Iceland 1 - Norway 1; Switzerland 1 - Slovenia 0; Cyprus 0 - Albania 0

Photo by Jean-Christophe Bott

Cyprus finished their campaign at home today in Nicosia against Albania.  Before the sparsest of crowds, Albania were the only side even to manufacture a half chance in the opening period, which ended scoreless.

In the second half, Cyprus finally managed a shot on target through Efsthatios Aloneftis, but he drove it straight into the goalkeeper.  The match was highly forgettable and rightfully ends as a 0-0 draw.

Iceland were hoping their visit to Oslo would be a historic one, but hosts Norway were not looking simply to roll over.  A win would qualify Iceland for the UEFA Playoffs, though a draw would suffice if Slovenia failed to win their match.  Norway fired the first shot, but Iceland would score the first goal.  Gylfi Sigurdsson provided an inlet pass to Kolbeinn Sigthorsson.  Sigthorsson held off Norwegian defender Tore Reginiussen to maintain space before he released his shot.  The shot was well-placed and resulted in the opener for Iceland.  Norway did find the equalizer later in the first half.  Per Cilijan Skjelbred flicked over his marker Ari Skulason to Daniel Braaten, who was just onside. Braaten held off Iceland defender Ragnar Sigurdsson and then finished for the equalizer that renewed the hopes of Slovenia.  The teams left the pitch knotted at 1-1.

A long throughball found Iceland forward Eidur Gudjohnsen all alone in space, but after his took a slow cut-back touch, he was forced to take a curling shot to the far post.  Norway goalkeeper Rune Jarstein made a fantastic diving save to keep the score at 1-1.  In the final twenty minutes, Iceland were really put to the test by a Norway side that was intent on grabbing the full three points.  However, Iceland remained stout defensively and secured a 1-1 draw on the road.  Would that be enough to see them into the UEFA Playoffs?

Slovenia were visiting Switzerland in Bern.  Slovenia needed a better result than Iceland on this day in order to leap over them into the European playoffs.  The visitors were riding a four-qualifier winning streak that had vaulted them back into contention.  Slovenia played like the team with more on the line, but a timely block from Tranquillo Barnetta prevented a Nejc Pecnik shot from harming the Swiss goal.  The teams left the pitch without having scored a goal.

Switzerland were the dominant force in the second half, much to the liking of Iceland.  They grabbed the lead off a spectacular strike.  Granit Xhaka ran onto a leading pass and was able to strike across his body from twenty-four yards to score into the far side netting.  Switzerland goalkeeper Yann Sommer preserved the lead later with a save off a shot from Tim Matavz.  A Milivoje Novakovic header off the resulting Slovenian corner was flicked on by Zlatan Ljubijankic, but it crashed into the underside of the crossbar and stayed out of the goal.  Eren Derdiyok nearly scored off the resulting counterattack, but Slovenia goalkeeper Samir Handanovic made the diving save to the left to parry the ball back up the pitch.  Xhaka took a shot off the rebound, but Handanovic denied him as well.  A late turnover gave Novakovic a simple chance, but he fluffed the shot and Sommer had time to make a catch to his left.  Switzerland hold on and win 1-0 to eliminate Slovenia and stamp Iceland's ticket to the playoffs next month.

Switzerland 24 pts IN
Iceland 17 pts
Slovenia OUT
Norway OUT
Albania OUT
Cyprus OUT

Goals
Iceland
Kolbeinn Sigthorsson 12

Norway
Daniel Braaten 30

Switzerland
Granit Xhaka 74

Match Reports:
http://www1.skysports.com/football/live/match/253682
http://www.uefa.com/worldcup/season=2014/matches/round=2000294/match=2008651/postmatch/report/
http://www1.skysports.com/football/live/match/253683
http://www1.skysports.com/football/live/match/253684/report

Highlights:
http://www.espn.co.uk/football/sport/video_audio/247965.html (Cyprus v. Albania)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjVE_AC4XgY (Iceland v. Norway)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5d6KEJ015Q (Switzerland v. Slovenia)

Switzerland 2 - Albania 1; Slovenia 3 - Norway 0; Iceland 2 - Cyprus 0

If Switzerland could pull off a road victory against Albania in Tirana, their qualification would be secured.  The Swiss looked lively early.  Valentin Stocker headed a cross off the near post, but Albania captain Lorik Cana (pictured, red) was there to clear the ball to safety.  That was the best chance of a scoreless opening half.

Right at the start of the second period, Switzerland goalkeeper Diego Benaglio was forced into a diving save to stop a powerful drive from Valoet Rama.  Moments later, Granit Xhaka was taking a shot on the other end.  Xherdan Shaqiri got in the way of the shot, but he was able to turn it into a clean reception before wrong-footing the goalkeeper with his shot.  The ball went in off the post and Switzerland had the opener.  Ansi Agolli hit a floating cross that may have been goalbound, so a leaping Benaglio tipped the ball over his crossbar for safety.  A free kick cross from Switzerland captain Gokhan Inler fell just beyond the back post.  In the ensuing scramble, Michael Lang managed to manufacture a shot on goal that bounced in to make it 2-0.  A late mistake by Benaglio gifted Albania a penalty kick.  Benaglio dropped a simple roller at the top of his box, and then compounded his mistake by committing a foul as he tried to reclaim the ball.  Albania converted for 2-1.  However, the visitors hold on and win 2-1.  Switzerland qualify for Brasil 2014 as Group E champions.  Albania are eliminated by the result.

Both Slovenia and visiting Norway needed victories in Maribor to maintain hope of qualifying for Brasil 2014.  Miso Brecko provided an early chance for Slovenia.  His fast cross forced Milivoje Novakovic into a sliding half-volley shot attempt, which he somehow converted for a beautiful finish to give the home side a 1-0 advantage.  Two minutes later, Slovenia were back on the scoreboard.  Kevin Kampl ran at the center of the defense before pushing wide to Andraz Kirm.  Kirm quickly passed across to Novakovic for the tap-in and 2-0.  Slovenia led 2-0 at halftime.

