Al Rayyan, Qatar – Costa Rica reached its third straight qualification and sixth in history for the World Cup on Tuesday, with a 1-0 defeat by Oceania champions New Zealand, the final route to Qatar 2022.
Having played in the second World Cup in South Africa in 2010, the New Zealanders were hoping to return to a World Cup.
The “Tikos” scored in the 3rd minute, born from a throw-in that allowed Joel Campbell to make it 1-0 after Bennett’s assist.
In the 39th minute, New Zealand scored through Wood, but the referee, after consulting with VAR, disallowed the goal, citing an earlier foul on the New Zealander.
Costa Rica have now completed Group E of the World Cup, which includes Spain, Germany and Japan.
Tough road on Concagape towards Repsage
After a very weak start and calls for the ouster of Colombian helmsman Luis Fernando Suarez abounded, Costa Rica put the accelerator on and finished fourth in a non-stop closing CONCACAF octagon that earned them the right to the playoffs. Canada, Mexico, and the United States advanced directly through the region
New Zealand beat Solomon Islands 5-0 in the Oceania qualifier final to make a fresh play-off. The previous two were in Brazil 2014 and Russia 2018, when they were knocked out by Mexico and Peru respectively.
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