Keylor stops New Zealand and Costa Rica will be Spain's first rival in the Qatar World Cup

Keylor Navas

was always a special goalkeeper.

Misunderstood, unorthodox, but with the good fortune typical of the chosen ones in the appointments that mark a career.

It was Navas who prevented attempts at revolution by the combative New Zealand in the playoffs played in Doha and allowed Costa Rica to qualify for the World Cup.

The Central American team, therefore, takes the last of the 32 places and will be Spain's first rival in Qatar in a group that it will also share with Germany and Japan.

The Costa Rican team, for which a goal in the first breath was enough to win the game, had to suffer to come out unscathed.

In fact, after netting the first goal in the third minute, he backed off and didn't shoot again for the entire first half.

At least, the action that served the Ticos to advance corresponded to the quality that some of their soccer players are supposed to have.

After a throw-in, the youngster

attended

.

And the slight attacker, a former Betis and Villarreal player among others, took out the tip of his left boot to direct the ball into the net with the appropriate delicacy.

But New Zealand, which this summer marks the 40th anniversary of its debut in a World Cup in Spain in 1982 and which has only been able to play two World Cups in its history (its last participation was in South Africa 2010), far from collapsed.

, a 33-year-old captain and now unemployed, ordered lines to be advanced so that between

and

on the wings, and

on the axis, they loaded the game on

.

The Newcastle striker got tired of picking up balls in the area due to the growing concern of Keylor Navas, tired of correcting defenders who did not know what to do to move such a tower away from their domains.

The PSG goalkeeper and former Real Madrid goalkeeper, in fact, had to get involved to get a shot from the New Zealand striker before the action that could change everything took place.

Five minutes from the end of the first half and after

tried to get a ball out with some bizarre scissors,

managed to beat Navas.

But while the

celebrated what seemed to be a draw, those responsible for the VAR warned the referee of the match, the Emirati

, of an alleged previous foul by

on

in the pre-attendance dispute.

Although the New Zealand midfielder grabbed the former Levante defender by the leg, Duarte hadn't skimped on grabs either to win the battle on the flank.

An episode too border before which the referee, disoriented and absent in the Qatari night, did not want to have any doubts after going to the monitor.

Expulsion in New Zealand

In any case, the disallowed goal served to convince the Costa Rica coach of the proximity of the danger.

The Colombian coach

, who in his day already took Ecuador and Honduras to the World Cup, shook the bench with three changes, used a historical reference such as midfielder

(36 years old), alias La Comadreja, and drew a line of three centrals to find a calm that did not arrive.

And that was helped by

, a New Zealand striker who had been on the field for just over five minutes when he thought it would be a good idea to catch

's ankle .

An absurd action that the referee judged first with a yellow card, but that he had no other choice but to correct with the expulsion after a new warning from the video referee.

With 20 minutes to play and one less player, New Zealand took to the bush again.

It was then that Keylor Navas, who must have remembered his memorable World Cup in Brazil, once again showed the heavenly version of him in a capital moment.

He took both hands off the goalkeeper before a tremendous kick from

, repelled with his fists as many crosses were thrown at him, and again denied

to settle Costa Rica's sixth World Cup classification, the third in a row.

Conforms to The Trust Project criteria

Know more