On 16 minutes, Costa Rica's defense was out of position and Enzo's precise direct shot from a small angle inside the box was deflected, albeit sharply, by the opposition.
In the 21st minute, Argentina's front field continuous transmission, Ghana Joe small angle shot by Navas heroic parry, Lo Celso supplementary shot also failed to win.
Argentina came close with a free kick in front of goal in the 22nd minute, headed by Otamendi, but Navas defused the crisis.
Di Maria took a free kick in the 30th minute, but it was easily confiscated by Navas, making Argentina's attack slightly feeble.
As the game progressed, Argentina's midfield organization began to falter, and with ineffective shooting up front, the Costa Rican goal looked impenetrable.
Just when Argentina was pressing hard, Costa Rica capitalized on a good counterattack.
On 34 minutes, Costa Rica countered with a 2 on 5, Manfrera's pass was accurate, Alvaro Zamora's low shot was parried by Benitez and Manfrera added the second to put Argentina 0-1 down.
The stats show that this is the first time Argentina has conceded a goal in its last 10 friendly matches, with the last time it conceded a goal dating back to Nov. 2, 2019, in a 2-2 draw with Uruguay.
At the end of the half, Argentina was trailing by a goal, with 71% possession, 12 shots on goal and 6 on target, but with nothing to show for it. Navas made three key saves to keep Costa Rica in the game.
In the second half, Argentina stepped up its offense and quickly turned the tide.
In the 52nd minute, Di Maria took a free kick and scored on a world wave to equalize Argentina 1-1.
Statistics show that this is the first time an Argentine player has scored a free kick after seven years, the last time being Messi's masterpiece in 2017. Now that Messi is out, Di Maria is at the center of Argentina's attack.
In the 56th minute, Di Maria's corner kick was met by McAllister's header and Argentina scored twice in four minutes.
After taking a 2-1 lead, Argentina went from strength to strength and Costa Rica didn't dare to press too hard.
In the 77th minute, De Paul made a breakthrough and fired straight at Lautaro from a narrow angle to extend Argentina's lead 3-1.
Lautaro's goal snapped a year-and-a-half-long national team scoring drought, with his last goal coming on September 23, 2022 against Honduras.
In the end, Argentina turned the tables 3-1, winning 17 of their last 18 matches, losing only to Uruguay in the preliminary round.
