Costa Rica became the 32nd and final team to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Finals in Qatar on June 14, overcoming New Zealand's All Whites 1-0 in a match noteworthy for some decidedly dubious decision-making both on and off the pitch by match officials who, frankly, were out of their depth. They didn't have any influence on the moment which ultimately settled the contest at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, Doha, however. That came very early on in proceedings - the third minute, to be precise, and was sparked by Bill Tuiloma's failure to deal with a throw-in. The ball bounced over the head of the defender, allowing Jewison Bennette to dart in behind him and get to the by-line, from where he threaded a low cross into the heart of the penalty area. Four All Whites were retreating, but darting in between them all was Joel Campbell, who deftly steered the ball beyond Oliver Sail and into the bottom far corner of the net - 1-0 after three minutes. As setbacks go, this was the worst possible start from the All Whites' perspective, but there was still plenty of time for them to address the situation, get back into the contest and turn things round. As things turned out, they more than achieved the first two of those objectives, and were only thwarted by incompetence where the last matter was concerned. It wasn't long before the All Whites first threatened the Costa Rican goal. Niko Kirwan's angled cross from the right picked out Chris Wood, whose cushioned header into an inviting spot in the area found Alex Greive arriving bang on cue. His eleventh minute volley flashed inches the wrong side of the upright - how different things might have been had that found the target! Two minutes later, Joe Bell - he was out of sorts in this match - combined with Wood and Greive on the right for the benefit of the overlapping Kirwan, whose measured cross found the most prolific marksman in New Zealand's international history timing an angled run towards the back post to perfection. Wood duly headed the ball down to Matt Garbett, about whose shot little should be said, although the words high and wide would feature prominently in any description of it! The All Whites continued to press after their early setback, and on the quarter hour were thwarted by Costa Rican goalkeeper Keylor Navas, who twice denied Wood in quick succession on the edge of the goal area after Liberato Cacace and Bell had combined on the left. By this stage, it seemed that the Central American team was content to sit on their early advantage, as there were a number of instances when all players in red shirts were seen inside their own half, even with less than thirty minutes played - anti-football at its finest! Danny Hay's charges were doing all the talking on the pitch football-wise, with Kirwan particularly prominent in their attacks, many of which petered out due to the sheer weight of numbers awaiting them in "Los Ticos"' penalty area. Consequently, the game became something of an arm wrestle, and it looked as if it was going to take something special, or a mistake, to change things. The mistake came in the 37th minute. Clayton Lewis' free-kick picked out Wood beyond the last defender, Anthony Contreras, who promptly fouled the striker for what appeared to be as clear-cut a penalty as you'll ever see. Unfortunately for the All Whites, Costa Rica weren't alone in erring on this occasion.United Arab Emirates-based referee, Mohammed Abdulla, who had already shown he was no more than a jobsworth via his unwillingness to do no more than blow his whistle for fouls which were deserving of greater punishment, on this occasion decreed that no foul had taken place, a call backed up by the Video Assistant Referee … Ever had the feeling that the match officials don't want your team to win a football match, no matter what said team does? The penalty incident hinted at it, but what happened in the 39th minute left all watching in no doubt - this was a game the All Whites were destined not to win, no matter what they did! Nando Pijnaker played the ball forward to Garbett, who eventually got the better of Oscar Duarte before delivering a cross which struck the defender and ricocheted straight to Wood, who volleyed home the equaliser from close range. At least, it should have been the equaliser. But the Video Assistant Referee felt the need to intervene, as the goal hadn't been denied by the man in the middle, and after probing the evidence for a couple of minutes found reason to rule out the goal on the grounds that Garbett had fouled Duarte during their tussle for possession - hardly a tangle which could result in a clear and obvious error by the referee, thus justifying VAR intervention. So, no goal - if ever there was a clear and obvious error, this was it! Before the interval, Wood saw a shot blocked on receipt of a Kirwan cross, but it's safe to say the All Whites were seeing red as the half-time whistle blew, players and coaching staff alike, and with reason aplenty. The injustice of it is what rankles most. And the incompetence - why did FIFA choose to appoint officials who have never experienced nor officiated at this level of football before, in terms of what was at stake?

