Spain’s Marco Asensio lights up the most lopsided game in World Cup history
It was, perhaps, the most one-sided match in modern World Cup history.
Spain not only pummelled seven goals past Costa Rica, they also set World Cup records for possession in a match (82 per cent) and successful passes (976). Costa Rica failed to have a shot in the entire match and managed four touches in the Spanish area.
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Spain have had their struggles in recent major tournaments but there will still be some anxious glances being cast at Luis Enrique’s side by some of the other teams hoping to win this World Cup.
Before a ball had been kicked, Spain were either a dark horse candidate or a side that intrigued due to Luis Enrique’s Barcelona-heavy squad selection. He chose eight players from Camp Nou and against Costa Rica, it showed as Spain played with all the fluent vibrancy of a club team. As teenager Alejandro Balde pointed out afterwards, “There isn’t much difference between playing for the national team and playing for Barcelona.”
Yet it was actually a player from Real Madrid who may have enjoyed the occasion most of all. Marco Asensio was a key man in most of Spain’s best attacking moments, deployed as a non-traditional centre-forward, rather like a false nine.
Asensio’s positioning confused Costa Rica’s central defenders and afforded the other members of Spain’s front line with opportunities to show their quality.
What makes Asensio so valuable is his versatility. At the start of this match, the 26-year-old sat in the half spaces between Costa Rica centre-back Oscar Duarte and defensive midfielder Yeltsin Tejada. The Costa Ricans failed to recognize his positioning, which allowed Asensio to move in and out of those pockets, get touches and keep Spain’s ball circulation fluid.
To make matters worse for Costa Rica, Asensio and Dani Olmo interchanged positions on a whim. It was all part of Enrique’s Spanish symphony. The calmness of Sergio Busquets. The steady and tireless play of Pedri. Gavi as Spain’s energizer, while Asensio, Ferran Torres and Olmo operated freely across the front line.
At times, they stood as two centre-forwards and combined with Gavi and Pedri, who played keep-ball throughout. If the Costa Ricans became too narrow, Asensio would drift out to the wing and provide width or an overload on the left side with full-back Jordi Alba. Then, when Alvaro Morata replaced Torres in the 57th minute, Asensio played as an inverted winger on the right side. By the time he was replaced in the 69th minute, fans in this stadium offered him a standing ovation, a recognition of his quality and tactical intelligence.
World Cup wins by 7 goals or more
| YEAR | MATCH | ROUND |
|---|---|---|
1982 | Hungary 10-1 El Salvador | Groups |
1954 | Hungary 9-0 South Korea | Groups |
1974 | Yugoslavia 9-0 Zaire | Groups |
1938 | Sweden 8-0 Cuba | QF |
1950 | Uruguay 8-0 Bolivia | Groups |
2002 | Germany 8-0 Saudi Arabia | Groups |
1954 | Uruguay 7-0 Scotland | Groups |
1954 | Turkey 7-0 South Korea | Groups |
1974 | Poland 7-0 Haiti | Groups |
2010 | Portugal 7-0 North Korea | Groups |
2022 | Spain 7-0 Costa Rica | Groups |
Costa Rica central defender Kendall Waston, who entered as a substitute in the second half, was still shellshocked when he addressed reporters in the aftermath. Asked what had troubled Costa Rica the most, Waston uttered a most obvious answer. “Simply, when spaces opened up they penetrated and were able to combine around us,” he said. “They were very effective.”
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The goal Asensio scored, in the 21st minute, was a case in point, the culmination of a well-synchronized attacking sequence that picked apart Costa Rica. His one-time finish on his favored left foot put Spain 2-0 ahead and effectively ended the game as a contest.
Against Germany, his ability to move about the attack and adjust to Luis Enrique’s philosophy could be what unlocks the Germans and cements Spain’s berth in the second round.
That is for the short term. Further in the future, it is reasonable to wonder where Asensio’s future might lie. His contract with Real Madrid ends in June 2023, making him one of Europe’s most sought-after free agents next summer.
He has left the door open to either option: sign a long-term deal with Real Madrid or explore new challenges. Barcelona are reportedly interested in signing him, which has added even more drama to the transfer talk that surrounds him. Certainly Real Madrid supporters will fear being betrayed by Asensio, in a manner reminiscent of how Luis Enrique moved from Madrid to the Catalans in 1996. The thought that he could influence Asensio’s possible move to Barcelona is an unsettling prospect in Madrid.
Either way, if he maintains the level he showed against Costa Rica, he will surely have plenty of suitors.
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The Radar - The Athletic's 2022 World Cup scouting guide
(Top photo: Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
