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July 12th to 18th, 2021 (World Cup Qualifiers [Europe])A Chapter by Steve Clark The following article provides an oversight for matches and tournaments taking place in 2021. July 12th to 18th, 2021 (World Cup Qualifiers [Europe])World Cup Qualifiers The fourth match of World Cup Qualification in Europe took place this week.
Group B’s leader, Denmark, ensured a place in the playoffs with a 1-0 victory over Andorra. Denmark dominated with a new-look side from start to finish, though only Mathias Jensen’s header off a corner separated the two nations. Chances were aplenty for the host nation; the post and Andorra’s goalkeeper, Josep Gómes, kept the ball away from goal.
Sweden’s Emil Forsberg scored a brace in their match against Belarus to add to his goal from March. Belarus, however, managed to score in between Forsberg’s goals via Dmitri Antilevski as the midfielders dominated the scoring. Albin Ekdal joined the fray as he secured the three points for Sweden in the 88th minute with a goal from outside the box.
In news of the race to the World Cup, Andorra has no chance of making it to Qatar.
Russia had seventeen shots to two against Montenegro in their July match, and it seemed Aleksey Miranchuk’s goal in the ninth minute would be the difference on the day. However, Stevan Jovetić scored in the 80th minute to draw level and keep Group D close together.
Israel, meanwhile, cancelled out their previous Turkish encounter with a 3-1 win at home. Eran Zahavi scored a brace, including the second off a rebounding save. Earlier, newcomer Halil Dervişoğlu made the scores level with a fighting goal. Israel would not be perturbed, and Zahavi had that rebound goal, before substitute Ofir Davidzada chipped the Turkish goalkeeper to ensure victory with his first touch off the bench.
In Group F, France needed a win over Luxembourg and breezed through the first half with three goals from Antoine Griezmann, Kingsley Coman and Paul Pogba. The scoreline should have been more, though Luxembourg held firm and did not let another goal in for 59 minutes.
Northern Ireland dominated the first half against Finland, with near goals aplenty, including a poster by Jamal Lewis. However, all that hard work came to nought when Teemu Pukki pegged a goal right before the break. With backs to the wall, Northern Ireland worked tirelessly, and finally Shayne Lavery equalised with twenty minutes remaining. Late in the match, Lavery also hit the post, the same as Lewis, only for the ball to bounce away from goal. A win was not to be, and Finland celebrated a vital draw, leaving them second in the group.
Meanwhile, Luxembourg has no chance of progressing to the World Cup.
Poland needed a win over Liechtenstein to remain in the Group H hunt for the playoffs, and though Robert Lewandowski had seven shots throughout the match, Liechtenstein’s defence held firm. Finally, in the 83rd minute, substitute Jakub Moder rose above the rest to head home a corner. Lewandowski then pounced on a goalkeeping parry but did need two shots before the ball entered the goal area. Liechtenstein’s substitute Noah Frick did peg back a goal just before the end, though it was not enough as Poland won 2-1.
In the fight for top spot, North Macedonia hosted the Faroe Islands. The North Macedonians had all the play of the first half, until additional time brought a Brandur Hendriksson Olsen goal for the Faroes, with the midfielder found alone near the penalty spot from a cutback pass. North Macedonia brought on stalwart striker Goran Pandev, possibly in his farewell match, sooner than anticipated. The move paid off as Pandev scored with seconds left in additional time with his left boot.
That draw has bottled-necked the top of Group H, with all three 2018 World Cup participants in with a chance of making the playoffs. Liechtenstein, meanwhile, bow out of contention after their loss to Poland.
Bosnia-Herzegovina needed to bounce back from their 6-1 drubbing against Portugal in their last encounter. Seven goals were scored once again as the Bosnians decided attack was the best approach. Edin Džeko scored twice for the hosts in the first half, only for Portugal to peg back each goal within minutes. First, Cristiano Ronaldo curled with his right into the corner of the goal. Then, as halftime neared, André Silva headed home a corner, before giving his side the lead after the break with a low left footer. Džeko combined with Ermedin Demirović one minute later to draw the scores level at 3-3, before the star Bosnian striker nailed a penalty in the 88th minute after Portugal were found to handball the ball in the box.
Greece came from behind to defeat Malta at home. Two penalties were given; the first was on the Greek goalkeeper, Odisseas Vlachodimos, despite him handling the ball in the contest. Paul Mbong made no mistake from the spot. Evangelos Pavlidis then brought the game level after one too many of Malta’s blocks hit the hand. In the 89th minute, Anastasios Douvikas broke down the Maltese defence to finally score in free play, gifting Greece the three points and a lead in Group J.
In Group L, Italy backed up their 5-0 win over San Marino with another 3-0 win against their internal neighbours. Ciro Immobile and Lorenzo Insigne both scored in the first half, before the two combined to grant the hosts a third. The scoreline should have been greater had it not been for San Marino’s back five constantly blocking shot after shot. Still, the Italians were content with the result overall, particularly with guaranteeing a spot in the playoffs.
Switzerland defeated Romania to edge closer to the playoffs as well, with Hans Seferović and Remo Freuler scoring braces. Romania’s Dennis Man pegged back a goal after the score was 2-0, but from that moment on, Switzerland dominated with Player of the Match Steven Zuber providing all four assists, scoring two more to place them in second place, and another win will gift them a top-two placing.
