just this week but for some time now to try to guess their game plan and win."
Pinto will play with the same formation that beat Uruguay, with Yeltsin Tejeda and Christian Bolanos playing in support of Arsenal forward Joel Campbell.
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