Costa Rica Roars Back to Life with Convincing 4-1 Triumph over Nicaragua in Crucial World Cup Qualifier
From the first whistle inside a raucous Estadio Nacional, there was little doubt that Costa Rica understood the stakes. Three straight draws had threatened to stall their World Cup qualification campaign, and a spirited Nicaragua arrived dreaming of another upset after holding the Ticos to a 1-1 result just weeks earlier. But on a humid October night in San José, it was Alonso Martínez who seized the narrative—and perhaps Costa Rica’s fate—with a dazzling brace that propelled his side to a cathartic 4-1 victory.
Martínez needed only 12 minutes to ignite the home crowd, drifting between defenders to slam home a precise finish that recalled Costa Rica’s confident, attacking best. The midfielder’s opener shimmered with intent, setting a thunderous tone that Nicaragua struggled to quell. Yet, just as Los Ticos looked poised to press their advantage, the visitors—resilient despite a bruising three-match winless run—found a flash of inspiration. In the 26th minute, Nicaragua’s persistence was rewarded: a deftly executed counterattack caught Costa Rica’s back line flat-footed, and the equalizer momentarily hushed an expectant stadium.
The silence, however, was short-lived. Barely two minutes after conceding, Martínez struck again, reestablishing both the scoreline and Costa Rica’s sense of momentum. His second goal—a blend of anticipation and clinical finishing—marked the night’s first true turning point. Where nerves had earlier hovered, now there was purpose; Costa Rica rediscovered the ruthlessness that had eluded them in recent weeks, and their football began to flow.
By the time the halftime whistle sounded, Nicaragua’s resistance appeared brittle, and it took less than five minutes after the restart for Costa Rica to demonstrate why. Manfred Ugalde, long considered one of the nation’s budding stars, steered home his side’s third with a composed strike that reflected growing maturity within the squad. The goal, coming in the 49th minute, effectively ended any lingering hopes Nicaragua harbored of a comeback.
If the closing stages threatened to settle into routine, Francisco Calvo provided a final exclamation point, rising unmarked to head home Costa Rica’s fourth in stoppage time. Calvo’s late intervention put a gloss on the scoreline but also symbolized a night in which multiple Ticos stepped up to banish the frustrations of September and early October.
For Costa Rica, this emphatic win carries significance beyond the three points. Entering Tuesday’s contest, the Ticos had drawn their previous three qualifiers—0-0 at Honduras, 3-3 at home to Haiti, and the 1-1 stalemate at Nicaragua that still rankled in San José. Martinez’s brace and Ugalde’s sharpness suggested a team rediscovering its bite at precisely the right moment. The four-goal outburst was their most prolific of the campaign, rekindling belief that Costa Rica could again assert regional dominance.
Nicaragua, meanwhile, finds itself in a punishing spiral. A 0-3 defeat to Haiti and a 0-2 loss in Honduras had already placed their qualification hopes under immense strain. Tuesday’s defeat marks a third consecutive loss, and the scale of the reversal—conceding four goals in San José—revealed the gulf that still exists between the region’s traditional powers and the chasing pack. Even so, Nicaragua’s brief equalizer was a reminder of their potential to disrupt, especially after September’s hard-fought draw against Costa Rica in Managua.
Head-to-head, the recent rivalry had begun to show signs of parity, with that 1-1 draw in the last meeting still fresh in memory. But tonight, Costa Rica’s response was emphatic—a statement of intent and a reminder that their World Cup ambitions remain very much intact.
In the standings, Costa Rica’s surge could prove pivotal. Having surrendered points in recent weeks while rivals surged, the Ticos needed not just a win but a reassertion of identity. With the group’s dynamics tightening, they have now positioned themselves as favorites once more, the memory of earlier stumbles fading beneath the roar of victory. Nicaragua, already teetering, now faces a daunting climb; anything short of a dramatic turnaround in the final games will likely condemn their campaign.
As the home crowd filtered out into the San José night, there was a palpable sense that something fundamental had shifted for Costa Rica. The World Cup dream is a long and winding road, but for at least one October evening, the Ticos found the rhythm—and the ruthlessness—that had once defined them. For Nicaragua, the challenge only intensifies from here, with pride and possibility still on the line but time running ever shorter.