Joel Campbell of Costa Rica celebrates after scoring. Photo / Getty
Joel Campbell of Costa Rica celebrates after scoring. Photo / Getty
All the action from the intercontinental playoff between the All Whites and Costa Rica.
What's on
The All Whites face Costa Rica in a winner-take-all World Cup qualifier for the World Cup finals later this year. They kick off at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Doha at 6am on Wednesday,June 15.
Yep, Fifa's rankings have the Central Americans at 31, with the All Whites clocking in at 101.
What are Costa Rica's strength?
In a team that prides themselves on defence, their goalkeeper Keylor Navas is one of the best in the business. The Costa Ricans are hard to break down and went a long way in qualifying with little possession. They're here on the back of a seven-game unbeaten run in Concacaf qualifying, which included six wins against opposition ranked higher than New Zealand, where they only conceded two goals.
They've also got the dangerous Joel Campbell leading the attack, a familiar name to Arsenal fans.
Herald football writer Michael Burgess says: "This All Whites team has one of strongest spines in recent memory, with Winston Reid, Joe Bell and Chris Wood.
"Goalkeeper Oli Sail is coming off a superb A-League season, while Libby Cacace is already one of our best fullbacks. There's talent aplenty and also deep desire."
They're young, hungry and blessed with individual talent, but a win over Costa Rica will require a full team effort and a few things to go their way.
All Whites during the national anthem. Photo / Photosport
Who's the villain for Kiwi fans?
Coach Danny Hay has said he expects a bit of gamesmanship, so be prepared to boo-hiss Costa Rican striker Joel Campbell if he flops about a bit within free-kick range.
The role of Wayne Barnes in this soap opera would likely be played by Mohammed Abdulla Hassan Mohamed, a 43-year-old from Dubai. Burgess says: "Although he has been a Fifa official since 2010, it will be one of the biggest games of his career, given what is at stake."
Burgess, helpfully, provides a template for anyone keen to Not Let Things Go when it comes to World Cups. "The All Whites have to hope that Mohamed doesn't get a touch star struck, as the New Zealand side have experienced in the past, especially with Guatemala official Carlos Batres, during the 1-1 draw [against Italy] at the 2010 Fifa World Cup."
The All Whites went five wins from five in Oceania World Cup qualifying. They lost to Peru 1-0 and drew 0-0 with Oman in international friendlies ahead of the Costa Rica clash.
Costa Rica finished with seven wins, four draws and three losses to finish fourth in Concacaf qualifying to advance to the intercontinental playoff. They have since won one (2-0 against Martinique) and lost one (0-2 to Panama) in the Concacaf Nations League.
Where to from here?
The winner of the match will be placed in the difficult Group E at the World Cup finals in Qatar, with World Cup powerhouses Spain (Fifa ranking 7) and Germany (13), with Japan (23) also backing their chances of going through. In a possible group of death, all three of them would be banking on beating up a minnow for goal difference.
Prize money
Aside from the glory of making the World Cup finals, New Zealand Football is also reportedly in line for a $16.5million financial windfall if the All Whites beat Costa Rica on Wednesday.
The Herald will provide live updates of the game from 5.30am, and you can join the ACC's Watch Along live from Schapiro's Sports Bar in Auckland by clicking here. The match will be broadcast live on Sky Sport 1, with coverage beginning at 5am on Wednesday. If you want to watch the match online, you can stream the game live via Sky Sport Now.
Previous matchup
Costa Rica and New Zealand have only faced each other once in an international friendly held on March 24, 2007 at the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Ayma in San Jose, Costa Rica. Costa Rica beat the All Whites 4-0 thanks to a brace from Alvaro Saborio and goals from Alonso Solis and Bryan Ruiz.
The national dish is gallo pinto ("spotted rooster"), basically stir-fried beans and rice.
Teams
Chris Wood. Photo / Photosport
All Whites
Goalkeepers: Matthew Gould, Stefan Marinovic, Oli Sail
Defenders: Michael Boxall, Liberato Cacace, Francis de Vries, Dane Ingham, Niko Kirwan, Tim Payne, Nando Pijnaker, Winston Reid, Tommy Smith, Bill Tuiloma
Defenders: Francisco Calvo, Juan Pablo Vargas, Kendall Waston, Óscar Duarte, Daniel Chacón, Juan Luis Pérez, Ricardo Blanco, Carlos Martínez, Bryan Oviedo, Ian Lawrence, Keysher Fuller
Midfielders: Celso Borges, Yeltsin Tejeda, Orlando Galo, Roan Wilson, Carlos Mora, Allen Guevara, Bryan Ruiz, Brandon Aguilera, Gerson Torres, Jewison Bennette
Forwards: Joel Campbell, Anthony Contreras, Johan Venegas
