Tag: World Cup Qualifiers

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CRISTIANO RONALDO SCORES 10TH PORTUGAL HAT-TRICK IN BIG WIN OVER LUXENMBOURG

A Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick helped Portugal stroll to a 5-0 win over Luxembourg in World Cup qualifying Group A on Tuesday.

The victory ensures Portugal remain a point behind group leaders Serbia, who moved onto 17 points with a 3-1 home win over Azerbaijan, and boast a game in hand as well as superior goal difference with two rounds of matches remaining.

The treble, which meant Ronaldo became the first man to net 10 international hat-tricks, takes his tally to 115 international goals from 182 caps as he continues to extend his lead as the top men’s international goalscorer of all-time.

Portugal had the game all but won within the opening 18 minutes as they raced to a three-goal lead. Ronaldo struck twice from the penalty spot in the 8th and 13th minutes: the first was awarded for a foul on Bernardo Silva by Sebastian Thill, though replays appeared to show the contact came outside the box.

For the second penalty, Ronaldo was fouled by goalkeeper Anthony Moris and after converting, he was forced to take it a second time as Andre Silva was judged to be encroaching in the area.

Five minutes later, Ronaldo’s Manchester United teammate, Bruno Fernandes, made it 3-0 as he fired in following good work from Bernardo Silva. Midfielder Joao Palhinha added a fourth with just over 20 minutes to go, converting from a corner after Ronaldo’s overhead kick effort was saved, before Ronaldo netted his 10th treble for his country — and his first in over two years — just three minutes from time with a header from close range, assisted by Ruben Neves.

Said Portugal manager Fernando Santos after the match, “we’ve achieved our first aim, which was to win this game. Now we have two more qualifiers left. We managed to restrain our rivals and take advantage of every situation to transform them into goalscoring opportunities.”

Fernandes, who scored Portugal’s third goal of the evening, was full of praise for his side’s performance. “Scoring always helps regardless of whether it’s early or not. We knew that Luxembourg, as time went by, would close themselves back and we had to start strong. That’s what we did.

“I think we had a complete game overall and the most important thing was the result.”

In the November window, Santos’s Portugal side travel to Ireland before then hosting Serbia in what could be a winner-takes-all fixture to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

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Depay double ensures easy win for Netherlands over Gibraltar

Memphis Depay scored twice and had a penalty saved as the Netherlands maintained their hold on World Cup qualifying Group G with a comfortable 6-0 win over Gibraltar.

Virgil van Dijk’s early header got the ball rolling, with Depay responding to Bradley Banda saving his spot-kick by finishing off a neat team move and scoring a second penalty as the Oranje went in at half-time with a commanding lead.

Denzel Dumfries wasted no time in adding to the scoreline in the second half, before substitutes Arnaut Danjuma and Donny Malen completed the scoring to condemn Gibraltar to an eighth defeat from eight.

The Netherlands can ill afford to slip up, with Norway two points behind them, but that was never likely here as Van Dijk opened the scoring inside nine minutes, losing his marker with ease and nodding Depay’s corner in at the near post.

Stefan de Vrij’s header was blocked in the box by the arm of Graeme Torrilla, with a penalty awarded following a VAR review, yet Depay’s spot-kick was at a nice height for Banda to make a convincing save.

The Gibraltar goalkeeper could do little two minutes later, however, as Noa Lang’s superb pass carved the visiting defence open and Davy Klaassen squared for Depay to tap in.

Banda made fine saves from Georginio Wijnaldum and De Vrij, but another handball – this time Julian Valarino blocking Steven Berghuis’ right-wing cross – gave Depay a second opportunity from the spot he would not pass up.

Dumfries made it 4-0 shortly after the restart, finding himself in the centre of the box to head in Lang’s left-wing cross, and a lull in the scoring was brought to an end 15 minutes from time when Wout Weghorst flicked on to Danjuma, who steered the ball into the bottom-left corner on the stretch.

