Translated material
Autumn commotion
Before the winter holidays, many favorites missed points
Leading European teams, before leaving for the winter holidays, tried to gain a foothold in the leaders of the qualifying groups for the 2010 World Cup. Not everyone succeeded. In general, only three teams in the UEFA zone - Spain, England and Holland - were able to pass the autumn stage without losses.Group 1 . The Portuguese national team spoiled their mood significantly. Two goalless draws with Sweden, and especially with Albania, put Carlos Queiroz's team in a very difficult position. If we also take into account the September defeat from Denmark, then none of their competitors in the difficult qualifying group will envy the Portuguese. Queiroz's team was to blame for the loss of points against Albania: the opponent remained in the minority in the first half, but the hosts were unable to break through the visiting goalkeeper Bekaj, calling into question the future of their head coach.
Group 2. The disappointment of the Greek team turned out to be even greater. Otto Rehhagel's team, which started the cycle well, calmed down too early. As a result, a completely unnecessary penalty, organized by Abraham Papadopoulos, and inattention at their own goal at the end of the match cost the Greeks defeat from the Swiss team. Ottmar Hitzfeld's team seems to have returned to the tournament. The disastrous start is forgotten, and the Swiss have a pretty decent chance of competing for at least second place. Moreover, the Israeli team, also aiming to qualify from the group, is not at all blameless - the goal it missed in the 89th minute in Riga cost the Israelis first place.
Group 3. The Polish team conceded two goals in the last minutes and lost the advantage they had so hard won in the match with Slovakia. The hosts, now led by Vladimir Weiss, generally looked pretty good, but if it weren’t for Shestak’s double (the forward hit the goal in the 85th and 86th minutes), they might have been left with nothing. Now Weiss can look to the future with optimism and look forward to a meeting with the shadow leaders of the Czech group.
Group 4. The German team could well have missed out on points. For more than an hour, the Germans, supported by the crowded stands of the Borussia Park stadium, besieged the gates of the Welsh team. However, Welsh goalkeeper Wayne Hennessy for the time being managed to react to all the hosts' shots, and his partners, albeit occasionally, still paid visits to someone else's penalty area. However, when Trachowski sent the ball into the far corner with a shot from outside the penalty area in the 72nd minute, Hennessey was unable to reach it, and the German team, again failing to show a solid and meaningful game, managed to achieve a result.
Group 5. The Spaniards also had to overcome desperate resistance. Having conceded their first goal of the tournament from the Belgians in the seventh minute, Vicente Del Bosque's team rushed to attack. The pressure continued unabated even after the loss of Fernando Torres to injury. As a result, the guests managed to get even in the first half, but after the break the Belgians managed to take control of the game. However, in the end the Spaniards improved again and snatched victory - in the 88th minute Villa finished the ball into the net.
Group 6. England, which missed the European Championship, seems to be seriously intending to prove that its misfire was an accident. So far, Fabia Capello's team has not only won all its matches, but is also the most successful in this cycle. This time the Belarusians were unlucky, as they lost their main star, Alexander Gleb. The English, however, again did not shine in the first half, which ended in an encouraging draw for the hosts, but after the break Wayne Rooney's double put everything in its place. “There is little doubt that England will finish top of our qualifying group. But the fight for second place continues, so we will also continue to fight,” nevertheless, the head coach of the Belarusian national team, Bernd Stange, was full of optimism.
In Group 7, the Lithuanian team continues to fight for a bright future, even if each victory is given to them with great difficulty. But as soon as the favorites turn on full speed, the Lithuanians will most likely fade into the background. France and Romania will show their class only in the spring, and the Serbs, realizing that they could no longer lose points, calmly dealt with the Austrians.
In Group 8, Aquilani's double retained Italy's first place, and Marcello Lippi repeated the national record - the team under his leadership was undefeated in 30 matches, except for unsuccessful penalty shootouts. And in group 9, the Dutch once again made it clear that they will not allow anyone to encroach on their leadership.
World Championship qualifying round. Europe. Group 1. Malta - Hungary - 0:1 (Torgelle 23) , Portugal - Albania - 0:0. Group 2. Latvia - Israel - 1:1 (Kolesnichenko, 89 - Benayoun 50) , Luxembourg - Moldova - 0:0, Greece - Switzerland - 1:2 (Charisteas 68 - Frei 42 with pens ., Nkufo 77) . Group 3. Czech Republic - Slovenia - 1:0 (Sionko 62) , Slovakia - Poland - 2:1 (Shestak 85, 86 - Smolarek 70) , Northern Ireland - San Marino - 4:0 ( Healy 30, McCann 43, Lafferty 56, Davis 85) . Group 4. Russia - Finland - 3:0 (Pasanen 23 own goal, Lampi 65 own goal, Arshavin 88) , Germany - Wales - 1:0 (Trochowski 72) . Group 5. Bosnia and Herzegovina - Armenia - 4:1 (E. Spahich 31, Dzeko 39, Muslimovich 56, 89 - V. Minasyan 85) . Belgium - Spain - 1:2 (Sonk 7 - Iniesta 36, Villa 88) . Group 6 . Croatia - Andorra - 4:0 (Rakitic 16, 87 pens, Olic 32, Modric 75) , Belarus - England - 1:3 (Sitko 28 - Gerrard 11, Rooney 50, 74) . Group 7. Lithuania - Faroe Islands - 1:0 (Danilevicius 20) , Austria - Serbia - 1:3 (Janko 80 - Krasic 15, Javanovic 18, Obradovic 24) . Group 8. Georgia - Bulgaria - 0:0, Ireland - Cyprus - 1:0 (R. Keane 5) , Italy - Montenegro - 2:1 (Aquilani 8, 29 - Vucinic 19) . Group 9. Norway - Holland - 0:1 ( van Bommel 62 ) , Iceland - Macedonia - 1:0 (Gunnarsson 15) .