Costa Rica vs Germany LIVE: World Cup 2022 team news and line-ups from crucial Group E encounter

Costa Rican defender Francisco Calvo picked up a second yellow card against Japan and is suspended. Hansi Flick has no fresh injury concerns and must choose between Thomas Muller or Niclas Fullkrug in attack.

Costa Rica: Navas, Fuller, Duarte, Chacon, Watson, Oviedo, Torres, Borges, Tejeda, Campbell, Contreras.

Germany: Neuer, Klostermann, Sule, Rudiger, Rau, Kimmich, Gundogan, Gnabry, Musiala, Sane, Fullkrug.

French referee Stephanie Frappart will make World Cup history as part of an all-female officiating team when she takes charge of Germany’s match against Costa Rica on Thursday.

Frappart will become the first female official to referee a men’s World Cup match, while Brazilian Neuza Back and Mexican Karen Diaz will be the assistant referees for the Group E match.

Frappart, the fourth official for the Poland-Mexico clash in Group C last week, will be the main referee as she reaches another milestone in the sport.

Still to come tonight. Costa Rica are taking on Germany in a winner-takes-all clash in Group E.

Hansi Flick’s Germany are bottom of the group with just one point from their two matches and must win tonight if they want to make it through to the next round.

They also need Spain to avoid defeat to Japan to make it happen.

Costa Rica’s best chance of qualifying is to beat Germany and also hope that Spain does them a favor.

“It’s not easy to win games in the World Cup. We weren’t ourselves in the first game, we had a deserved defeat in the second game. Today we were ready, we created opportunities and today there are no regrets. We’re out but we can leave with our heads held high.

“You see Youri Tielemans and other young players – the golden generation is doing something that is bringing the next generation on. It’s not what names are on the pitch the legacy can be left in many ways.

“No, we wanted to get through but I’m sure the other national teams wanted to get through and that’s the tournament. In the previous World Cup we won three games in the group stage, we wanted to go all the way.”

Croatia knows how to deliver when it matters most. Finalists four years ago, this group are battle-hardened in knockout football, this game to close out Group F – a lose and go home match one round early – playing right into their hands. In what would be a heated contest with much to gain and everything to lose, they needed cool heads. Fortunately for them, they had the three coolest in the stadium.

Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic and Marcelo Brozovic have seen it all in the colors of their national team, veterans and star turns of this gilded run of a golden group of players. Croatia saw off Denmark, Russia and England, all via extra time, to reach the final in Russia back in 2018. They know how to win in these moments. Crucially for this one here, they also know how not to lose.

Safe in the knowledge that a point would secure progress to the last 16, a performance of calmness and control among the was desperately required. And the three safest hands of all helped deliver it.

Is this the end of the road for Roberto Martinez?

The Belgium manager’s contract comes to an end following this World Cup and after such disappointment it would be a surprise if he wasn’t offered an extension.

Croatia performed brilliantly to keep Belgium out. They only needed a draw to get through to the last 16 and made sure they kept a clean sheet.

Romelu Lukaku attempted five shots, the joint-highest total for a Belgium player in a match at the 2022 World Cup.

What a campaign from Morocco.

They completed a 2-1 win over Canada to top a group which included two of the 2018 World Cup semi-finalists to reach the knockout stages for the first time since 1986.

Croatia sneak through having played out two goalless draws either side of a 4-1 win over Canada.

Belgium crashed out of the Qatar World Cup on Thursday after drawing 0-0 with Croatia, while Morocco beat Canada 2-1 elsewhere in Group F.

Belgium had underwhelmed against Canada in their tournament opener but snatched a 1-0 win, before suffering a critical 2-0 defeat by Morocco.

Meanwhile, Croatia had drawn 0-0 with Morocco then breezed past Canada 4-1, putting themselves in a promising position to reach the last 16.

They sealed their spot with a point here, while Morocco qualified top of Group F due to their victory over Canada.

Here’s how the players fared: