The Costa Rican national soccer team lost 3-1 in a friendly match against Perú at the Esadio Max Augustín in the Amazon jungle town of Iquitos Wednesday night. The result means that “La Sele” has now gone 11 games without a victory.

The loss further increases the pressure on coach Hernán Medford as the country's media slammed the team's performance.

Respected daily La Nación cried “Hasta Perú se rió de la ‘Sele' ” (“Even Perú laughed at the ‘Sele'”), while the tabloid Diario Extra, the most popular paper in the country, mocked the team: “Para variar la “Sele” cayó 3-1 ” (Just for a change, the “Sele” lost 3-1”).

The game was the team's last match before they begin their qualifying campaign for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa against Granada on June 14.

The result is even worse than it first appears as Peruvian coach José del Solar sent out what was effectively a second-string side, with stars such as Claudio Pizarro, Nolberto Solano and Jefferson Farfan all missing from the line-up.

Although Costa Rica started with promise, they fell behind in the 32nd minute to a Hernán Rengifo goal. Costa Rica pulled one back almost immediately when, five minutes later, Alejandro Alpízar scored from the penalty spot following a foul on Ricardo Harris.

However, two further goals in quick succession from Carlos Zambrano and Martín Hidalgo put the tie beyond the reach of Medford's men, who posed no threat in attack.

In other soccer news, Deportivo Saprissa has been fined $15,000 by soccer federation CONCACAF after some fans threw objects, one of which struck a player from Mexico's Atlante, onto the pitch during their second-leg victory in the CONCACAF semifinals on March 20.

The club was ordered to “implement a new stadium security plan prior to its semifinal encounter against the USA's Houston Dynamo,” according to a statement on the federation's Web site. In response, Saprissa yesterday announced a range of new security measures, including increasing the number of security agents from 165 to over 225, according to La Nación.

The association also fined Atlante $2,500 for the “unsportsmanlike behavior” of some players and staff in antagonizing home fans.