On Saturday, Group C saw Armenia host Spain, hoping to gain a win. However, when Morata scored early as he had done in their previous encounter, Spain looked like winning by a big margin again. It was not to be, as the match was played mostly in the middle of the park. Spain came away with the solitary-goal win.
Georgia tried to bounce back from their 2-1 loss against Lithuania; however, the game ended in a scoreless draw as neither side could find a way to goal. Lithuania doubled down in defence in the second half, not allowing Georgia’s extra attempts past. The closest came when Giorgi Zaria’s chip over the goalkeeper hit the inside of the post, only to not cross the line before it was cleared.
Lithuania can still take top spot from Spain, and Georgia has an outsider’s chance of reaching second place. Georgia, however, must win away to Spain and hope Lithuania lose or draw against Armenia.
Group G’s Ireland hosted Bulgaria in a tight match, where Ireland needed to win to take second place. Neither side looked settled early, until Ireland started to ramp up their attacks. However, Bulgaria caught the home side unawares twice, ending in Atanas Iliev’s brace on counterattacks. Ireland’s Callum Robinson pegged back a goal with his head in the 58th minute, and had a chance thirty minutes later, only to fire his header over the bar. Instead, Bulgaria solidified second place in the group.
The Netherlands confirmed their place in the World Cup playoffs with a 1-0 victory over Kazakhstan. Donyell Malen scored a deft header off a corner in the first half, and though the Dutch dominated the match, that was the only goal that ensued. Still, the hosts were content with the result, and will look to guarantee top spot with a result against Ireland in October.
Belgium needed a point at least against the Ukraine with all three points going the way of the home side to this point, as the latter fought for top spot in the group. Instead, Belgium went one better and scored the only goal for the match. The front three of Belgium had Romelu Lukaku playing more as a midfielder, as he set the ball to Eden Hazard and his partner Dries Mertens, both further up the field. Hazard and Mertens nearly produced the same outcome in the second half, but the first-half goal to Mertens was enough to gain the three points.
Luka Jović sent Serbia equal top of Group K with an injury-time winner against Azerbaijan. Both sides had chances to score throughout the match; Azerbaijan with two early chances, and Serbia with more in the second half. However, the hosts struggled against the 5-4-1 formation of Azerbaijan, and it was only the through balls that found the necessary gaps. That gap proved vital as substitute Jović ran in behind the defensive line and shot with his right foot, gifting Serbia the vital three points.
On Sunday, Leroy Sané scored in the 87th minute to help Germany overcome a staunch Albanian side. The hosts peppered the goal across both halves, with the Albanian goalkeeper, Etrit Berisha, keeping the ball out of the net. It took Sané’s left footer along the ground to prove the difference on the day, giving Germany the lead in Group A.
Norway dominated possession in the first half against Scotland, culminating in a header goal for Mohamed Elyounoussi right before the break. Norway ramped up the pressure in the second half but ran out of legs as they failed to find a second goal. That Scotland loss means they cannot mathematically make the playoffs, while Germany, Albania and Norway all can still make it with two matches left.
Hungary claimed second place in Group E with a 4-0 drubbing of Wales at home. Both Ádáms Nagy and Szalai chipped the Welsh goalkeeper in the first half, before Szabolcs Schön scored in his opening World Cup Qualifiers match. Schön could have snagged a brace in the second half, only to hit the post. Instead, Szalai headed home his second goal to bring Wales totally to their knees with a real chance of not progressing to the playoffs.
Jasmin Kurtič scored in additional time to help Slovenia overcome a staunch Estonia. The Slovenians hit the post twice in the first half, and as the match deepened, it seemed the visitors would gain a vital point. It was not to be, as the midfielder finished off a well-fought goal to gift the hosts the three points.
Mathematically, Estonia can still make the playoffs, but will need to defeat Wales and Hungary by a grand margin to have any chance.
Jadon Sancho scored in the 23rd minute against Croatia in Group I, continuing England’s perfect record in the Qualifiers. Croatia certainly had their chances, but it was England who snagged their opportunity as Sancho volleyed a cross into the back of the net. Croatia only had one shot on target out of eight.
Cyprus had no answer for Kosovo as the visitors scored twice to edge closer to the playoff positions. Subsitute Florent Muslija popped home a choice goal, while Vedat Muriqi shot from long range. In the end, the Cypriots came up short, and remain without a single point.
In Group M, Vladimír Darida snagged a penalty in the 59th minute for the Czech Republic after an Icelandic defender rose his hand to defend his header. Earlier, the Czechs hit the woodwork twice in the first half, only to not make the most of their 59% possession. The hosts continued to pepper the goals late; the Icelandic goalkeeper, Hannes Halldórsson, managed to keep the shots out of the net.
Michal Ďuriš helped keep Slovakia’s perfect record intact as he nailed the only goal for the match in the 65th minute against Austria. The home ground advantage certainly helped Austria come away with more efforts on goal; this was not their day.
The Slovakians have guaranteed top spot with two games to spare and will see the other three nations battle for the vital second place.
© 2023 Steve Clark |
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Added on November 15, 2023 Last Updated on November 15, 2023 Author
Steve ClarkAdelaide, South Australia, AustraliaAboutA free spirited educator who dabbles in the art of writing novels and articles. more..Writing
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