 | « Back to article | Print this article |
Images from the FIFA World Cup qualifiers matches.
Argentina closed in on a direct World Cup spot with a 1-0 win at Uruguay, despite the absence of Lionel Messi for most of the match as he recovers from a left knee injury.
Veteran winger Ángel di María scored the only goal in the seventh minute on Friday with a powerful left foot shot from the right corner of the penalty box. Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera didn't get close to stopping the ball.
Second-place Argentina now has 28 points in 12 matches. The top four teams in South America earn direct entry to the World Cup. The fifth-place team goes into an intercontinental playoff for a spot in Qatar next year.
"Winning today was a gigantic step. We deserve this, we have worked for this," Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez said.
"They needed points, playing here was hard. This Argentina has amazing courage, and when we don't play well we have to win anyway."
Argentina was less dominant in Montevideo in comparison with recent qualifying matches. Messi only came on in the middle of the second half but did not make an impact. The absence of defensive midfielder Leandro Paredes, who has a hip injury, also affected the Copa America champions.
Uruguay's Luis Suárez hit the post after Argentina's goal and his team had the better opportunities in the second half, but it largely missed the target.
A number of Uruguay players missed the match due to injuries, including defenders Sebastián Cáceres, Sebastián Coates and Matías Viña, midfielders Federico Valverde, Nicolás de la Cruz and Giorgian de Arrascaeta, and forwards Edinson Cavani, Darwin Núñez and Maximiliano Gómez.
This week's round made Brazil, with 34 points, the first South American team to qualify for Qatar. Ecuador remains third with 20 points. Chile, Colombia and Uruguay follow with 16 points, two ahead of Peru. Paraguay and Bolivia have 12 points and Venezuela has seven.
Argentina's next match is against Brazil when they meet in San Juan, Argentina on Tuesday. Their match in September was suspended after seven minutes of play because of concerns from authorities over breaches of COVID-19 protocols. FIFA has not yet decided whether it will be replayed.
Kane's perfect hat trick helps England toward World Cup
Just when he is doubted, Harry Kane finds new ways to conjure the spectacular.
A right-footed scissor kick from the England captain did more than just complete a perfect hat trick against Albania after a header and left-footed strike. It completed a 5-0 victory on Friday that all but secured England's place at the World Cup.
All that's required to be sure of going to Qatar next November is a draw in the final qualifier on Monday away against San Marino — the world's lowest-ranked team.
The 28-year-old Kane could well be rested after lighting up Wembley Stadium by taking his England tally to 44 goals, nine from catching Wayne Rooney's national record. The striker, who has struggled for Tottenham this season, without a goal in five games, is now the record scorer in competitive matches for England, with 39 goals overtaking the retired Rooney.
This was an entertaining way for the English to sign off from Wembley in 2021, four months after they reached a first European Championship final here and lost to Italy.
"It was an incredible performance. The pressure was on a little bit and we needed to get the result. I can't credit the lads enough and it's a great way to get closer to qualifying," Kane said.
In front of 80,366 fans, England scored five first-half goals against an Albania side that had conceded only seven in the eight qualifiers before Friday.
It took Gareth Southgate's side only nine minutes to take the lead, with Harry Maguire heading in a free kick from Reece James. The Manchester United defender celebrated by cupping his ears to the crowd as he slid across the turf, in an apparent signal to critics.
Another header, the first of Kane's goals, extended the lead in the 18th. England broke down the left led by James before a combination between Phil Foden and Jordan Henderson, who provided the cross for Kane.
Henderson then got his first England goal at Wembley, with an assist from Kane before he skipped past two defenders and shot into the net.
Raheem Sterling was the provider for Kane's second in the 33rd, slipping a pass into his path before the ball was lifted past goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha.
And it was Foden's corner that Kane met in first-half stoppage time with the scissor kick to wrap up the win that allowed England to ease off after the break.
Salah's Egypt through to World Cup qualifying playoffs
Egypt went through to Africa's World Cup qualifying playoffs after fighting back from 0-2 down for a 2-2 draw in Angola.
The point ensured Egypt won Group F with a game to spare and denied Gabon the chance of stealing the playoff place in a decisive final group game in Egypt next week.
Gabon surprised Libya 1-0 a few hours before the Angola-Egypt game kicked off thanks to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's penalty early in the second half. It ended Libya's own hopes of making the payoffs and kept Gabon's faint chances alive.
Egypt went into its match knowing it needed just a draw, and found itself 2-0 down after 36 minutes. But goals by Mohamed Elneny and Akram Tawfik — both set up by captain Mohamed Salah — clinched the draw.
Egypt joined Morocco, Senegal and Mali, which had already qualified for the 10-team playoffs in March. Only the group winners progress to Africa's playoffs and the other six teams will be decided by Tuesday when the group stage ends.
The five winners of the two-leg playoffs will be Africa's representatives at the World Cup in Qatar.
Algeria's 4-0 win over Djibouti put the reigning African champion on the brink of the playoffs. The Algerians now need just a draw at home in their final Group A game on Tuesday against Burkina Faso, which can qualify in place of Algeria with a win, setting up a grandstand finish to the group.
Youcef Belaļli got Algeria's opener against Djibouti in the 29th minute, a minute after having a penalty saved. Saļd Benrahma and Sofiane Feghouli scored within two minutes of each other at the end of the first half, and Islam Slimani entered as a second-half substitute and headed in the fourth for his seventh goal of the group stage.
