3) Italy 0-1 Costa Rica (Group D)
Surely one of the finest results in Costa Rica’s history, Fulham forward Bryan Ruiz’s superb header was enough to down a disappointing Italy side to turn Group D on its head. With big-name opponents such as England and Uruguay as well as four-times world champions Italy, Costa Rica were largely expected to be the whipping boys of this group as the other three scrapped for qualification for the next round. However, with this hard-fought 1-0 win following up an equally impressive 3-1 victory over Uruguay in the first game, Costa Rica secured qualification to the last 16 with this result, and also confirmed England’s early exit from the group in the process. The Central Americans went on to hold the Three Lions to a 0-0 draw in the next game, and win the group to set up a tie with Greece in the first knockout round.
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