Ales Mertelj stole a ball from the Norwegian midfield and pushed a through ball ahead for Novakovic.  Novakovic received it onside and proceeded down the field without any defenders chasing him.  He finished his hat trick off the post to put his team ahead by three goals.  Slovenia win 3-0 to maintain hope in the chase for the playoffs.  Norway are eliminated from the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Iceland were at home in Reykjavik looking to avenge their loss to Cyprus earlier in the campaign.  Birkir Bjarnason nearly provided the opener for the hosts, but his header at the back post sailed just high.  Cyprus played very defensively and frustrated Iceland throughout the match.  The half ended as it began, 0-0.

At the hour mark, Iceland finally battered down the door to the Cypriot goal.  That was the most apt description of what happened.  Johann Gudmundsson hit a low shot on frame that was stopped by a diving Cyprus goalkeeper Antonis Giorgallidis, but the rebound was pushed into the goal by Kolbeinn Sigthorsson, who outraced six defenders for the tap-in opening goal.  A short free kick cross gave Bjarnason a point-blank header, but Giorgallidis found himself in the way of the shot for the save.  Another battering ram goal was scored after Giorgallidis made a double save off a Bjarnason kick that left the ball bouncing on the doorstep of the goal.  Gylfi Sigurdsson had the final touch as the ball entered the goal to double the Icelandic lead.  Cyprus never provided much of an attacking threat, so the rest of the match was a formality.  Iceland win 2-0 and are in pole position to clinch second place in Group E on Tuesday.

After some difficult math, the Iceland result eliminates Czech Republic from Group B due to the impossibility of Czech Republic finishing as one of the top eight second-place teams.  Their maximum point haul in the second-place table is nine, which is what Slovenia currently have.  However, Slovenia now need points to overtake Iceland to get into second place in Group E.  The other seven group second-place teams already have ten or more points in the second-place table.  Iceland just moved to thirteen with a win today.  If Slovenia do not score more points, Iceland finish second with more points than Czech Republic.  If Slovenia do take second, they will necessarily have more than the nine points Czech Republic could achieve.

Switzerland 21 pts IN
Iceland 16 pts +2
Slovenia 15 pts +4
Norway OUT
Albania OUT
Cyprus OUT

Goals
Switzerland
Xherdan Shaqiri 47
Michael Lang 77

Albania
Hamdi Salihi 88 PK

Slovenia
Milivoje Novakovic 13, 15, 49

Iceland
Kolbeinn Sigthorsson 60
Gylfi Sigurdsson 76

Match Reports:
http://www.uefa.com/worldcup/season=2014/matches/round=2000294/match=2008638/postmatch/report/
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/10/11/3684011/switzerland-advances-to-wcup-beats.html
http://www1.skysports.com/football/live/match/253663
http://www1.skysports.com/football/live/match/253664

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yx-Imb2p-54 (Switzerland v. Albania)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNk6WVIJb5o (Slovenia v. Norway)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWmS1OM34ls (Iceland v. Cyprus)

Switzerland 2 - Norway 0; Iceland 2 - Albania 1; Slovenia 2 - Cyprus 0

Norway desperately wanted a win at home in Oslo in order to maintain second place in Group E.  Group leaders Switzerland were in town for today's match.  Gokhan Inler sent in a speedy cross off a free kick that was won by Fabian Schar (pictured, white #16) over Norway defender Espen Ruud (pictured, red, jumping).  Schar's header bounced in unimpeded to put Switzerland ahead 1-0.  Norway lost Marcus Pederson to an injury, but they looked better as the half wore on.  The Swiss led 1-0 at the halftime whistle.

Five minutes after the restart, Ruud was soundly beaten again on a run by Schar to win the header off a free kick.  Schar and Ruud were the only ones not standing still on the play, but Schar was able to head a bouncer between the goalkeeper's legs for his second goal of the night.  The kick-taker?  Inler, again from the left side of the pitch.  Tom Hogli then had to come off due to an injury for Norway.  The deficit was too much for the home side to overcome.  Switzerland win 2-0 and are within striking distance of reaching the FIFA World Cup finals the next matchday.

Cyprus were at home in Nicosia to take on Slovenia.  Zlatan Ljubijankic rolled a slow cross just ahead of three Cypriot defenders, the last two of whom never saw the ball.  The ball was met by the foot of Milivoje Novakovic for the easy finish and a 1-0 lead to the visitors.  Vincent Laban had a powerful attempt at an equalizer batted aside by Slovenia goalkeeper Samir Handanovich.  Slovenia led 1-0 at the break.

With ten minutes to go, Novakovic slowly dribbled inside the Cypriot penalty area to draw both nearby defenders before pushing a pass to his right to Josip Ilicic.  Ilicic provided the simple finish.  Slovenia win 2-0.  The loss proved to be the final straw for Cyprus, and they are now eliminated from the  2014 FIFA World Cup.

Albania made the trip north to Reykjavik to clash with Iceland.  Gylfi Sigurdsson nearly provided a stunning opener five minutes in on a twirling side volley attempt, but a flying save by Albania goalkeeper Etrit Berisha denied him.  Valoet Rama gave the Albanians the lead when his hesitation dribble-cut in combination freed himself for a low drive from twenty yards that pounded the net.  Five minutes later, Iceland were level.  Albania defender Admir Teli swung and missed while off-balance at a rolling cross along the Albanian six-yard box.  Birkir Bjarnason said "thank you very much" and preceded to cash in the gift for the equalizer.  The two sides went into the break even at one goal apiece.

