Spain vs Costa Rica Live Commentary, FIFA World Cup 2022

#	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Group A
1	Netherlands	3	2	1	0	5	1	4	7
2	Senegal	3	2	0	1	5	4	1	6
3	Ecuador	3	1	1	1	4	3	1	4
4	Qatar	3	0	0	3	1	7	-6	0
Group B
1	England	3	2	1	0	9	2	7	7
2	USA	3	1	2	0	2	1	1	5
3	Iran	3	1	0	2	4	7	-3	3
4	Wales	3	0	1	2	1	6	-5	1
Group C
1	Argentina	3	2	0	1	5	2	3	6
2	Poland	3	1	1	1	2	2	0	4
3	Mexico	3	1	1	1	2	3	-1	4
4	Saudi Arabia	3	1	0	2	3	5	-2	3
Group D
1	France	3	2	0	1	6	3	3	6
2	Australia	3	2	0	1	3	4	-1	6
3	Tunisia	3	1	1	1	1	1	0	4
4	Denmark	3	0	1	2	1	3	-2	1
Group E
1	Japan	3	2	0	1	4	3	1	6
2	Spain	3	1	1	1	9	3	6	4
3	Germany	3	1	1	1	6	5	1	4
4	Costa Rica	3	1	0	2	3	11	-8	3
Group F
1	Morocco	3	2	1	0	4	1	3	7
2	Croatia	3	1	2	0	4	1	3	5
3	Belgium	3	1	1	1	1	2	-1	4
4	Canada	3	0	0	3	2	7	-5	0
Group G
1	Brazil	3	2	0	1	3	1	2	6
2	Switzerland	3	2	0	1	4	3	1	6
3	Cameroon	3	1	1	1	4	4	0	4
4	Serbia	3	0	1	2	5	8	-3	1
Group H
1	Portugal	3	2	0	1	6	4	2	6
2	Korea Republic	3	1	1	1	4	4	0	4
3	Uruguay	3	1	1	1	2	2	0	4
4	Ghana	3	1	0	2	5	7	-2	3

Matches Played

Matches Won

Matches Drawn

Matches Lost

Goals For (Goals scored by a team)

Goals Against (Goals conceded by a team)

Goal Difference

Pts

Total Points

Spain though ♨️ pic.twitter.com/TPo803AB1C
— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 23, 2022

That will be all for tonight as we bring down the curtains on this live blog. Hope you enjoyed it as much as we did bringing it to you. We will be back in a short while with live coverage of Belgium vs Canada. Join us then. Till then take care and ta, ta!

Costa Rica never really looked comfortable from the onset and it only got worse as the game progressed. Spain move to the top of Group E with a seven-goal goal difference. They next face Germany in what would definitely be a must-win game for the 2014 World Cup Champions. As for Costa Rica, they still have everything to fight for as they will look for a better performance against Japan in their second group match.

Spain thrash Costa Rica with seven goals on the board. After scoring three goals in the first half, Spain only got better in the second half to add four more. Torres scored a brace, Soler and Morata helped from the bench and the Golden Boy Gavi scored a wonderful volley to show Spain's brutal dominance today.

90+8' FULL TIME!! The game finally comes to an end and how Costa Rica would have wished that.

THE MOST GOALS SPAIN HAVE EVER SCORED IN A WORLD CUP MATCH 😮 pic.twitter.com/nbeyKYvSoa
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) November 23, 2022

90+7' Joel Campbell is cautioned as he fouls Balde on the left side of the Costa Rican box. The former Arsenal man was quite late in his challenge. Unnecessary tackle.

90+6' Soler shoots wide as Gavi makes an impressive run to set up the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder.

THis equals THE WORST beating that @fedefutbolcrc have suffered in World Cups.

The worst lost that they had in their history was 7-0 to @miseleccionmxEN in 1975.
— Juan Arango (@JuanG_Arango) November 23, 2022

90+4' Spain have been brutally efficient with their shooting today. Scoring from all their seven attempts tonight.

90+3' GOOOOAAALLL! Morata scores. Spain run riot against Costa Rica and it seems to be never-ending. Seven goals. Morata links up well with Olmo to finish a fine left-footed finish.

Additional time: 8 minutes

90' Soler adds one more to Costa Rica's misery. Nico Williams once again produced a lovely low cross from the right. Navas pushes the cross away only for Soler to shoot in an empty net.

