Spain 7-0 Costa Rica: 2022 World Cup, 1,000 Passes Zero Shots

Spain 7-0 Costa Rica: A Thousand Passes, Zero Shots

November 23, 2022. Doha, Qatar. Spain vs. Costa Rica. The 7-0 scoreline wasn't the most staggering statistic. The most staggering one was this: Costa Rica didn't manage a single shot all match. Not "on target." A "shot." Zero. Spain had 82% possession and completed over a thousand passes. Costa Rica—the team that reached the quarterfinals in 2014—became a training dummy in front of Spain.

Costa Rica's goalkeeper Keylor Navas, a three-time Champions League winner, was pierced seven times in this match. After the game, he stood in the center of the pitch, hands on his hips, staring at the scoreboard. He said something: "Some days, football doesn't love you. Today was one of them." That line hurt more than the 7-0.