Costa Rica ended their CONCACAF Nations League tournament in a painful 3-2 aggregate loss after a 2-2 draw with Panama.
Changes like replacing Juan Pablo Vargas, who is undergoing treatment due to an injury to Alejandro Bran, and including Ariel Lassiter in the starting lineup against Alonso Martinez were made by interim coach Claudio Vivas.
Costa Rica started the game as they earned a penalty kick in the 4th minute due to a foul committed by Edgardo Fariña against Manfred Ugalde. Warren Madrigal’s attempt to hit a goal was denied by Orlando Mosquera, giving the Panama team the energy to do better.
Panama did not give up on the energy committed to the game by their players when Cesar Blackman scored a goal from close range in the 13th minute.
Ten minutes after jubilation from Panamanian supporters, Costa Rica responded with a good shot by Alejandro Bran fired from 30-yards to the goalpost, boosting the team’s confidence to do more. Panama scored another goal a few minutes to the end of the first half with a shot fired from a long distance by José Rodriguez, giving Panama the first half lead.
Costa Rica pushed forward in the second half when Alonso Martinez scored two goals while the first was disallowed for handball and the second for offside.
Panama star Fidel Escobar was shown a red card in the 80th minute, providing an advantage to Costa Rica. Costa Rica missed another chance when Anthony Contreras missed a header that could have turned the game around for the team. The match ended up sealing Panama’s semi-final berth.
Fans of Costa Rica criticized the coach’s tactical nice, advising the country to hire a new coach to unlock the team’s potential.
