Spain beat Costa Rica 7-0 and it wasn’t even that close

It’s not a stretch to say Costa Rica’s World Cup may already be over

Maybe Costa Rica saw a couple of the big upsets at this World Cup so far and, ahead of its World Cup opener against Spain, thought: why not us?

That question was answered pretty quickly and emphatically: Because Spain is very good and the Ticos very much are not.

Spain hammered Costa Rica 7-0 on Wednesday in a scoreline that somehow actually flattered the Ticos. La Roja opened the scoring with Dani Olmo’s 11th-minute goal and didn’t let up until Álvaro Morata scored the seventh in stoppage time.

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With the goal-differential crater it now occupies, combined with tough games ahead against Germany and Japan, it’s not a stretch to say Costa Rica’s World Cup may already be over.

How comprehensive was Spain’s win over Costa Rica? Let’s start with possession. Spain dominated the ball to the tune of 81.3% possession, which was the highest total at a World Cup for 56 years.

But of course, possession isn’t everything. You have to turn all of that ball control into meaningful chances. So what about expected goals? The picture there was just as grim: Spain was at 2.98 xG, while Costa Rica finished with 0.00. That’s zero point zero zero.

That’s actually hard to do!

To be fair to Spain, its performance was outstanding. The highlight may have been the fifth goal, scored by wonderkid Gavi with a lovely volley off the post.

With the strike, the 18-year-old became the third-youngest player to ever score at a World Cup and the youngest since a 17-year-old Pele scored a brace against Sweden in the 1958 World Cup final.

For Spain, it was the team’s largest margin of victory ever at a World Cup. The challenge level will only go up from here, but La Roja have laid down a marker early in this World Cup. For Costa Rica, it may be about damage limitation the rest of the way.

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