World Cup

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Attendance: 57,823

World Cup | Group Stage

Jun 24, 2014 at 5pm UK

Costa Rica
0-0
England

Match Analysis: Costa Rica 0-0 England

By Barney Corkhill, Editor | 24 June 2014

Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at the goalless draw between Group D winners Costa Rica and eliminated England in Belo Horizonte.

Costa Rica secured their passage to the last 16 as group winners this afternoon as they held England to a goalless draw in Belo Horizonte.

The Central Americans came closest to scoring in the first half when Celso Borges fired a free kick that was tipped onto the crossbar by Ben Foster.

England had a number of good chances throughout the match, but Daniel Sturridge failed to take advantage of the best of them as the Three Lions bowed out in Brazil with their first point of the campaign.

Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at England's final appearance at the 2014 World Cup.

Match statistics

COSTA RICA
Shots: 4
On target: 2
Possession: 44%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 18

ENGLAND
Shots: 8
On target: 1
Possession: 56%
Corners: 7
Fouls: 16

Was the result fair?

If either side deserved to win this game, it was England. Costa Rica were a shadow of the team that did so well against Uruguay and Italy, and England created enough chances to put the group winners to the sword.

However, in an all too familiar tale, Roy Hodgson's side lacked a killer instinct as they missed a number of clear chances to break the deadlock. England looked more intent on scoring than their opponents, but they only have themselves to blame for not winning this match after some wasteful finishing.

Costa Rica, meanwhile, never showed too much desire to go and win the match, with a draw being enough to see them through as group winners. In the end, it was more like a friendly than a World Cup group game, but England should have won it.

Costa Rica's performance

Costa Rica's intensity level was noticeably lower then their wins over Uruguay and Italy, when they deservedly sprung shocks against the traditionally bigger nations. It was a surprise to see Jorge Luis Pinto make only two changes to his team, but those that did play weren't exactly at full throttle.

Despite their performance level being reduced, they still managed to claim a clean sheet and maintain their proud record of not conceding from open play in this World Cup so far. Granted, that was down to some poor finishing from England, but they were by no means overrun by the Three Lions.

A return to their previous level of performance will be needed in the last 16, and whether they can switch back to that intensity remains to be seen. They may have come closest to scoring today, but Foster was rarely troubled and they did nowhere near enough to win the match.

England's performance

As has been the case for so much of this World Cup, there were positives and negatives for England today. Again, their defence looked shaky at times, although against a Costa Rica side content to hold out for the draw it wasn't tested too often.

There were positives signs in a new-look midfield as Adam Lallana, Jack Wilshere and Ross Barkley looked bright at times, but the ball retention was still far from perfect. They also did well to create a number of chances, although their finishing was wasteful once again.

Roy Hodgson named an experimental side for the game with one eye on the future and, with some better finishing, he could have been celebrating a comfortable victory. However, there is still a long way to go, and a 0-0 draw is arguably the most fitting way to end what has been a disappointing campaign for the Three Lions.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Keylor Navas: No player stood head and shoulders above the rest today, but Keylor Navas looked bright throughout in goal for Costa Rica. He didn't have much to do in terms of shot stopping, with England only having one attempt on target, but he was quick off his line on a number of occasions to avert the danger.

Biggest gaffe

This one goes to Daniel Sturridge for his miss in the second half. The build-up play from England was lovely as the Liverpool striker exchanged a one-two with Wilshere, but he could only curl the ball inches wide of the post when he should have scored. He certainly would have expected himself to find the bottom corner in that position, which was perfect for his left foot.

Referee performance

Djamel Haimoudi had a mixed game today. There weren't too many major decisions to make, but the biggest of the lot was an England penalty shout in the first half. Sturridge went down under the challenge of Oscar Duarte and it was certainly a close call, but the referee waved it away. It could have gone either way, but Haimoudi probably got it wrong.

What next?

Costa Rica: Costa Rica will take part in the knockout rounds of the World Cup for only the second time in their history. As things stand, Ivory Coast are their most likely opponents in the last 16, but Colombia, Japan and Greece could all still potentially face the Central Americans.

England: A friendly with Norway is next up in September before they get their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign underway against Switzerland.