Spain 4 - Belarus 0; Georgia 1 - Finland 1

Helsinki was the site for the match between hosts Finland and Georgia.  The first half was rather subdued as neither team made serious inroads toward the other's goal.  The half ended without goals.

The opening quarter hour after the restart contained all the action of the match.  Georgia took a surprising lead when Guram Kashia headed a ball in at the near post off a corner kick.  Finland went down to ten men for the final half hour just two minutes after the Georgia goal when Alexei Eremenko took a second yellow card in minute 59.  Eremenko jumped for a cross and then tried to bat it into the goal with two hands, earning his marching orders in the process.  Finland nevertheless found an equalizer four minutes after the sending off.  Kasper Hamalainen drove by his defender on the left flank and then slotted millimeters around an oncoming goalkeeper to equalize the match.

Spain continued their road journey to begin their 2014 FIFA World Cup with a sojourn to Minsk to face Belarus.  After just five minutes, Spain had already blown two chances at goal.  The first chance was kneed onto the crossbar by a Belarus defender, but the second was golden.  Xavi had lofted a ball into the box to the feet of David Silva, who had beaten an offside trap and had acres of space.  Silva somehow missed the target completely with only the goalkeeper to beat.  Left back Jordi Alba made up for Spain's poor early finishing when he beat an offside trap by being a yard offside (not a typo) and then calmly dribbled around the goalkeeper before finishing into an open net.  Belarus did not take the hint that their high line was a vulnerability against a slick-passing side, so Spain made this painfully apparently when Silva curled a through ball into space for Pedro Rodriguez, who then dribbled toward the goalkeeper and neatly chipped him for the second La Roja goal.

In the second period, Rodriguez continued to punish the Belarusian goal.  With twenty minutes and change left to play, Rodriguez ran up the middle of the pitch before chipping two trailing defenders and the goalkeeper into the far side netting for his second chipped goal of the night.  Three minutes later, Cesc Fabregas stole a ball and then slotted into open space for an onrushing Rodriguez, who then chipped the goalkeeper for the third time!  Rodriguez chipped the ball about one half-meter in the air while jumping over the goalkeeper and then half-volleyed the resulting rebound into the vacated net.  David Villa nearly made it five for Spain, but his effort smashed the crossbar, and the rebound attempt was missed by Rodriguez.  Spain win 4-0 before a Rodriguez hat trick of chipped goals.

Spain 6 pts +5
France 6 pts +3
Georgia 4 pts 0
Finland 1 pts -1
Belarus 0 pts -7

Goals
Georgia
Guram Kashia 56

Finland
Kasper Hamalainen 63

Spain
Jordi Alba 12
Pedro Rodriguez 21, 69, 72

Match Reports:
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1783810/index.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/oct/12/belarus-spain-world-cup-qualifier?newsfeed=true
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1784133/index.html

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_FJPDm5bnQ (Georgia v. Finland)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdZ_alR9Yvo (Spain v. Belarus)

New Caledonia 6 - Solomon Islands 2

Lawson Tama Stadium in Honiara, the site of fifteen matches in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, hosted its fourteenth match today as the host Solomon Islands faced off against New Caledonia in the first of two matches between the sides over a five-day period.  Both teams knew coming in that the full six points from the two matches would be necessary in order to keep up with New Zealand in the OFC Third Round.  The rain threw in an extra wrinkle for the teams to navigate.  The visitors appeared to be better sailors in the early going as star Georges Gope-Fenepej sailed a cross from the left flank onto the foot of Roy Kayara for a volleyed finish and a 1-0 lead.  The Bonitos settled themselves after conceded and were about to equalize twenty-five minutes on after Joses Nawa cross from the right flank was met by the head of Tutizama Tanito, who headed home off a bounce for 1-1.  In the final minute of the half, a long lofted pass came to the feet of Bertrand Kai who then fired a cross into the box.  Meanwhile, his teammate Gope-Fenepej had broken an offside trap.  The cross met Gope-Fenepej's unmarked head in the box, and the result was a 2-1 New Caledonia lead at the half.

It took fifteen minutes for the response, but a Seni Ngava long cross found Nawa in the box.  Nawa took advantage of the goalkeeper having come off his line as Nawa looped a header softly under the crossbar for the equalizer.  However, with a dozen minutes left, the bottom dropped out of the Bonitos' ship.  Gope-Fenepej caused a freak own goal when he blocked a clearance that went off the head of a defender.  Three minutes later, a Kai through ball lead to a ball passed across the box where Gope-Fenepej was waiting for the unmarked finish.  With two minutes to go, Jacques Haeko did it himself, beating the Bonitos up the left side of the pitch and deftly chipping the goalkeeper from ten yards for 5-2.  In stoppage time, Haeko nearly had a second as he broke through the right side of the pitch, but he sent his shot wide of the far post.  Luckily for him, Gope-Fenepej made a long run and was there to tap-in the miss.  New Caledonia win 6-2 and return home to face Solomon Islands on Tuesday.

