Live updates: Football World Cup qualifier - All Whites v Costa Rica at Doha's Al-Rayyan Stadium

All Whites - 0     Costa Rica - 1    

FULLTIME - Heartbreak for the All Whites. Click here for a full wrap.

93rd min - Keeper Sail forward for the corner. Delivery good, Navas punches it away.

90th min - Four minutes of added time to be played.

84th min - Wood with space! Rushes his shot at a tight angle and Navas is able to pocket it.

Moments later another chance for Wood, gets the ball down but can't make clean contact with the bouncing ball with the goal-mouth beckoning. That hurts.

81st min - Another corner for NZ. Navas punches it clear and CR briefly break beore it's back at the All Whites' feet. 

79th min - Marko Stamenic on for Lewis.

78th min - Corner NZ. Lewis into Nando Pijnaker, gets a head on it but it's wide of goal.

76th min - Clayton Lewis! Bends in a brilliant long range shot from the right, it's curling into the top left corner before Navas reaches out to tap it over the bar. Sensational strike.

75th min - NZ spring down the left, cross looks dangerous but Navas is on hand to reel it in.

71st min - Wood with an acrobatic effort on the volley from Kirwan, over the crossbar.

68th min - Uh oh, VAR back to review a yellow card on Kosta Barbarouses. RED CARD.

That seemed harsh but he did collect a fair chunk of the attacking player's ankle. Huge moment there and the refereeing controversy continues.

66th min - The Costa Rican defensive line continues to drop further back, five men behind the ball now. They're looking to just hold out for this final 25 minutes.

64th min - Bell sets Waine away on the right edge, he's made an impact already. Shot sprays clear for a goal kick.

61st min - Costa Rica with some space. Harmless shot on goal falls for Sail.

60th min - Ben Waine and Kosta Barbarouses prepare to enter the fray for NZ. Garbett and Greive depart.

58th min - CR with some rare attacking ball, comfortably snuffed out by the NZ defence. 

56th min - Wood on the ball with options going forward. Links with Greive, who lets himself down with his touch at the edge of the box.

54th min - CR pressing high, starting to increase their rate of niggle. Crucial for the NZ side not to allow the Central Americans to get under their skin.

49th min - NZ right back on the ball, the game taking place inside the CR half, as it has for the majority of this match.

46th min - CR looking to time waste, a sign of things to come in this second stanza.

Second half underway...

HALFTIME - Costa Rica took the lead early but it's been all New Zealand since, with 69 percent of possession going their way. They've also been denied what seemed a clear-cut goal to Chris Wood by VAR. All to play for in the second half.

45th min - NZ another attacking movement before the half, two minutes of added time.

39th min - Unbelievable scenes here. Chris Wood guides home a Garbett cross and NZ explode in celebration, only for VAR to rule a foul on Garbett in winning possession before his delivery. NZ very hard done by there, was absolutely nothing in it. That could prove a pivotal moment in this match.

35th min - Cacace threatening down the left again, defence deflects his cross. Free kick for NZ.

Lewis with the ball in to Wood. Wood goes down with a shove! Referee says no penalty but VAR will have a look. It's a light nudge but there is contact. VAR says no penalty.

33rd min - More patient build-up play by NZ. Tuiloma blasts from deep, deflection wins a corner. 

Bell delivers, Wood gets a half-hearted volley on the ball but it bounces harmlessly for Navas.

31st min - CR force a corner. Reid to the party with a firm clearing header of a dangerous delivery.

29th min - Lovely ball for Garbett, whose cross flies long. Navas with the goal kick.

27th min - Searching cross from Cacace, CR head clear. Attack still alive, Tuiloma's long range effort is blocked.  Pressure still on.

23rd min - Long ball finds Wood in the box, who tries to find runners off his head. Nobody on hand on this occasion but that tactic is working well.

22nd min - CR with some 'attacking' ball - content to hold at midfield.

19th min - All Whites dominating possession since the goal. Costa Rica look intent on simply defending their lead, which could come back to bite them.

14th min - Wood! Has his flick shot saved by Navas, who bobbles it briefly before the defence clears. 

13th min - More great signs for NZ, as they take a couple of touches inside the box against a scrambling CR defence until Garbett's shot skies over the bar. 

12th min - Missed chance NZ! Wood heads back for Greive, who charges in with a powerful strike inside the box but it's just wide of the left post.

10th min - NZ holding their own in the midfield, they need to flourish there to have any chance this morning. 

8th min - Corner for NZ. Lewis delivers well but CR are able to clear. 

3rd min - GOAL COSTA RICA to Joel Campbell

Nightmare start for New Zealand. Superb cross from the left flank beats a trio of NZ defenders and Campbell is on hand to direct it past Oli Sail for a dream opening for the Costa Ricans.

1st min - CR with some early possession, building at midfield. 

