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Europe top teams win WCup qualifiers as Swiss move goalposts

World Cup qualifying in Europe took a quirky turn when the goalposts were removed before a match between Switzerland and Lithuania because they were deemed the incorrect size.

It was one of the few things that didn’t go to script on Sunday.

All of the continent’s heavyweight countries secured victories, though Spain left it late — the second minute of stoppage time, to be precise — to see off Georgia 2-1 after falling behind.

Like Spain, France started its qualification campaign with an unexpected draw at home but also got back on track in its second game, easing to a 2-0 win at Kazakhstan.

Italy stretched its unbeaten streak to 24 games with a 2-0 win in Bulgaria, and England also moved onto a maximum six points in group play with a 2-0 victory at Albania. Germany made it two straight wins to open qualifying, too, by beating Romania 1-0 away.

Meanwhile, Denmark became the latest European team to use the World Cup qualifiers to direct attention to workers’ rights in 2022 host Qatar. Its players wore red T-shirts with the slogan “Football supports change” for the team photo before kickoff against Moldova, which Denmark went on to beat 8-0.

The Danish soccer federation said the shirts will be signed and auctioned to raise money for projects with Amnesty International that help migrant workers in Qatar.

OLMO RESCUES SPAIN

Dani Olmo came off the bench to snatch a come-from-behind win for Spain, his long-range shot getting palmed into the top corner of the net by flailing Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Loria.

Ferran Torres’ fifth goal in six starts gave Spain, the 2010 world champion, the equalizer in the 55th after Georgia went ahead a minute before halftime.

Sweden looks like being Spain’s biggest challenger in Group B for the one automatic qualifying place after sealing a second straight win by beating Kosovo 3-0.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, freshly out of international retirement, had a hand in two of the goals having also claimed an assist on his first game back, the 1-0 win over Georgia on Thursday.

Spain started out by drawing 1-1 with Greece.

PENALTY MISS

A missed penalty by Kylian Mbappe had little effect for France in its comfortable win in Kazakhstan.

The world champions were already two goals ahead by then, through Ousmane Dembele — one of a raft of changes by Didier Deschamps — and an own-goal by Sergey Malyy in the first half.

Mbappe came on after Anthony Martial appeared to hurt his knee getting his studs caught in the synthetic turf at Astana Stadium, and the Paris Saint-Germain star won the penalty himself — only to see his shot tipped around the post.

Ukraine and Finland drew 1-1 and have two points each to sit behind France in Group D.

KANE VS. LEWANDOWSKI

England plays Poland in a key Group I qualifier at Wembley Stadium on Wednesday and both of their world-class strikers look in good shape for it.

Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski scored for a 10th straight game for club and country, netting a double in Poland’s 3-0 win over Andorra. The Poles opened by drawing with Hungary.

Harry Kane scored one goal and set up another for Mason Mount in England’s 2-0 win in Albania, which built on the 5-0 thrashing of San Marino on Thursday.

England leads the group with six points. Hungary is level with Poland on four points after beating San Marino 3-0.

ITALY FLYING

Italy’s back-to-back wins to open World Cup qualifying come after a perfect 10 wins in qualifying for Euro 2020.

Goals from Andrea Belotti, from the penalty spot, and Manuel Locatelli, the first for his country, followed up a victory over Northern Ireland on Thursday.

Switzerland is only behind Italy on goal difference after its 1-0 win over Lithuania, secured by an early goal from Liverpool winger Xherdan Shaqiri. The start of the game was delayed by 10 minutes because one of the goals was not regulation size and had to be changed.

GERMANY TOP

Germany tops Group J on goal difference after Serge Gnabry finished off a team move in the 16th minute that involved Chelsea players Antonio Rüdiger and Kai Havertz.

The Germans are rebuilding after a 6-0 Nations League loss to Spain in November.

Armenia is also on six points after beating Iceland 2-0, while North Macedonia cruised to a 5-0 win over Liechtenstein for its first points of qualifying.

RECORD WIN

Denmark earned its biggest win in a World Cup or European Championship qualifier.

Kasper Dolberg and Mikkel Damsgaard both scored twice in Herning for the Danes, who were 5-0 up after 39 minutes.

Denmark is the only team in Group F with six points. Austria is two back after coming from behind to beat the Faroe Islands 3-1, while Israel and Scotland drew 1-1.

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Romelu Lukaku to rescue as Belgium salvages draw vs Czech Republic

Lukaku, Belgium’s all-time leading scorer, took his tally to 59 goals in 91 international matches after Kevin De Bruyne’s brilliant assist.

