Spain v Costa Rica, 23 November 2022

Kick-off: 7.00pm local (4.00pm GMT) . FIFA world ranking: Spain 7, Costa Rica 31 . Spain had now beaten Costa Rica in the last two meetings by an aggregate score of 12 goals to nil. . This became Spain’s biggest-ever win at a World Cup finals; previously 6-1 v Bulgaria in Lens in 1998. . This equalled Costa Rica’s biggest-ever defeat; also versus Mexico in the Panamerican Championship in Mexico City in August 1975. . This was the first time that Spain had scored three or more goals in the first-half of a game at a World Cup tournament since a 3-1 win against Brazil in Genoa in May 1934; their first-ever game in the finals. . Spain had now won five of their 16 opening games at World Cup finals. . Aged 18 years and 110 days, Gavi became the youngest-ever player to play for Spain at the World Cup finals (and subsequently their youngest goalscorer); previously Cesc Fabregas against Ukraine at Leipzig in 2006. . Spain became the first team in the UEFA confederation to name two teenagers (Gavi and Pedri) in their starting line-up for a game at the World Cup finals since Bulgaria against England in Rancagua in 1962 (Dobromir Zhechev and Georgi Asparuhov). . This was Costa Rica’s sixth appearance at a World Cup finals and the first time they had qualified for three consecutive tournaments. . This became Costa Rica’s biggest-ever defeat at the World Cup finals; previously a 5-2 defeat by Brazil in Suwon in 2002, which was the only previous time they had conceded three or more goals in the first-half of a game at a World Cup tournament. . Costa Rica had now lost two of their last 14 games (won nine).