La Nacion said the national team had "been something different with the hosts," in the Jablonec game.

"The improvements demonstrated by the national team are due in no small part to the fact that team managers put the most experienced players in key positions," the newspaper said.

Costa Rica will play the World Cup's first game on June 9, against the German national team, in Munich.

The Costa Rica press had sounded the alarm after its team had lost 4-0, on Sunday to Ukraine in Kiev; and 2-0 on Wednesday last week to a team of Catalan players, in Barcelona, the capital of Spanish region Catalonia.

La Nacion said that Costa Rica's defenders had gone back to using their old script.

Because of this, "they looked better than in the other friendly games and they lost to one of Europe's most powerful teams with a great deal of dignity," the newspaper said.

For the Tuesday game, Alexandre Guimaraes, returned to a system of three defenders -- the same set-up used in the World Cup qualifying games -- abandoning the four-defender pattern he had used during the other friendlies.

"They have scrubbed up and now they look promising," said Extra, saying that the national team had left observers in no doubt they could compete on equal terms with the best squads in the world, including the Czech team, which is rated number two in the world by the International Federation of Football Assocations, soccer's governing body.

"The game was balanced and, at last, Costa Rica was motivated and purposeful facing a Czech squad which held its own and pushed for our goal area, even though the Costa Ricans know how to shield themselves and clear the ball with speed."