Romelu Lukaku extended his impressive scoring record with Belgium to salvage a 1-1 draw against Czech Republic in their World Cup qualifier on Saturday as FIFA’s top-ranked team was lucky to escape with a point.

Facing an inspired Czech team which hit the woodwork twice, Belgium struggled defensively and conceded early in the second half. Lukaku, Belgium’s all-time leading scorer, then took his tally to 59 goals in 91 international matches after Kevin De Bruyne’s brilliant assist.

Both Belgium and Czech Republic had won their opening games in Group E.

Playing without Borussia Dortmund’s Thomas Meunier and Thorgan Hazard — who were not authorized to make the trip to Prague because of German quarantine rules — Belgium dominated possession in an entertaining first half but the hosts had the better chances.

The Czechs missed four Bundesliga players because of the virus restrictions in Germany, including their first-choice goalkeeper, but it did not show.

Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was forced into a first save in the 14th minute and forward Michael Krmencík came close a few minutes later as he cut inside past Jason Denayer and drove a precise left-footed shot only to find the woodwork. The visitors responded with a fine effort from Leander Dendoncker which was denied by Tomas Vaclík with a one-handed save.

The hosts deservedly took the lead in the 50th minute when Lukas Provod was given too much space near the area — with Dendoncker and Denayer both too slow to move forward — and he unleashed a long-range strike into the far corner.

Belgium was handed another blow soon after when Dries Mertens left the field injured. But the visitors came back into the game following an inspired contribution from De Bruyne. Close to the halfway line, the Manchester City playmaker sent a long ball between two Czech players to find Lukaku near the box. The Inter striker evaded his marker and found the net with a left-footed shot between Vaclik’s legs.

De Bruyne then missed the chance to give Belgium the lead when he hit the right post. The hosts continued to push until the very end and had two big chances before the final whistle — first with an effort from Jan Boril that finished on the crossbar and then a goal-bound header from Tomas Soucek which was thwarted by defender Toby Alderweireld.

Earlier, Belarus twice came from behind to kick off its World Cup qualification campaign with a 4-2 win over 10-man Estonia, which slumped to a second consecutive loss following a 6-2 rout at the hands of the Czechs midweek.

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Cristiano Ronaldo rages after no goal and no VAR in 2-2 draw at Serbia

Cristiano Ronaldo had gone from savoring a last-gasp winner for his country to protesting what he considered a clear refereeing oversight with no video review available.

Cristiano Ronaldo ripped off his captain’s armband and tossed it onto the field as he stomped off in disgust after Portugal’s 2-2 draw at Serbia in World Cup qualifying on Saturday.

In a split second, Ronaldo had gone from savoring a last-gasp winner for his country to protesting what he considered a clear refereeing oversight with no video review available.

The Portugal star came oh-so-close to scoring a stoppage-time goal when Serbia defender Stefan Mitrovic slid and swept the ball to apparent safety though TV replays indicated it was a goal.

For Ronaldo, the ball had completely crossed the line. For Dutch referee Danny Makkelie it had not, and he rewarded Ronaldo’s complaints with a yellow card.

The incident will no doubt be used by fans of video review to argue for the use of VAR in qualifying matches for the world’s most important soccer tournament.

Juventus forward Ronaldo made a veiled reference to the incident in a social media posting after the match.

“Being captain of the Portugal team is one of the greatest sources of pride and privileges of my life. I always give and will give everything for my country, that will never change. But there are difficult times to deal with, especially when we feel that an entire nation is being harmed. Lift your head and face the next challenge now!” Ronaldo wrote in Portuguese on his Instagram account.

For 10-man Serbia, it was the perfect ending to an inspired fightback from a two-goal deficit.

For Diogo Jota, Portugal should have done more with the two goals he scored in the first half.

“It looked like the hard part was done, but then they changed the system in the second half, scored quickly, and built on from there,” Jota said. “At 15 minutes into the second half, we have already let Serbia draw. We had to kill the game.”

Serbia and Portugal were left with four points each atop Group A.

Luxembourg is next with three points after it stunned Ireland with a 1-0 victory in Dublin. That left Ireland and Azerbaijan with zero points.

Portugal looked ready to roll to a convincing win after Jota scored with two headers.

The Liverpool forward got Portugal going in the 11th with a run to the left post where Bernardo Silva found him with a perfectly placed cross. Ronaldo helped by drawing in three Serbia defenders before laying off for the unmarked Silva on the right side of the box.

