Costa Rica became the 32nd and final country to qualify for the World Cup finals in Qatar after beating New Zealand in an inter-confederation play-off.
An early goal from experienced attacker Joel Campbell proved the difference between the two teams at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Qatar that brought a successful conclusion to what been a slow starting campaign for Luis Fernando Suarez's side.
The Costa Ricans managed just one win in their first seven Concacaf qualification matches leaving their hopes of reaching Qatar hanging by a thread. But then six victories from their final seven fixtures saw them secure fourth place behind the United States, Mexico and Canada – and the play-off clash with New Zealand.
“This squad shows what it is like to be Costa Rican. They never quit, they always give 100 per cent,” said Colombian-born coach Suarez, who secured his own World Cup hat-trick after previously taking Ecuador to Germany 2006 and leading Honduras to Brazil 2014. “It is an obsession that I always pursued. To be in this position is beautiful,” he added.
In Qatar, Costa Rica have been drawn in Group E alongside Spain, Germany and Japan.
Costa Rica's fixtures in Qatar
November 23 Spain v Costa Rica – Al Thumama Stadium (8pm)
November 27 Japan v Costa Rica – Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium (2pm)
December 1 Costa Rica v Germany – Al Bayt Stadium (11pm)
Qualifying results
September 2, 2021 Panama 0 Costa Rica 0
September 5, 2021 Costa Rica 0 Mexico 1 (Peneda pen 45+1')
September 8, 2021 Costa Rica 1 (Marin 3') Jamaica 1 (Nicholson 47')
October 7, 2021 Honduras 0 Costa Rica 0
October 10, 2021 Costa Rica 2 (Ruiz 52', Borges pen 58') El Salvador 1 (Henriquez 12')
October 13, 2021 United States 2 (Dest 25', Moreira og 66') Costa Rica 1 (Fuller 1')
November 12, 2021 Canada 1 (David 57') Costa Rica 0
November 16, 2021 Costa Rica 2 (Duarte 20', Torres 90+5') Honduras 1 (Quioto 35')
January 27, 2022 Costa Rica 1 (Ruiz 65') Panama 0
January 30, 2022 Mexico 0 Costa Rica 0
February 2, 2022 Jamaica 0 Costa Rica 1 (Campbell 62')
February 2, 2022 Costa Rica 1 (Borges 45+1') Canada 0
March 27, 2022 El Salvador 1 (Gil 31') Costa Rica 2 (Contreras 30', Campbell 45+1')
March 30, 2022 Costa Rica 2 (Vargas 51', Contreras 59') United States 0
Inter-confederation play-off
June 15, 2022 Costa Rica 1 (Campbell 3') New Zealand 0
Profile
Company: Libra Project
Based: Masdar City, ADGM, London and Delaware
Launch year: 2017
Size: A team of 12 with six employed full-time
Sector: Renewable energy
Funding: $500,000 in Series A funding from family and friends in 2018. A Series B round looking to raise $1.5m is now live.
PRESIDENTS CUP
Draw for Presidents Cup fourball matches on Thursday (Internationals first mention). All times UAE:
02.32am (Thursday): Marc Leishman/Joaquin Niemann v Tiger Woods/Justin Thomas
02.47am (Thursday): Adam Hadwin/Im Sung-jae v Xander Schauffele/Patrick Cantlay
03.02am (Thursday): Adam Scott/An Byeong-hun v Bryson DeChambeau/Tony Finau
03.17am (Thursday): Hideki Matsuyama/CT Pan v Webb Simpson/Patrick Reed
03.32am (Thursday): Abraham Ancer/Louis Oosthuizen v Dustin Johnson/Gary Woodland
What She Ate: Six Remarkable Women & the Food That Tells Their Stories
Laura Shapiro
Fourth Estate
World Cricket League Division 2
In Windhoek, Namibia - Top two teams qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which starts on March 4.
UAE fixtures
Thursday February 8, v Kenya; Friday February 9, v Canada; Sunday February 11, v Nepal; Monday February 12, v Oman; Wednesday February 14, v Namibia; Thursday February 15, final
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Mobile phone packages comparison
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog
Age: 19
Profession: medical student at UAE university
Favourite book: The Ocean at The End of The Lane by Neil Gaiman
Role model: Parents, followed by Fazza (Shiekh Hamdan bin Mohammed)
Favourite poet: Edger Allen Poe
NBA Finals so far
(Toronto lead 3-1 in best-of-seven series_
Game 1 Raptors 118 Warriors 109
Game 2 Raptors 104 Warriors 109
Game 3 Warriors 109 Raptors 123
Game 4 Warriors 92 Raptors 105
How to keep control of your emotions
If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.
Greed
Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.
Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.
Fear
The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.
Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.
Hope
While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.
Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.
Frustration
Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.
Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.
Boredom
Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.
Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The Land between Two Rivers: Writing in an Age of Refugees
Tom Sleigh, Graywolf Press
Sugary teas and iced coffees
The tax authority is yet to release a list of the taxed products, but it appears likely that sugary iced teas and cold coffees will be hit.
For instance, the non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Cold coffee brands are likely to be hit too. Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
