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image source, Good pictures
Costa Rica will play the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The “Tikos” beat New Zealand 1-0 in a playoff match at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan on Tuesday.
Joel Campbell He scored in 2 minutes Costa Rica maintained their lead until the end after an assist from Jewison Bennett.
image source, Good pictures
Campbell’s goal gave the “Tikos” the title.
Costa Rica, who secured the last remaining ticket to the World Cup with the win, will be drawn in Group E Spain, Germany and Japan.
The Central Americans started this Tuesday as clear favourites, 31st in the FIFA rankings to New Zealand’s 101st place.
However, the meeting in Doha was much closer than expected.
image source, Good pictures
“Cele,” as the Costa Ricans call their team, started with Keylor Navas, Keyshar Fuller, Oscar Duarte, Francisco Calvo, Brian Oviedo, Yeltsin Tejeda, Celso Borges, Joel Campbell, Jewison Bennett, Gerson Torres and Anthony Contreras.
After several approaches to the match area, New Zealander Wood scored on the brink of half-time, although after a VAR review the referee disallowed the goal for a forward foul on Oscar Duarte.
In the second half, New Zealand went out with ten men in the 68th minute after Barbaros was sent off after a very hard challenge on Calvo’s ankle.VAR was also used on this occasion.
Soon after, Contreras almost sealed the match with a volley past New Zealand goalkeeper Sail.
The last minutes were painful for Costa Rica, who had to keep their star Keeler NawazAlways safe against opponent’s last attacks.
image source, Good pictures
Keeler, the hero in the second half
And with four minutes left on the clock, the “Tikos” were finally able to celebrate their passage to the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
will be Seventh World Cup for Costa RicaIt has already played in Italy 90, Korea and Japan 2002, Germany 2006, Brazil 2014 (in which it reached the quarter-finals) and Russia 2018.
The first World Cup in the Arab country will be held from November 21 to December 18.
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Caleb Mitchell writes for News Collective, covering news, politics, business, technology, sport, entertainment, and lifestyle. He focuses on clear, reliable reporting and useful information, helping readers stay informed about current events, emerging trends, and stories that matter.