Serbia tried to respond through runs by left back Filip Kostic and the playmaking of midfielder Dusan Tadic. But the hosts never seriously threatened Anthony Lopes’ net before Jota made it 2-0.

This time it was for right back Cédric to send a cross to the heart of the box where Jota separated from Nikola Milenkovic and sliced a glancing header off the post and into the net in the 36th.

The double gave Jota five goals in 11 international appearances.

But Serbia got back into the match after coach Dragan Stojkovic made two changes at halftime.

Substitute Nemanja Radonjic needed less than a minute to pass for Aleksandar Mitrovic to head home and set a Serbia national team record with his 39th international goal.

On Wednesday, Mitrovic came off the bench to score a pair of second-half goals to rally Serbia for a 3-2 win over Ireland.

Serbia pressed for an equalizer, and Lopes had to stretch to palm Tadic’s strike over his bar in the 54th.

But Lopes was beaten in the 60th when Serbia mounted a counterattack, with the ball flowing forward from Tadic to Radonjic, who played Filip Kostic clear to slot the ball home.

Ronaldo was denied his chance to be the hero shortly after Serbia defender Nikola Milenkovic saw a direct red card for a dangerous studs-first tackle of Danilo.

KENNY QUESTIONS

Gerson Rodrigues sunk the Irish in the 85th minute when the Luxembourg midfielder rifled in a shot from outside the area into the corner of the net.

The embarrassing defeat will put more pressure on coach Stephen Kenny, who has yet to steer Ireland to a victory in 10 games in charge.

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Jose Mourinho brushes off critics, says he’s still one of most important managers

Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho said he had learnt to turn a deaf ear to the criticism of his coaching methods and that he remains “one of the most important managers” in the game.

Mourinho started his managerial career with Benfica in 2000 and has since managed trophy-winning sides at Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Manchester United.

The Portuguese boss was hired to replace Mauricio Pochettino at Spurs because of his record of claiming trophies but finds himself under pressure with his team slipping to sixth in the Premier League after leading the table in November.

The north London club were also knocked out of the Europa League this month after losing 3-2 on aggregate to Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb in the round of 16.

“I don’t think anybody is going to discuss rocket science with the guys from NASA, with everybody around the world,” Mourinho said in a virtual event organised by the club’s sponsor.

“They think they can discuss football with one of the most important managers in the game. That’s the beauty of football.

“I got used to it. I appreciate that. So that’s fine for me.”

The 58-year-old said his supporters, whom he labelled ‘Mourinistas’, motivate him to bounce back from a difficult spell.

“I used to call them the Mourinistas, because in Portugal we use ‘ista’ in the end of the name of the club that we love, to express the support,” he said.

“I have so many Mourinistas around the world that I play for them.”

Spurs play away to Newcastle United in the English top-flight on April 4 after the international break.

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NGOLO KANTE SENT BACK TO CHELSEA FROM FRANCE CAMP DUE TO INJURY

Chelsea have suffered a big injury setback with N’Golo Kante sent home from the France camp after sustaining a hamstring injury on international duty.

The 29-year-old played the full 90 minutes of France France’s 1-1 draw with Ukraine on Wednesday but reported discomfort following the 2022 World Cup qualifier.

He underwent tests on Thursday, which revealed a minor hamstring injury and will now miss France’s matches against Kazakhstan and Bosnia on Sunday and Wednesday.

The French FA said in a statement that head coach Didier Deschamps had decided to send Kante back to Chelsea after consulting with medical staff.

“Kante will not be replaced,” the FFF added. “It is therefore a group of 25 players who will fly to Kazakhstan on Friday morning.”

Kante has started four of Chelsea’s last five league games and manager Thomas Tuchel will hope to have him fit in time for their Premier League match against West Brom on April 3.

A statement from Chelsea added: “Kante had clinical and radiological examinations on Thursday which revealed a small lesion, and he is heading back to Chelsea today.”

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GERMANY PLAYERS WEAR T-SHIRTS IN PROTEST AGAINST QATAR’S HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD

Germany players wore T-shirts to show support for Qatar migrant workers before their 2022 World Cup qualifying win over Iceland on Thursday.

The starting side each wore a black shirt with one letter in white on it that spelled out ‘Human rights’.

It follows Norway players wearing T-shirts bearing the message ‘Human rights on and off the pitch’ before facing Gibraltar on Wednesday.

The World Cup is scheduled to get under way in Qatar on 21 November next year.

