This impressive display by Brazil -- without
Roberto Carlos, Ronaldinho and Roque Junior -- against a spirited Costa Rica must have
given England the shivers..... they could meet each other in the quarter-finals.
Costa Rica could have gone ahead in the 9th minute, when
Mauricio Wright headed Luis Marín’s cross over the bar.
-- GOAL -- 0-1
Having almost set up a goal in the 9th minute, Luis Marín couldn't deflect away Ronaldo's
shot from Edilson.
-- GOAL -- 0-2
Three minutes later, a corner fell to Ronaldo who turned his defender to
slot the ball between Erick Lonnis and his post.
Rónald Gómez and Paulo Wanchope tried to get
Costa Rica back in the game and Mauricio Wright headed over the bar before the half hour
mark.
-- GOAL -- 0-3
Seven minutes from half-time, Edmílson scored the goal of the game with
an acrobatic side-kick from the edge of the six-yard box.
-- GOAL -- 1-3 Paulo Wanchope pulled one back for Costa Rica as the Central Americans
tried to keep their World Cup campaign on course.
Brazil closed the half firing on all cylinders and were
unlucky not to have extended their lead.
Half-time: Costa Rica 1 -- Brazil 3
Ronaldo and Wanchope both came close to scoring their
second goal early in the second-half and Marcos pushed a powerful Carlos Castro shot, from
outside the area, over the bar.
-- GOAL -- 2-3
A diving header from Rónald Gómez, on 56 minutes, made this exciting
contest into quite a spectacle of flowing, attacking football.
-- GOAL -- 2-4 Rivaldo added his name to the scoresheet just after the hour.....
shooting first time from a Junior cross.
-- GOAL -- 2-5
Provider turned scorer when Junior beat Erick Lonnis two minutes later.
On this performance few would expect anyone to stop
Brazil..... apart from England's thousands of travelling fans perhaps -- if they get past
Denmark.
Player of the Match:
Junior -- Called in to replace the rested Roberto Carlos, Junior sealed the game for
Brazil -- by setting up Rivaldo and scoring himself -- just as Costa Rica felt they might
be able to snatch a point from this highly entertaining game of football.
Yellow Cards:
Cafu (93 mins)
The Teams:
Costa Rica:
1 Erick Lonnis; 22 Carlos Castro, 3 Luis Marín, 5 Gilberto Martínez (12 Winston Parks --
74 mins), 15 Harold Wallace (16 Steven Bryce -- 46 mins), 4 Mauricio Wright; 10 Wálter
Centeno, 6 Wilmer López, 8 Mauricio Solis (7 Rolando Fonseca -- 65 mins); 11 Rónald
Gómez, 9 Paulo Wanchope.
