ITALY VS COSTA RICA

By ISAAC JOSA

• 45': A Cross and Goal

  Moments after feeling wronged by not getting a penalty call, Costa Rica struck. Diaz delivered a great cross to Ruiz who headed the ball into the top of the goal. It was a deserved goal and perhaps fitting after what seems like blown call in the box when Campbell appeared to be fouled.

• 44': GOAL Costa Rica

  Costa Rica takes the lead. 1-0
  Replay

  Possession Gained or kept Lost

  The sequence of events leading to Ruiz’s goal at 43’.

• 42': Penalty?

  Joel Cambpell was dashing toward the italian goal and cut back inside to get past the Italian defender. It looks like his leg was swept out from under him in the box, but the referee did not see anything wrong. No foul. We will have to wait for the replay to see for sure. But it feels wrong.

• 36': Buffon Save

  Bolanos takes a shot from distance. The ball has some movement Buffon is forced to make the diving save.

• 32': Another Chance for Balotelli

  Giuseppe Cacace/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesItaly’s Mario Balotelli, left, controlled the ball against Costa Rica during Friday’s match.
  Balotelli gets another chance on goal, this time striking the ball clean and hard from the top of the box. Keilor Navas is able to make the save for Costa Rica.

• 30': Brilliant Pirlo

  In a flash, the game went from static to dramatic when Pirlo sent a beautiful ball up field to Balotelli, leaving the big man one-on-one with the Costa Rican keeper. But he scuffed the shot.
  Replay

  Possession Gained or kept Lost

  The sequence of events leading to Balotelli’s miss at 30’.

• 28': A Slow Slog

  Every time the ball goes up to Balotelli, it looks like there may be a threat, one the Italians have yet to realize. For the most part, though, the players seem to be doing an awful lot of walking.

• 22': An Even Match So Far

  Costa Rica has looked dangerous on several corner kicks. But overall, the match has been pretty evenly contested and neither keeper being greatly challenged. A tie would be a terrible thing for England. Well aware of what the Brits want out of this match, Mario Balotelli said if Italy wins, he wants a kiss on the cheek from the Queen.

• 15': A Slow Pace to Start

  Laurence Griffiths/Getty ImagesCosta Rica’s Christian Bolanos, right, and Italy’s Andrea Barzagli during Friday’s match.
  It was unlikely, given the humidity in Recife, that the pace of today’s match was going to be blistering. And with 15 minutes played, both teams seem content to be patient as they look for a moment to strike.

• 7': First Chance to Costa Rica

  Costa Rica is strong on set pieces. They win the first corner kick of the match. They look dangerous, but nothing comes of it. Both teams seem to be easing into the match.

• 1': And We're Off

  The game has begun.

• A Personal Note

  The first taste your blogger today ever had of the World Cup came in 1994, when the Italians took on Ireland at Giants Stadium.
  The Italian side was staying in my home town, Basking Ridge, and I was lucky enough to score a ticket to their opening match. The Italians lost that day, but hearing the rousing Italian anthem just now, the only memory I have is one of pure joy.
  Vic DeLucia/The New York Times

• England Turns Blue

  English fans, still reeling from their heartbreaking defeat to Uruguay yesterday, will embrace their inner Italian today. A convincing victory by the Azzurri today is the only outcome that will give their team a chance to get out of the group. Even then, other things need to go in their favor, not the least of which is their own performance in their final match. But when you do not control your own fate, hope is all you have.

• Buffon Back in Goal

  The starting line-ups have been announced and the veteran Italian keeper, Gianluigi Buffon, is back in net after missing the first match due to injury.

• "Suffering" is Expected as Italy Takes on Costa Rica

  Javier Soriano/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesA view of the Pernambuco Arena in Recife before the Italy-Costa Rica match on Friday.
  Good afternoon. It is a lovely spring day here in New York City but the boys in Brazil will be taking the field under much harsher conditions.
  Before the kickoff in the Italy v. Costa Rica match – which will play a role in the destinies of all four teams in Group D – the temperature in the northeastern coastal city of Recife was hovering around 80 degrees but the humidity is stifling.
  The Italian coach, Cesare Prandelli, said he expects the weather to be worse than what they experienced in the Amazonian city of Manaus, where they beat England 2-1.
  “I really believe that we will suffer,” he told reporters before the match. “But we have an idea of what we’re going to be doing on the pitch.”
  And if they do what they have done so far in this tournament, it will be to play an attractive brand of soccer that features the creative genius of Andrea Pirlo and the explosive striking power of Mario Balotelli.
  The Italians completed an astounding 93 percent of all their passes against England and a win today would put them in firm control of their fortunes.
  But Costa Rica can no longer be underestimated. In their stunning opening match upset over Uruguay, 3-1, the world became familiar with a bright, young new talent, Joel Campbell.
  Campbell and the rest of the squad will be looking to build on momentum from their victory to pull of yet another shocker.
  It promises to be another day of great fun.