“We have the World Cup coming up and there will be discussions about it,” said Germany midfielder Leon Goretzka, who scored his side’s opening goal in a 3-0 win in Duisburg.

“We wanted to show we are not ignoring that.

“We have a large reach and we can use it to set an example for the values we want to stand for.”

After Wednesday’s protest, football’s world governing body, Fifa, said Norway will not face “disciplinary proceedings”, adding that it “believes in the freedom of speech, and in the power of football as a force for good”.

A report in the Guardian last month

said 6,500 migrant workers have died in Qatar since the World Cup was awarded in 2010.

In response to that report, the Qatar organising committee said: “We deeply regret all of these tragedies and investigated each incident to ensure lessons were learned. We have always maintained transparency around this issue and dispute inaccurate claims around the number of workers who have died on our projects.”

The Qatari government said the “mortality rate among these communities is within the expected range for the size and demographics of the population”.

The country controversially beat rival bids from the United States, Australia, South Korea and Japan to host the tournament, with hundreds of thousands of construction workers arriving from overseas.

Qatar has been building seven new stadiums to stage the tournament, which has been moved to winter to avoid the country’s extreme summer heat.

Earlier this week, Amnesty International called on Fifa to press Qatar to honour promised labour reforms before the tournament.

In a four-page letter to Fifa president Gianni Infantino, the human rights organisation said “urgent and concrete action” was needed.

In response, the Qatar government said it “is committed to working closely with its international partners, including Amnesty International, to protect all workers and ensure the new laws are effectively implemented and enforced”.

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KEVIN DE BRUYNE STARS AS BELGIUM SEE OF WALES

Wales suffered an opening defeat in their 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign as Kevin De Bruyne’s brilliance proved the difference in a 3-1 win for Belgium in Leuven.

Harry Wilson stunned Belgium with a superbly-crafted 10th-minute goal, but the star-studded hosts were soon ahead as De Bruyne fired home from distance and then played a major part as Thorgan Hazard’s header gave them the lead.

Romelu Lukaku sealed victory for Group E favourites Belgium with a 73rd-minute penalty after Chris Mepham had needlessly brought down Dries Mertens.

Without manager Ryan Giggs, who has denied an allegation of assault, Wales faced what is on paper the most difficult challenge in international football – an away game with Belgium.

The Red Devils top the FIFA world rankings and entered World Cup qualifying unbeaten in competitive home matches since losing to Germany in September 2010.

Belgium also had the incentive of avenging their Euro 2016 quarter-final loss to Wales, a defeat which cost Roberto Martinez’s predecessor Marc Wilmots his job.

Seven players remained from that game in Lille – Thibaut Courtois, Thomas Meunier, Toby Alderweireld, De Bruyne and Lukaku for Belgium and Wales pair Joe Allen and Gareth Bale – as the two countries met for the sixth time in the last decade.

Wales were unbeaten in the last four meetings and caretaker boss Robert Page welcomed Allen back into the international fold.

The Stoke midfielder ruptured an Achilles tendon 12 months ago and had not played for Wales since November 2019.

Liverpool teenager Neco Williams also came into the side following November’s Nations League win over Finland, while Belgium’s major team news centred around Lukaku.

The former Manchester United striker had arrived late in camp following a coronavirus outbreak at his club Inter Milan. But Lukaku started and his presence encapsulated the size of the visitors’ task with his 57 international goals from 89 games being one more than the entire Wales squad.

Both sides took the knee before kick-off and Wales suffered an early blow as Allen’s international return lasted only seven minutes, an apparent hamstring injury ending his night prematurely.

But Wales were quickly ahead as a slick one-touch passing move opened up the Belgium defence. Bale fed the final pass into the stride of Wilson, who claimed his fifth international goal with aplomb.

Youri Tielemans’ shot was deflected wide and Lukaku somehow steered De Bruyne’s brilliant cross over the bar from two yards out as Belgium settled to their task.

De Bruyne continually drifted into dangerous positions and Wales were punished after 22 minutes when the Manchester City midfielder was allowed space to unleash a 25-yard shot, which flew in off a post.

Belgium continued to press and took the lead six minutes later as De Bruyne set up Meunier to cross from the right.

Connor Roberts slipped on the difficult surface and Hazard sent a powerful header past Danny Ward in the Wales goal.

Hazard sent another shot over and Wales were relieved to hear the half-time whistle still in the contest.

