Costa Rica’s Navas: We will fight like bulls to beat Germany
COSTA Rica goalkeeper Keylor Navas says his team will do everything in their power to snatch a World Cup last-16 spot from Germany when they meet in a group decider on Thursday.
“We will fight like bulls to give our country a lot of happiness and joy,” the Paris SaintGermain stopper told publishers Redaktion-snetzwerk Deutschland on Wednesday.
“We want to cause a surprise. If we actually make it to the last 16, I think it would be a sensation like in 2014 when we beat Italy and forced England into a draw.” Navas conceded seven in the opening defeat to Spain but Costa Rica bounced back to beat Japan 1-0. They plan to attack the Germans.
“We can’t just sit back, we have to have a plan in the game and have a lot of possession,” Navas said.
Coach Luis Fernando Suárez also said that the team wants to make the country proud. “We are playing for a whole country. You always feel the pressure.
But we want to represent our country as good as possible,” Suárez told reporters on Wednesday.
He said he was surprised and impressed how well the team had rebounded from the mauling against Spain and added that “we have to be emotionally strong as well but that is a strength of the team.” The surprise quarter-final berth from 2014 is Costa Rica’s best result at the World Cup. They lost their only previous date with Germany 4-2 in the 2006 tournament opener.
Costa Rica will advance with a victory and exit with a defeat while a draw would mean they only reach the last 16 if Spain beat Japan in the other game.
Suárez expects a tough match and so does veteran Celso Borges, who however said that the victory against Japan has considerably boosted their confidence and another success over Germany would be a historic moment.
“It makes us believe in the positive things we have achieved. We will have to do a very good job to get the three points,” he said. “It is all up to us.”
We want to cause a surprise. If we actually make it to the last 16, I think it would be a sensation like in 2014 when we beat Italy and forced England into a draw Keylor Navas