Spain and Costa Rica faced each other in their debut in a Women’s World Cup in 2015, resulting in a 1-1 draw. Now, they will face off again on Friday in a major tournament, but with vastly different expectations.
While Spain envisions going “very far” in the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, Costa Rica humbly aims to “earn points” and, with a bit of luck, reach the second round.
“We will give our all and we want to go very far,” said Spanish coach Jorge Vilda on Thursday at a press conference alongside Esther González, the forward for Real Madrid.
Conversely, the coach of the Central American team, Amelia Valverde, considered it positive to start with at least a draw. “For us, earning points will always be an important result,” expressed Valverde at the press conference, accompanied by her captain, Katherine Alvarado.
Unequal
The differences in expectations reflect the uneven evolution of both teams since they faced each other in Canada-2015. While Spain ranks 6th in the FIFA ranking and is a contender for the World Cup title, Costa Rica doesn’t go beyond 36th place.
Spanish women’s football also dominates globally in lower categories, while Costa Rica hasn’t even managed to secure a draw in the junior World Cups in recent years.
Vilda is aware that all eyes are on what Spain and their star player, Alexia Putellas, can do. “There is great anticipation for what we can do on the field, and it’s an extra motivation. We want to show who Spain is, with the attractive style of play that everyone knows,” said Vilda.
The coach was asked about Putellas’ situation, as she has been recovering from a prolonged knee injury and has raised doubts about her ability to play in the first match. “We are being very cautious with everything we do and we are putting all the resources to ensure that Alexia is in the best condition and can play on Friday,” he said.
On the other hand, Valverde expressed that “the ticas” have the main aspiration of reaching the second round, although they will face tough rivals like Japan – former world champions – and Zambia in Group C. “The team has prepared well, and tomorrow’s (Friday) match will be extremely difficult against an experienced opponent that has shown significant growth,” admitted Valverde.
She recalled that “the ticas” have had preparation matches against teams from different regions and in climates similar to New Zealand’s winter, even though they have suffered defeats against Nigeria, Poland, and Scotland in the past year.
