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Ruiz stuns Italy, sends Costa Rica through:</h1>
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Costa Rica’s amazing run here at the 2014 FIFA
World Cup Brazil™ continued in Recife, the Central American upstarts adding
Italy’s scalp to their Group D belt after opening with a win over Uruguay. Los Ticos are
now through to the knockout phase for only the second time in their history,
thanks to a Bryan Ruiz header just before the interval attheArenaPernambuco. 
Costa Rica, playing with a five-man backline,
were eager to break on the counter-attack early. And the CONCACAF minnows
produced the first chance of the opening period. Celso Borges met a swirling
corner with a flying leap, but the veteran midfielder was unable to keep his
effort down and it flew over the crossbar of captain Gianluigi Buffon, backintheAzzurri line-upaftersittingoutthefirstmatchinjuredinManaus.
Italy coach Cesare Prandelli admitted before the
match to being fearful of Costa Rica’s combination of “European-style
organisation” and the “explosiveness of the Americas.” He had reason to be
nervous too. Mario Balotelii had trouble keeping the ball up front in a
lone-striker’s role and Los
Ticos blasted forward like lightning whenever they had
thechance.  </div>
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Balotelii finally slipped his man on the
half-hour mark, racing free on the end of a long ball from Andrea Pirlo, in his
traditional deep playmaker’s role. But the enigmatic AC Milan forward was
unable to put his delicate lob of Keylor Navas into the back of the net. The
Italians’ best chance of the half spurred a Costa Rican response. 
Buffon was called into action shortly after and
had to be on his toes to keep out a curling effort from Copenhagen-based winger
Cristian Bolanos. It was a hint of things to come and Costa Rica upped the
tempo in the dying moments of the half, heaping heavy pressure on Italy. Oscar
Duarte’s header zipped just over the bar before Campbell saw a
penaltyshoutwavedaway.
But the Italian resistance gave way a minute
before the interval. Junior Diaz whipped in a devastating cross from the left
that Bryan Ruiz headed off the underside of the bar and into the goal from a
tight angle. Goal-line technology confirmed what the Tico fans
had desperately hoped: that the ball had crossed the line.  
The Italians were desperate to get back into the
game as the second-half got underway. Prandelli brought on forward Antonio
Cassano for holding midfielder Thiago Motta for the restart. It didn’t have the
desired effect and only managed to leave more room for Costa Rica’s rampaging
striker Campbell, who was just barely denied by a sprawling Buffon, who raced
well-outside his area on the hour-mark. In the end, the Ticos didn’t
need another goal as 1-0wasenoughtowinonanhistoricday. 
Costa Rica, amazingly through the knockout
stages after two games, take on England in their third game on 24 June in Belo
Horizonte. Italy, with three points from their two matches, take on
Uruguay in Natal at the same time.

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101 sports updates Ruiz stuns Italy, sends Costa Rica through:

Ruiz stuns Italy, sends Costa Rica through: Costa Rica’s amazing run here at the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ continued ...