Costa Rica coast as Italy wilt

Costa Rica booked their place in the knockout rounds of 2014 FIFA World Cup with a 1-0 win over of Italy in Recife, Brazil, on Friday. Costa Rica’s upset win over former champions Italy in the crucial Group D match also confirmed England’s exit from the 32-nation tournament. Bryan Ruiz’s 44th-minute header clinched a deserved victory which sent Costa Rica into the 2nd round for the first time since the 1990 World Cup finals in Italy.
England condemned
The result condemned England, beaten by Uruguay on Thursday, to their earliest exit from the World Cup for 56 years. England needed Italy to beat the Costa Ricans to retain faint hopes of qualification. But a lacklustre Azzurri struggled to impose themselves in the afternoon heat of Recife’s Pernambuco Arena. Ruiz rose to head a cross from Junior Diaz in off the crossbar. The goal came just moments after Costa Rica had been denied a clear penalty by referee Enrique Osses when Joel Campbell was bundled over by Giorgio Chiellini. Costa Rica’s victory means they need only draw against England in their final first round match next Tuesday to top Group D. Italy face a nervous final match against Uruguay. A draw will be enough for the Italians but a Uruguay win would put them through instead. England’s exit is their earliest since 1958. However the English Football Association swiftly backed under-fire coach Roy Hodgson on Friday, saying he would remain in the job until 2016, according to AFP.