New Zealand 6 pts +7
New Caledonia 6 pts +6
Solomon Islands 3 pts -7
Tahiti 0 pts -6

Goals
New Caledonia
Roy Kayara 8
Georges Gope-Fenepej 45, 81, 90+1
Tome Faisi 78 OG
Jacques Haeko 88

Solomon Islands
Tutizama Tanito 33
Joses Nawa 59

Match Reports:
http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/News/ViewArticle/tabid/125/Article/f37cc276-90c4-4a9e-8610-414c3b040388/language/en-US/Default.aspx
http://boxscorenews.com/les-cagous-emerge-as-major-world-cup-qualifying-contenders-p49179-68.htm

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvuZwGJNNGU&feature=g-all-u

Preview: Columbus Day 2012 New World

CONCACAF Third Round Matchday Five sees what is essentially a winner-take-all matchup in Group Two  when Costa Rica play at El Salvador.  A win for El Salvador and they advance to the Fourth Round.  A win or tie by Costa Rica and the odds fall in their favor as they would need only to beat Guyana at home on Tuesday while avoiding a shock El Salvador victory in Mexico.  Certainly, the visiting Ticos have a more fancied lineup, but they only feature four players in Europe's top leagues: forwards Bryan Ruiz (Fulham) and Joel Campbell (Real Betis), star goalkeeper Keylor Navas (Levante, Spain), and defender Bryan Oviedo (Everton, England).  Expect Ruiz to start on the bench in favor of Alvaro Saborio of Real Salt Lake (USA).  The majority of the team plays in Scandivia or in Costa Rica.  El Salvador's contingent contains mostly domestically-based players.  Midfielder and captin Dennis Alas plays for Luis Angel Firpo and Osael Romero plys his trade for Aguila.  However, key striker Rafael Burgos (Kecskemeti, Hungary) and key midfielder Jaime Alas (Rosenborg, Norway) bring foreign league credentials.  Certainly, playing at Estadio Cuscatlan instills a sense of pride into the local boys.  El Salvador struggled with Guyana in September, but they did overturn a 2-0 deficit at Costa Rica to earn a tie and were hard done by the referees in a home loss to Mexico in June.  The bold call is being made right here: El Salvador will win at home and eliminate Costa Rica.   

In Group One, Guatemala host Jamaica while United States of America go to Antigua and Barbuda.  Guatemala, Jamaica, and the United States are all even on seven points coming into Matchday Five.  Guatemala looked awful in their pair of matches against Antigua in September, going down 1-0 early at home before taking advantage of a red card to win 3-1.  Only a beautiful strike from distance by forward Carlos Ruiz (Veracruz, Mexico) allowed them to win on the road.  Midfielder Marco Pappa (Heerenveen, Netherlands) is the other star, but in reality the talent level aside from those two is low.  Jamaica were more impressive with Dwayne Miller (Syrianska, Sweden) in goal looking superb against the United States.  The strike force includes Luton Shelton (Karabukspor, Turkey) and Ryan Johnson (Toronto FC), but the strength is the speedy midfield.  Dane Richard (Vancouver Whitecaps, Canada), Rodolph Austin (Leeds United, England), and Jevaughn Watson (Houston Dynamo) are all threats.  In defense, Adrian Mariappa (Reading, England) and Jermaine Taylor (Houston Dynamo) are solid.  Jamaica will be able to sneak out a draw on Friday and defeat Antigua at home on Tuesday to advance to the hexagonal. 

The United States are missing many excellent players due to injury, including all-time leading scorer midfielder Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy) and winger Brek Shea (FC Dallas).  However, the Yanks do bring right back Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96) and centerbacks Geoff Cameron and Maurice Edu of Stoke City, defensive midfielder Michael Bradley (AS Roma), and forward Clint Dempsey (Tottenham Hotspur) their talent is simply too great to lose to an Antigua side whose best player forward Peter Byers plays in the third-tier of the American soccer pyramid.  Antigua do feature teenage defender Zaine Francis-Angol who plies his trade with Motherwell in Scotland.  The United States will win in Antigua and then at home against Guatemala on Tuesday to advance to the CONCACAF Fourth Round.

In Group Three, Honduras at Panama will go a long way to seeing if both teams will be able to advance to the Fourth Round or whether Canada will have an opening after defeating Cuba at home on Friday.  Panama are the pick to win and advance to the final round of qualifying.  Panama feature captain Felipe Baloy (Santos Laguna, Mexico) in defense, but their true talents are further up the pitch.  Nelson Barahona (Atletico Huila, Colombia) leads the midfield and the dual strikers are the feared Blas Perez (FC Dallas) and Luis Tejada (Toluca, Mexico).

