In a competitive group like Copa America D, and after a draw between Ticos and the Brazilians, all eyes will be on this match on Friday 28 June. A win would see Colombia advance to the quarter-finals and cement its growing favoritism to ease into the match against Brazil, theoretically the toughest opponent in the group. Colombia have found in players like Richard Rios a real revelation with their ideas and solidity of play, and in recent games it has been a variety of players who have scored: it doesn’t depend on one goalscorer.
But Costa Rica, ranked 52nd by FIFA, managed to surprise once again and debunk all the myths and predictions at this tournament. Although history is in Colombia’s favor (11 games, 9 wins for Colombia and 2 for Costa Rica), Alfaro is the executioner of the Colombians. In the last qualifying round, Alfaro’s Ecuadorian team beat Colombia with a score of 6:1. Alfaro, who worked as a sports commentator on Colombian TV channels, knows the players in coffee and is a coach with experience in major tournaments. One of the leaders of the Ticos is Juan Pablo Vargas, a player of Millonarios, who also knows the Colombians well.