Costa Rica 3, French Guiana 0 | 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup Match Recap

Franco Panizo

Costa Rica scored early, added a couple more goals late, and got the reward they were looking for with a lopsided victory.

Costa Rica assured themselves of a spot in the knockout rounds of the CONCACAF Gold Cup by posting a 3-0 win over French Guiana on Friday night. Ariel Rodriguez scored the winner at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, in the fourth minute, and Rodney Wallace and David Ramirez added insurance goals late in the second half.

The result guaranteed that the Costa Ricans can finish no worse than second in Group A. French Guiana, who had to play with 10 men for the last 29 minutes, were eliminated with the loss.

Ticos turn on the goals as they embark on knockout rounds

Goals

4' – CRC – Ariel Rodriguez
79' – CRC – Rodney Wallace
83' – CRC – David Ramirez
CONCACAF Man of the Match: Ariel Rodriguez

Three Things

NOT AS EASY AS IT LOOKS: If you missed the game but saw the scoreline, you might think this was a complete blowout. It was not, though. Costa Rica scored early, but then struggled to create much danger in the final third until after Ludovic Baal was sent off with a straight red card in the 61st minute. Baal's ejection and French Guiana's need to push numbers forward gave Los Ticos acres of space in behind, and the Central American nation capitalized by bagging two late goals.
LOOKING GOOD: New York City FC winger Rodney Wallace made quite the impression after coming off the bench in the 68th minute. Wallace not only scored the goal that was necessary to put the game on ice, but also made several aggressive runs forward that were not rewarded. It seems a safe bet that he starts in Costa Rica's quarterfinals bout, regardless of who the opponent is.
STRONG AT THE BACK: Okay, so the Costa Ricans were playing the weakest team in Group A, but nonetheless they looked good in defense against a French Guiana side that was held largely in check. With Friday's result, Los Ticos finished group play with two clean sheets and just one goal against. Yes, their attack is still leaving something to be desired, but Costa Rica should have a shot at making it to the semifinals and beyond if their back line continues to perform this well.

Lineups

Costa Rica (4-2-3-1, left to right): #23 Danny Carvajal – #15 Francisco Calvo, #4 Michael Umaña, #3 Giancarlo Gonzalez, #6 Jose Salvatierra – #17 Yeltsin Tejeda, #14 Randall Azofeifa (68', #13 Rodney Wallace) – #7 David Ramirez, #10 Bryan Ruiz, #19 Ulises Segura (54', #20 David Guzman) – #9 Ariel Rodriguez (78', #21 Marco Ureña)

French Guiana (5-4-1, left to right): #22 Donovan Leon – #8 Jean-David Legrand, #5 Cedric Fabien, #14 Gregory Lescot, #2 Hugues Rosime, #7 Anthony Soubervie – #4 Rhudy Evens (77', #12 Mickael Solvi), #23 Ludovic Baal, #10 Loic Baal, #11 Roy Contout (66', #13 Miguel Haabo) – #9 Arnold Abelenti (46', #21 Shaquille Dutard)