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With an own goal gift, Costa Rica edges Panama in CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinal

Costa Rica prevailed by the minimum margin thanks to an own goal by Panama's Anibal Godoy late in the second half.

Costa Rica's Francisco Calvo leaps on teammate Giancarlo Gonzalez after Costa Rica scored a second-half goal.
Costa Rica's Francisco Calvo leaps on teammate Giancarlo Gonzalez after Costa Rica scored a second-half goal.Read more(Yong Kim/Staff Photographer)

Costa Rica prevailed in Wednesday's first CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinal, beating Panama 1-0 thanks to a late own goal by Panama's Anibal Godoy.

The tally came in the 77th minute, off a Ticos free kick. After a foul some 40 yards from goal, David Guzmán of the Portland Timbers launched the ball into a traffic jam of players from both teams. Godoy, of the San Jose Earthquakes, jumped highest and got there first – but his attempted header clearance instead went into his own net.

Alas, that was the highlight of a mostly languid night – especially in the game's early stages.

To be fair, the temperature at kickoff was 94 degrees. So perhaps it wasn't coincidental that the game opened up once the entire field was covered in shadow.

It also helped that Costa Rica star Bryan Ruiz got on the ball more. The Ticos' captain showed off the full arsenal of skills that have taken him to the English Premier League and Portugal's top flight over the years.

But the scoreboard was blank at halftime, giving Panama a psychological edge. The Canaleros have a tradition of frustrating opponents first and scoring on counter-attacks second, and it succeeded again here.

Indeed, they might taken the lead had they been able to capitalize on some early goalkeeping errors by Costa Rica's Patrick Pemberton.

"We know their different techniques to try to get us out of the play," said centerback Kendall Waston, of the Vancouver Whitecaps. "We would love to make a pretty game, [play] a little bit more fluid, but sometimes games are like this."

The second half was much more lively. A highlight came 10 minutes in, when Costa Rica's Marco Ureña offered a backheel-flick pass to a hard-charging Ruiz, who slammed a shot that forced a diving save from Panama goalkeeper José Calderón.

Pemberton was called upon again in the 73rd minute, stopping Gabriel Torres twice in quick succession.

On the Ticos' next trip down the field, they finally broke through.

That forced Panama to open up its game, but the Canaleros couldn't produce any chances as good as the ones that Pemberton denied.

"It was frustrating for me and my team," Godoy said, adding an apology for his role in the defeat.

The night was frustrating for Costa Rica too. But it's still alive, and that's all that matters.

"We took this as a final," Waston said. "Sometimes [in] finals, it doesn't matter who plays well, who plays bad – the thing is to win it."

Even if it means accepting the minimum score.