Spain They beat Costa Rica 7-0 in their first World Cup win since 2006, making it the perfect start to a tough-looking Group E for coach Luis Enrique.
Just 11 minutes into the game, Spain opened the scoring with Dani Olmo finishing off Pedri’s move to score Spain’s 100th World Cup goal.
Enrique’s men put constant pressure on Los Ticos in the penalty area and Asensio slotted past a beaten Keylor Navas before Ferran Torres put the penalty away, rounding off an incredibly dominant first half.
The constant pressure in the second half paid off again as Torres added to the misery of the Central Americans with his brace from six yards after chaos in the area.
Enrique may have seen this tournament as an opportunity to usher in a new era of Spanish football, as 20 of his 26-man squad made their World Cup debuts, and Gavi’s volleyed handshake sent the Spanish faith ringing. the stands The youngster from Barcelona was not overshadowed by the excellent performance of his midfield teammate Pedri, who was the youngest goalscorer in this tournament, Pele in 1958.
Substitutes Carlos Soler and Álvaro Morata added the cherry on top of a superb performance with a pair of composed finishes in a topsy-turvy eight minutes of added time for the powerless Los Ticos, who saw their unbeaten World Cup streak extended to seven.
Earlier, Japan beat Germany 2-1 in the other Group E match. Japan scored two late goals to come from behind and stun Germany with a 2-1 win in their World Cup Group E opener on Wednesday.
Midfielder Ilkay Gundogan gave Germany the lead on 33 minutes with a penalty at Doha’s Khalifa International Stadium, and striker Kai Havertz had the ball in the back of the net before half-time, but the goal was ruled out.
However, Japan struck with goals from striker Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano in the final 15 minutes to earn their first win over Germany and cause an early tournament upset.
The shock result was a nightmare repeat of the 2018 World Cup when, as champions, they lost their match against Mexico and, after another defeat by South Korea, were condemned to a surprise group exit.
Germany’s players put their hands over their mouths in a pre-match group photo, and the country’s Interior Minister Nancy Faeser sat next to FIFA president Gianni Infantino wearing a “OneLove” armband as FIFA’s threat of punishment continued over the protest.
Hansi Flick’s side took an early lead and when Joshua Kimmich picked out David Raum in acres of space and was clumsily brought down by goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda on the turn, Gundogan dispatched a penalty in the 33rd minute.
There was little change in pattern early on in the second half, Jamal Musiala finishing after a deep shot and Gundogan clipping a post.
