Win or lose, England will go home after Tuesday's FIFA World Cup 2014 match against Costa Rica, who will need at least a draw to win first place in Group D. England have lost two games to Uruguay and Italy, while Costa Rica have won both matches against the latter two former World Cup champions.
Costa Rica made their breakout debut in World Cup by defeating Uruguay first, where Captain Bryan Ruiz made several spectacular plays; Costa Rica proved that their opening win was not a fluke but a display of their solid strength by beating Italy in their second game. While game 3 will spell out a different outcome for England and Costa Rica, both teams are expected to put up a brilliant performance at a World Cup caliber. Costa Rica and British football (soccer) fans can watch the game online through live stream free at ESPN.
While England's Wayne Rooney put down his first World Cup goal, he and his colleagues will have to accept their fate of returning home after their last game on Tuesday. This World Cup 2014 is marked by a surprising turn of events, including defending champion Spain getting eliminated in the Group match. The best possible explanation is that the winning teams have trained hard and long during the last four years and have improved enough to defeat Spain. Seeing such phenomenon, England can expect that they will still have a chance at the World Cup if they will keep trying and train until the next World Cup in 2018.
"Obviously we're hurting," the Manchester United striker told a press conference at England's Rio de Janeiro training base, according to FIFA.com. "It's really disappointing to be out of the tournament, so I'm sure you can imagine it's quite tough. There'll be a long few days for us now and we have to try and pick ourselves up for this game on Tuesday, go out fighting and show our pride."
In Tuesday's match, Costa Rica's manager Jorge Luis Pinto has decided to rest his key players ahead of the next round, according to UK's Independent, which means Fulham's striker Ruiz and Arsenal's Joel Campbell will sit out. England, on the other hand, is expected to give some playing time to those who haven't played much, including Everton's Ross Barkley, Southampton's Luke Shaw, and Machester United's Chris Smalling and Phil Jones.
English Football Association chairman Greg Dyke has confirmed that England manager Roy Hodgson will stay on until UEFA EURO 2016 and Rooney said the whole team is behind him.
"He has, in my opinion, changed the way we have played over the last couple of years and I know the results have been disappointing in the last two games, but as a team we can feel we are getting better. I feel with the young lads in the squad, this will help them and hopefully in the future this will make us a better team."
Costa Rica vs. England match will be the first time each team has played with the other, so without regarding their points and standing, it will certainly be a game that you won't want to miss. Whether it is for national pride or simple pure love of football, both teams are expected to put up a great performance for this once in a four year international celebration.
England vs. Costa Rica match can be watched online free through live stream at ITV Player and ESPN Player.