Birkir Saevarsson wasted no time coming out of the locker room to initiate an Icelandic goal-scoring sequence.  His drove up the right side, got into the box, and then passed to the near post.  Kolbeinn Sigthorsson used his outstretched toe to redirect the pass into the goal and make it 2-1 in favor of the hosts.  For an Iceland team used to high-scoring matches, one would have doubted the score to remain in place for over forty minutes, but that is how the match ended.  Iceland win 2-1 and move into sole possession of second place in Group E.

Switzerland 18 pts +9
Iceland 13 pts 0
Slovenia 12 pts +1
Norway 11 pts
Albania 10 pts -1
Cyprus OUT

Goals
Switzerland
Fabian Schar 12, 51

Slovenia
Milivoje Novakovic 12
Josip Ilicic 80

Iceland
Birkir Bjarnason 14
Kolbeinn Sigthorsson 47

Albania
Valoet Rama 9

Match Reports:
http://bostonherald.com/sports/revolution_soccer/soccer/2013/09/switzerland_wins_2_0_at_norway_in_wcup_qualifier
http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2013/9/10/4715850/switzerland-norway-2014-world-cup-qualifying-final-score-result
http://www.uefa.com/worldcup/season=2014/matches/round=2000294/match=2008642/postmatch/report/index.html
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/soccer-slovenia-beat-cyprus-stay-qualifying-contention-205047685--sow.html
http://au.eurosport.com/football/world-cup/2014/iceland-beat-albania-2-1-to-keep-brazil-dream-alive_sto3918782/story.shtml
http://www.uefa.com/worldcup/season=2014/matches/round=2000294/match=2008644/postmatch/report/index.html

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4HfvfYItiE (Switzerland v. Norway)
http://espnfc.com/video/espnfc/video?id=1549383&cc=5901 (Slovenia v. Cyprus)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8V36-GkSa8 (Iceland v. Albania)

Iceland 4 - Switzerland 4; Slovenia 1 - Albania 0; Norway 2 - Cyprus 0

Norway welcomed last-placed Cyprus to Oslo for their Group E match.  Norway had the best chance is a slow first half, but nothing came of their superior play until a corner kick with two minutes to go.  The kick was whipped toward the back post, where it hit the back of a defender and drifted across the goal for Tarik El Younoussi to head in at the near post.  Norway took that 1-0 lead into the locker room with them.

Norway were able to double their lead midway through the second half.  Magnus Eikrem received a pass at the top of the box and used some fancy footwork to free up space with his back to goal.  He passed to the left wing to a wide open Joshua King, who finished the job with a simple strike to make it 2-0.  Cyprus never presented any challenge in attack, so Norway coasted to the finish line.  Norway win 2-0 and go up to second in the group table.

Bern was the site of a remarkable match between hosts Switzerland and Iceland.  The visitors were nonplussed by their trip to the group leaders, and they had a lead within three minutes.  Gylfi Sigurdsson ran up the left side of the field and crossed back to Johann Gudmundsson.  Gudmundsson's first touch took him around a defender and his second shot into the upper ninety to put Iceland ahead 1-0.  That's when it all went wrong for Iceland.  At the quarter hour mark, Granit Xhaka one-timed a pass from Ricardo Rodriguez forward into the box for the Swiss.  Stephan Lichtsteiner got his head to the ball, and the equalizer fell.  Haris Seferovic smoked a line drive into the legs of Iceland forward Kolbeinn Sigthorsson, but the ball fell perfectly for Fabian Schar to tap in with the goalkeeper on the ground.  The Swiss did not wait long to turn 2-1 into 3-1.  Three minutes later, a Xherdan Shaqiri breakaway led to a simple pass to Lichtsteiner, whose finish from medium range made it three goals in fifteen minutes for the home side.  Switzerland led 3-1 at halftime.

Birkir Saevarsson clipped the ankles of Switzerland midfielder Valentin Stocker inside the penalty area, and the Swiss converted the penalty kick for a 4-1 lead ten minutes into the second half.  That's when it all started to go right for Iceland.  Schar was caught in possession in central defense by Sigthorsson, who then took a few extra yards before shooting into the far corner for a goal with no build-up.  Iceland were within one goal after Gudmundsson picked up a partially blocked shot from distance and then drove a shot into the goal off the long rebound.  In stoppage time, the Swiss defense for some reason were not covering Gudmundsson on the right hand side, so he stepped to his left and swung in a heavily-swerving shot that rounded its way into the far corner from eighteen yards away.  Gudmundsson scored all three of his goals with his left foot, and his left foot earns Iceland a 4-4 road draw.

Slovenia needed a win at home in Ljubljana against Albania to reconnect with their fellow competitors for the potential playoff place from Group E.  Kevin Kampl scored the opening goal for Slovenia with a shot from twenty-two yards out that evaded the block attempt of Admir Teli.  There were few other chances, and Albania managed only one shot on frame in the half.  Slovenia were up 1-0 after the opening forty-five minutes.

Valoet Rama had a heavy shot on goal for Albania, but Slovenia goalkeeper Samir Handanovic was able to chest the ball away while diving to stop the bounce shot.  Albania really should have equalized when Hamdi Salihi got goal-side of Branko Ilic and then turned off him after receiving a pass, but Handanovic made a fantastic save along the ground.  Another Rama shot was headed goalbound, but Handanovic read the slight deflection perfectly and parried the ball away for a corner.  Slovenia somehow managed not to break under the heaps of pressure put on them in the second half, and they win 1-0.

