Clad in orange and beaming with joy, a crowd of Oranje fans poured out of Jazz Café Escazú to celebrate in the street. They had every reason to party: Against all expectations, the Netherlands national football team trounced Spain 5-1, paving the way for future victory.
Costa Rica supporters can still watch the match for free at the "Fan Zones" set up throughout the country. Four 40 meter-wide LED screens have been set up at Plaza de la Democracia in downtown San José; at Avenida Escazú, southwest of San José; at Juan Santamaría Park in Alajuela; and at Cartago’s Central Park.
The top two teams from CONCACAF face a challenging task to do as much as even qualify for the knockout stage in the Brazil-hosted World Cup, according to a number of prognosticators.
Host Brazil kicked off the 2014 World Cup on Thursday with a 3-1 win over Croatia. Three more matches took place today (with four slated for Saturday, including Costa Rica vs. Uruguay at 1 p.m.). Here are the best shots from all of Friday's games.
The Center for Brazilian Studies in Santa Ana held a joyous watch party for the World Cup opener Thursday afternoon. Back in the homeland, the favored Brazilians kicked off the tournament with a 3-1 victory over Croatia in São Paulo.
