Costa Rica beat Paraguay but exit Copa America as Colombia, Brazil advance
By Reuters
Colombia ended up as the winners of the group with seven points. Brazil was also runners-up with five points. Costa Rica return home with four points, while Paraguay quit after three defeats.
“This was a very difficult group. We played against Brazil and Colombia one of four favorite teams to take home the Copa,” Costa Rica coach Gustavo Alfaro told reporters.
“We were able to draw strength from strengths, achievements as well as our blunders, but we’ve gotten better and are now analyzing our performance instead of the outcomes.
“The crucial part is to learn and that it was a brief tournament that we had to take advantage of to the max.”
Costa Rica needed results to be successful, as did huge swings in goal difference for qualification and they did not waste time making their mark after captain Francisco Calvo and Josimar Alcocer scored 2-0 in just seven minutes.
Calvo scored at the top of the box, in third-minute time. 19-year-old Alcocer drove past a number of teammates before pulling off the lever far outside the box and beating the goalkeeper.
However, Paraguay began to shine in the second half, and Costa Rica’s chances of qualifying fell within 10 minutes of the start of the second half when Ramon Sosa scored his first goal for the country.
Costa Rica’s defense could be unable to stop the attack in the first half as Mathias Villasanti dribbled into the box, and then created Sosa who shot the ball over the top of the goal beyond the hands of goalkeeper Patrick Sequeira.
Costa Rica nearly conceded again by a corner during added time, with the ball bouncing from Fabian Balbuena’s back towards Angel Romero but his shot did not make it through the grasp of Sequeira.
It was it as the very first time in 1925 Paraguay has lost every one their group games.
“It was a poor event, a poor overall performance” head coach Daniel Garnero declared.
In his remarks about his future the man said: “I am here because the association has requested my services. If they do not want to keep me on the payroll then that’s their decision. I’ll need to discuss it in conjunction with them.”
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Reported for the report by Rohith Nair, reporting from Bengaluru Additional reportage done by Field Level Media; Editing by Peter Rutherford
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