Switzerland 15 pts +7
Norway 11 pts +2
Albania 10 pts 0
Iceland 10 pts -1
Slovenia 9 pts -1
Cyprus 4 pts -7

Goals
Norway
Tarik El Younoussi 43
Joshua King 66

Iceland
Johann Gudmundsson 3, 68, 90+1
Kolbeinn Sigthorsson 56

Switzerland
Stephan Lichtsteiner 15, 30
Fabian Schar 27
Blerim Dzemaili 54 PK

Slovenia
Kevin Kampl 19

Match Reports:
http://www.uefa.com/worldcup/season=2014/matches/round=2000294/match=2008650/postmatch/report/index.html
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/soccer-swiss-squander-three-goal-lead-4-4-204813780--sow.html
http://www.kansascity.com/2013/09/06/4462388/switzerland-held-4-4-by-thrilling.html
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=2168720/index.html
http://www.uefa.com/worldcup/season=2014/matches/round=2000294/match=2008637/postmatch/report/index.html

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmBcHwpPevs (Norway v. Cyprus)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8utNWLpA4uA (Iceland v. Switzerland)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ht0FID6Ir7k (Slovenia v. Albania)

Switzerland 1 - Cyprus 0

Rainy Geneva was the scene as group leaders Switzerland hosting last-place Cyprus.  The Swiss almost had a lead after a slight touch past the goalkeeper saw a balling rolling toward the goal, but a sprint and sliding kick to safety by Angelis Charalampous (pictured, blue) prevented the goal.  This was the best opportunity of the first period, and the half ended scoreless.

Cyprus continued to offer nothing more than a defensive shell as their attack was not a factor in the match.  Switzerland simply had to find a way to break down a team looking for a scoreless draw.  A dozen minutes after the resumption of play, Valentin Stocker made a smart pass when he could have taken a shot, nearly leading to a Swiss opener.  However, Cyprus goalkeeper Antonis Giorgallidis made a reaction save to deny Mario Gavranovic what he surely must have thought was a goal.  In the final minute of regulation, a sprinting Xherdan Shaqiri (pictured, red) hit a perfectly-weighted through ball that was chipped over Giorgallidis and into the goal by Haris Seferovic, giving Switzerland a late lead.  This was Seferovic's first international goal.  Switzerland would clinch the 1-0 victory shortly thereafter and stretch their lead in Group E.

Switzerland 14 pts +7
Albania 10 pts +1
Iceland 9 pts -1
Norway 8 pts 0
Slovenia 6 pts -2
Cyprus 4 pts -5

Goals
Switzerland
Haris Seferovic 90

Match Reports:
http://bostonherald.com/sports/revolution_soccer/soccer/2013/06/switzerland_beats_cyprus_1_0_in_wcup_qualifier
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/soccer-swiss-snatch-last-gasp-win-over-defiant-173936130.html

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQioxFLXUyw

Slovenia 4 - Iceland 2; Norway 1 - Albania 1

Albania looked to complete a six-point haul against Norway, having won away 1-0 in March.  A win in Tirana would see Albania take top shot in Group E.  The match was an open one as both teams looked to seize a rare opportunity to qualify out of a rather soft European qualifying group.  Valoet Rama (pictured, red #20) was a particularly persistent pest up the left wing for Albania throughout the first half.  Rama single-handedly provided the opening goal.  Rama prevented a turnover forty-five yards from goal, turned away from the defender, and dribbled quickly up the pitch into open space.  Once inside the box, he cut across his marked, faked a shot, and then rolled the ball past the goalkeeper at the near post.  It was sheer brilliance, and Albania took a 1-0 lead into the break courtesy of the Rama goal.

Albania were the livelier side to begin the second half with the raucous crowd making its presence felt.  Albanian captain Ervin Bulku crossed a ball into the box that was headed on frame by Hamdi Salihi, but Norway goalkeeper Rune Jarstein made a spectacular save reaching behind his head to tip the ball onto the crossbar.  Norway appeared to be out of ideas on offense, but set pieces can always provide danger to even the best-drilled defenses.  A Norwegian corner was headed into the goal by Tom Hogli to equalize the match with under five minutes to play, and Albania were unable to turn their superiority into three points.  The match ends as a 1-1 draw.

Reykjavik was supposed to be the site for host Iceland to surprisingly leap into first place in Group E with floundering Slovenia coming into town.  Their floundering ways did not travel, however, and Slovenia had the opener after ten minutes of play.  A beautiful backheel flick from Milivoje Novakovic played in Andraz Kirm, whose shot from the half circle blazed a trail into the Icelandic goal. Iceland responded within a dozen minutes of the opener.  Emil Hallfredsson whipped in a cross to the far post to where Birkir Bjarnason had made his run.  The resulting header just barely squirmed under the goalkeeper's hands for the equalizer.  Branko Ilic compounded Slovenia's plight three minutes later by pulling Alfred Finnbogason down by the shirt.  Although the foul occurred outside the penalty area, Iceland were awarded a penalty kick, which they converted for a 2-1 lead.  Slovenia had a dubious penalty kick of their own five minutes later when Kevin Kampl tripped over an Icelandic defender in the box.  After the conversion, the score was 2-2, and it would remain that way into halftime.

On the hour mark, set piece magic was summoned by Slovenia.  A lofted corner was met by the head of Bostjan Cesar, whose route could not be followed closely enough by Helgi Danielsson.  The header nestled itself in the goal for a 3-2 lead to the visitors.  With five minutes left in the match, Novakovic sealed the deal for Slovenia.  He slalomed up the field, in the process both nutmegging and causing Kari Arnason to fall to the ground during his run.  His pass led to a rebounded shot that was then struck home by Rene Krhin to seal the victory.  Slovenia win 4-2, and amazingly Switzerland remain top of the group at the conclusion of the day's matches.

