Costa Rica beat Curaçao 3-1 in the Pan American Cup on Thursday evening. The hosts finished with a win after a run of mixed results in the tournament. By then, the scoreline told a different story from their recent form.
Curaçao had been on a difficult run heading into this fixture. They lost 0-3 to the Dominican Republic on Wednesday and 1-3 to Guatemala two days before that. Three further defeats followed against Cuba and Mexico, both by the same margin. The visitors entered the match carrying that weight.
Costa Rica's own recent record was uneven. They lost 0-3 to Puerto Rico and 1-3 to Canada before bouncing back with a 3-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago. Then came another heavy defeat, 0-3 against the United States. And here's the thing — this result against Curaçao offered some recovery.
The match itself produced no further detail beyond the final score. No goalscorers were named, no minutes recorded. The result stood at 3-1 when the whistle blew, and that was the extent of what came through.
For Costa Rica, this win lifts them off the bottom of their group with three points. The goal difference improves to minus four after the previous defeats. They now have something to build on, even if the margin suggests they still have work to do.
Curaçao remain winless in the tournament with no points accumulated. Their goal difference sits at minus ten after five matches. The draw brought them together with Costa Rica, but the result did not go their way.