Costa Rica vs Germany LIVE: World Cup 2022 result and reaction as Germany win but go out

“When you look at the table Costa Rica have a chance to reach the round of 16. A draw, and a win for Spain, is enough for them to advance,” said German boss Hansi Flick.

“I expect from Costa Rica a defensive performance as they did it against Japan. We have to find solutions against that. I think it would show a lack of respect to Costa Rica to talk about scoring eight goals. We will be happy if we win it and that is our aim.

“We want to try to decide it for us from the start. But to come back from that 7-0 and deliver such a defensive performance against Japan deserves respect.”

“We have the qualification not entirely in our own hands but what is pressure?... I feel no pressure. Not after the game against Japan either. I am convinced we are on a good path.”

The warm-ups are done and dusted and kick off is 15 minutes away.

This is another pressure filled game for Germany who are on the brink of being knocked out of the World Cup. Can they step up once again and defeat Costa Rica tonight?

Germany’s know what they need to do. Win or else their tournament is over.

Thomas Muller, Leroy Sane and Jamal Musiala will need to be on fire in front of goal if Germany are to make it through to the last-16.

They should have enough quality to get past Costa Rica but they’ve been shocked already in this tournament.

What result will the fans see tonight? Can Germany reach the knockout rounds from the last chance saloon or will Costa Rica secure another memorable win and head into the last-16?

Belgium boss Roberto Martinez has confirmed that he will be leaving his role as the national manager after his team were knocked out of the World Cup but could Hansi Flick join him?

Germany are in danger of being eliminated from the World Cup at the group stage for the second tournament in a row but the head coach has no plans about leaving his position should that occur.

"I have a contract until 2024 and I look forward to the home Euros (in 2024) but it is a long time until then," said Flick, who took over from Joachim Low in August 2021.

"We want to kill off the game early to pile pressure on the other group game. We have to have the attitude we showed against Spain."

“History will be made in Qatar for the Fifa World Cup 2022, with the appointment of six female match officials for the first time.

“Referees Stephanie Frappart from France, Salima Mukansanga from Rwanda and Yoshimi Yamashita from Japan – as well as assistant referees Neuza Back from Brazil, Karen Diaz Medina from Mexico and Kathryn Nesbitt from the USA – represent a cadre of female referees breaking through to the elite men’s level.

“The 36 referees, 69 assistant referees and 24 video match officials (VMOs) chosen to go to Qatar represent the highest level of refereeing worldwide.

“The appointment of female match officials to Qatar 2022 has been achieved thanks to a long-term plan. This involved their appointment to men’s junior and senior Fifa tournaments in preparation for the world’s most important tournament.”

All eyes will be on Costa Rica vs Germany on Thursday evening at the World Cup, for multiple reasons.

For starters it’s a decisive Group E fixture and all four teams can still make the last 16 or go home early. And it’s also a game in which history will be made, as Stephanie Frappart will be referee - the first time a female has officiated a men’s World Cup fixture.

The French official will be assisted by Brazilian Neuza Back and Mexican Karen Diaz, as part of an all-female on-field team selected by Fifa.

Breaking barriers is nothing new for the 38-year-old, with Frappart’s performances earning her a role in Ligue 1, France’s top-flight league for men, since 2019.

A golden generation has lost its gilding. The most talented group of Belgian footballers in living memory have spurned their last chance at glory, instead exiting at the group stages of what is surely their last World Cup together. At the final whistle, their best player Kevin De Bruyne was staring into the middle distance, their one-time world-beating talent Eden Hazard was contemplating his role as an ineffective late substitute and their supreme goalscorer Romelu Lukaku was lamenting a series of barely believable missed chances.

For Roberto Martinez, the manager who has come closest to fulfilling this squad’s almost limitless potential, it is surely his final act in charge. It would be tempting to say that the recriminations will come over the next few days for him and his players if not for the fact that they had started already. Talk of a divided squad past its sell-by date has undercut this last dance since the start of their tournament and will now only grow louder.

Croatia progress from Group F but only as runners-up, which is perhaps evidence of their own powers being on the wane. Zlatko Dalic’s side still had just enough about their careful possession play to earn the goalless draw and the point that they required to be sure of reaching the last 16, though their opponents in Al Wakrah on Monday will not have been overly intimidated by what they saw. With Morocco beating Canada to top the group, if it were not for some extraordinary Lukaku misses, Croatia may easily have exited themselves.

Roberto Martinez has confirmed that he will leave his role as manager of Belgium after they exited the 2022 World Cup.

The former Everton boss, who was in charge of the Red Devils for six years, guided them to third place in Russia four years ago and was at the helm for a three-and-a-half year spell as Fifa’s No 1 ranked side.

But a deeply disappointing tournament in Qatar, where a defeat by Morocco and a draw with Croatia ensured a group-stage exit, has seen him opt to walk away.

“That was my last game”, he said afterwards at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium. “It’s emotional as you can imagine.”

Martinez’s side were improved against the 2018 finalists but substitute Romelu Lukaku, in particular, failed to take a number of second-half chances, the draw not enough as Croatia progressed in their place.

Costa Rica’s coach Luis Fernando Suarez hopes his side can emulate the Costa Rican team from 2014 who reached the World Cup last-16 ahead of England and Italy.

"Eight years have gone by and players have changed but you have good memories," said Colombian Suarez.

"Maybe it’s down to the genes of the Costa Ricans. When they reach a World Cup they do things differently and they play well. I’m not just talking about 2014 in Brazil, I think also about Italy 1990.

"They reached the last 16 when no-one believed in them. They are never the favourites, which is good.

"We need to be emotionally strong and break our backs in this match. If Germany is knocked out it would be a major thing and we would be proud to be responsible for that."