Costa Ricans celebrate win over Italy

San Jose (Costa Rica), June 21 (IANS) Costa Ricans poured onto the streets of this capital Friday to celebrate their football team's 1-0 victory over Italy in Group D of the FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

Dressed in red, the team colour, Costa Rican fans converged at the Plaza a la Democracia, Rotonda de la Hispanidad and other landmarks here to mark their team's win against the four-time champions, reports Xinhua.

Shortly after the game, Costa Rica's leading daily La Nacion featured on their website a bird's-eye-view snapshot of the rotunda, showing people spilling onto an elevated freeway and bringing traffic to a standstill.

"Costa Rica has turned into the giant of the Group of Death," said the headline with the image, referring to the tough competition the country faced in Group D along with traditional football powerhouses Italy, England and Uruguay.

"Costa Rican football is experiencing the most glorious day in its history," the article said. The daily reported that even Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solis "went out to the street".

It added that FIFA tapped seven Costa Rican players for doping tests, following the team's win.

Costa Rica now leads Group D with six points, trailed by Italy and Uruguay with three points each and England fourth and last with no points.