After finishing fourth in Concacaf qualifying, Costa Rica faced Oceania winners New Zealand with their tie taking place at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar.
New Zealand, ranked 101st in the world, had a good spell just after conceding the goal, but Alex Greive, Matthew Garbett and Newcastle striker Chris Wood all failed to convert chances from inside the penalty area.
Wood thought he had scored late in the first half when he shot past Paris St-Germain goalkeeper Keylor Navas.
However, the referee ruled out the goal after checking the incident on a pitchside monitor following a video assistant referee check – and judged Garbett had fouled Oscar Duarte before crossing for Wood to finish.
A VAR check also led to Barbarouses’ dismissal as the referee changed his original decision from a yellow card to red after seeing the challenge had caught Calvo on the ankle. The 10 men of New Zealand fought until the end, but could not find an equaliser. (BBC Sport)
