Uruguay vs. Costa Rica: Winners and Losers from International Friendly

Cristian Gamboa scored the winning spot-kick as Costa Rica came from behind to beat Uruguay on penalties following a 3-3 draw in Montevideo on Thursday.

Alvaro Saborio opened the scoring for the Ticos against the run of play in the 42nd minute. Just seconds after Luis Suarez's equaliser in the 50th minute, Bryan Ruiz restored the guests' lead with an eye-catching, curling effort.

But two unanswered goals from La Celeste (Jose Gimenez and Edinson Cavani) gave the hosts the lead they probably deserved in the second half, although it was all for nought when Costa Rica's Johan Venegas slipped the ball past Fernando Muslera in the 91st minute to force a penalty shootout.

Several players delivered standout performances at Estadio Centenario, while others were rather less impressive in the Uruguayan capital.

Following are the winners and losers from this encounter.

Winner: Alvaro Saborio, Who Scored a Goal and Helped Make 2 Others

Moises Castillo/Associated Press

Alvaro Saborio missed the 2014 World Cup through injury, and on Thursday he showed Costa Rican fans what they had missed out on in Brazil.

In the 42nd minute, the Real Salt Lake striker used all his neck muscles to head a Bryan Ruiz cross into the back of the Uruguay net. Shortly after the restart, his well-executed dummy let the ball roll to Bryan Ruiz, who curled a shot past goalkeeper Fernando Muslera.

Then, with just two minutes remaining in second-half stoppage time, the 32-year-old headed a loose ball into the path of Johan Venegas, who slipped the ball into the goal at the near post for the equaliser.

Loser: Maxi Pereira, Who Was Caught out on 2 of Uruguay's 3 Goals Against

Themba Hadebe/Associated Press

Maxi Pereira has been a stalwart of the Benfica defense since 2007 and of the Uruguay back line since two years before that.

But on Thursday, the 30-year-old found himself well beaten in the buildup to two of Costa Rica's goals. The first of which came after Bryan Ruiz delivered an exceptional cross to Alvaro Saborio from Pereira's side of the pitch.

The right-back might have also done better to close down Junior Diaz in the 51st minute. As it happened, the Mainz left-back put in a searching cross that Ruiz curled into the back of the Uruguay net.

Winner: Luis Suarez, Who Scored Again for Uruguay

Matilde Campodonico/Associated Press

Luis Suarez's international ban, which was handed down after he bit Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup, doesn't include friendly matches. Last month against Oman, he marked his Uruguay return with a brace in a 3-0 win.

The Uruguay striker also found the back of the net against Costa Rica on Thursday, and overall he showed a work rate and willingness to chase lost causes that many of his team-mates would have done well to replicate.

In the 50th minute, he got on the end of an accurate Cristian Rodriguez cutback and proceeded to smash the ball past a helpless Keylor Navas in the Costa Rica net.

Loser: Edinson Cavani, Who Was Wasteful in Front of Goal for Uruguay

Matilde Campodonico/Associated Press

Edinson Cavani attempted four shots on Thursday, most of which missed the target completely.

He did, however, score Uruguay's second goal when he headed Carlos Sanchez's cross into the back of the net. But by then he had scuffed an absolute sitter from no more than two yards out.

Had the Paris Saint-Germain striker been more lethal in the penalty box, Uruguay would never have had to go to penalties in the first place.

As Al Jazeera English and talkSPORT commentator Juan Arango pointed out via Twitter, at times Cavani looked completely "out of it" in Montevideo.

Winner: Bryan Ruiz, Who Carried His World Cup Form into Montevideo

Petr David Josek/Associated Press

Bryan Ruiz was one of the more instrumental players in Costa Rica's unlikely run to the 2014 World Cup quarter-finals, and on Thursday he carried his international form into Montevideo.

Having done exceptionally well to control Joel Campbell's long pass in the 42nd minute, the Fulham attacker then delivered the cross that Alvaro Saborio headed into goal for the 1-0 lead.

Just seconds after Luis Suarez had restored level terms in the 50th minute, the 29-year-old got his own name on the scoresheet when he curled a delightful left-footed effort just inside Fernando Muslera's right-hand post.