Football (soccer) friendly games and quali. for WC 2006

Croatia - Israel 1:0

Slovenia - Serbia/Montenegro 1:1

Your comment to your countrys game ?

I don't know. They played without few crucial players, but, still, I think they played too poor.

results today



Azerbaijan (0)1 - 1(0) Wales
Rep_of_Ireland (2)3 - 0(0) Cyprus
Northern_Ireland (0)0 - 3(2) Poland
Azerbaijan 1-1 Wales

Fri
Holland (1)3 - 0(0) Liechtenstein



Austria 2:2 England

08/09
Grp 1 Andorra 1 - 5 Romania
Grp 1 Netherlands 2 - 0 Czech Republic
Grp 1 Armenia 0 - 2 Finland
Grp 2 Georgia 2 - 0 Albania
Grp 2 Kazakhstan 1 - 2 Ukraine
Grp 2 Greece 0 - 0 Turkey
Grp 3 Luxembourg 3 - 4 Latvia
Grp 3 Slovakia 7 - 0 Liechtenstein
Grp 3 Portugal 4 - 0 Estonia
Grp 4 Faroe Islands 0 - 2 France
Grp 4 Switzerland 1 - 1 Republic of Ireland
Grp 4 Israel 2 - 1 Cyprus
Grp 5 Scotland 0 - 0 Slovenia
Grp 5 Norway 1 - 1 Belarus
Grp 5 Moldova 0 - 1 Italy
Grp 6 Wales 2 - 2 Northern Ireland
Grp 6 Austria 2 - 0 Azerbaijan
Grp 6 Poland 1 - 2 England
Grp 7 Lithuania 4 - 0 San Marino
Grp 7 Bosnia-Herzegovina 1 - 1 Spain
Grp 8 Sweden 0 - 1 Croatia
Grp 8 Hungary 3 - 2 Iceland

09/10

Grp 1 Czech Republic 1 - 0 Romania
Grp 1 Finland 3 - 1 Armenia
Grp 1 F.Y.R. Macedonia 2 - 2 Netherlands
Grp 2 Ukraine 1 - 1 Greece
Grp 2 Turkey 4 - 0 Kazakhstan
Grp 2 Albania 0 - 2 Denmark
Grp 3 Luxembourg 0 - 4 Russia
Grp 3 Slovakia 4 - 1 Latvia
Grp 3 Liechtenstein 2 - 2 Portugal
Grp 4 Cyprus 2 - 2 Faroe Islands
Grp 4 Israel 2 - 2 Switzerland
Grp 4 France 0 - 0 Republic of Ireland 09/10
Grp 5 Scotland 0 - 1 Norway
Grp 5 Belarus 4 - 0 Moldova
Grp 5 Slovenia 1 - 0 Italy
Grp 6 England 2 - 0 Wales
Grp 6 Austria 1 - 3 Poland
Grp 6 Azerbaijan 0 - 0 Northern Ireland
Grp 7 Bosnia-Herzegovina 0 - 0 Serbia and Montenegro
Grp 7 Spain 2 - 0 Belgium
Grp 8 Sweden 3 - 0 Hungary
Grp 8 Malta 0 - 0 Iceland
Grp 8 Croatia 2 - 2 Bulgaria

friendly match on Saturday and benefit game for the earthquake victims in Bam (Iran) last year. ( The DFB,German Football Association, spend one million €.)

Iran - Germany 0:2

Germany played efficiently and won deserved. :-)

The favourite teams hit back, apart from Spain.

Results of very interesting games :

Andorra 1-0 F.Y.R. Macedonia
Latvia 2-2 Estonia
Bulgaria 4-1 Malta
Iceland 1-4 Sweden
Norway 3-0 Slovenia
Ukraine 2-0 Georgia
Republic of Ireland 2-0 Faroe Islands
Wales 2-3 Poland
Northern Ireland 3-3 Austria
Luxembourg 0-4 Liechtenstein
Kazakhstan 0-1 Albania
Denmark 1-1 Turkey

Serbia and Montenegro 5-0 San Marino
Armenia 0-3 Czech Republic
Netherlands 3-1 Finland
Moldova 1-1 Scotland
Italy 4-3 Belarus
Portugal 7-1 Russia
Lithuania 0-0 Spain
Azerbaijan 0-1 England
Cyprus 0-2 France

A bit of Concacaf news:

We are on the second phase. 12 teams alive, 21 already eliminated. 3 1/2 World Cup berths.
The 12 teams are divided in 3 groups: the best two go to the final round. The best 3 go directly to Germany, the fourth will play Oceania (I think).

