Opportuity. 

For Germany and Costa Rica, opportunity knocks on Friday to carve out their own niche in history. Never before have the winners of the opening fixture at a FIFA World Cup gone on to carry that form all the way to the winners’ rostrum one month later. 

There is a caveat to be added: the statistic only applies to those tournaments which started with a celebratory stand-alone match to launch football’s grandest stage.

Costa Rica head to Germany for their  third FIFA World Cup finals appearance facing another daunting first-round prospect. While in 1990 and 2002 they faced the powerful Brazilians in the group stage, this time it is host nation Germany who should provide the toughest test for theTicos in a section that also includes Poland and Ecuador. 

4 million TICOs and TICAs are unified in praying for a miracle – that their Costa Rica football team pull an upset of TITANIC proportions by defeating Germany – no less the host of the 2006 FIFA Soccer Football World Cup – in German soil, in front of thousands of German fans, in full view of hundreds of millions of people watching live on their tv screens. 

Veteran striker Paulo Wanchope has already announced he will be retiring after the finals, and is hoping to secure qualification from the Group, something the Costa Ricans achieved only once before – back in 1990. The team is largely the same as that of four years ago, built around the spine of rugged defender Gilberto Martinez, the evergreen Ronald Gomez and the aforementioned Wanchope.

Costa Rica are hoping that they too can ruffle a few feathers. There’s no doubt that this team is good enough to make it through the group phase, reach the next round and then strive towards one of the biggest achievements in Costa Rica’s history.

Odds will inevitably be short on a German victory, and yet a long history of opening-day upsets and the Ticos’ performances at recent finals would suggest that anyone writing off the underdogs will do so at their peril. One thing is certain: Costa Rica will not be overawed by their illustrious hosts when they meet in Munich.

Although history warns of a potential rough ride for Germany on 9 June, the Ticos still remain massive underdogs. However, even if they go down to the hosts, with six points to play for against Poland and Ecuador, Costa Rica’s class of 2006 will still fancy their chances of emulating the remarkable achievements of 1990.

More 2006 FIFA World Cup information here. SIA Sportsbook will pay $13 for every $1 bet on Costa Rica to win  FIFA World Cup match vs. Germany.

Free Lesson: Betting on Soccer Games