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BBC presenter Gary Lineker tried his best but it was all in vain.
With World Cup qualification out of England's hands after a disastrous performance against Italy, the former England striker came on air for the channel wearing an Italy shirt.
A victory for the Azzurri would have given England slim hope of qualification from Group D.
But it was all in vain.
The Three Lions needed Italy to beat Costa Rica and then Uruguay and had to beat Costa Rica themselves to sneak into the knockout stages.
Show all 22 1 /22Italy 0 Costa Rica 1: Player ratings Italy 0 Costa Rica 1: Player ratings Gianluigi Buffon Poor performance and probably not fully fit from his leg injuries that kept him out of the England game. Flapped at several chances and was nowhere to be found for the goal. 5
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Italy 0 Costa Rica 1: Player ratings Giorgio Chiellini Unable to stop Ruiz scoring and look tired and off the pace throughout, poor. Should have been guilty of giving away a penalty also but the referee didn’t give it. 4
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Italy 0 Costa Rica 1: Player ratings Andrea Barzagli Didn’t do too much wrong and looked solid enough at the back but still unable to stop Costa Rica. 6
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Italy 0 Costa Rica 1: Player ratings Matteo Darmian Completely different player to that who performed so well against England. Frequent mistakes and beaten in the air for the goal. 4
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Italy 0 Costa Rica 1: Player ratings Ignazio Abate Did OK up and down from full-back but never really troubled Costa Rica. 5
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Italy 0 Costa Rica 1: Player ratings Daniele De Rossi Not bad and full of endeavor as ever but couldn’t find that final killer ball. 6
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Italy 0 Costa Rica 1: Player ratings Thiago Motta Did next to nothing in first half and shot miles wide from one of Italy’s few chances. Taken off at half time. 3
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Italy 0 Costa Rica 1: Player ratings Andrea Pirlo Still played all his usual exquisite passes but ran out of ideas towards the end. 6
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Italy 0 Costa Rica 1: Player ratings Claudio Marchisio One of Italy’s better performers but not great by any means. 6
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Italy 0 Costa Rica 1: Player ratings Antonio Candreva Offered very little and rightly taken off before the hour mark. 4
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Italy 0 Costa Rica 1: Player ratings Mario Balotelli Wasted two or three good chances before the hour mark and then was irritable and frustrated from then on and offered nothing. Caught offside countless times. 4
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Italy 0 Costa Rica 1: Player ratings Keylor Navas Saved well from one or two Italy efforts but had a far easier night’s work then he would have expected. 7
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Italy 0 Costa Rica 1: Player ratings Michael Umana Did well to nullify Balotelli’s threat throughout the game. 7
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Italy 0 Costa Rica 1: Player ratings Junior Diaz Superb from full-back, one of Costa Rica’s best players. Endless energy, good in a tackle, solid at the back and a threat going forward. Very good indeed. 9
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Italy 0 Costa Rica 1: Player ratings Oscar Duarte Had one chance to score with a back-header that went just over and solid at the back throughout. 7
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Italy 0 Costa Rica 1: Player ratings Cristian Gamboa Played fine as Costa Rica’s wing-back but lacked that final piece of real quality. 6
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Italy 0 Costa Rica 1: Player ratings Giancarlo Gonzalez Like his fellow centre-back, player his part in a famous win for Costa Rica. 7
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Italy 0 Costa Rica 1: Player ratings Celso Borges Slightly quieter than his teammates but still a good night’s work. 6
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Italy 0 Costa Rica 1: Player ratings Christian Bolanos Had the game’s first real effort with a lovely curled shot and was a threat all night. 7
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Italy 0 Costa Rica 1: Player ratings Yeltsin Tejeda Played well without making any major headlines. 6
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Italy 0 Costa Rica 1: Player ratings Bryan Ruiz A threat all evening long and took his goal with real style. He made the difference. 8
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Italy 0 Costa Rica 1: Player ratings Joel Campbell Worked tirelessly as the lone-forward in a tough role. Did really well to hold the ball up, using his pace and power. Should have had a penalty too from Chiellini's tackle. 8
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But Costa Rica, one of the surprise teams of the tournament, ruined Lineker's party, performing brilliantly against Italy and earning a shock 1-0 win.
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