Switzerland 11 pts +6
Albania 10 pts +1
Iceland 9 pts -1
Norway 8 pts 0
Slovenia 6 pts -2
Cyprus 4 pts -4

Goals
Albania
Valdet Rama 41

Norway
Tom Hogli 87

Slovenia
Andraz Kirm 11
Valter Birsa 31 PK
Bostjan Cesar 61
Rene Krhin 85

Iceland
Birkir Bjarnason 22
Alfred Finnbogason 26 PK

Match Reports:
http://www.uefa.com/worldcup/season=2014/matches/round=2000294/match=2008636/postmatch/report/index.html
http://www1.skysports.com/football/live/match/253608/report
http://www.uefa.com/worldcup/season=2014/matches/round=2000294/match=2008647/postmatch/report/index.html

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTw41b0ox98 (Norway v. Albania)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JV7gP48GylU (Slovenia v. Iceland)

Full Match Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYxq53Ctw48 (Slovenia v. Iceland)

Cyprus 0 - Switzerland 0

Nicosia and a nearly vacant stadium saw visiting group leaders Switzerland come into town to face off against Cyprus.  A quarter hour in, the Swiss were on the move with an attack led by Haris Seferovic that led to a pass slightly behind Xherdan Shaqiri, who dragged his effort wide from the penalty spot.  Eight minutes later, Shaqiri had a chance to atone for his sin, but instead he compounded it by not being able to tap home a Seferovic shot that was slowly going just wide of the far post.

In the second period, Cyprus showed more offensive potential.  Dimitris Christofi unleashed a powerful shot from outside that area that required a diving save from Switzerland goalkeeper Yann Sommer.  Switzerland nearly pipped a winner through a Valentin Stocker effort on a rapidly closing open net situation, but his effort rolled mere inches away from glory.  Cyprus were able to close the door on the Swiss offense and the match ends in a 0-0 draw, a frustrating result for Switzerland.

Switzerland 11 pts +6
Iceland 9 pts +1
Albania 9 pts +1
Norway 7 pts 0
Cyprus 4 pts -4
Slovenia 3 pts -4

Match Reports:
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/51302983/ns/sports-soccer/
http://int.soccerway.com/news/2013/March/23/world-cup-qualifying-cyprus-0-switzerland-0/

Highlights:
http://www.espn.co.uk/espn/sport/video_audio/199032.html

Albania 1 - Norway 0; Iceland 2 - Slovenia 1

Ljubljana was the site of the home match for struggling Slovenia as they looked to revive their flagging campaign against unfancied Iceland.  With less than a dozen minutes left in the half, Slovenia appeared to have revived their chances.  A weak headed clearance by an Iceland centerback bounced right to Milivoje Novakovic, who half-volleyed into the side netting after a quick reaction to give the home side a 1-0 lead.  Iceland from then on gained the upper hand, but the score remained 1-0 going into the break.

In the second period, Iceland did not let off the gas.  They were rewarded ten minutes in when Gylfi Sigurdsson curled a thirty-yard free kick into the right upper ninety from straight on, leaving the sparse crowd stunned.  Kolbeinn Sigthorsson found himself through on a long through ball, but after a nice first touch he shot weakly into the goalkeeper's legs, allowing Slovenia the let off.  With twenty minutes to go, a well-designed Slovenia free kick allowed Novakovic to shot low and to the side of the wall, but his shot to the bottom right was pushed to safety by a diving Hannes Halldorsson.  Dejan Lazarevic came off the bench for Slovenia and made an impact with two hard driven shots, the second of which required Halldorsson to one-hand punch away on a horizontal dive to maintain parity.  With a dozen minutes left, Iceland had found the lead.  A pass into Sigurdsson led to the Tottenham midfielder dancing Slovenia captain Bostjan Cesar off the ball before slotting away to the near post.  Iceland would hold on to win 2-1 and move into second place in Group E.

Oslo is in Norway but the stands were filled by Albania supporters as the two sides met with second-place on the line.  The first half did not provide many chances, but Norway came closest with about ten minutes left.  A three-versus-three break saw a nice back-to-the-goal pass by Norway's Markus Henriksen to Tarik El Younoussi, whose shot on goal was deflected inches wide of the post by Armend Dallku.  Dallku's block kept the score level on 0-0, which would be the score heading into the intermission.

An incredibly well-designed dead ball play from Albania provided the opener.  A ball on the outside right edge of the Norwegian penalty area was made for a curled in ball, so Albania instead slotted a pass across the top of the box from where an instep shot from Hamdi Salihi left the entire Norway team flat-footed as it sailed into the top corner.  Norway desperately tried to level the score to no avail.  Andi Lila picked up two yellow cards in the final six minutes, leaving Albania with ten men with stoppage time still to be played, but Norway were unable to capitalize.  Albania win 1-0 and go joint-second in the group.

Switzerland 10 pts +6
Iceland 9 pts +1
Albania 9 pts +1
Norway 7 pts 0
Cyprus 3 pts -4
Slovenia 3 pts -4

Goals
Iceland
Gylfi Sigurdsson 55, 78

Slovenia
Milivoje Novakovic 34

Albania
Hamdi Salihi 67

Match Reports:
http://www.itv.com/sport/football/article/2013-03-22/world-cup-qualifying-match-report-slovenia-1-2-iceland/
http://www.newsinenglish.no/2013/03/22/ice-cold-albanians-stun-drillos/

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtsKRS4YOpM (Iceland v. Slovenia)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJIejpMkBW0 (Albania v. Norway)

Switzerland 2 - Iceland 0; Albania 1 - Slovenia 0; Norway 3 - Cyprus 1

Reykjavik was the site of a crucial tuggle between group leaders Switzerland and the home side Iceland who were only a point behind in the standings.  After a baker's dozen of minutes had elapsed, Iceland had Gylfi Sigurdsson standing over a free kick.  He sent it bending over the wall, but Swiss goalkeeper Diego Benaglio sent it bending over the top of the goal.  Switzerland threatened a go-ahead goal on the cold night, but Iceland had the best chance of the half with under five minutes left when Alfred Finnbogason sent Benaglio to his left to make a magnificent save.  The half ended scoreless.

