Costa Rica could trip up more-fancied sides

Manager Oscar Ramirez

Oscar Ramirez promised to shave off his hair if Costa Rica booked a World Cup place and the manager must have known he was heading for a short back and sides as early as the second matchday in final Concacaf qualifying when the United States were thumped 4-0.

Los Ticos showed that was no fluke by beating the US 2-0 in the reverse fixture and it was left to star goalkeeper Keylor Navas to do the honours by shaving Ramirez's bonce.

The spirit in the squad is good and so is their defensive organisation, which went a long way to securing Costa Rica's spot in the 2014 World Cup quarter-finals.

Many of the players remain from that campaign including Navas, the mercurial Bryan Ruiz and experienced midfielders Celso Borges and Christian Bolanos, which suggests they could be awkward opponents for more fancied sides.

Follow us on Twitter

Like us on Facebook