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World Cup 2018: Costa Rica team profile

Kendall Waston celebrates with teammates after scoring against Honduras, which secured Costa Rica's spot at the World Cup
Image: Kendall Waston celebrates with teammates after scoring against Honduras, which secured Costa Rica's spot at the World Cup

From fixtures and fun facts to the key men, all you need to know about Costa Rica ahead of this summer's World Cup.

Manager: Oscar Ramirez

Star man: Bryan Ruiz - Now in the 100-cap club, the Sporting winger will look to lead Costa Rica out once more in Russia, having netted twice in the 2014 World Cup.

How they qualified: Finished second behind Mexico in the North, Central America and Caribbean standings.

History: Four World Cup appearances (1990, 2002, 2006, 2014), most recently reaching the quarter-finals four years ago, where they lost on penalties to the Netherlands.

Fun fact: Costa Rica were one of three unbeaten teams (before penalties) at the 2014 World Cup, along with Germany and the Netherlands, who beat Costa Rica on penalties in the quarter-finals.

Best World Cup moment: No one gave Costa Rica a chance when drawing Uruguay, Italy and England in 2014's 'Group of Death'. However, victories over Uruguay and Italy, followed by a 0-0 draw with England, saw them top the group against all the odds.

Also See:

Player you've never heard of: Marco Urena - The 28-year-old forward, who recently moved to Los Angeles FC, scored three goals during qualification, and was on target in their 3-1 win over Uruguay in 2014.

Kit: Home - red; Away - white.

Group E fixtures: Serbia (1pm, June 17, Samara), Brazil (1pm, June 22, St Petersburg), Switzerland (7pm, June 27, Nizhny Novgorod)

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