At the FIFA U-17 (Men’s) World Cup in Chile, the National Team of Costa Rica lost to the counterpart National Team of North Korea by one goal on Sunday night. The young players of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea showed lots of spirit as they took advantage of an alternative lineup tested by Costa Rica’s manager and coach Marcelo Herrera, known as “Popeye.”

The match took place at the Bicentennial Stadium of Chinquihue, located in the southern coastal town of Port Montt. The North Korean team took the initiative early during the match to test the four-player back line proposed by Popeye Herrera. Less than 15 minutes into the match, Chang Bom found an opening down the left side and sneaked past defenders to launch a cross to Pak Young Gwan, who scored the first goal with plenty of confidence.

Offensively, Costa Rica seemed to be confused against the one-on-one marking by North Korea. Andy Reyes and Javier Camareno had a difficult time trying to get close to the box. The second half started with immediate substitutions that had a marked improvement on ball control and dominance on the pitch.

The strategic subs brought the equalizer goal at the 83-minute mark. After repeated attacks, a corner kick by Costa Rica was poorly deflected by North Korea and Diego Mesen did not think twice about launching a high rocket shot on goal to the back of the net; alas, the draw was short lived as the North Korean players turned the screws and converted a free kick into a series of volleys that eventually beat the goalkeeper at the last minute.

Costa Rica will advance to the next match against the French National Team at this same stadium on Thursday.

Since the FIFA U-17 World Cup is a youth football tournament, none of the major betting houses offer odds or wagers on these events. According to IDSca.com, a leading Pay-Per-Head provider from Costa Rica, wagering on youth leagues was suspended in Europe a few years ago after English Premier League (EPL) officials voiced their complaints to betting shops.

In 2009, the EPL stated that wagering on youth leagues was contrary to the social responsibility contracts signed by major betting shops. Months later, the shops ceased offering wagers on youth sports.