No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeTopicsSportsIn Costa Rica's Keylor Navas' debut, Real Madrid loses 2-1 in friendly

In Costa Rica’s Keylor Navas’ debut, Real Madrid loses 2-1 in friendly

Costa Rica star keeper Keylor Navas allowed as many goals in his Real Madrid debut as he did during the entire World Cup. But he has teammate Xabi Alonso partially to blame for his team’s defensive follies in a 2-1 friendly loss to Italy’s Fiorentina on Saturday.

With the start, Navas became the first Tico to play for the world-class European club. The goalie signed with Real Madrid in the offseason following his spectacular World Cup run.

Real Madrid struck first — four minutes into the match – on a goal by, who else, Cristiano Ronaldo. But after an ugly turnover by the Spanish midfielder Alonso, Navas had no chance on a perfect header by Fiorentina’s Mario Goméz at the 27th minute.

In the second half, Navas got beat by the Fiorentina attack. But Alonso had a chance to bail Navas out. Instead Alonso ended up scoring the game-winner for Fiorentina with his own-goal at the 69th minute.

Navas, who’s battling Spain national team goalkeeper Iker Casillas for the starting role with Real Madrid, at least had two good-looking saves on the Italian squad. Still, this proved to be a disappointing first match for the Tico.

Popular Articles

Costa Rica’s Security Crisis Threatens Tourism in Key Destinations

A report prepared by the Legislative Assembly, cited by local media outlet El Observador last week, concluded that rising insecurity in Costa Rica is...

Ex-Soldier Captured in Panama for Decades-Old Killing

Panamanian police on Friday arrested a former soldier who had been a fugitive since 1994 for the murder of a Colombian priest in the...

Costa Rica’s Press Freedom Decline in 2025: What’s Happening?

Costa Rica has long been a beacon of democracy in Latin America, with a proud history of protecting press freedom. But the 2025 World...
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait

Latest Articles