At the end of tonight’s Gold Cup match, Costa Rica celebrated as if they had just won a major tournament. Instead, they had simply scored a stoppage time equalizer against a team that they outmatch on pure talent. So much so, they decided to rest their best player, Bryan Ruiz. He only came into the game when the Ticos fell behind, but failed to make a major impact. Still, his team were able to find an equalizer against El Salvador to save face, finishing the game with a draw, the final score being 1-1.
Costa Rica Vs. El Salvador Final Score, Gold Cup 2011: Ticos Snatch Late Draw
In first half stoppage time, Rodolfo Zelaya scored on an absolutely spectacular 25 yard free kick, giving El Salvador a shock 1-0 lead. Costa Rica weren’t dominant in the first half, but they certainly were the much better team, as Alvaro Saborio in particular had a couple of great chances.
Ruiz entered at halftime, but he didn’t look quite like his normal self. It appeared that Costa Rica were going to walk away with an embarrassing loss, but another substitute saved face. Randall Brenes, an attacking midfielder, was the man who scored the equalizer, and the team celebrated wildly.
Costa Rica will be disappointed, but they still control their own destiny heading into the final Group A game. No matter what happens in tonight’s late game, Costa Rica will go through in first place with a victory over Mexico.
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