Watch Costa Rica score in U-20 World Cup debut

The options are Tricolor Cuban goalkeeper Yudi Holderin managed to block a Ticos shot but they still took the three points. Holderin wasn’t the only one to stand out, as VAR also went in the national team’s favour when Ticos goalkeeper Bernie Rojas was sent off.

On the counterattack, Rojas went out to bail but touched the ball with his hand outside the penalty area and was sent off straight away. By the time the referee for Canada and the match, Myriam Marcotte, responded to the VAR call, checked the monitors and took the red card away from the national team, Tico had already taken off his gloves and was on the bench. Cuba fouled the Costa Rican on the counterattack.

Costa Rica had a poor first half, not only because they were trailing 1-0, but also because they missed a penalty and wasted a chance to equalize, and their opponents played better. The problems started early, with Andri Naranjo scoring a penalty after just six minutes. The defender arrived late, rushed into the penalty area and brought down the Cuban player. What he did was completely unnecessary.

Bernie Rojas told Samuel Rodriguez, who was in charge of the white spot enforcement, “I know you, I know you,” but apparently he didn’t know him because Rodriguez deceived him. The goalkeeper succeeded, dived to the right, and the ball went into the opposite side.

Cuba was dangerous in every attack and had to increase the score, but in the 16th minute Michael Camejo’s shot in the penalty area went beyond the horizontal line and failed. Until that moment, Costa Rica had not reached the opponent’s penalty area, and it was not until the 22nd minute that they had their first direct shot. The ball hit the horizontal line and the Ticos wanted to score, but the ball went wide. The ball did not cross the baseline.

Four minutes later, VAR seemed to confirm the penalty in favor of our team after Yordan Castana beat Dylan Aguilar. Andy Rojas shot but he did a bad job, he tried to shoot and reached the center where the goalkeeper was, who rejected the shot and danced in the style of Emiliano El Back Martinez celebrates his goal with zero.

In the injury time, the national team overcame the tension, pressed hard, and equalized the score at all costs, and scored in the 51st minute, when Esteban Cruz headed the ball past Dylan Mathis’s center, 1-1.

The U-20s are in Group A with the United States, Jamaica and Cuba. The top two teams and the top two third-place finishers from each group will advance to the second round. The four semifinalists of the tournament will qualify for the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile. To qualify for the World Cup, they must win their group stage and win their quarterfinal. Tricolor They will return to action next Monday against Jamaica at 5pm.