Costa Rica have surpassed all expectations

Costa Rica players celebrate their win over Italy. — AFP

Whatever happens between now and the conclusion of this World Cup, you’ll be hard pressed to pick out a better fairy tale story than Costa Rica’s mesmeric march to the last 16.

Regarded as rank outsiders at the start of this competition, they’ve already surpassed all expectations of them by some considerable distance in beating Uruguay (3-1) and Italy (1-0) to reach the knockout stages.

They could well chalk up another considerable scalp too in the final round of Group D games on Tuesday night, when a pointless England XI are the only obstacle left remaining in their quest to maintain a 100 per cent pool-phase record and finish as group winners.

This unforeseen adventure might not even end there either, with a clash against the runners-up from Group C — possibly the Ivory Coast — likely to hold few fears for an international side that have shown little regard for prior reputations so far.

A potential quarter-final against one of hosts Brazil, Chile, Mexico or the Netherlands would obviously represent a more pronounced step up in class thereafter for the courageous Central Americans.

Nonetheless, that is a possibility further down the line in the future and — for now at least — the Costa Ricans deserve to celebrate the present and bask in the glory.

“We knew that we could make history for Costa Rica and, against Italy, we have done that. It was a beautiful match and the people of Costa Rica deserve this day,” said Costa Rica boss Jorge Luis Pinto.

“We want to win the next match and I must ask my players to keep calm and play just as well.”

Match-winner Bryan Ruiz, who is currently at Championship club Fulham, added: “Maybe there are a lot of people who didn’t have faith in us because we were in the ‘Group of Death.’

“But, the dead are the other ones and we’re going to the next round.”

Indeed, Costa Rica’s victory over the Azzurri ultimately extinguished any lingering hopes of an unlikely reprieve for Roy Hodgson’s England squad.

They’ll soon be joining Australia, Cameroon and Spain at the airport departure gates after England fans saw an almost irretrievably lost campaign reach its inevitable outcome with Italy’s narrow defeat.

Cue apologies from Wayne Rooney and Jack Wilshere on social media and a defiant Hodgson insisting he had no lasting regrets over his World Cup strategy.

Searching questions must surely be asked though as to just how a supposedly bright future can look so reminiscent of a dim and dark recent past?

alex@khaleejtimes.com