Weghorst thought he had got his name on the scoresheet when he nodded over Banda but Roy Chipolina hacked off the line, with the sixth instead belonging to Malen after slick interplay involving Depay.

What does it mean? Netherlands in control of their own fate

The Netherlands maintained their gap at the top of Group G and are firmly in control of their World Cup qualification fate.

With two games left to play against Montenegro and second-placed Norway, Louis van Gaal’s side can cement their place at the tournament with just four more points.

Depay breaks Oranje scoring record

Depay has now scored more goals for the Netherlands in 2021 (14) than any other player has previously in a single calendar year, surpassing Patrick Kluivert’s previous record of 12 in 2000.

The Barcelona forward was not deterred by his 19th-minute penalty being saved, scoring the goal that broke the record two minutes later and making amends with his second spot-kick at the end of the first half. Depay finished an extremely lively outing with seven shots, eight chances created and two assists.

Goals flowing for Van Gaal’s Netherlands

The Netherlands have scored four or more goals in three consecutive home games for the first time in 20 years, with the last instance coming in 2001, also under Van Gaal.

With 29 goals in just eight games, the Oranje are the leading scorers in European qualifying so far.

What’s next?

The Netherlands travel to face Montenegro on November 13, while Gibraltar play Turkey away from home on the same day.

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Werner brace helps secure World Cup spot

Timo Werner scored a double as Germany became the first team to qualify for the 2022 World Cup thanks to a 4-0 win over North Macedonia in Monday’s Group J clash.

Hansi Flick’s side – who have now won all five games under their new head coach – seized the early initiative at the Tose Proeski Arena, with Timo Werner denied by the woodwork as the visitors registered 15 first-half shots.

However, Kai Havertz broke the deadlock after 50 minutes before Werner added a quickfire double to put the game out of the hosts’ reach.

Jamal Musiala then added a late fourth and, with Armenia dropping points against Romania, Germany claimed an unassailable eight-point lead at the summit to qualify for Qatar 2022.

Havertz teed up both Joshua Kimmich and Thomas Muller in the opening stages but neither could beat Stole Dimitrievski with headers, before Darko Velkovski nodded wide at the other end.

Serge Gnabry then poked narrowly wide and Werner, who was earlier denied from point-blank range by Dimitrievski, struck the left-hand post as Germany failed to make their 76.5 per cent first-half possession pay.

Flick’s team, however, opened the scoring after the interval as Muller raced onto Gnabry’s throughball before squaring for Havertz to tap into an empty net.

Werner was unfortunate to not double the lead after a ricochet off the North Macedonia goalkeeper 10 minutes later, but the Chelsea forward made amends.

Muller collected his second assist as he slotted through for Werner, who rifled an unstoppable right-footed volley into the bottom-right corner before curling into the same corner three minutes later following Florian Wirtz’s offload.

Gnabry should have added a fourth but he could only volley over from Muller’s chipped pass, though Musiala latched onto fellow substitute Karim Adeyemi’s ball to roll into the bottom-right corner and seal the victory.

What does it mean? Flick maintains perfect start as Germany secure World Cup berth

Flick won all there was to win with Bayern Munich and has carried on in a similar fashion with the national team, triumphing in his opening five games as Germany have scored 18 and conceded just once.

His perfect start has culminated in Die Mannschaft becoming the first team – barring host nation Qatar – to confirm their place at next year’s World Cup, while North Macedonia sit a point behind second-placed Romania with two games to go in the group stage.

Magical Muller

Germany outshot their opponents 24-7 and could have scored more but most of their creativity should be credited to Muller.

The Bayern Munich star made a game-high six key passes – three more than any team-mate and as many as the North Macedonia team combined – and registered five shots of his own in a dominant display.

Awful Alioski

Ezgjan Alioski endured a torrid outing against Germany’s wealth of attackers as he occupied the left-back spot.

The former Leeds United man won just over a third of his eight duels, gave away possession a game-leading 22 times and completed less than half of his 17 attempted passes.

What’s next?

