Costa Rica has blown Group E of the FIFA World Cup wide open after delivering another stunning upset in the ongoing competition, beating Japan at Ahmed bin Ali Stadium.
Keysher Fuller scored the only goal of the game 10 minutes from the final whistle against the run of play to hand Costa Rica a memorable win.
Japan, who were looking to seal their passage into the next round of the World Cup, failed to replicate their form which saw them overcome Germany in the opening game.
The Samurai blue squandered several opportunities failing to find a way past Keylor Navas and a resolute defence which safeguarded its goal with all its might after shipping seven goals to Spain in their first encounter.
With the game heading for a draw with neither side getting a proper foothold in the match, Fuller produced an unlikely winner from his side’s only shot on target.
Japan’s defence failed to clear an innocuous ball which eventually fell to Fuller who shot from the edge of the area beyond the reach of keeper Shuichi Gonda and into the net, leaving Japan startled.
Japan made a last-ditch effort to get the equaliser but Costa Rica held firm for probably the second most surprising win of this FIFA World Cup.
The result leaves Japan with a tough challenge to advance to the knockout stages, with Spain as their final Group E opponent.