There was more intent about Wales after the interval as Bale almost tricked his way through a packed home defence before the Wales captain’s audacious overhead kick fell wide.

Daniel James was also off-target twice as Belgium sat back with almost half an eye on Saturday’s trip to the Czech Republic.

But the result was put beyond doubt as Lukaku’s spot-kick confirmed Wales’ first defeat in 12 competitive matches and left the Dragons playing catch-up in World Cup qualification.

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NICKY BUTT TO LEAVE MANCHESTER UNITED ROLE

Former Manchester United midfielder Nicky Butt is to step down as the club’s head of first-team development to pursue “a new professional challenge”.

Butt has spent nine years in coaching and player development positions at the club’s academy, playing a key role in overseeing the progress of the likes of Marcus Rashford, Scott McTominay, Axel Tuanzebe, Dean Henderson and Mason Greenwood into the first team.

“Having come through the academy myself to play almost 400 games for Manchester United, it has been an absolute privilege to come back and work with a new generation of talent making that same journey,” Butt told manutd.com.

“I’m proud of the role everyone on the staff plays in giving our young footballers the best possible chance of fulfilling their potential, and the results are clear to see in the increased number of homegrown players reaching the first team.

“I already know from my playing days how difficult it is to leave Manchester United, but it feels like the right moment for a new professional challenge and I look forward to exploring opportunities that build on the great experiences I’ve had here over the past nine years.”

Butt’s former United team-mate and current first-team manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer paid tribute to the work of the 46-year-old.

“Nicky will always be a legend of Manchester United as a six-time Premier League winner and, of course, an integral part of our treble-winning team,” he said.

“That pedigree has made him a great source of guidance and inspiration to our academy players since he returned to the club.

“We are all going to miss him around the Aon Training Complex but Nicky knows he will always be welcome back.”

Earlier this month United revamped their backroom set-up with John Murtough appointed to a new role of football director with former midfielder Darren Fletcher promoted to technical director.

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EX-FIFA PRESIDENT SEPP BLATTER BANNED FROM FOOTBALL UNTIL 2028

FIFA has slapped ex-president Sepp Blatter with an extended ban from football until 2028.

Disgraced Blatter has been hit with a new suspension of six years and eight months, while former FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke has received a similar ban, along with a fine of £780,000.

The punishments were for “various violations” of FIFA’s code of ethics.

The new bans start when the current suspensions of Blatter, 80 and 60-year-old Valcke end in October 2021 and October 2025 respectively.

A FIFA statement said: “The investigations into Messrs Blatter and Valcke covered various charges, in particular concerning bonus payments in relation to FIFA competitions that were paid to top FIFA management officials, various amendments and extensions of employment contracts, as well as reimbursement by FIFA of private legal costs in the case of Mr Valcke.”

Blatter was originally banned by FIFA for eight years, later reduced to six, over ethics breaches when he was found to have made a £1.3m “disloyal payment” to ex-UEFA boss Michel Platini.

Valcke, whose initial ban was reduced from 12 to 10 years, lost an appeal to CAS in July 2018 over his decade-long ban from football.

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ALPHONSO DAVIES BECOMES UNHCR AMBASSADOR

Alphonso Davies, the nascent Bayern Munich and Canada left-back, has become the first footballer ever to be a Global Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Davies has shot to prominence as one of the best young players in world football, the 20-year-old voted into last year’s UEFA Champions League squad of the season having made Bayern’s left-back spot his own on the way to the club’s second continental treble.

It wasn’t always such plain sailing for Davies, though, whose family left Liberia for Ghana as refugees before emigrating to Canada when the player was five years old.

“I’m proud to join the UN Refugee Agency as a Goodwill Ambassador,” Davies told unhcr.org. “My own experiences make me want to speak up for refugees, to share their stories and to help make a difference.

“Whilst the refugee camp provided a safe place for my family when they fled war, I often wonder where I would have been if I had stayed there and not benefited from the opportunities I got thanks to resettlement. I don’t think I would have made it to where I am today.”

Davies has featured in 27 games in all competitions for Bayern this season, but has been similarly busy away from the field, helping Canadian Government launch their Together for Learning campaign in February before connecting with three young refugees in Liberia, Canada and Germany – in a video launched by UNHCR in collaboration with 433 – in March.

“I want people to know about the importance of helping refugees, wherever they are, in camps or cities, in neighboring countries or countries of resettlement such as Canada,” Davies said.

“Refugees need our support to survive, but also access to education and sports, so they can fulfill their potential and truly thrive.”