Already this World Cup has delivered more excitement, more intrigue, more unexpected scorelines than was produced throughout the 2010 tournament. In Fortaleza, we had the result no-one was expecting. Perhaps not even the gaggles of red shirted Costa Rica fans waving their flags in astonishment all around this magnificent new stadium.
Certainly not the Costa Rica coach Jorge Pinto who described himself as delighted at a result he suggested was even more surprising than the one in which Holland eviscerated Spain.
But make no mistake, this was a vivid demonstration of the traps that lie ahead for England. Not from Uruguay, the supposed challenge, reduced by the end to some singularly nasty fouling. Rather from Costa Rica, the apparent makeweights of Group D, the team who were here supposedly to provide the goal difference by which the others might be separated.
Instead they steam-rollered the two times champions, brushing them aside with pace and panache, producing a victory that has electrified this tournament.
What a gulf in class these spirited young Costa Ricans crossed. This was the country's first victory in nine meetings between the two sides. And the difference between the teams was marked in the clubs their personnel play for. Uruguay's coach Oscar Tabarez could pick players from Atletico Madrid, Juventus and Paris St Germain.
Costa Rica's Jorge Luis Pinto was restricted to those from Columbus Crew, Rosenborg and Club Brugge. Plus Bryan Ruiz, considered surplus to requirements at Fulham last season and shipped out on loan to PSV Eindhoven.
In order to negate the chasm in class, Pinto presented an unashamedly defensive line-up, playing with five across the back and a lone striker. This was a team set up for the counter attack. But Phil Jagielka and Gary Cahill need be wary: it became quickly evident that their out ball to their solo striker could be more than productive. The man of the match Joel Campbell was at times quicker than Usain Bolt behind the wheel of his Ferrari.
The Arsenal player who spent the season on loan at Olympiakos was at the heart of the Costa Rican performance, running straight and athletically at the Uruguay back line, jinking and feinting on the way, threatening with every stride. He scored a magnificent goal of power and precision and was never less than superb. How watching Arsenal fans will have purred with anticipation at the thought of what he might do when his work permit is sorted.
And yet, it was Uruguay who began the game as if keen to maintain the natural order. Even as Costa Rica snapped at their heels, the chances soon began to fall their way. Diego Forlan - playing because Luis Suarez's knee had clearly not yet fully healed - swung a free kick into the Costa Rican area.
The wonderfully named Yeltsin Tejeda (there can't be many in central America named in homage to heavy-drinking former Russian presidents) stumbled in the attempt to clear. The ball fell to Edinson Cavani, unmarked to the left of the goal, but he skewed the ball horribly wide.
The Paris St Germain man was able to make amends no more than two minutes later. Tajeda was lucky to escape censure when he jumped with both feet off the ground in on Cristian Rodriguez as the Atletico man flew down the left wing. From the subsequent freekick, Lugano was brought down by Junior Diaz.
The Costa Ricans felt it a harsh decision and surrounded the referee Felix Brych suggesting the Uruguayan captain, who had fallen with his arms spread as if auditioning for the crucifixion scene in the remake of Life of Brian, had gone down way too easily. But the German official was not to be moved, and Cavani perfectly steered his spot kick into the corner.
Perhaps to Uruguay's surprise, Costa Rica, playing at a pace on the counter attack which belied the searing heat, responded. From a deep free kick Giancarlo Gonzalez saw his shot flick off a Uruguayan boot into the side netting, with Fernando Muslera easily beaten. Gonzalez was then but inches from connecting with his head at the far post after Muslera failed to cut out a swinging cross.
Uruguay, however, continued to look for goals. A Forlan shot took a deflection off Oscar Duarte's boot requiring the Costa Rican keeper Kaylor Navas to make a brilliant save of the sort which indicated why he is coveted by a number of Premier League clubs. It was not to be his last.
But after half time, Costa Rica came back with a verve which shook the 15 times South American champions. The coach Jorge Pinto said that he had instructed his full backs to move forward, to provide Campbell with more of the ball. Besides, he added he had "not been that impressed by Uruguay in the first half." His instruction was to go for it.
With Campbell gaining more of the ball, the Uruguay defence began to look ever more vulnerable. Diego Lugano demonstrated the less savoury aspect of Uruguayan tradition by sliding in to tackle, then cynically lifting his foot to trip the Arsenal man. From the resulting freekick Duarte rose unchallenged to head goalwards, but Muslera beat his effort clear.
Campbell, though was not to be denied. On 54 minutes, Gamboa's beautifully flighted cross drifted over the Uruguayan defence to find him unmarked at the back of the area. His smashed shot into the net was jubilantly celebrated by the Central American fans in the crowd, who at that moment probably thought an equaliser was to be the summit of their World Cup.
A minute later they were in ecstasy. Another of a growing number of scything challenges by Uruguay's increasingly desperate back line delivered another freekick, which found Duarte again at the far post. This time he dived bravely in among the Uruguayan boots to head past Muslera. With the makeweights in the ascendancy, the cavalry was required. But Luis Suarez never arrived.
"It would have been very difficult," said the Uruguay coach Tabarez of a potential run out as substitute. "He had a serious operation. You need certainties and there were uncertainties as far as his fitness is concerned."
Instead the Liverpool man watched bemused from the bench as Costa Rica's substitute Marcos Urena, scooting on to a through ball from the irrepressible Campbell, rounded Muslera to add a third. And he could only choke back the tears when Maxi Pereira was sent off for a spiteful thrash at Campbell as Uruguayan discipline deserted them.
So it was that, in a group expected to be decided on goal difference, Costa Rica had made the boldest of opening statements. For England the challenge has just changed.
Match Details
Uruguay (4-4-2): Muslera 6; M Pereira 3, Lugano 4, Godin 5, Caceres 6; Stuani 5, Arevalo Rios 6, Gargano (Gonzalez 74) 6, Rodriguez 6 (Hernandez); Forlan 5 (Lodeiro), Cavani 6 Subs Fucile, A Pereira, Suarez, Munoz, Gimenez, Perez, Ramirez, Coates, Silva
Costa Rica (5-4-1): Navas 8; Gamboa 7, Duarte 7, Gonzalez 7, Umana 6, Diaz 6; Ruiz (Urena 80) 6, Tejeda 5 (Cubero ), Borges 7, Bolanos 6 (Barrentes 86); Campbell 8 Subs Acosta, Myrie, Francis, Granados, Brenes, Pemberton, Miller, Calvo, Cambronero
Referee Felix Brych (Germany)
Attendance 58,672
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