Doha. As one generation ends, another generation matures.
At Al Thumama Stadium, the Spanish boys faced the Costa Rican men.
The boys won by a wide margin. They can win much more than that.
It’s safe to say for now: This will be the ultimate salsa dance for Keylor Navas and the rest of his Costa Rican group.
Six of Costa Rica’s experienced squad were on the big stage in 2014 when the team defied all logic and advanced from the group of death, at the expense of England and Italy.
All of them are currently 30 years of age or older. They haven’t walked a cane yet, but every missed pass has become a tough running competition against strong young legs on Wednesday night. 90 minutes of desperate drudgery and almost nothing more.
One of the smaller toilet teams
Because while Costa Rica’s golden generation is coming to an end, the new Spanish version has picked up speed. Luis Enrique’s team selections tend to cause buzz, but he’s also a coach with more credentials in the profession than the majority of his Qatar colleagues. If Lucho wants 14 players under the age of 25, so be it. Iago Aspas and David de Gea must be excused.
With Sergio Busquets in the middle (a man his age can fit in), Cesar Azpilicueta on the right (okay, two), Rodri as a converting centre-back and Marco Asensio as a false nine, the red-robed players lined up at Al Thumama Stadium.
The square was far from full, but Spanish songs echoed excitedly in the Arabian night sky for nearly 30 minutes. Why not more? Maybe because the match was already over.
Uncle Oscar did not follow
Dani Olmo depleted a certain chance after just a few minutes of play, but barely had time to complain before he dribbled the ball past Uncle Oscar Duarte to make it 1-0.
Minutes 11, 21 and 31 provided the audience with complete success. Asensio’s 2-0 goal, on a cross from Jordi Alba, 33, can’t be described as anything but divine. Alba said then he was behind the penalty, which Ferran Torres calmly slotted into the net. Once again it was Uncle Oscar who did not succeed.
The stats in the first half must have made national team captain Luis Fernando Suarez want to sink into the dry turf of the gossip. 15% possession, zero top chances, zero finishes, zero xG (number of expected goals). Zero optimism.
This was boys against men, and men were totally outplayed.
can reach the final
The second half could have been crossed out, but the score in the end was 7-0. Luis Enrique took the opportunity to use all five substitutions with over twenty minutes remaining. It’s amazing how well a coach knows his team, and how he defines roles in a way that allows him to get the most out of his material.
Sure, Rodri has played at centre-back on occasional occasions at Manchester City, but a player with technical skill at the bottom of the pitch adds another dimension to his build. And Barcelona’s midfield (Javi, Busquets and Pedri) evokes good memories of the successful old generation in Spain.
The 2022 World Cup could be the last dance for many of Costa Rica’s most famous players. For Spain, the final could be over, and he’s ignorant of nothing else to say. They have all the knack and routine necessary to avoid a lot of missteps along the way.