Costa Rica finally had something to celebrate last night as La Sele defeated Nicaragua 3-0 in Managua, giving Bryan Ruiz a victory in his first match as interim head coach and ending a winless stretch that had lasted nearly a year. Orlando Sinclair and Carlos Mora scored three minutes apart early in the second half before Kenyel Michel added a third in stoppage time to seal a convincing scoreline at the Estadio Nacional de Nicaragua.
It was exactly the type of result Costa Rica needed after a miserable start to the Concacaf Nations League and the dismissal of Fernando Batista. The victory, however, came too late to rescue La Sele’s chances of reaching the quarterfinals. Costa Rica had already been eliminated from contention and entered Thursday’s match with a more immediate concern: avoiding relegation from League A.
For Ruiz, the first night on the bench offered at least a reason for optimism. The former Costa Rica captain was handed the national team on an interim basis after Batista’s departure and had only a few days to prepare for Nicaragua. The opening 45 minutes showed that the problems surrounding the national team have not disappeared overnight.
Costa Rica created chances but could not find the goal before halftime. Nicaragua goalkeeper Brandon Mayorga kept the visitors out, while the artificial surface in Managua made for a difficult night. The breakthrough finally arrived in the 56th minute as Sinclair found space inside the area and finished to put Costa Rica ahead. Three minutes later, Mora took advantage of a mistake in Nicaragua’s buildup and made it 2-0.
The quick double changed the match. Nicaragua pushed forward looking for a way back, but Costa Rica stayed organized and avoided the defensive mistakes that have hurt the team throughout the year. Michel then finished the night in the 95th minute with Costa Rica’s third goal.
Ruiz acknowledged afterward that it was not a perfect performance. The new coach said Costa Rica did not necessarily play great football, but he was pleased with what he saw from his team defensively and offensively. He also stressed the pressure surrounding the match because of the possibility of Costa Rica dropping into League B.
There was another familiar face back in goal. Keylor Navas returned to the starting lineup after missing Costa Rica’s first two Nations League matches. The veteran goalkeeper was not heavily tested but provided experience behind a team badly in need of some stability. Navas said afterward that Costa Rica still has plenty to improve but emphasized that winning was the priority after such a difficult period.
“For the few days we’ve had, you could see a good result,” Navas said after the match. The night was not entirely positive as Defender Jeyland Mitchell was forced out after only 18 minutes with an injury and was replaced by Juan Pablo Vargas. Navas also reported some discomfort in his knee, which he attributed to the playing surface, although he expressed hope that the problem was not serious.
Perhaps the biggest significance of the victory was simply seeing Costa Rica win again. Before last night, La Sele’s last victory had come on Oct. 13, 2025, when it defeated Nicaragua 4-1 during World Cup qualifying. Since then, the national team had gone through nearly a year of poor results, coaching changes and growing frustration among supporters.
One victory against Nicaragua will not erase those problems, but for Ruiz, whose history with the national team was built during some of Costa Rican football’s best years, his first night on the other side of the touchline ended about as well as he could have hoped. Costa Rica now has little time to enjoy it.
La Sele returns home to face Haiti on Sunday, Oct. 4, at 6 p.m. at the Ricardo Saprissa Stadium in San José in its final Nations League group match. The quarterfinals are no longer available, but avoiding relegation remains on the line. For a national team searching for direction, Thursday’s win in Managua was at least a start.
