Global Futbol Matches December 17th to 30th, 2018A Chapter by Steve ClarkDecember 17 to December 30, 2018
Match Day Three of the Nations League wrapped up 2018 this week.
In the Pacific, Palau had the more shots, but it was Tuvalu who scored the
solitary goal to give room for promotion to the top Oceanian League. In Africa, it was clear of Libya’s intent to rebuild their side
after the World Cup, losing heavily to the Cape Verde Islands 4-nil, which
included two late netters. Benin scored twice in ten minutes through substitute
Bessan to wrestle a win against Malawi. In League C, Madagascar dominated the
middle of the park over Burkina Faso; however, they lacked the attacking
prowess to win the match. The Gambia scored their first goal for the tournament, leaving
their home ground with a draw against Angola. The same can be said for the
Congo, who could not bring about a win at home against the Central African
Republic. Botswana’s Kobe scored twice again in a Nations League match inside
the first 22 minutes to help his side win 3-1 over Equatorial Guinea. This sets
up a tight contest for teams to remain in League C between Equatorial Guinea
and eSwatini, who play against one another in the New Year. Uganda received
their first win as they beat Mauritius on their home turf. Uganda now has five
points from three games. Hot on their heels are Zimbabwe and Tanzania; the
former defeated the latter 3-nil at home to record their first win and allow
both sides to sit on four points each at the halfway mark of the Nations
League. In the Americas, Venezuela’s approach against Uruguay was to
attack, and attack they did. This tactic paid off as they scored eventually,
only to be thwarted by Lodeiro’s 88th-minute equaliser. Jamaica
employed a similar mindset as they hosted a second-string Argentinean side,
where they scored just before halftime. Argentina needed substitute Dybala to
draw level, leaving both sides on four points after three games. A vastly
different team makeup for both St Vincent and the Grenadines and Mexico from
the World Cup met in the Caribbean, where Mexico snatched the three points. Vidal
had two chances to win the game for Chile against Peru, only for one to hit the
woodwork and the other to be saved. Peru, now with two away draws, is ideally
positioned at the halfway mark of the Nations League. In League B, Nazon kept up the record of scoring in each game as
the Haitians held off a late-charging Canadian side. The Haitians now have
seven points from three games and will rival the Canadians in reaching the top
league. On the bottom of Americas Group B4 is El Salvador, after losing 1-nil
to the Turks and Caicos Islands. Nicaragua always had an answer for every time
the Cayman Islands scored, leaving the Caribbean with a two-all draw. Shamari
Mark’s hat trick on the stroke of the hour mark was the catalyst for Grenada’s
solid win over Guyana, who are still without a single point after three
matches. Honduras is undefeated as their substitute Chirinos produced an
injury-time winner over Belize. Behind them on the table by five points is St
Kitts and Nevis, who secured second place at the halfway stage by winning 3-0
over Curacao. Meanwhile, in Asia League C, Palestine had the upper hand over
Bhutan and scored twice to win away. Three Lebanese goals by halftime had the
game secured against Yemen, and thus stealing first placing in Group C2 from
their opponents thanks to a better goal difference. In the clash for bottom
place, Malaysia went one better and scored at either end of both halves,
annihilating a poor-performing Indonesia. In Europe League D, Montenegro sent word to the other teams in League
D1 they deserve to rise to the above League after cruising to a three-nil
victory over Moldova. This potential promotion was helped by Estonia’s two-nil
win over San Marino. Iceland finally pulled their first win after Sigþórsson’s
injury-time winner the difference between them and Gibraltar. Their
counterparts Andorra collected their second win (and first place) by scoring
three times in the first half against Luxembourg, including an own goal, and a
brace from Marc Vales. Lastly, in Africa League D, Eritrea bounced back from their 7-1
loss in the World Cup Qualifiers against Lesotho to defeat the Seychelles 3-1,
although the away team should have equalised and made the scoreline 2-2, before
substitute Semir Edris sealed the win for the Eritreans. On the other hand,
Lesotho seemed to have a hangover from their progression in World Cup qualification,
as they could not find a way past the defence of Guinea-Bissau at home. In
fact, it was the away team that seemed most likely to score, with their best
chance, a penalty by Piqueti, skied over the goal. The Under 17 Women’s World Cup Qualifiers continued this week.
Nations compete against other nations geographically close by, with some
exceptions. The World Cup is set to feature in November/December 2019.
© 2019 Steve Clark |
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Added on January 27, 2019 Last Updated on January 27, 2019 AuthorSteve ClarkAdelaide, South Australia, AustraliaAboutA free spirited educator who dabbles in the art of writing novels and articles. more..Writing
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