The All Whites' dreams of securing a place at this year's Football World Cup have been shattered by a controversial 1-0 loss in their intercontinental playoff against Costa Rica at Doha on Wednesday (NZ time).
After Costa Rica took a third minute lead, the All Whites dominated play, only to have Chris Wood's equalising goal bafflingly overturned and a harsh red card to substitute Kosta Barbarouses conspire to put an end to their hopes of clinching their third ever World Cup appearance.
Despite dictating the contest with a 67-percent share of possession, the 10-man All Whites couldn't find the goal they needed. New Zealand created 15 shots but only four were on target in contrast to just four from the Costa Ricans, of which three were on goal.
Costa Rica's dream start came in the third minute courtesy of Joel Campbell, who beat a trio of NZ defenders to a low cross from Jewison Bennette to steer his shot past All Whites goalkeeper Oli Sail at the right post.
As is their trademark, Costa Rica immediately went into defensive mode to protect their advantage and the All Whites proceeded to control the run of the match.
Captain Wood became the point man for a series of attacks, with the midfield looking to work off the Premier League striker's head to good effect.
In the 12th minute, Alex Greive struck a shot just wide of the left post off a headed Wood pass.
Two minutes later, Wood was able to flick a well timed shot on goal, forcing a bobble by star Costa Rica keeper Keylor Navas, with the cover defence only just able to clear.
In the 39th minute came the pivotal moment for the All Whites. Matthew Garbett did well to win ball down the left edge in a tussle with his defender, with Wood beating the defence to the punch to steer in what seemed to be the equalising goal.
But VAR deemed Garbett had fouled the Costa Rican defender in winning possession before delivering his cross in what looked an innocuous contest for the ball, and perhaps even a foul on the Kiwi.
New Zealand carried their momentum into the second half, controlling the game as the Costa Rican defensive line pushed further back to try and hold on to their lead.
In the 68th minute, Barbarouses was dealt a yellow card for a sliding challenge, which was then upgraded to a red on VAR review, making their mountain to even steeper.
Even with a one-man disadvantage, the flood of NZ offence increased through the final quarter of the match, with the best chance coming from a spectacular curling long-range effort from Clayton Lewis that was tipped over the bar by a diving Navas.
But the Costa Rican defence outlasted the NZ assault to hold on and book their ticket to Qatar, where they'll join a 'group of death' alongside Spain, Germany, and Japan.
Costa Rica 1 (Joel Campbell 3') All Whites 0 HT: 1-0
