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Costa Rica went into the Nizhny Novgorod Arena having already checked out of their place in the World Cup. But Switzerland had almost everything to play for. They had to get a draw to ensure that their progression into the next round was not tampered with.
In a game that was widely expected to be a dead rubber (as Brazil were expected to win against the Serbs), entertainment did not come at a premium. There were plenty of shots on goal and both goalkeepers, Sommer of Switzerland and Keylor Navas of Costa Rica were both tested through the entirety of the 90 minutes.
To top it off, there was plenty of last-minute drama; something which has been a characteristic feature of this World Cup. Costa Rica equalized in the dying embers of the game from a penalty. Moments before the kick was awarded, VAR had denied Costa Rica the same after Bryan Ruiz had to be flagged offside.
At the end of the day, Switzerland and Brazil qualified from the group and Costa Rica can go home knowing they've at least tried their best in a testing group.
Without further ado, let's look at why the game between Costa Rica and Switzerland ended in a draw.
#3 Costa Rica came out swinging but failed to capitalize on their early momentum
Costa Rica came out of their blocks ready to take the game to the Swiss. And they did that with aplomb as Switzerland looked like the inferior side for the opening 30 minutes or so.
In fact, Sommer had to pull off 3 back to back brilliant saves to keep his side in the game as Colindres, Embolo and Oviedo all had strikes on goal. Colindres even hit the crossbar after beating Sommer from 25 yards out.
However, once the initial energy wore down, Switzerland got to enjoy more time on the ball and they made it count as Dzemaili headed home from a corner in the 31st minute.
Soon enough, Switzerland were winning the loose balls as Costa Rica looked like they'll once again be blown away by their opposition.
#2 Costa Rica did not capitalize on Switzerland's mistakes
Costa Rica were gifted the ball on almost a dozen occasions in the first half by the Swiss. Costa Rica's high press and the industry shown by players like Guzman, Borges, Oviedo and Gamboa helped force the Switzerland players to relinquish possession in dangerous areas.
Costa Rica caught Switzerland napping on several occasions but could never really make anything from those errors.
If they had good fortune on their side, Costa Rica could have absolutely stunned Switzerland but it was not to be, largely owing to Sommer's brilliance in front of goal.
#1 Fighting till the end
When Drmic sidefooted home from Zakaria's delivery from the right flank in the 87th minute, it looked like Switzerland had sealed the deal. But Costa Rica were not ready to give up. Joel Campbell, in particular, deserves mention. It was a pity that his marauding run, towards the business end of the game, which saw him dribble past 3 defenders did not culminate in a goal.
Bryan Ruiz was fouled inside the area and Costa Rica were awarded a penalty in the 91st minute. But VAR ruled him offside. However, Costa Rica refused to give up and Campbell ultimately won them a penalty after getting fouled inside the area by Zakaria.
The penalty went in with a touch of good fortune but it felt like justice was done at the end of the day as a loss for Costa Rica would have seemed rather undeserving.