Germany return to World Cup qualifying action on November 11 as they host Liechtenstein, while North Macedonia travel to Armenia on the same day.

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NIGERIA AVENGE LAGOS DEFEAT AT CENTRAL AFRICA REPUBLIC TO STAY TOP OF WCQ GROUP

Nigeria gained revenge over the Central African Republic on Sunday with a 2-0 win while Tunisia moved closer to winning their group and advancing to the last phase of Africa’s World Cup qualification.

Tanzania upset Benin 1-0 away to take a slim lead in Group J while Mali and Uganda both won to keep up their tussle in Group E.

Nigeria had lost at home on Thursday to the Central African Republic in a shock defeat that was their first in 39 World Cup qualifiers stretching back to 2004.

But they won the reverse fixture in Douala, Cameroon with Leon Balogun and Victor Osimhen scoring in the first half.

Balogun made up for the slip that allowed the Central African Republic to score in the last minute in Lagos on Thursday. He met a Moses Simon cross to finish unmarked at the back post in the 29th minute.

Nigeria have a two-point advantage in Group C over the Cape Verde Islands, who were 1-0 home winners over Liberia in Mindelo on Sunday. For the second time in three days, they beat the Liberians with a last-gasp winner, this time from captain Ryan Mendes.

Tanzania top Group J after beating Benin 1-0 away just three days after losing to the same team at home. Simon Msuva cracked home a long-range shot after six minutes to advance his country to seven points, ahead of Benin on goals scored.

The Democratic Republic of Congo, who are the group favourites, are two points back after losing 1-0 away in Madagascar on Sunday.

Ibrahima Kone took his goal tally in World Cup qualification to four as he scored for Mali in their 1-0 win away against Kenya in Nairobi to stay two points clear of Uganda in the Group E standings. Uganda won 1-0 at home to Rwanda with Fahad Aziz Bayo scoring.

Tunisia lost their 100% record in Group B after being held to a goalless draw in Mauritania but they are three points clear of second-placed Equatorial Guinea, who drew 1-1 away in Zambia.

Five more African qualifiers will be played on Monday. The winner of each of the 10 groups advances to March’s playoff where the five ties will be played over two legs with the aggregate winner qualifying for the World Cup finals.

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FIRE BREAKS OUT AT ANDORRA STADIUM AHEAD OF ENGLAND’S WORLD CUP QUALIFIER

A fire broke out at Andorra’s national stadium on ahead of Saturday’s World Cup qualifier against England.

The Three Lions are in the Pyrenees ahead of Saturday evening’s Group I clash against the side ranked 156th in the world.

The visitors trained at the Estadi Nacional on Friday lunchtime, before manager Gareth Southgate and stand-in skipper Kieran Trippier faced the media.

Shortly after they left the 3,300-capacity stadium a spectacular fire broke out on the TV gantry, with black smoke filling the air as flames ripped through the structure.

One onlooker told the PA news agency that welders were working there before the blaze.

Stadium staff tried to get the fire under control with the pitch sprinklers before the fire brigade arrived. Police were also in attendance, along with UEFA and Andorran Football Federation staff.

The Football Association is trying to ascertain if there is any impact on Saturday evening’s qualifier in Andorra la Valle.

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BILLY GILMOUR NAMED IN SCOTLAND SQUAD FOR WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS

Ardrossan’s Billy Gilmour returns to the Scotland squad for next month’s pivotal FIFA World Cup Qualification matches against Israel and the Faroe Islands.

Fresh from two consecutive wins against Moldova and Austria that have left Scotland sitting in second place – and, importantly, with the vital play-off spot in their own hands – Three Towns’ man Steve Clarke’s side now welcome familiar foes Israel to Hampden on October 9 before flying to the Faroe Islands three days later.

The Three Towns lad picked up the Star of the Match award on his competitive debut against England at Wembley in Euro 2020 in June before a positive Covid 19 test ruled him out of the Croatia match.

Gilmour was exceptional once again as Scotland recorded a 1-0 win over second seeds Austria in a Qatar 2022 qualifier in Vienna last month.

