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Pre-match attention had focused on Granit Xhaka
and Xherdan Shaqiri's "eagle" celebrations in their last game in
honor of their Albanian roots, while Costa Rica had taken flak
at home for failing to score at the tournament.
Yet this time, the Swiss kept their focus purely on the game to
keep the already-eliminated but still lively Central Americans
at bay and ensure passage from Group E.
After withstanding early pressure, the Swiss took a 31st minute
lead against the run of play when forward Blerim Dzemaili
blasted past Costa Rica goalkeeper Keylor Navas from close range
following a nod down from Breel Embolo.
Costa Rica had twice hit the woodwork in a frustrating opening
15 minutes of missed chances, but finally scored their first
goal in Russia when defender Kendall Waston powered home Joel
Campbell's corner in the 56th minute.
That triggered mass celebrations like they had won the trophy,
as players mobbed coach Oscar Ramirez who has been facing
stinging personal criticism in Costa Rica.
In a frenetic finale, substitute Josip Drmic restored
Switzerland's lead when he drilled home in the 88th minute,
before Costa Rica captain Bryan Ruiz's stoppage time penalty
struck the bar and went in off goalkeeper Yann Sommer's back for
an own goal and 2-2 draw.
In between those two late strikes, Costa Rica appeared to have
won another penalty before it was ruled out for offside by the
Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system.
WARY OF SWEDISH SPIRIT
"We're happy, we made it to the last 16. But we're still going
to speak among us about how we're starting games," goalkeeper
Sommer said of Switzerland's timid opening.
"The Swedes will be a big challenge. They have a strong
collective – all the players are there for each other. We have
to do the same. We have to be ready, unlike today."
Amid their celebrations, there was a sour note for the Swiss, as
both captain Stephan Lichtsteiner and defender Fabian Schar took
second yellow cards, meaning they will miss the knockout clash
with Sweden on Tuesday in St Petersburg.
Despite their joy at scoring, Costa Rica's tournament has
overall been a disappointment for their legions of red-clad fans
and a far cry from their glorious 2014 run to the quarter-finals
when they lost on a penalty shootout.
An emotional coach Ramirez said the 'Ticos' had played more
adventurously in their "farewell match" with the pressure off.
"It is not the same playing a game when you have something to
lose as when you have nothing at stake," he said, lamenting
Costa Rica's exit but praising the locals' support.
"It was beautiful to see all of them supporting us. I don't know
why but Costa Rica is a team that is quite liked abroad. Maybe
it's the way we are. People like us."
Switzerland, driven on by the inventive Shaqiri who is having a
fantastic World Cup, ended Group E as runners-up to Brazil who
beat Serbia 2-0.
But their coach Vladimir Petkovic was not happy at the way they
had slacked off against Costa Rica.
"We turned over too much possession and lost too many one-on-one
situations," Petkovic said.
"I don't think we need to over-analyze what went wrong but it
has to be taken very seriously and we need to recognize this is
not the way to go forward."
(Additional reporting by Nigel Stevenson, Mark Gleeson and
Alexandra Ulmer, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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