At 8:00 Beijing time on February 3, the 11th round of the North American Division of the World Preliminary Tournament, Borges did not score a penalty, Joel Campbell sealed his throat, Costa Rica beat Jamaica 1-0, got the key 3 points, and retained the hope of qualifying.
According to the latest FIFA rankings, Costa Rica ranks 49th in the world and 4th in the North and Central American divisions, behind the United States, Mexico and Canada. Costa Rica has played in five World Cups, and in 2002, it was in the same group as the national football team, and won the first game of the group stage 2-0.
In 2014, Costa Rica broke through Italy, Uruguay and England to reach the Quarter-Finals of the World Cup. In the 2018 World Cup, Costa Rica was in the same group as Brazil, Switzerland and Serbia, and only achieved 1 draw and 2 losses in the group stage, and returned home early.
In this World Preliminary Round, Costa Rica easily advanced to the 3rd stage, but the start was not smooth, the first 5 rounds of 4 draws and 1 loss, until the 6th round to beat Salvador 2-1 to win the first victory.
After 10 rounds, Costa Rica are in 5th place in the table with 3 wins, 4 draws and 3 defeats, four points away from Panama in 4th place. Playing the game against second-to-last Jamaica, Costa Rica finally won.
In the 60th minute, Costa Rica won a penalty, but Borges failed to hit it. In the 61st minute, Borges made up for it, he sent a precise long pass, Joel Campbell plugged in on the right, calmly passed the opposing defender in the box, and then pumped his left foot into the net, Costa Rica took the lead, 1-0!
Costa Rica conceded a penalty in the last minute and broke the deadlock in the next minute, transforming from hell to heaven.
The goal was so important for Costa Rica that the substitutes rushed into the field and the whole team embraced and celebrated. The 29-year-old Joel Campbell, who left his mark at Arsenal, Villarreal and Betis, is now Costa Rica's thigh.
It was thanks to Joel Campbell's only goal that Costa Rica struggled to beat Jamaica 1-0 and scored a crucial three points on the way to the World Cup. At present, Costa Rica's points have reached 16 points, which is only 1 point away from Panama in the 4th place.
According to the rules of the World Preliminary Tournament, the top 3 in North America directly advance to the World Cup, while the 4th place plays a play-off with a Team of Oceania. In other words, Costa Rica is not far from the play-off seats, and there is still a possibility of turning the tables in the last 3 rounds.
Of course, with Costa Rica winning, Jamaica was 10 points behind the top four, and with three rounds left in the World Cup, they lost hope of reaching the top four, becoming the second North and Central American team to announce their exit after Honduras.