The home side now sit in the second spot in the group, four points clear of Austria and one point above next opponents Israel.

The match on October 9 will be a repeat of Scotland’s EURO 2020 play-off semi-final against Israel which was played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Tickets for the match are sold out.

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WCQ: Germany clicks in Flick’s 2nd game to thrash Armenia

Midfielder Serge Gnabry scored two early goals as Germany rediscovered their form in front of goal to hammer Armenia 6-0 on Sunday and go top of World Cup qualifying Group J with 12 points from five games.

After Germany’s attack struggled in a laboured 2-0 win over Liechtenstein on Thursday, Gnabry netted twice in the opening 15 minutes with Marco Reus and Timo Werner both scoring before the break as they dismantled the Armenian defence with clever passing and deft flicks.

Jonas Hofmann added a fifth seven minutes after the break with a low bouncing drive, and substitute Karim Adeyemi put the icing on the cake with a goal on his international debut to make it 6-0 in second-half stoppage time.

The win means the Germans leap-frog Armenia to the top of the group, with their visitors now two points behind in second spot. Romania are third on nine points, one ahead of North Macedonia.

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GUINEA-MORROCO WORLD CUP QUALIFIER POSTPONED AFTER CONAKRY COUP D’ETAT

Morocco’s national team have been evacuated from the Guinean capital Conakry and their World Cup qualifier against Guinea has been postponed because of a coup d’etat in the West African country.

The Morocco camp boarded a plane after CAF released a statement confirming that the game will not take place.

Morocco goalkeeper Anas Zniti, who is with the team in Conakry, confirmed that the squad are doing well, although they have witnessed the deteriorating security situation in the city, with midfielder Sofyan Amrabat sharing footage of military forces on the streets in his Instagram story.

The Morocco team have been told to remain inside their residence for the time being, and to stay away from windows and doorways.

“The current political and security situation in Guinea is quite volatile and is being closely monitored by FIFA and CAF,” the Confederation of African Football said in a statement.

“To ensure the safety and security of all players and to protect all match officials, FIFA and CAF have decided to postpone the FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifying match Guinea vs. Morocco, which had scheduled to be hosted in Conakry, Guinea, on Monday Sept. 6 Rescheduling information will be made available at a later date.”

Morocco trained in Guinea on Saturday shortly before the reported coup d’etat began, with hours of gunfire being heard in Conakry — in the vicinity of the presidential palace — according to the BBC.

Before the postponement was announced, Morocco coach Vahid Halilhodzic told French newspaper L’Equipe: “We’re at the hotel, gunshots can be heard nearby all day. We’re waiting for permission to leave for the airport but we’re stranded for now.

“A plane is waiting for us, but we are not allowed to leave. And to get to the airport, it takes between 45 minutes to an hour. When you hear gunshots outside, safety is not 100% guaranteed.”

He added: “I was told there was a possibility that the game would be played in Morocco, but I don’t know. For now we’re stuck there, let’s see how it goes. We wait. I hope we get back to Morocco before the end of the day.”

While Guinea’s defence minister has said that the coup d’etat has not been successful, the fate of President Alpha Conde remains uncertain. Reports have shown verified images from the Guinean capital which depict corpses on the city’s streets.

A statement released to the press issued by the “National Front for the Defence of the Constitution” — the coalition of parties opposing the ongoing presidency — has confirmed that the president has been detained.

Residents in the district of Kaloum have been told to remain indoors, while the military are still present in the streets and have taken control of the country’s land and air borders.

This prompted Air Senegal, which flew some of Guinea’s Europe-based players to Conakry, to cancel Sunday’s proposed flights out of the Guinean capital. The decision may raise concerns about the ability of Liverpool’s Naby Keita — among others — to return to Europe.

Morocco traveled to the country on a special chartered jet.

The four Cameroonian match officials designated to oversee Monday’s fixture are also still in the country, with African football’s governing body yet to confirm how they will exit the country.

