San Jose: The streets of Costa Rica’s capital San Jose exploded in celebrations on Friday after the national soccer team’s surprise victory over Italy to reach the knockout round of the World Cup for only the second time.
Thousands had skipped school or work to gather in the city’s central plaza to watch the match on giant screens, and the crowd erupted in cheers after striker Bryan Ruiz scored the only goal of the game near the end of the first half.
“I am so excited to see my country in the World Cup,” said Keyn Tucker, 16, as he waved the country’s blue, white and red flag. “I couldn’t go to school on a day like today.” After the match, fans decked out in the team’s red soccer strip flooded the streets waving flags and chanting “Ole, olé, olé, olé, Ticos, Ticos”, the colloquial term for a Costa Rican native.
Fans massed at a fountain on the eastern side of San Jose, where President Luis Guillermo Solis, who won a landslide victory in April, was set to address the jubilant crowd.
The national side has not made the last 16 since 1990, when it lost 4-1 to Czechoslovakia.
Fans had already been jubilant after their players staged a shock 3-1 upset over Uruguay last week.
Costa Rica is the only team in Group D, which also includes England, that has not previously won a World Cup.
“It is a dream to see this,” said Rolando Jimenez, who was weeping as he carried a flag and made his way to the mass celebrations. “We are beating champions. We are champions.”
