Costa Rica showed real resilience to bounce back from their 7-0 thrashing by Spain to record a surprise 1-0 victory over Japan in Group E of the Qatar World Cup.
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Keysher Fuller scored in the 81st minute for Costa Rica on Sunday, leaving both teams with three points after two games in the World Cup.
Fuller took advantage of a defensive error when Japan failed to clear their lines and then made a second mistake by playing him onside.
Fuller took deliberate aim from the edge of the area and his precise shot just made it into the net off the fingertips of Japan's goalkeeper, Shuichi Gonda, who should have done better.
The match at Ahmad Bin Ali stadium was tactical and largely lacklustre, particularly in a first half that did not yield a single shot on goal.
The second half was slightly better with Japan pressing throughout until Costa Rica broke through.
Costa Rica keeper Keylor Navas came up with several rapid-fire saves in the final minutes to preserve the victory as Japan poured forward in search of an equaliser.
Costa Rica coach Luis Fernando Suarez is relieved his team can "still dream" after their thrashing by Spain.
"I believe the main thing was our ability to do such amazing things," he said. "I'm not going to talk about tactical or technical aspects, today I need to value and appreciate what they have done to get this result.
"We had to face many challenges but we firmly believed and wanted to be 100 per cent committed for our country to play well against a strong opponent like Japan.
"We are alive (in the group), that is the main thing and no one can forget about us yet. We can still dream."
Fuller, 28, was the hero, and he said: "The main thing was to keep ourselves alive and to win, and we managed to do so.
"We were in pain after the Spain defeat, but now we took a weight off our shoulders. We are a group that wants to achieve great things."
Japan head coach Hajime Moriyasu was disappointed but said his team will go into their final Group E clash against Spain with confidence.
"It wasn't a bad match," he insisted. "In the second half we were trying to control the game and if we could have had total control, we would have won, but it didn't happen.
"We beat Germany but that does not mean we will beat Spain. Both countries are World Cup winners, we have a lot of respect for them.
"The Spain match will be tough but I think there is a good chance for us to win, so we have to prepare and go with confidence."
with agencies
Australian Associated Press