On the hour mark, Birkir Bjarnason beat Benaglio but not the woodwork, and Iceland surely must have felt hard done by their lack of goals to that point.  Just after the midway point of the half was when the Swiss began to up their level of play.  Ricardo Rodriguez strongly avoided a tackle before laying the ball off for Tranquillo Barnetta.  Captain Barnetta curled a shot from the top of the box into the top corner for a 1-0 lead to the visitors.  Iceland almost equalized when a Finnbogason header had Benaglio on the wrong foot, but the netminder was able to leap up and tip the ball over his bar.  With a dozen minutes left on the clock, Switzerland put the match to bed.  Four Swiss players linked up after an initial headed clearance by Iceland. The final pass was provided by Stephan Lichtsteiner as Mario Gavranovic had the easiest job: tap the ball in.  Switzerland win 2-0 and are well-positioned at the top of Group E.

Cyprus were hoping a home match in Larnaca against Norway could provide a second win and chance to climb the standings.  Cyprus would have had an opener from a snap header by Giorgos Efrem but for the combination of a diving Rune Jarstein in goal for Norway and the post which made the secondary save.  Cyprus looked the danger side early on, but the tide began to turn at the half hour mark.  A looping Norwegian free kick that bounced in the box was nearly redirected by Vegard Forren, but his the ball played his head and went off frame.  Cyprus caught a break on their first goal as a mishit cross from Efstathios Aloneftis floated into the net above the outstretched hand of Jarstein for the opener with three minutes left in the period.  A turn of bad luck then struck Cyprus two minutes later as they defended a free kick, when two soft clearances allowed the ball to drop to the feet of an open Brede Hangeland, who finished to make the score 1-1 at the half.

Ruben Jenssen had a ball with which to score for Norway, but he allowed it to play his upper leg right into the body of the Cypriot goalkeeper with twenty minutes left in the match.  Four minutes later, Efrem had the goal at his mercy but saw his attempt at the far post roll just wide.  Norway were awarded a penalty when Cyprus captain Elias Charalambous arm tackled his mark's leg.  Norway converted the penalty kick for 2-1, and then made it 3-1 two minutes later.  Tarik El Younoussi lead Norway on the break and then fed Joshua King, who carried the ball upfield, cut inside his defender, and then slotted home to the near post.  Cyprus had little time left to respond and were unable to do so.  Norway win 3-1 on the road.

Tirana was a city hopeful of witnessing Albania dispatch visiting Slovenia.  The driving rain made visibility hard, but it nearly aided Albania take a lead with seventeen minutes left in the half as the ball skimmed the top of Armando Sadiku's head and went careening just wide of the far post.  Emiljan Vila sent in a cross that was met by Odise Roshi's head over two defenders to send a shot into the Slovenian goal to give Albania a 1-0 lead with nine minutes to go in the period.  Roshi celebrated by removing his shirt, thereby protesting the constraints of clothing.  1-0 was the score in favor of the hosts at the break.

Albania appeared to be much more comfortable in the rain.  Ten minutes into the half, Roshi nearly had a second as he cut across the inside of his defender and sent a shot low to the near post, but Slovenia goalkeeper Samir Handanovic slid along the ground to parry the ball.  Slovenia never seemed to muster energy in attack and they went down meekly with a scoreline flattering to their performance.  Albania win 1-0.

Switzerland 10 pts +6
Norway 7 pts +1
Albania 6 pts 0
Iceland 6 pts 0
Slovenia 3 pts -3
Cyprus 3 pts -4

Goals
Switzerland
Tranquillo Barnetta 66
Mario Gavranovic 79

Norway
Brede Hangeland 44
Tarik El Younoussi 81 PK
Joshua King 83

Cyprus
Efstathios Aloneftis 42

Albania
Odise Roshi 36

Match Reports:
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1785773/index.html
http://www.sportinglife.com/football/live/match-report/253510/iceland-v-switzerland
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1785748/index.html
http://www.uefa.com/worldcup/season=2014/matches/round=2000294/match=2008637/postmatch/report/index.html
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1785800/index.html

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlLeiicRLZw (Switzerland v. Iceland)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvzbQdGM_C0 (Norway v. Cyprus)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEZFvjkTvMU (Albania v. Slovenia)

Norway 1 - Switzerland 1; Iceland 2- Albania 1; Slovenia 2 - Cyprus 1

Albania came home to rainy Tirana, but it would be their opponents Iceland who truly rained on their homecoming.  Iceland won a throw-in that led to disastrous results for the Albanian defense.  The throw in was headed three times by Iceland players inside the box, and eventually the ball came to Birkir Bjarnason's feet for a tap-in opener.  Barely more than ten minutes later, Alban Meha nutmegged his marker with his ball across the box, and his teammate Edgar Cani tapped home the equalizer to revive Albania's hopes for eventual victory.

Odise Roshi nearly curled a ball in from the half-circle ten minutes after the restart, but Iceland goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson was up to make a desperate sliding save to push aside for a corner kick.  Roshi nearly scored on a later occasion as well, but he flashed a laser just wide.  Iceland drew a free kick from inside the half-circle with ten minutes to play.  Gylfi Sigurdsson bent the ball over a four-man wall and off the inside of the near post, giving Iceland a 2-1 lead late in the match.  Iceland hold on to win 2-1 and leap into second place in Group E.

Switzerland came to Bern in first place after having won their two matches in September, but their opponents today were Norway, the nominal top seed in the group.  Norway nearly took a lead at the quarter hour when a flicked header by Brede Hangeland nearly found its way into the net, but a diving two-palmed stab by Swiss goalkeeper Diego Benaglio prevented the goal.  Benaglio saved Vegard Forren's header off the resulting corner kick, pumping up the crowd his heroics.  Tranquillo Barnetta nearly gave Switzerland the opener, but his header bounced away off the far post.  The half ended 0-0.

