Qatar World Cup 2022: Spain vs Costa Rica – ‘Seven goal thriller’

If you thought England’s thrashing of Iran was a spectacular start, Spain went one step further with a 7-goal thriller against a hapless Costa Rica. 

This World Cup has been full of upsets and has even seen shock losses for Germany and Argentina – but it’s not surprising Spain got off to a great start. But how will they cope against a team that can meaningfully test them?

It should become clearer if Spain are true World Cup contenders at their next match – against Germany on Sunday, who will be fighting for their life after their shock loss to Japan.

Spain were able to rip apart Costa Rica – the last team to qualify for the World Cup – and it was apparent the huge difference between the sides. Spain were able to head straight down the middle of the pitch and the game was pretty much over within the first 30 minutes. 

They kept coming forward in waves in the second half and more goals followed even after Spain introduced their substitutes. 

Costa Rica were sadly outpassed – they managed 241 to 1,043 – they were unable to get a single shot at goal. The closest they got to that was four touches in the Spain area, two in each half.