The result is not as bad as it seems, but it was still ugly. Chile shut out Costa Rica, 4-0, during an international friendly in the Chilean port town of Coquimbo on Wednesday evening. As for the bright side, all of Costa Rica’s biggest stars sat out this match.
Costa Rica’s head coach Jorge Luis Pinto tested alternate players who are vying for spots on the World Cup club. Even Randall “Chiqui” Brenes, probably the best player who participated in the game, only played half the match. From the looks of it, the Ticos probably shouldn’t expect help from their reserves in Brazil. Chile was not at full strength either, making the final result a little more shameful.
Costa Rica did play a decent first half. With the Ticos wearing dark striped jerseys and Chile in red, both teams started out tentatively. Chile’s Miiko Albornoz scored the lone goal of the half with a beautiful kick at the 12-minute mark. The shot just slipped by the outstretched hand of goalie Patrick Pemberton.
The second half was a disaster. The most embarrassing moment came during the home team’s second goal, at the 50-minute mark. Second-string goalkeeper Pemberton seemed to have wrapped up a shot by Pablo Hernández, but momentum carried the ball into the net.
In the highlight below, you’ll hear the announcer hesitate before calling the goal because it looks like a sure thing that Pemberton will corral the ball.
Hernández tallied a second goal three minutes later. Costa Rica’s Michael Umaña was ejected in the second half after receiving his second yellow card, forcing the visitors to play the final 30 minutes of the game down one player. In the 78th minute, Carlos Muñoz put home the final score of the game.
Costa Rica is 0-2 in World Cup warm-ups after a November loss to Australia, and the team won’t have much time to sulk. The squad heads to Los Angeles for a friendly against South Korea on Saturday, where back-ups will have one more chance to step in and impress — or get embarrassed again.
