A classic Spanish performance. The most remarkable performance by any squad thus far?
🤯 Spain tonight completed more passes vs Costa Rica (976) than Iran, Costa Rica, Saudi Arabia, Japan and Poland have managed 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗕𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗗 (906) at the #FIFAWorldCup #Qatar2022 pic.twitter.com/LWVmEFx8Gv
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) November 23, 2022
Three goals in the first half, four in the second, but I’d say that the performance before halftime was much better. A flawless display from Luis Enrique’s players, who were bright and swift in possession but possibly even more excellent off the ball.
In attack, their mobility helped them to find space between and behind the Costa Rica midfield and defense, while they persistently pressed for possession on the rare occasions that Costa Rica had it. Luis Enrique’s team will want to play like that every time they enter the field.
A match to forget for Costa Rica, who set up defensively with a back five but had to rip up their game plan after only 11 minutes.
It’s hard to say that Luis Fernando Suárez’s side played badly in possession because they saw so little of the ball but they really struggled to deal with Spain’s passing and movement.
A game for them to put to the back of their minds as quickly as possible ahead of their next match.
Costa Rica will hope to fare better in their next game, which is against Japan on Sunday, 27 November (5am ET)
Spain will be full of confidence to take on a Germany side that could be out if they lose a second straight match. That match is also on Sunday, 27 November (2pm ET)
