A determined five-man Costa Rican defence that sought to enclose and deny their opponents space frustrated them. Even if Gustavo Alfaro‘s team occasionally rode their luck, the tactic paid out.
Alfaro claimed that before the game even began, Costa Rica had already been written out.
After grabbing a long ball over the top from Rodrygo, Raphinha had a great early chance to score, but Patrick Sequeira of Costa Rica immediately came off his line to end the threat.
After a protracted VAR delay, Marquinhos’ goal at the far post from a free kick flicked on by Rodrygo gave Brazil the impression that they had taken the lead in the 30th minute. However, the goal was disallowed for offside.
Following the interval, the one-way traffic persisted, and in the 63rd minute, Lucas Paquetá gave a long-range effort a rattling before a vicious shot from Guilherme Arana was prevented by a superb stop from Sequeira.
In an attempt to break the deadlock, coach Dorival Junior substituted rookies Endrick and Sávio in the 70th minute. However, in the closing ten minutes, Paqueta missed two shots and Brazil was unable to find a way past the opposition.
Neymar, the all-time top scorer for Brazil, looked sad as he watched from the stands while out injured in his anterior cruciate ligament.
Colombia defeated Paraguay 2-1 earlier on Monday to take the lead in Group D.
Nova88 Official Partnerships:
Official Asian Regional Partner 2023/24 – FC Internazionale Milano
Official Asian Betting Partner 2023/24 – Sevilla FC
Introducing Nova88’s Official Partner in Asian Sportsbook Forum – Asianbookie
Nova88’s Official Partner Livescore Platform – Livescore.com
