Date: June 25, 2014
Result: England 0-0 Costa Rica
Venue: Estadio Mineirao, Belo Horizonte
Attendance: 57,823
Match overview: Costa Rica, widely viewed as the weakest team of the group, have finished top of Group D after drawing with England in Belo Horizonte. England fielded a second-string eleven, with nine changes from the side that started against Uruguay. They showed flashes of attacking potential but Costa Rica, content with a point, held out for the draw.
Key moment: Daniel Sturridge had an off day for England, missing a number of chances. Had he directed a header, from an unmarked position following a corner, on target, we may have had a different second half, with Costa Rica forced to seek out an equaliser.
Man of the match: If England are to take any consolation from this tournament for the future, the performance of Ross Barkley in Belo Horizonte offered some cause for optimism. The Everton midfielder is still a raw talent, but has demonstrated his suitability for the international stage.
Matter of fact: England used 22 of their 23-man squad in their three Group D games. The only player not to feature was goalkeeper Fraser Forster.
Talking point: Costa Rica have topped Group D despite being without two of the best players, striker Alvaro Saborio and wing-back Bryan Oviedo, who were both injured and failed to make the squad. A remarkable achievement given the Ticos were given little of chance in a group featuring three previous World Cup winners.
Stats:
Goal attempts
- England 5
- Costa Rica 3
On target
- England 1
- Costa Rica 1
Corners
- England 3
- Costa Rica 3
Line-ups:
England:
- 13 Foster
- 16 Jones
- 05 Cahill
- 12 Smalling
- 23 Shaw
- 17 Milner (Rooney 76)
- 08 Lampard (c)
- 07 Wilshere (Gerrard 73)
- 21 Barkley
- 20 Lallana (Sterling 62)
- 09 Sturridge
Costa Rica
- 01 Navas
- 03 Gonzalez
- 05 Borges (Barrantes 78)
- 06 Duarte
- 09 Campbell (Urena 64)
- 10 Ruiz (c)
- 14 Brenes (Bolanos 59)
- 15 Diaz
- 16 Gamboa
- 17 Tejeda
- 19 Miller
Yellow cards:
England:
- Barkley 53, Lallana 57
Costa Rica:
- Gonzalez 60
Referee: Djamel Haimoudi (Algeria)