Attack, attack, attack; that was Spain's approach in their opening game at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Montreal, Canada. It took them only 13 minutes to break the deadlock through number 14 player Vicky Losada. However, as if her jersey number brought some luck to the Costa Ricans, the 14th minute saw the latter get back on level terms.
Profiting from Spain’s vulnerability in terms of concentration having just opened the scoring, Las Ticas replied within a minute. It was baby-faced player Rodriguez Cedeno who stabbed the Spaniards in the back. The number 11 forward caught the goalkeeper off guard, slotting the ball into an empty net.
"Olé, Olé, Olé!" 2 goals in 60 seconds. #ESP 1-1 #CRC. @losada_vicky & Raquel Rodriguez-Cerdeno score. 20mins gone. pic.twitter.com/4CqAi3fFdA
— FIFA Women'sWorldCup (@FIFAWWC) June 9, 2015
In the 28th minute, Maria Barrantes came inches away from putting Costa Rica ahead but her volley from just outside the penalty area saw the ball fly wide to the left. From there, the game became more even with the South Americans forcing La Roja to play in their own half.
The tempo of the game did not slow down in the second half with the Spanish multiplying the efforts upfront. Great teamwork fed Jennifer Hermoso with a golden chance inside the penalty box but her terrible shot deprived Ignacio Quereda’s team from going 2-1 in the 50th minute.
Reacting to this crucial moment, Las Ticas tightened up their defense until the hour mark when they allowed Sonia Bermudez’s curling shot to scare goalkeeper Dinnia Diaz. The latter provoked a huge roar at the Olympic Stadium when she expertly parried away Vicky Losada’s 85th minute attempt for a winner.
The match ended 1-1 with Diaz earning huge respect from the crowd and from Spain's coach who told LiveSoccerTV.com in the aftermath of the draw:
"I think that she made very good saves. We had two or three opportunities which she parried away. She is one of the great attributes of the Costa Rican team."
Spain 1-1 Costa Rica - 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup highlights
What a good performance by Costa Rica's goalkeeper at the Women's World Cup this Tuesday. See it for yourself:
Posted by LiveSoccerTV.com on Tuesday, 9 June 2015
Proud of her girls and determined to make a statement at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, Costa Rica's manager declared:
"We have come here to play three finals. Our objective is to score points to advance in the competition."
Las Ticas will play South Korea on June 13 and Brazil on June 17. Looking ahead to these crucial encounters, the coach concluded:
"The girls are motivated. We will have to approach each game differently. We will analyze our upcoming opponents and decide on which tactics to adopt to succeed."
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This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
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