Do-or-die mission for NZ, Costa Rica

DOHA • Chris Wood would love to fire New Zealand into the World Cup Finals in today's play-off against Costa Rica, but the Newcastle striker is experienced enough to know that it will take more than one man to get the job done.

The intercontinental match at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium will decide the last place at Qatar 2022 and pits the fourth-placed team in the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association qualifying group against the top team in the Oceania Confederation.

The winners will play in Group E at the Finals along with Germany, Japan and Spain, and Costa Rica, looking to qualify for a third successive World Cup, are the favourites to advance, having had substantially more competitive matches over the last four years.

Since the last World Cup, they have played 30 competitive games compared with New Zealand's five, which have all been against low-ranked Pacific Island nations.

All Whites coach Danny Hay has admitted his side are at a disadvantage, saying: "Costa Rica have played a lot together and have a lot of caps. We don't really get enough opportunity to test ourselves against top-quality opposition."

But in Wood, he does have someone playing at the top level. The 30-year-old target man has 33 goals in 67 appearances, marking him out as New Zealand's most likely hero against the Central Americans.

Still Wood, who moved from Burnley to Newcastle in January for £25 million (S$42.4 million), knows it will take a collective team effort to upset the Costa Ricans as his side bid to reach their first Finals since 2010.

"I would love to be that guy," he told the New Zealand Herald yesterday. "But I have learnt over my career that even if it is not me and I do my job and someone else is that man, I'm more than happy. It is not going to be down to one player to win this game.

"Luckily... having the experience of 13 years as a professional, mentally, you can take it as just another game. It used to affect me a lot more when I was younger... It's huge. It gives you great hope and great courage to know that with this one game, we could be off to a World Cup."

The Costa Ricans, who boast of Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Keylor Navas in their ranks, are confident that as long as they can keep dangerman Wood quiet, they have enough quality to see off the Kiwis.

Defender Francisco Calvo, who plays for Major League Soccer side San Jose Earthquakes, said: "We have to be focused for the 90 minutes, because they shoot from wherever they can. We'll have to defend to the death and keep Chris Wood under control."

REUTERS