87' Balde has looked sharp on the left. A really good option for Enrique if and whenever needed.

82' Bryan Oviedo is subbed off. Ronald Matarrita comes on.

Gavi is the youngest goalscorer in a World Cup match since Pelé in the 1958 final against Sweden.

Generational ⭐️#FIFAWorldCup #TSWorldCup pic.twitter.com/TqHIbwxue5
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) November 23, 2022

80' Nico Williams produces a fine low cross into the box, falling just short of Morata.

Spain: a side that is free-flowing filled with youth and experience but also playing in a style masterminded by a pragmatic manager like Luis Enrique.

What’s there not to love? #FIFAWorldCup 🇪🇸
— Roberto Rojas (@RobertoRojas97) November 23, 2022

75' It cannot get any worse for Costa Rica. The last goal showed some sloppy and lazy defending. Gavi was unmarked and unchallenged, getting plenty of time to score a wonderful goal.

74' GOOOAAALL!!! What a goal that is from Spain and Gavi. Balde makes a superb run from the left flank to find Morata in the box. Despite drifting a bit wide, the former Real Madrid striker finds Gavi, who produces a spectacular finish.

Jordi Alba’s game by numbers vs. Costa Rica:

125 touches
100 passes completed
94% pass accuracy
5/5 long balls completed
3/4 ground duels won
2 interceptions
1/1 dribble completed
1 assist

Dominated his flank. 🔥@SofascoreINT pic.twitter.com/28xuzCgox6
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) November 23, 2022

72' Celso Borges is subbed off. Brandon Aguilera comes on.

71' Luis Enrique has gone about with a number of changes in the second half given the comfortable scoreline. Interesting few minutes for the players trying to prove a point from the bench.

👶 Gavi becomes the youngest player to represent Spain at a World Cup (18y 110d)

👴 Bryan Ruiz becomes the oldest player to represent Costa Rica at a World Cup (37y 97d)

Ruiz made his international debut just a year after Gavi was born. 😳
— Squawka News (@SquawkaNews) November 23, 2022

69' Marco Asensio is subbed off. Nico Williams comes on

68' Calvo is shown the yellow card as he goes in with a rash tackle on Soler.

Ferran Torres is the third player to score twice on his World Cup debut for Spain ✌#BBCFootball #BBCWorldCup pic.twitter.com/O5qTgoYcMP
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) November 23, 2022

65' Balde at the age of 19, makes his World Cup debut. He was just recently called upon to join the squad as Valencia's Jose Gaya had to return home with an injury.

64' Sergio Busquets is subbed off. Koke comes on.

64' Jordi Alba is subbed off. Alejandro Balde comes on.

⚠️ | QUICK STAT

Ferran Torres now has three matches with more than one goal in a Spain shirt:

⚽️⚽️⚽️ v Germany (Nations League)
⚽️⚽️ v Italy (Nations League)
⚽️⚽️ v Costa Rica (World Cup)

Stepping up in an important moment again. 💪#ESPCRC #Qatar2022 #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/Y6SgBxynzj
— Sofascore (@SofascoreINT) November 23, 2022

62' Jewison Bennette is subbed off. Bryan Ruiz comes on.

61' Anthony Contreas is subbed off. Alvaro Zamora comes on.

61' It has been a delight to watch Busquets play his preferred holding role in midfield and allow the young Pedri and Gavi show their creativity on the ball.

58' With Morata on the pitch, Asensio shifts on the right wing.

57' Pedri is subbed off. Carlos Soler comes on.

57' Ferran Torres is subbed off. Alvaro Morata comes on. It is too easy for the Spaniard as the Costa Rican defenders allow him to run easily in the box and make a composed finish to score his second.

54' Torres scores the fourth for Spain.

51' It has all started similarly as it did in the first half with Spain dominating possession.

46' We are underway for the second as Spain look very likely to win the three points.

Marco Asensio's last eight games for club and country:

⚽️
🅰️
🅰️
➖
⚽️
🅰️
🅰️
⚽️

On a roll. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/YMfothYfik
— Squawka (@Squawka) November 23, 2022

The South American team hasn't been effective on the ball and for the most part of the first-half have seen Spain impose their dominance. La Roja on the other hand have been very good when in possession. Busquets has dictated the tempo of the game from midfield and the attackers have done their job. It is on Costa Rica now to test the Spanish defenders.

