Costa Rica booked their place at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar with a 1-0 win over New Zealand, qualifying for a World Cup finals for just the sixth time in their history.With the 32nd and final spot at the World Cup at stake, a cagey encounter was to be expected. However, any early nerves were dashed by Costa Rica as they took the lead in just the third minute. 17-year-old Jewison Bennette showed great composure on the left wing before crossing into the box where Joel Campbell beat three defenders to meet the ball first and slot it in. The All Whites were not deterred by falling behind and took immediate control of the tie.Wave after wave of New Zealand attacks ensued, with target man Chris Wood a constant thorn in the side of the Costa Rican defence. His team had several chances to equalise with Alex Greive flashing an effort wide, and Wood himself was denied by Keylor Navas. The All Whites thought they had equalised before the interval after Wood nodded in Matthew Garbett’s cross, but the goal was ruled out after Costa Rican complaints and a lengthy VAR review for a foul by Garbett in the build-up.There it is! The final ticket to #WorldCup2022 has been booked!🇨🇷🇨🇷🇨🇷Costa Rica joins a very tough Group E with Spain, Germany and Japan. pic.twitter.com/NMU1mHKqJC— World Soccer Talk (@worldsoccertalk) June 14, 2022 Luis Fernando Suárez made a triple change at the start of the second half, as his side needed to get a foothold in the game. The changes had the desired impact as the Costa Ricans prevented the opposition from replicating their first-half rhythm, and it was a case of defending the solitary goal. That task was made easier when The All Whites were reduced to ten men with VAR once again involved. Kosta Barbarouses was initially shown a yellow card but after a review, the referee upgraded it to a red for a dangerous foul.Knowing it was all or nothing, Danny Hay’s side threw everything forward but were denied by the ever-experienced Navas who was equal to everything heading towards his goal. Costa Rica held onto their one-goal lead for almost the entirety of the match to ensure they will return to Qatar in November.QATAR WORLD CUP 2022 QUALIFIERS – PlayoffCosta RIca – New Zealand 1-0 (1-0)/Campbell 3/Congratulations to Costa Rica 🇨🇷 on qualifying for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 🇶🇦 👏 pic.twitter.com/xwWUUP902x— Qatar Football Association (@QFA_EN) June 14, 2022