Achraf Hakimi of Paris Saint-Germain, Benfica’s Adel Taarabt, Wolves defender Romain Saiss and Sevilla duo Yassine Bounou and Youssef En-Nesyri are some of the high-profile players currently in the Morocco camp.

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JESSE LINGARD HITS BRACE AS ENGLAND THRASH ANDORRA 4-0 IN WORLD CUP QUALIFIER

England cruised to a comfortable 4-0 win over Andorra at Wembley on Sunday to extend their lead at the top of World Cup qualifying Group I.

Jesse Lingard scored twice and goals from Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka helped Gareth Southgate’s side make it five wins from five matches in the group.

It was the first game England played at Wembley since losing the Euro 2020 final on penalties to Italy in July.

Before the match, England supporters unveiled a banner in support of Marcus Rashford, Saka and Jadon Sancho after they suffered racist abuse following missing the penalties in the shootout.

Southgate made 11 changes to the side that secured a 4-0 win at Hungary on Thursday with Patrick Bamford and goalkeeper Sam Johnstone making their international debuts.

England dominated from the start and took the lead after 18 minutes when Saka set up Lingard inside the box to score low into the bottom corner.

Lingard thought he doubled the lead moments later but his goal was disallowed for offside as Andorra failed to pose a threat in the first half.

Four minutes into the second half, England almost grabbed a second when Reece James saw a thunderous shot rattle the crossbar.

The hosts were awarded a penalty after 70 minutes when Mason Mount was fouled in the area and Kane converted from the spot.

Lingard scored his second with a nice curling effort eight minutes later while Saka scored England’s fourth from Trent Alexander-Arnold’s quick corner.

“The perfect birthday present for me,” Saka told ITV on the day of his 20th birthday. “I am really happy we got the win and I can celebrate my birthday with this.

“I am really happy with the reception everyone gave me, it shows how proud they are of me and that meant a lot. It means a lot, it really made a difference for me. Even now I can hear fans chanting my name. It means everything to me that I know they support me.

“This is what I dream about, playing at Wembley in front of my family and this crowd.”

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FIFA PROBES RACIST ABUSE OF ENGLAND PLAYERS IN HUNGARY

After England players faced racial abuse in Hungary, FIFA said Friday it will take “adequate actions” once it has investigated the incidents.

The statement from FIFA stopped short of directly condemning Hungary fans for the abuse, which included monkey chanting, in Thursday night’s World Cup qualifier at Puskas Arena in Budapest. England won 4-0.

“FIFA strongly rejects any form of racism and violence and has a very clear zero tolerance stance for such behavior in football,” world soccer’s governing body said. ”FIFA will take adequate actions as soon as it receives match reports concerning yesterday’s Hungary-England game.”

Hungary had recently been ordered to play two matches without fans but the sanction from UEFA didn’t take effect for the visit of England because the game was under FIFA’s jurisdiction.

The racist abuse has been condemned by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has been criticized for his own racially offensive comments in the past.

“It is completely unacceptable that England players were racially abused in Hungary last night,” Johnson said on Twitter. “I urge (FIFA) to take strong action against those responsible to ensure that this kind of disgraceful behaviour is eradicated from the game for good.”

England’s players were jeered for taking a knee, pelted with plastic cups after goals and then targeted with alleged racist chants.

Pitch-side reporters for domestic broadcasters ITV and Sky Sports said they saw and heard individuals among the Hungary supporters behind one of the goals aim monkey chants at Raheem Sterling and unused substitute Jude Bellingham, who are Black. Sky Sports showed video footage of one spectator giving the abuse.

The game was played in front of a crowd of 60,000 mostly Hungarian fans about two months after UEFA ordered the team to play three matches without fans — one of which was suspended for a probationary period of two years — as a punishment for what was termed “discriminatory” behavior by its supporters at all three of its Euro 2020 group games.

Those behind-closed-doors games have to be in UEFA competition, though. World Cup qualifiers are organized by FIFA.