Spain look very comfortable with three goals on the board. Dani Olmo produced a wonderful first touch and cool finish to score Spain's 100th World Cup goal. He was followed by Asensio, who took a great first-time shot to beat Navas. Torres converted the penalty after Alba was brought down in the Costa Rican box. It is an uphill task for Costa Rica to come back from here.

45+5' HALF TIME!! It has been all Spain as they run riot with a 3-goal lead against Costa Rica.

45+1' Costa Rica are yet to hit a shot on target in this half. The only team to do so so far in this World Cup was Saudi Arabia.

Additional time: 5 minutes

3 - Spain 🇪🇸 have scored three goals in the first half of a World Cup match for only the second time in their history, also doing so against Brazil 🇧🇷 in 1934. Steamroller. pic.twitter.com/Z8gIhdeiiU
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) November 23, 2022

44' Spain look to finish the first half on a high as they keep on pushing in the Costa Rican half.

41' Costa Rica have been hesitant in throwing bodies going forward and it has not helped their cause one bit.

Ferran Torres the second player born on Feb 29th to score a World Cup goal after Aleksei Mamykin in 1962
— Duncan Alexander (@oilysailor) November 23, 2022

37' Luis Enrique must be more than pleased given how his team has performed. Spain came into the game with not the best of runs and form but it has all looked very different in this first-half.

36' Costa Rica need to regroup and try to restricting Spain from scoring any more goals if they are to have some hope in the second half.

The most one sided first half an hour of the tournament so far. Spain now 3-0 up against Costa Rica following Ferran Torres' penalty. Total mismatch thus far. Spain moving the ball - and the opposition around - quite beautifully. Costa Rica as flat and cowed as the atmosphere
— James Ducker (@TelegraphDucker) November 23, 2022

34' Costa Rica have failed to score a goal in the first half of their last six World Cup matches. Doesn't look like it's going to change in this match given how things have been so far.

11' ⚽️ Olmo
21' ⚽️ Asensio
31' ⚽️ Torres

Fully expect a goal on the 41st minute.
— Squawka News (@SquawkaNews) November 23, 2022

32' Torres delays his kick a bit and sends Navas to the wrong side. Easy goal for the Barcelona forward.

31' GOOOAAALL !!! Ferran Torres converts from the spot as Spain increase their lead to three goals. This is a proper thrashing from the European heavyweights. Brutally dominant!

30' Ferran Torres to take the spot-kick.

29' PENALTYYY!!! Spain are awarded a penalty as Jordi Alba is fouled in the box as Duarte commits a silly foul.

26' Spain are finding a lot of fine spaces in the Costa Rican half, time and again bypassing their midfield and receiving passes between the lines.

100 - Dani Olmo has scored Spain's 🇪🇸 100th goal in the World Cup, making La Roja the sixth team to reach this milestone in the history of the tournament, after Brazil 🇧🇷 (229), Germany 🇩🇪 (227), Argentina 🇦🇷 (138), Italy 🇮🇹 (128) and France 🇫🇷 (124). Milestone. pic.twitter.com/OuJ7ZNHkdW
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) November 23, 2022

24' While the finish from Asensio was impressive, Keylor Navas should have done better in stopping it. Nevertheless, it is a deserved lead for Spain given their dominance since the kick-off.

Lovely cross from Alba and Asensio sweeps home. Navas will be disappointed he couldn’t keep that out. Spain 2-0 up against Costa Rica and they are rampant.
— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) November 23, 2022

21' GOOOALLL! Marco Asensio scores an amazing goal in the box playing the striker role today. Busquets finds Alba on the left as the latter provides a tempting low cross in the box. Asensio hits it the first time to beat Navas on his left. Spain double the lead.

19' Spain continue to dominate possession with Costa Rica slowly starting to try and be more aggressive with their approach when in possession.

Great example of ‘you don’t have to whack it in the net’…. Sublime finish from Olmo. Pedri will be a name on peoples lips beyond Catalonia after today.
— Lyall Thomas (@SkySportsLyall) November 23, 2022

14' Spain are causing a lot of problems with their off-the-ball running and it is certainly not a good sign for Costa Rica. It could all go haywire if the South American team do not act quickly.

13' Olmo scores Spain's 100th goal in World Cup history, something he'll remember for a long time.

12' GOOOAAALLL! Dani Olmo scores with some fine footwork in the Costa Rican box. It is a sweet move from Spain, opening up the Costa Rican defense. Olmo find space with his run in the box and makes a composed finish to slot it home.

