Fighting to stay in the hunt for a top 3 spot in CONCACAF while earning an automatic bid to next summer's World Cup tournament in Brazil, Costa Rica and Panama met Tuesday night in a match that was expected to be close throughout the 90-plus minutes of action. Costa Rica entered the contest tied with El Tri for second in the group with 8 points, 2 shy of the group-leading United States while Panama was in serious need of any points since they began the evening in fifth place with 6 total points.
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Panama controlled the offensive tempo of the first half, firing 6 shots including 2 that made their way toward Costa Rican keeper Keylor Navas. Both first half attempts came from talented forward Luis Tejada and while the 31-year-old native of Panama City had his fair share of opportunity, Navas was able to come away with consecutive saves. Unable to establish any offensive consistency as they were only able to record 2 shot attempts, Costa Rica headed to the halftime locker room in a 0-0 draw with the Panamanian nationals.
Following a slow opening 45-plus however, Costa Rica would come out firing early in the second half. Two goals in the first 15 minutes of action by midfielders Bryan Ruiz (49') and Celso Borges (52') provided the Costa Ricans with a two-goal cushion as the second half played on. Striking quickly in the half ignited the team on both ends of the field as the team began to show why their within striking distance of the top spot in the CONCACAF hexagonal qualifying group.
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The goals from their midfield tandem provided Costa Rica with the only offense they'd need as they claimed three points while remaining in the top 3 in CONCACAF. The top 3 teams in the group will automatically qualify for the World Cup while the fourth place finisher heads into a two-leg playoff with New Zealand.
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