Despite the pressure of playing the home team in the inaugral match, the Costa Rican side performed well on Friday.  Facing “expert” predictions of a German blitzerkeig, the Ticos stood their ground and even managed to quiet the home crowd at points in the second half.

The best news for the Ticos were the 2 goals scored by Paulo Wanchope, since they had been unable to score against Class A teams since their match in Iran. The match was the highest scoring opening match ever.  The local press and fans took the defeat well.  Deep down nobody expected to beat the Germans, so now its “manos a la obra”  against Ecuador and Poland.