Spain haven't won their last three #FIFAWorldCup openers 👀#ESPCRC #Qatar2022 pic.twitter.com/pOt8fem4iP
— ESPN India (@ESPNIndia) November 23, 2022

9' Another chance!! Pedri finds Asensio in a good position. The Real Madrid takes a lose shot which goes just beyond Navas' left side for a goal kick.

8' As expected, Spain are enjoying a lot of possession and are definitely looking more sharp going forward.

5' CHANCE! Dani Olmo misses a glorious chance. It's a wonderful pass over the top from Pedri to find Olmo in the box. It is a difficult chance but Olmo has to be hitting on the target.

2' First corner of the game goes to Spain but it is defended easily by Costa Rica.

2' Looks like Rodri is definitely going to play the game as a centre-back while captain Busquets plays as a defensive midfielder.

1' The referee blows the whistle as both Spain and Costa Rica kick start their 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign.

We are just a couple of minutes away as the fixture between Spain and Costa Rice is about to kick off.

5.5% - The Opta Predictor gives Costa Rica a 5.5 percent chance of beating Spain, slightly better than the chance Saudi Arabia had to beat Argentina (4.9%). Precedent. pic.twitter.com/S3UsuLjcgt
— OptaJack⚽️ (@OptaJack) November 23, 2022

Costa Rica are likely to adopt a defensive approach with five at the back. They would look to defend deep and attack their very best on the counter.

Interesting to see how Spain play with Rodri lined up as a center-back for now. With plenty of young talent in attack, the 2010 FIFA World Cup champions sure aren't short of pace and creativity.

Substitutes available for Costa Rica: Patrick Sequeira, Esteban Alvarado, Juan Pablo Vargas, Douglas López, Ronald Matarrita, Kendall Waston, Youstin Salas, Brandon Aguilera, Daniel Chacón, Bryan Ruiz, Álvaro Zamora, Gerson Torres, Roan Wilson, Johan Venegas and Anthony Hernández.

Substitutes available for Spain: David Raya, Robert Sánchez, Daniel Carvajal, Eric García, Alejandro Balde, Pau Torres, Nico Williams, Koke, Yéremy Pino, Carlos Soler, Hugo Guillamón, Marcos Llorente, Álvaro Morata, Pablo Sarabia and Ansu Fati.

Costa Rica (5-4-1): Keylor Navas (C), Carlos Martinez, Keysher Fuller, Oscar Duarte, Francisco Calvo, Bryan Oviedo, Joel Campbell, Celso Borges, Yeltsin Tejeda, Jewison Bennette, Anthony Contreras.

Spain (4-3-3): Unai Simon, Cesar Azpilicueta, Rodri, Aymeric Laporte, Jordi Alba, Gavi, Sergio Busquets (C), Pedri, Ferran Torres, Marco Asensio, Dani Olmo.

The lineups for Spain vs Costa Rica are out! Let's have a look at them.

Yesterday Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦 provided the shock of the day.

Today Japan 🇯🇵 did that as they defeated Germany 🇩🇪 2-1. What a second half comeback. #WorldcupQatar2022 pic.twitter.com/j2JwV1Oqsm
— Mimi Fawaz (@MimosaFawaz) November 23, 2022

With Japan shocking Germany in the first group match of Group E, the match between Spain and Costa Rica only gets more interesting. Qatar witnessed one more massive upset today as Germany lost 1-2 to Japan, with the latter coming from behind to clinch the win.

Both these teams have faced each other thrice in non-World Cup friendlies. In the three outings, Costa Rica are yet to beat Spain but it could turn out differently today.

Since the 2010 triumph, Spain have found it difficult in having a strong impact in the last two World Cups. As for Costa Rica, they surprised many by reaching the quarter-finals of the 2014 World Cup.

Hello and Welcome to Sportskeeda's LIVE coverage for the FIFA World Cup 2022 fixture between Spain and Costa Rica in the second group match of Group E from the Al Thumama Stadium. This is your host Priyank Mithani, who will keep you company throughout the live action.

Date & Time

23 November, Wed 09:30 PM IST

Tournament

FIFA World Cup

Stadium

Al-Thumama Stadium

Head To Head Summary

Match Details

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Head To Head Summary

Key Stats

Head To Head Summary

Match Details

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Match Details

Match Details

Ball Possession

Offense

Defense

Distribution

Discipline

Others