Miguel Herrera secured his first victory in charge of Costa Rica with an impressive 7-0 win over Belize on Friday night in Belmopan. It was also the first time Los Ticos have scored seven goals in an away fixture since 1948.
First-Half
La Sele got off to the perfect start after just seven minutes when striker Manfred Ugalde scored the opener, tapping into an empty net after a smart pullback from winger Alonso Martínez. Minutes later it was nearly two when Ugalde’s powerful shot struck the right post. Just as Belize was settling into the game, Kenneth Vargas was brought down in the box by defender Norman Anderson, with the ever-involved Ugalde emphatically dispatching the resulting spot kick, sending goalkeeper Isaac Castillo the wrong way.
Two minutes later, Los Ticos effectively finished the tie when Martínez smartly rounded Castillo and laid the ball on a plate for Vargas to pass into the empty goal. On the stroke of half-time, Vargas nearly doubled his tally when his powerful effort from the edge of the box crashed against the crossbar.
Second Half
20 minutes into the second half, the away side added a fourth goal when Jeyland Mitchell’s powerful header from a teasing Vargas cross flew past the helpless Castillo. Substitute Álvaro Zamora scored a fifth when his flicked header from Ariel Lassiter’s exquisite corner nestled in the bottom right-hand corner of the Belize net. Shortly after, another substitute, Josimar Alcócer, added a sixth thanks to an accurate low-driven strike into the bottom right.
Zamora rounded off the scoring with two minutes left, grabbing his second goal of the night when he calmly slotted home a loose ball after Martínez forced Castillo into a save. It was an exceptional all-round display and the perfect way to kick off Miguel Herrera’s tenure. The only sour point was the withdrawal of defender Jeyland Mitchell due to injury in the final quarter. Let’s hope it is nothing serious!
But barring a comeback of monumental proportions from Belize in the return leg next week, Los Ticos have virtually booked their spot in the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Player Ratings
1) Patrick Sequeira – 7/10
5) Fernán Faerrón – 8/10
3) Jeyland Mitchell – 8/10
15) Francisco Calvo (C) – 8/10
22) Carlos Mora – 8.5/10
11) Ariel Lassiter – 8.5/10
14) Orlando Galo – 7.5/10
10) Brandon Aguilera – 7.5/10
19) Kenneth Vargas – 9/10
17) Alonso Martínez – 9/10
9) Manfred Ugalde – 9/10 (MOTM)
Substitutes
20) Josimar Alcócer (58th minute for Manfred Ugalde) – 8.5/10
16) Alejandro Bran (58th minute for Orlando Galo) – 7/10
21) Álvaro Zamora (58th minute for Brandon Aguilera) – 9/10
7) Andy Rojas (68th minute for Kenneth Vargas) – 8/10
6) Alexis Gamboa (74th minute for Jeyland Mitchell) – N/A
Coach
Miguel Herrera – 9.5/10
On his competitive debut, he picked a positive and attacking side, and he reaped the rewards, witnessing La Sele score seven goals in a match for the first time since 2012 when they defeated Guyana 7-0 at home. After years of defensive and pragmatic coaching, it was refreshing to see the side lead from the front with an offensive and clinical performance.
It must be noted that Belize are placed a lowly 178th in the world rankings, and El Piojo will be fully aware that sterner tests lie ahead, but this was still the ideal start to his reign and will certainly fill the Tico fans with much excitement!
The second leg of the CONCACAF Gold Cup Preliminary round takes place at the Estadio Nacional, San José, on March 25th, at 19:00 UTC−6.
