One can not directly claim that New Zealand got a party start in the important World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica.
Even after three minutes of play, they were 1-0 down after a tangled situation in their own penalty area.
And then the adversity continued.
First, they conceded a goal at the end of the first half after a VAR review.
The reason?
A rule violation in the origin of the case.
In the middle of the second half, the next kill came when the recently replaced striker Kosta Barbarouses was sent off after a somewhat hard effort.
The 32-year-old first received a yellow card, but after another VAR review, it was changed to a red one.
But New Zealand did not give up.
Towards the end of the match, they shook off a couple of sharp goal chances with only ten men on the field, but world goalkeeper Keylor Navas in Costa Rica's goal was unbeatable.
With the victory, Costa Rica became the 32nd, and last, team to enter the World Cup finals in Qatar.