November 23, (THEWILL) – By thumping Costa Rica 7-0 on Wednesday, Spain made sure they were not the latest high-profile country to suffer a World Cup upset.
Spain did not appear to be in any danger when Dani Olmo earned them a lead in the 11th minute, unlike their rival in Group E, Germany, who earlier on Wednesday, suffered a shocking 2-1 defeat to Japan.
La Roja scored its 100th World Cup goal with that strike, and two more came in the first 31 minutes via a Marco Asensio goal and a penalty from Ferran Torres.
Early in the second half, Torres doubled his total, Gavi then drove in a lovely volley, to become the youngest goalscorer in a World Cup match since Pelé in 1958, and late in the game, substitutes, Carlos Soler and Alvaro Morata, added two more goals for Spain’s tournament-record victory.
While Spain can face Hansi Flick’s troubled Germans with the confidence gained from this record-breaking performance, a shell-shocked Costa Rica team will undoubtedly not look forward to facing Japan, who achieved one of their nation’s greatest World Cup victories ever earlier today.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
