World Cup: England Play Out Tepid Draw With Costa Rica

England bowed out of the World Cup with yet another disappointment as they played out a goalless draw with surprise Group D winners Costa Rica. The Three Lions finished the tournament with a single point and only two goals scored as they had their worst finish and points total in decades. They put up a good fight against Uruguay and Italy but simply could not put it all together on the pitch.

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England manager Roy Hodgson opted for a younger lineup and gave players like Ross Barkley and Adam Lallana their first starts in the World Cup but it did not give him the desired results. He also made Frank Lampard his captain for this match which was a nice touch as this is likely the Chelsea midfielder’s last appearance in an England shirt. His impending retirement from the international game may be premature however as he was England’s best player on the pitch and perhaps should have been deployed ahead of Steven Gerrard all along.

The first half was a dull and tepid affair as England seemed to be chasing the Costa Rican players around the pitch to chants of “ole!” from the Ticos’ supporters. There were few incidents of note with Daniel Sturridge coming closest to breaking the deadlock but not quite managing to getting on the end of a James Milner cross.

As the match wound down with Costa Rica content with a draw, England tried all kinds of different things to try and finally win a game in this World Cup. Hodgson brought on Raheem Sterling, then Steven Gerrard, and finally Wayne Rooney to try and leave Brazil with a shred of pride. Instead, the England attack was repelled and repelled until the final whistle blew. The England supporters must have known that this would be a tough group but to not win a single match and finish bottom of the group is a new low for the Three Lions.

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