Slimani is the leading scorer in African qualifying, and Algeria has scored 23 goals in five games and conceded two.
Burkina Faso still has a chance of stealing the playoff place when it meets Algeria next week, but the Burkinabes must now win in Algeria after they only managed a 1-1 draw at home to Niger on Friday.
Italy draw 1-1 with Switzerland to leave top spot still up for grabs
Italy midfielder Jorginho blazed a late penalty over the bar as his side were held to a 1-1 draw by Switzerland in their Group C World Cup qualifier at the Stadio Olimpico on Friday, leaving both sides with a chance of automatic qualification for Qatar.
With 15 points from seven games and the winners going through to the finals, Italy top the group on goal difference ahead of the Swiss, with Northern Ireland third on eight points. Italy are away to Northern Ireland in their final qualifier on Monday, while the Swiss host fourth-placed Bulgaria.
"Against Northern Ireland we start with an advantage, and it's not a small one," Italy coach Roberto Mancini told broadcaster RAI.
Switzerland took an early lead when Noah Okafor, making his first start for the national team, teed up full back Silvan Widmer to fire a piledriver into the back of the net, shocking the home crowd in the 11th minute.
Okafor almost added a second four minutes later before Nicolo Barella saw a glorious chance to equalise saved by Swiss keeper Yann Sommer.
Italy struck back after the half-hour mark through a cleverly-worked free kick from Lorenzo Insigne that Giovanni Di Lorenzo nipped in ahead of Sommer to head home.
The home side piled on the pressure in the second half, dominating possession but failing to get many decent efforts on target as the Swiss defended doggedly.
Emerson and Federico Chiesa both came close with similar efforts during a frenetic second half, cutting in from the left before firing their shots over.
Italy were given another golden opportunity in the final minute of normal time as a VAR review led to a penalty awarded for a foul on Domenico Berardi by Ulisses Garcia, but Jorginho blasted the ball over the bar as the Swiss escaped with a draw.
"Jorginho felt like taking it (the penalty) and it's right that he did so, he's one of the penalty takers on our team... it's a shame we didn't score in the second half," Mancini said, but it would seem his players have already put the game behind them.
"Now we have to focus on the game on Monday and give everything to win - Jorginho is a great champion and our penalty specialist, we will help him forget about this moment," Di Lorenzo said.
"We have two days to prepare and we absolutely must take the victory home from Northern Ireland," he added.
Poland beat Andorra to secure World Cup playoff place
Poland secured a World Cup playoff spot with one game to spare after Paulo Sousa's side beat Andorra 4-1 in Group I, thanks to a brace from striker Robert Lewandowski.
Andorra's Ricard Fernandez received a red card only 20 seconds into the game for elbowing Kamil Glik, leaving the underdogs down to 10 men as Poland took control of the game.
Poland's main man Lewandowski opened the scoring in the fifth minute from a Kamil Jozwiak pass, six minutes before the Derby County winger made it 2-0 after receiving a cross from Przemyslaw Frankowski.
Andorra managed to pull one back in the 45th minute when a Marc Vales free kick from the sideline beat goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny. It was Andorra's eighth goal in Group I, their best return in any major tournament qualifying campaign.
Poland's Arkadiusz Milik made it 3-1 just before halftime, in his first international match since March, while Lewandowski completed the rout in the second half with his eighth strike of the campaign, heading the ball in from a Piotr Zielinski cross.
Poland have 20 points from nine games, three points behind leaders England and five points ahead of Albania with one game remaining.
Denmark defence finally breached in 3-1 win over Faroes
Already-qualified Denmark secured a comfortable 3-1 win over the Faroe Island on Friday but their proud run of eight World Cup Group F qualifiers without conceding a goal came to an end as Klaemint Olsen netted late on for the visitors.
Andreas Skov Olsen gave the Danes the lead in the 18th minute and Jacob Bruun Larsen came off the bench to add a second after the hour with the hosts cruising to a convincing victory.
However, Faroese substitute Olsen struck in the 89th minute to dent Denmark's defensive record before Joakim Maehle added a third for the home side three minutes into stoppage time.
The Danes, who had previously booked their ticket to next year's finals in Qatar, round off their campaign with a trip to Scotland, who earlier guaranteed second spot and a place in the March playoffs with a 2-0 win away to Moldova .
Patterson prominent as Scotland seal World Cup playoff berth
Right back Nathan Patterson scored his first goal for Scotland and laid on another for Che Adams in a 2-0 victory over Moldova at the Zimbru Stadium that booked the visitors a place in the World Cup playoffs in March.
Patterson, 20, broke the deadlock just before halftime, and then turned provider for Adams midway through the second period as Scotland eased to a victory that ensures second place in their qualification Group F.
They have 20 points from nine matches and cannot be caught. Nor can they overtake pool winners Denmark, who travel to Glasgow for their final qualifier on Monday, which will now be a dead rubber for both teams.
Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordon made a superb stop to deny Moldova captain Artur Ionita's header and it was the visitors who took the lead with a superbly worked goal in the 38th minute.
Patterson collected the ball from John McGinn just inside the box and the full back rifled his shot into the net with his left foot, much to the relief of the vocal travelling support.
He then turned provider for the visitors’ second on 65 minutes, again taking a neat pass from McGinn and his low cross to the back post allowed Adams to turn the ball into the net.
Not everything went the youngster’s way on the night though, his handball gave Moldova’s Vadim Rata the chance to pull a goal back from the penalty spot, but Gordon kept his clean sheet in tact with a save.