Newcastle United forward Chris Wood suffered World Cup heartache as his New Zealand side were beaten 1-0 by Costa Rica in their Qatar 2022 play-off in Doha yesterday evening.
The All Whites fell behind in just the third minute of the contest and were also reduced to ten men after Kosta Barbarouses was sent off a mere ten minutes after his introduction.
Costa Rica will now advance to their sixth tournament following the victory, whilst Wood will now head off on some much needed rest before returning for pre-season with the Magpies later this month.
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The Newcastle frontman was unlucky to not equalise for his side and after a later VAR intervention, he also had a penalty claim turned down after remonstrating that he was fouled by goalkeeper Keylor Navas.
Los Ticos will join Spain, Germany and Japan in Group E in the month-long tournament later this year, with the former Burnley striker disappointed following the defeat, showing his frustration at the level of officiating.
Speaking to media after the game, Wood began by saying: "Some decisions went against us that I thought were extremely harsh’’. He continued by saying “refs need to trust their instincts at times’’, with man in the middle Mohammed Abdulla Hassan Mohamed refereeing his first game at this level.
Bidding to reach only their third World Cup in the nation's history, it was to be a disappointing end to the season for the 30-year-old, making his 68th cap for his country at the Al Rayyan Stadium.