The second half was less lively but actually produced all the goals.  A Swiss corner kick was flicked on from the near post by Granit Xhaka to a double-marked Mario Gavranovic, who maneuvered his back leg to push the ball goalward and in on short notice.  Norway were not looking to be defeated on the night, however, so they equalized off a corner kick two minutes on.  Hangeland rose above every marker with a mighty jump, and he headed home to give his team the equalizer.  Norway almost scored on a deep throw-in that was allowed to bounce, but Benaglio saved yet another Forren header to preserve the tie.  Norway truly wanted the victory, and they had a counterattack with one minute left in the match that nearly proved decisive.  The initial two-versus-one was turned away, but the clearance fell to Tarik El Younoussi.  El Younoussi fired a ball the crashed into the far post and out from twenty-five yards.  Norway and Switzerland play to a hard-fought 1-1 draw that is sure to leave a bitter taste in the mouths of the Norwegian players.

Slovenia came to Maribor with no points in their campaign but hope that a date with visiting Cyprus would prove fruitful.  With only seven minutes left in the first half, a Zlatko Dedic cross was a bit behind Tim Matavz, but Matavz took the opportunity to gather the ball on a spin, dumping his defender in the process before firing home for a 1-0 Slovenia lead.  The half would end 1-0 to the home side.

In the second half, Matavz continued his goal scoring.  A long free kick was headed back to his feet, so he decided to have a go, so he slotted home for his second of the night.  A inswinging free kick soon thereafter nearly provided a third, but Cypriot goalkeeper Tasos Kissas majestically flew through the air to knock the ball to safety.  A box-to-box break by the Cypriots led to a goal from the top of the box by substitute Efstathios Aloneftis, giving the visitors hope with seven minutes to play.  Slovenia's Bostjan Cesar was ejected for a second yellow in minute 89, but Cyprus ran out of time.  Slovenia win 2-1 to claim their first points.

Switzerland 7 pts +4
Iceland 6 pts +2
Norway 4 pts -1
Albania 3 pts -1
Slovenia 3 pts -2
Cyprus 3 pts -2

Goals
Iceland
Birkir Bjarnason 18
Gylfi Sigurdsson 81

Albania
Edgar Cani 29

Switzerland
Mario Gravanovic 79

Norway
Brede Hangeland 81

Slovenia
Tim Matavz 38, 61

Cyprus
Efstathios Aloneftis 83

Match Reports:
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1784027/index.html
http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Switzerland-held-1-1-by-Norway-in-WCup-qualifier-3944052.php
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1784262/index.html
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1784324/index.html

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3i6KRpHXNhU (Iceland v. Albania)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZcM8Tp0_v4 (Norway v. Switzerland)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzU6SnFfMe4 (Slovenia v. Cyprus)

Norway 2 - Slovenia 1; Cyprus 1 - Iceland 0; Switzerland 2 - Albania 0

Larnaca was prepared to welcome their heroes Cyprus as the had a winnable home game against Iceland.  Iceland looked likeliest to score in the opening frame with midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson running the midfielder and creating for his forwards.  The best chance of the half came off the boot of Cyprus' Anthos Solomou, but his shot was saved and the half ended scoreless.

Cyprus took the lead after a dozen minutes.  A ball was laid off from the right side of the box into the box for an onrushing Konstantinos Makridis (pictured, blue) to slot home to safety.  Iceland nearly equalized through Alfred Finnbogason (pictured, white) one minute later, but his effort found a post.  Iceland lost
Solvi Otteson to a red card in minute 86 due to his foul mouth. Cyprus win their first three points 1-0 over Iceland.

Oslo welcomed back the top seed in Group E Norway from their shock road loss to Iceland four days prior.  The visitors were Slovenia, and they proved unwilling to give the fans what they wanted to see.  Jasmin Kurtic sent a free kick spiraling toward the Norwegian goal which was misplayed by goalkeeper Rune Jarstein, allowing a rebound to fall for Slovenia center back  Marko Suler to push home for 1-0.  Tarik El Younoussi took a shot for Norway from the half circle which struck the crossbar and softly fell to the six-yard box, allowing Markus Henriksen to easily head home for the equalizer.  The first half ended 1-1.

Both teams came out nervously in the second half with few chances to be found.  Nobody came close to scoring until the fourth minute of stoppage time.  A Dejan Kelhar foul in the box gave Norway a penalty kick with time expiring.  John Arne Riise struck a low ball to the middle right that barely got by the goalkeeper, giving Norway the 2-1 victory.  Slovenia are surprisingly in last place in the group after falling to their two main rivals Switzerland and Norway in their opening two fixtures.

Lucerne saw Albania pay a visit to Switzerland in the final Group E fixture of the day.  Albania sent in a warning shot eighteen minutes in when a knuckling strike from Alban Meha forced a two-handed punch save by Swiss goalkeeper Diego Benaglio. Xherdan Shaqiri made good use of the reprieve given to his side by Benaglio by scoring Switzerland's opener four minutes later.  Shaqiri, whose family is of Albanian descent and who is allowed to switched to the Kosovo national team as soon as they are given FIFA membership due it to it being his country of birth, took the jeers of the many Albanian fans lining the stadium.  Switzerland is home to many who fled from the Albanian sections of Kosovo during the diaspora of 1998 and 1999.  The Swiss led 1-0 at the break.

Switzerland remained positive with their play in the second period, and a Shaqiri low skipping shot to the near post was tipped away on a dive, but Switzerland picked up the loose ball to work it around the box, eventually drawing a penalty kick off an Armend Dallku foul from behind.  Switzerland put away the spot kick for a 2-0 lead.  Benaglio made a great double save after popping up a rebound with ten minutes to go so high in the air that he was able to return to his feet to leap and catch his own rebound.