For New Zealand, there was $US 10m riding on this game - small change when compared with the value of the play-off match to reach the English Premier League, of course, but of greater significance is the exposure which playing at the FIFA World Cup Finals can have for the game in your area of the world, on and off the pitch. When the teams emerged for the second half, Costa Rica introduced three substitutes and changed their tactics - they now employed a five-man defence rather than four. (Although one could argue that they'd largely played with an eleven-man rearguard since scoring!) They also began indulging in the spoiling tactics which are peculiar to Latin football - the "dark arts", as they are known, knowing full well that they would get away with them because referee Abdulla was, to be blunt, lily-livered - he lacked the courage of his convictions, and had no desire to police said practices other than via blowing his whistle and occasionally saying "Enough!" This played right into "Los Ticos"' hands, as it broke up any rhythm in the game, something which was critical to the All Whites' bid to get back into the contest on the scoreboard. They mustered just one opportunity before the hour, with Lewis, Bell and Wood combining for the benefit of Greive, who was too ponderous when the chance availed itself, thus was closed down by the massed ranks of Costa Rican defenders. With the All Whites throwing caution to the wind, Costa Rica began to threaten a second goal, primarily through Contreras. A twenty-five yard effort on the hour was easily dealt with by Sail, who dashed well out of his area five minutes later to clear his lines and prevent the striker from latching onto a hopeful clearance. Costa Barbarouses had been introduced to the fray by this stage in proceedings, with the All Whites chasing the game, but his contribution was short-lived thanks once again to VAR. What can most kindly be described as a striker's challenge on Francisco Calvo in the 69th minute earned the recent substitute the game's first yellow card, but the man on the monitor upstairs said "Let's upgrade that to a red, please, Mr Abdulla" … goodnight Costa. Quite what the VAR operator was doing in the aftermath of the resulting free-kick only he will know, but it certainly wasn't his job! (Mr Abdulla had long since given up the ghost in that regard!) Sail saved from Contreras after the striker had elbowed Pijnaker in the head immediately prior to shooting - a sending-off offence which the referee shouldn't have needed any assistance in punishing, especially given it took place right in front of him. No action was forthcoming, however, neither from the man in black nor his support team, who suddenly found no reason to apply the "clear and obvious error" principles which the VAR is in place for. In response, All Whites captain Winston Reid was apoplectic with rage, ironically earning him a booking - you can imagine how that went down, in light of what had gone beforehand! Hay swiftly withdrew his skipper from the fray, Reid's anger an accurate reflection of every New Zealand football fan watching the goings-on in Doha from afar. Despite being reduced to ten men, the All Whites continued to press for a goal - only one team was playing football in this contest, in spite of all the obstacles placed before them, something from which Hay and his charges should take great pride when they reflect on what might have been. Substitute Ben Waine combined with Kirwan for Wood's benefit in the 71st minute, but his acrobatic volley cleared the crossbar. Five minutes later, Navas pulled off a fabulous save to keep out Lewis' twenty-five yard rocket, which was bound for the top far corner after Kendall Waston had only half-cleared a Kirwan cross. From the resulting Lewis corner, Pijnaker headed past the far post, while six minutes from time, substitutes Marko Stamenic and Elijah Just combined to play in Wood, whose angled shot was smothered by Navas despite the presence of the better-placed Waine in the middle. The All Whites were throwing everything at Costa Rica now, and in the 85th minute, Tim Payne, Just and Stamenic teamed up to present Wood with the ball once more. The All Whites' talisman got the better of Duarte, but lost control of the ball at the vital moment, thus was unable to get his shot away. Into stoppage time, and the Kiwis earned a corner, which Bell delivered into the danger zone. Tuiloma's header was pounced on by Navas, ensuring there would be no prospect of extra time, Costa Rica retaining their early 1-0 advantage to the very end, with - it must be said - the welcome assistance of referee Abdulla and his colleagues, particularly the VAR, whose interventions unjustly dashed New Zealand's World Cup dreams. Costa Rica:     Navas; Fuller (Waston, 46), Duarte, Calvo, Oviedo; Torres (Martinez, 46), Borges (Chacon, 79), Tejada, Bennette (Ruiz, 46 (booked, 90)); Contreras (booked, 90), Campbell (Venegas, 90) All Whites:     Sail; Tuiloma, Reid (booked, 70) (Just, 72), Pijnaker; Kirwan (Payne, 79), Bell, Lewis (Stamenic, 79), Cacace; Greive (Barbarouses, 60 (sent off, 69)), Wood, Garbett (Waine, 60) Referee:     Mohammed Abdulla (United Arab Emirates)