Hot News: Costa Rica takes down Italy, 1-0

Keylor Navas will have his hands full in goal for Costa Rica Friday. (Getty Images)

Costa Rica vs. Italy (Group D) | Kickoff: 6/20, 12 p.m. ET | Stadium: Pernambuco, Recife

Match Preview: Costa Rica made quite a statement in its opening match, downing Uruguay 3-1 to the surprise of, well, everyone. Italy, too, looked strong in its opener against England, a 2-1 victory.

On Friday the two sides will square off to determine control of the group.

The Italian side obviously boasts superior talent, with Mario Balotelli attacking and an experienced midfield at his back. There are question marks however -- including the health of goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon -- that could come into play Friday. Buffon sat the opening match and his status for Friday is still unknown.

But as they showed against Uruguay, Costa Rica is not to be overlooked. Forward Joel Campbell was exceedingly impressive in the opener, as was keeper Keylor Navas, who made one of the best saves of the tournament on Uruguay's Diego Forlan.

It should be a battle, and it will be interesting to see if Costa Rica maintains its high level play. Oh, also, a draw would eliminate England from the knockout stage. So certainly a lot to watch for. More World Cup: Scoreboard | Schedule | Group Standings | U.S. Team news

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