Switzerland 6 pts +4
Iceland 3 pts +1
Albania 3 pts 0
Cyprus 3 pts -1
Norway 3 pts -1
Slovenia 0 pts -3

Goals
Cyprus
Konstantinos Makridis 57

Norway
Markus Henriksen 26
John Arne Riise 90+4 PK

Slovenia
Marko Suler 16

Switzerland
Xherdan Shaqiri 23
Gokhan Inler 68 PK

Match Reports:
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1699443/index.html
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1699745/index.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/20/sports/soccer/kosovo-wants-a-national-soccer-team-and-to-call-its-players-home.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/soccer/wires/09/11/2080.ap.soc.switzerland.albania.1st.ld.writethru.236/index.html
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1699797/index.html

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xt326oC92NM (Cyprus v. Iceland)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqW6ZjOI25U (Norway v. Slovenia)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-XGApnQfao (Switzerland v. Albania)

Full Match Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZapcoCSrGw (Norway v. Slovenia: 1st half)

Switzerland 2 - Slovenia 0; Iceland 2 - Norway 0; Albania 3 - Cyprus 1

Cyprus made the trip to Tirana to face Albania in what looked to be a rare opportunity for Albania to earn three points and take a lead in a qualifying group.  Albania were completely dominant in the first half, and a dangerous free kick lead to a Cyprus own goal, giving the home side a 1-0 lead.  However, in stoppage time, a Cypriot free kick was whipped into the box, missing everybody's head and bouncing once into the net with the goalkeeper rooted to his spot, anticipating a redirection.  The match was level at 1-1 at the half.

Emiljan Vila nearly authored an impressive own goal with his own keeper approaching to grab the ball, but his Albanian teammate and captian Lorik Cana read the spin on the awful bounce to head off the goal line.  In the final ten minutes, Albania were able to put the game away.  The second goal came when the Cyprus goalkeeper ran to punch a cross and missed, allowing a soft backward header by Edgar Cani to go into the goal.  The clincher came on a rocket from around thirty yards by Erjon Bogdani that found its target in the upper ninety.  Albania win 3-1.

Switzerland found themselves in Ljubjlana in their matchup against hosts Slovenia in the Group E matchup of the day.  The two are the only two South Africa 2010 participants in the group.  Surprisingly, it were the visitors who dominated the match, with their superiority leading to an opening goal after twenty minutes.  Eren Derdiyok laid a ball off from Granit Xhaka.  Ten minutes later, a bad turnover in their own box by Slovenia allowed Derdiyok a look from a bouncing ball, but he put his shot into the underside of the crossbar and could not extend the lead.  Slovenia then found their footing, but Swiss goalkeeper Diego Benaglio saved their best chance with his knee.

In the first effort of the half, Gokhan Inler struck a bomb from thirty-three yards to extend the Swiss lead to 2-0.  Tranquillo Barnetta was given his marching orders for his second yellow card in minute 76, leaving Switzerland down a man in their search to finish the match with a win.  Slovenia nearly really threatened again despit their numerical advantage, so Switzerland win 2-0 on the road to open their campaign.

Norway, nominally the top seed in the group but in reality the third favorite, visited Reykjavik to face fellow Scandinavians Iceland.  Norway had the first chance, but a low Mohammed Abdellaoue volley off a cross from the side of the box was pushed to safety by Iceland goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson.  Norway did the unthinkable four minutes later, allowing a long throw-in to land inside their six-yard box, setting up a goal off a mishit touch due to its proximity to the goalmouth.  Iceland had their fans believing and cheering a 1-0 lead.  A Gylfi Sigurdsson free kick almost made its way into Norway's net on accident when no one got a touch to the cross, but it connected with the post and bounced away.

Norway thought they had found an equalizer with fifteen minutes to go when Joshua King blasted a ball into the goal, but his strike had struck an offside teammate on its flight toward the goal. Five minutes later, Norway were caught too far upfield, and a through ball from midfield allowed Iceland substitute Alfred Finnbogason to face the goalkeeper without any pressure.  A cool finish sealed the match for the home side. King rocked the crossbar in stoppage time, but the result would not have been altered even if he had scored.  Iceland win 2-0 in upset fashion.

Goals
Albania
Michael Constantinou 35 OG
Edgar Cani 84
Erjon Bogdani 87

Cyprus
Vincent Laban 45+2

Switzerland
Granit Xhaka 20
Gokhan Inler 51

Iceland
Kari Arnason 21
Alfred Finnbogason 81

Match Reports:
http://www.uefa.com/worldcup/season=2014/matches/round=2000294/match=2008634/postmatch/report/
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1697247/index.html
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1697324/index.html

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYbSzu9ZmYM (Albania v. Cyprus)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQZMQlfVF3Q&feature=related (Switzerland v. Slovenia)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQPkAm_gMXI (Iceland v. Norway)

UEFA Group E Fixtures

The fixture list was decided upon at a meeting in Zurich on 22 November 2011. Group E consists of six teams, and they are listed from highest seed to lowest seed: Norway, Slovenia, Switzerland, Albania, Cyprus, and Iceland.

7 September 2012

Cyprus at Albania

Norway at Iceland

Switzerland at Slovenia

11 September 2012

Iceland at Cyprus

Slovenia at Norway

Albania at Switzerland

12 October 2012

Iceland at Albania

Cyprus at Slovenia

Norway at Switzerland

16 October 2012

Slovenia at Albania

Norway at Cyprus

Switzerland at Iceland

22 March 2013

Albania at Norway

Iceland at Slovenia

Cyprus at Switzerland

7 June 2013

Norway at Albania

Switzerland at Cyprus

Slovenia at Iceland

6 September 2013

Cyprus at Norway

Albania at Slovenia

Iceland at Switzerland

10 September 2013

Slovenia at Cyprus

Albania at Iceland

Switzerland at Norway

11 October 2013

Switzerland at Albania

Cyprus at Iceland

Norway at Slovenia

15 October 2013

Albania at Cyprus

Iceland at Norway

Slovenia at Switzerland