On Group 1, the USA will qualify. Jamaica and Panama fight for the other spot, El Salvador is not mathematically eliminated, but almost.

On Group 2, Canada is out; the 2 spots are fought between Costa Rica, Honduras and Guatemala.

On Group 3, the easiest one, Mexico has already qualified. Trinidad-Tobago will be second. St. Kitts and St. Vincent have no chance.

Mexico's results, so far:

Phase 1:
Bye
Phase 2:
Dominica 0, Mexico 10
Mexico 10, Dominica 0
Phase 3, so far:
Trinidad Tobago 1, Mexico 3
Mexico 7, St. Vincent 0
St. Vincent 0, Mexico 1 (a great result for them)
Mexico 3, Trinidad Tobago 0

So the 3 1/2 spots will come from the usual folk:
USA
Mexico
Jamaica (probably)
Costa Rica (probably)
Honduras (probably)
Trinidad Tobago (unlikely)
Guatemala (unlikely)
Panama (unlikely)

Concacaf: too many countries, too little football.

Honduras 0, Guatemala 1.

Guatemala qualifies for the next round.
Now Honduras has to beat Costa Rica by 3 goals.

USA 6, Panama 0.

The US team is in.
Panama needs to beat El Salvador and expect the USA to defeat Jamaica.

Andorra 1-0 F.Y.R. Macedonia
Armenia 0-3 Czech Republic
Netherlands 3-1 Finland

A sensational result for Andorra. Macedonia aren't huge, but they held the Netherlands to a 2-2 draw a mere five days earlier, and they are over 50 places above the Pyrenian minnows. "We've put our country on the map," said the goalkeeper Koldo Alvarez. And it might not just stop there for Andorra. There are still two matches against Armenia to be played, and they will be hoping to pick up some points there. The Netherlands got back on track with a 3-1 defeat of second-placed Finland. The Czech Republic are well in there, after they defeating bottom-placed Armenia 3-0. Group 1 is a very open group indeed.

Ukraine 2-0 Georgia
Kazakhstan 0-1 Albania
Denmark 1-1 Turkey

This is another very close group. Ukraine continue to lead the pack after a 2-0 win over their Black Sea rivals Georgia. Denmark and Turkey's 1-1 draw makes things interesting at the top. And Albania are becoming a very serious threat indeed. Following their 2-1 defeat of European Championship winners Greece, they defeated Kazakhstan 1-0 to go third in the group, level on points with Turkey. Kazakhstan's first qualifying campaign in Europe has been rather unsuccessful thus far, with three defeats from three games. And look at Greece. They have been disappointing following their superb success in Euro 2004. Another case of high expectations resulting in downfall?

Luxembourg 0-4 Liechtenstein
Latvia 2-2 Estonia
Portugal 7-1 Russia

Well...what a sensational week it's been for Liechtenstein. They hadn't picked up a single point from any World Cup qualifying campaign...and then they got 4 points from 2 games. A 2-2 draw at home to Portugal was a fantastic result, especially given that they were 2-0 down at half time. They then recorded their first away win and biggest win in their history simultaneously, albeit against fellow minnows Luxembourg. Some people are predicting that they can go on to win their next home game against Latvia, and then perhaps even Russia.

Republic of Ireland 2-0 Faroe Islands
Cyprus 0-2 France

Another close group. Republic of Ireland are going strong, currently level on points with France at the top. Israel are putting up a good fight, too. They have held both Switzerland and France to draws, and are currently in real contention for one of the top spots. However, after their next game in Cyprus, they face some difficult matches against the Republic of Ireland and France. The only points Cyprus and the Faroe Islands have taken are from each other, following their 2-2 draw. The two island (contrasting largely in luxuriousness) islands look set to prop up the group at the end.

Moldova 1-1 Scotland
Italy 4-3 Belarus
Norway 3-0 Slovenia

Scotland's World Cup hopes are in tatters. We could only manage a 1-1 draw in Moldova, 113rd in the world, and we certainly didn't deserve any better than that. Two points from three games, and our next match is in Italy. Oh dear...there is certainly no guarantee that we can finish even third, either. Belarus have proven that they are no pushover, given their valiant display in Italy, eventually being edged 4-3 by the team over 60 places above them in the World Rankings. I'd say our next game is a must-win...and it is highly unlikely that we will win it.