5:59am - Plenty of fans scattered around the stadium here, mostly Costa Ricans, as you'd expect. Just about ready to go here. Anyone else nervous?

5:57am - The Costa Ricans belt out an empassioned national anthem. Hands on hearts all-round for the All Whites.

5:50am - Here we go, team. Crunchtime. The teams line up in the tunnel ready to take the pitch for this massive-stakes match-up in Doha.

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Kia ora, good morning and welcome to Newshub's live coverage of the Football World Cup intercontinental qualifying match between the All Whites and Costa Rica at Doha.

The hopes of NZ football fans go on the line, as the national side try to achieve the seemingly impossible - qualifying for just their third-ever appearance on the game's biggest stage.

Ranked 101st in the world, our plucky giantkillers must again overcome the odds - and opponents ranked 70 places above them - to snatch the last available spot at this year's tournament in Qatar.

By winning the Oceania regional tournament, New Zealand earned the right to face the fourth-placed side from Central and North America, still a massive challenge, given their superior experience at this level.

In four years, the Kiwis won't have to take this convoluted path to the tournament, which will be expanded to 48 teams, including a guaranteed Oceania berth, but this generation is determined to overcome these odds and write their place in history.

Join us for the 6am kickoff.

TAB Odds: Costa Rica $1.91, NZ $4.50

All Whites squad: 12-Stefan Marinovic, 1-Oliver Sail, 23-Matthew Gould, 5-Tommy Smith, 16-Michael Boxall, 6-Bill Tuiloma, 2-Winston Reid (C), 21-Tim Payne, 24-Dane Ingham, 13-Liberato Cacace, 4-Nando Pijnaker, 22-Niko Kirwan, 3-Francis de Vries, 7-Kosta Barbarouses, 18-Marco Rojas, 15-Clayton Lewis, 8-Joe Bell, 19-Matthew Garbett, 10-Marko Stamenic, 9-Chris Wood, 14-Elijah Just, 20-Callum McCowatt, 17-Logan Rogerson, 25-Joe Champness, 11-Alex Greive, 26-Ben Waine

Costa Rica squad: 1-Keylor Navas, 18-Aarón Cruz, 23-Leonel Moreira, 2-Carlos Martínez, 3-Juan Pablo Vargas, 4-Keysher Fuller, 6-Óscar Duarte, 8-Bryan Oviedo, 15-Francisco Calvo, 16-Daniel Chacón, 19-Kendall Waston, 22-Ian Lawrence, 5-Celso Borges, 9-Jewison Bennette, 10-Bryan Ruiz (c), 13-Gerson Torres, 14-Orlando Galo, 17-Yeltsin Tejeda, 20-Brandon Aguilera, 21-Carlos Mora, 7-Anthony Contreras, 11-Johan Venegas, 12-Joel Campbell

 

'Mr Save': All Whites must overcome star goalkeeper to reach World Cup

By Reece Labuschagne

The All Whites face many challenges from Costa Rica to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, but none greater than star goalkeeper Keylor Navas.

The world-class shotstopper has been a stalwart for football giants Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) for the past three seasons and was a key figure for Real Madrid before that.

The 35-year-old was affectionately nicknamed 'Mr Save' by fans at Galacticos, where he won three Champions League titles.

He played more than 100 games for Madrid - the first non-Spanish player to do so - before his 2019 move to PSG. 

Navas is known for his lightning quick reflexes and excellent shotstopping abilities. He also possesses great agility, speed and athleticism in goal, which helps him make up for the lack of height, standing at just 1.85m (6ft 1in).

His performances in important matches, where he has produced difficult saves at crucial times, has also earned him praise from media and fans. Navas is also one of only three players in the Costa Rica squad to ply their trade in Europe.

Australia's win over Peru in their intercontinental playoff only further highlights the importance of a goalkeeper on the world's biggest stage.

Both teams' goalkeepers kept a clean cheat for 120 minutes, before the game was decided on penalties. Socceroos substitute stopper Andrew Redmayne stepped up to save Peru's final penalty and clinch their spot at Qatar.

Costa Rica Keylor 'Mr Save' Navas
Costa Rica Keylor 'Mr Save' Navas. Photo credit: Photosport

All Whites coach Danny Hay knows just how crucial Navas is to Costa Rica's cause and the sense of belief he instills in his teammates.

"One thing we know about Navas is that when he plays for Costa Rica, they almost grow another foot or two," he said. "They feel beyond defeat.

"He obviously gives them an extra dimension with his experience and quality. It's a great opportunity for us to play against somebody like that."

Hay expects a tight affair between two sides that will try and use their size to their advantage.

"We're expecting it to be a war early on. They're a big side, they're a strong side, they're a physical side.

"Central American and South American football is very different from what we are used to. We know the type of approach that they will bring to the fore as well.

 "It's going to be a cagey affair, but it's definitely going to be a war as well, a real battle."