The 2014 World Cup in Brazil saw England slump to their worst performance in the modern era, as Roy Hodgson’s side finished bottom of thir group, with just a point to their name.
At the other end of Group D was Costa Rica, who saw off Uruguay and Italy to make their clash against the Three Lions a dead rubber, as Los Ticos embarked on thier best-ever showing at the planet’s biggest tournament.
Greece were seen off on penalties in the last-16, before they fell to the Netherlands on spot kicks in the last-16.
Bryan Ruiz on Costa Rica’s 2014 World Cup run
Captaining that side in Brazil was former Fulham forward Bryan Ruiz, who finally got to play at a World Cup at the third time of asking. “I made the preliminary squad of 25 for the 2006 World Cup, but two players were cut and I was one of them,” Ruiz tells FourFourTwo. “Four years later, for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, we played the last qualifier against the United States – if we’d won, we would have qualified. I scored both goals and we were leading 2-0, but they equalised in the last minute. That meant we had a play-off against Uruguay and didn’t make it through.
“So in eight years, I missed out on two World Cups. I had to wait another four years to fulfil my dream – it was worth the wait. It just shows that in football and life, negative moments happen, but if you keep on fighting, good things will come.”
Ruiz struck the winner against Italy, which sealed his side’s place in the knockout stage.
“That goal will always be part of Costa Rican history, and a part of me forever,” he continues. “Tactically, we did everything our manager Jorge Luis Pinto asked for. The build-up to the goal was great – seven or eight passes before my header. I hit the bar and the ball crossed the line by about three centimetres, but it was enough to take us through. An incredible moment.”
Such was Costa Rica’s momentum that summer, the side were frustrated to only draw with England in their final group game.
“We were in the “Group of Death” and everyone thought we were going to get beaten,” Ruiz adds. “We even started the Uruguay game losing but came back to win 3–1, which gave us a huge confidence boost. Then we beat Italy, so by the time we faced England, with players like Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and more, we really believed we could beat anyone. We played well and could have won. But that point saw us top the group – another historic achievement. Looking back, we drew with England at a World Cup! It’s a very positive result.”
Ruiz would go on to see his penalty saved by Tim Krul in the quarter-final shootout defeat to the Dutch. “It was tough, because we could have done something even more historic by playing Argentina in the semi-final,” Ruiz says. “But honestly, I had tougher moments in my career. At the end of the day, what we did at that World Cup was incredible. Missing that penalty doesn’t take away from it. Of course, I could have taken it better, but in a shootout someone has to miss – unfortunately it was me.
That game will also be remembered for Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal swapping his goalkeeper for the shootout.
“I don’t think so,” Ruiz says when asked if that made a difference. “Jasper Cillessen was a great keeper, but maybe Tim Krul was better at penalties. It wasn’t mind games – just their tactical choice. Krul guessed right on all five of our penalties and saved two, which proved Van Gaal’s point. Ironically, in the semi-final they ran out of subs, Cillessen stayed on, and Argentina won the shootout. So I don’t think it affected us mentally, but it did help them to have a specialist.