Wales 1-3 Poland
Northern Ireland 3-3 Austria
Azerbaijan 0-1 England

Ah, the group featuring 3 teams from the UK. I'm surprised how badly Wales are doing. Given their excellent effort in the Euro 2004 Qualifiers, perhaps expectations were set too high this time around. But dropping points to Azerbaijan and Northern Ireland, and having to make a comeback to beat the latter is hardly an acceptable start. Subsequent defeats to England and Poland have let the team's qualifying attempts more-or-less in ruins. Northern Ireland have accumulated more points than them, managing a 3-3 draw against Austria. With ten points on the board already and their next matches being against Northern Ireland and Azerbaijan, England seem almost certain to go through as group winners. But if Northern Ireland can grab just a point from that game, they actually have a chance of qualifying. Of course, Wales will be looking for a victory in their forthcoming home match against Austria, but that will be no easy task.

Lithuania 0-0 Spain
Serbia and Montenegro 5-0 San Marino

A disappointing result for Spain, an excellent one for Lithuania. Serbia & Montenegro are top, but, with all due respect to San Marino, that is because they have played them twice. Spain haven't made the most convincing start, only mustering draws against Lithuania and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Lithuania and San Marino are in the same qualifying group again. We don't need reminded!!

Iceland 1-4 Sweden
Bulgaria 4-1 Malta

This group can be overlooked, but it is an interesting one. There are no huge teams in it, so it is fairly open between three or four teams. I'd say Sweden and Croatia will triumph at the end, but affairs should be interesting here.

Yes, this is going to be close to the end. But I would say Bulgaria and Croatia.
Sweden lost at home with Croatia and that can be crucial result, since Bulgarians are very strong in Sofia. And they took a point from Croatia.
I say - Croatia first if we win in Iceland (we tend to lose crucial points in small games), othervise Bulgaria first, Croatia second (tradition is on our side against Sweden after we won in Goteborg - Croatia never lost official game at home).

F.Y.R. Macedonia 0-2 Czech Republic
Armenia 1-1 Romania
Liechtenstein 1-3 Latvia
Russia 4-0 Estonia
Cyprus 1-2 Israel
Malta 0-2 Hungary
Luxembourg 0-5 Portugal
Belgium 0-2 Serbia and Montenegro
Turkey 0-3 Ukraine
San Marino 0-1 Lithuania
Andorra 0-3 Netherlands
Georgia 2-2 Denmark
Greece 3-1 Kazakhstan
Spain - England 0:1
Scotland - Sweden 1:4


Friendly game
Germany - Cameroon 3:0

you forgot: Ireland-Croatia 1:0, Slovakia-Slovenia 0:0, France-Poland 0:0.
And you mixed it a bit
Spain-England and Scotland-Sweden were also friendlies

In South America, the news is the victory of Ecuador 1-0 over Brazil.
Argentina suffered, but defeated Venezuela 3-2 in Buenos Aires.
These are the current standings.

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Argentina 11 6 4 1 21 11 22
Brazil 11 5 5 1 19 11 20
Paraguay 11 4 4 3 12 11 16
Ecuador 11 5 1 5 12 11 16
Uruguay 11 4 2 5 16 23 14
Colombia 11 3 4 4 12 11 13
Peru 11 3 4 4 13 13 13
Chile 11 3 4 4 10 11 13
Venezuela 11 4 1 6 13 17 13
Bolivia 11 3 1 7 11 20 10

On Concacaf, Stage 2 is finished, teams in bold head for the real stuff.
The big news is Panama arriving to the final stage for the fist time, eliminating Jamaica and El Salvador. Honduras was also frustrated.

(Sorry MOU, about St. Kitts. Last night our B team, at half gear, beat them 8-0)


Group 1

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
USA 6 3 3 0 13 3 12
Panama 6 2 2 2 8 11 8
Jamaica 6 1 4 1 7 5 7
El Salvador 6 1 1 4 2 11 4

Group 2

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Costa Rica 6 3 1 2 12 8 10
Guatemala 6 3 1 2 7 9 10
Honduras 6 1 4 1 9 7 7
Canada 6 1 2 3 4 8 5

Group 3
Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Mexico 6 6 0 0 27 1 18
Trinidad and Tobago 6 4 0 2 12 9 12
St. Vincent / Grenadines 6 2 0 4 5 12 6
St. Kitts and Nevis 6 0 0 6 2 24

MOU- anyway ;-)






Well, China was in 2002 out from the group. (as far as I remember). You mean perhaps a final round participant. ;-)