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Japan will lock horns with Costa Rica at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium on Sunday in their second group stage game of the ongoing 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Japan opened their campaign in brilliant fashion, picking up a shock 2-1 win over Germany. The Samurai Blue fell behind to an Ilkay Gundogan penalty just after the half-hour mark but rallied in the second half to take the lead in the final 10 minutes of the game.
Costa Rica, on the other hand, endured a disastrous start to their World Cup campaign, falling to a 7-0 thrashing at the hands of Spain. They conceded the first goal with just 11 minutes on the clock and never got going after failing to register a single shot in the entirety of the match.
Japan's opening day heroics have blown the previously dubbed "group of death" wide open, with results on matchday two now holding much more weight.
Japan vs Costa Rica Head-to-Head stats
There have been five meetings between Japan and Costa Rica, although Sunday's game will mark the first competitive matchup between the two nations. The Samurai Blue are undefeated in all five games, winning four times and drawing the other one.
The two teams last faced off in a friendly clash back in 2018 which Japan won 3-0 via goals from Sho Sasaki, Takumi Minamino and Reims' Junya Ito.
Japan Form Guide: W-L-D-W-W
Costa Rica Form Guide: L-W-W-D-W
Japan vs Costa Rica: Numbers you need to know before their FIFA World Cup 2022 encounter
Japan have had three group-stage exits and three round-of-16 exits in their previous six World Cup appearances. They have failed to win their second group game in their last four appearances on the global stage and will be looking to end that streak this weekend.
They have scored 13 goals in their five matches against the Costa Ricans and will fancy their chances ahead of Sunday's game.
Los Ticos have been knocked out of the group stages in three of their last four World Cup appearances and are currently in danger of yet another early exit from the tournament. Their opening-day horror show marked their largest defeat since 1975 when they lost to Mexico by the same scoreline and they will be determined to put out a positive response this weekend.
Japan will be on a high following their latest result and are favorites for Sunday's clash, but must not underestimate their wounded opponents, who will be desperate to bounce back.