The key match will be next Tuesday with Canada traveling to Honduras.  Canada bring, but Honduras will welcome the Canucks with a tough team top to bottom.  Defender Maynor Figueroa plays for Wigan Athletic.  The other stars play in the United States, including defender Victor Bernardez (San Jose Earthquakes), midfield talisman Boniek Garcia (Houston Dynamo), midfielders Roger Espinoza (Sporting Kansas City) and Marvin Chavez (San Jose), and forward Jerry Bengston (New England Revolution).  However, Espinoza will be out through injury. Canada feature captain and centerback Kevin McKenna (Koln, Germany), defenders Andre Hainault (Houston) and Marcel de Jong (Augsburg), and goalkeeper Lars Hirschfeld (Valerenga, Norway) from a team that has pitched eight shutouts in ten 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers played.  An attack featuring midfielder Atiba Hutchinson (PSV Eindhoven) and fast attackers Olivier Occean (Eintracht Frankfurt) and Simeon Jackson (Norwich City, England) will be able to replace the injured Dwayne de Rosario (DC United, USA).  Canada should sneak a low-scoring draw much like the 0-0 between the sides in June and advance behind Panama into the final six in CONCACAF.

In South America, the marquee matchup features 2011 Copa America winners Uruguay visiting first-place Argentina.  Uruguay have been severely off their game as of late, losing 4-0 in Colombia and drawing 1-1 against Ecuador at home in September.  Argentina are simply the much better side as of late, having defeated Paraguay soundly last month and stealing a road draw against Peru.  Argentina do not look vulnerable at home this year despite the punditry always criticizing their star forward Lionel Messi (Barcelona).  Uruguay are out of sorts, and their best striker Luis Suarez (Liverpool, England) has been receiving much negative media attention and a heavy workload at his club.  Argentina will win and extend their lead atop the standings.

Two other CONMEBOL contenders square off with Chile at Ecuador also on the slate.  A Chile side without the suspended Gary Medel (Sevilla) head to Quito to take on an Ecuador side that catches break after break in their home matches to maintain a very lucky 100 percent home record.  However, Ecuador have yet to allow a goal in Quito in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and they have already won their first four matches at home, so why stop now?  Ecuador will win.

In the other two matches on CONMEBOL Matchday Nine, Bolivia are the pick at home against Peru and Colombia will run rampant on Paraguay at home.

Quick picks for CONMEBOL Matchday Ten: Uruguay tie at Bolivia, Venezuela defeat Ecuador at home, Paraguay defeat Peru at home, and Argentina tie at Chile.

Match Previews:
http://www.ticotimes.net/Current-Edition/News-Briefs/To-keep-World-Cup-hopes-alive-Costa-Rica-must-not-stumble-in-El-Salvador_Thursday-October-11-2012
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1783170/index.html?intcmp=newsreader_news_box_4
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1783123/index.html?intcmp=newsreader_news_box_2
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1782787/index.html?intcmp=newsreader_news_box_1
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/blog/_/name/espnfcunited/id/1040?cc=5901
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/blog/_/name/espnfcunited/id/1024?cc=5901
http://www.soccerbyives.net/2012/10/klinsmann-usmnt-midfield.html
http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2012/10/11/wcq-preview-short-handed-us-look-avoid-antigua-trap
http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2012/10/11/wcq-preview-canada-not-overlooking-mystery-cuban-side

Preview: Columbus Day 2012 Old World

It is time to break down the five biggest matchups in European 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying this Friday.

UEFA Matchday Three sees many clashes of contenders, none bigger than Portugal at Russia in Group F action.  Portugal are the big name, but Russia are the team that started brightest with big wins over Northern Ireland and Israel.  Portugal eked by Luxembourg and struggled for eighty minutes with Azerbaijan, so the form of Russia is certainly stronger at the moment.  However, Portugal outperformed Russia at the recent UEFA Euro 2012.  Portugal are feeling the injury bug coming into the match with forward Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), centerback Pepe (Real Madrid), and Raul Meireles (Chelsea) all somewhat hampered at the moment.  Russia appear to be a healthier side, and the artificial surface in Moscow may play into a decision to drop the injured Portuguese from the starting lineup.  Both teams look assured of a top-two finish in the group, so this match will go a long way in determining who will end up in the UEFA playoffs and who will be group winners.  The hole opened up by the lack of a healthy Pepe will allow the crisp final-third passing game of the Russians to take over with forward Aleksandr Kerzhakov (Zenit St. Petersburg) and attacking midfielder Alan Dzagoev (CSKA Moscow) finding plenty of room to operate.  All signs point to a Russian victory on this night.

In a Group G with no superpower team, Bosnia and Herzegovina head to Greece with first place on the line.  Bosnia have never beaten Greece; in fact, they have only scored two goals in five meetings between the teams.  Greece have talent in defense and are always capable of springing a successful counterattack, as they proved in the first hour of their UEFA Euro 2012 quarterfinal against Germany.  Young defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Werder Bremen) will command the rear with captain Giorgos Karagounis (Fulham) in the middle of the pitch.  Celtic striker Giorgos Samaras is always dangerous on the counter, as is strike partner Theofanis Gekas (Levante, Spain).  Of course, Bosnia have the far superior attack, led by striker Edin Dzeko (Manchester City) and attacking midfielder Zvjezdan Misimovic (Dynamo Moscow).  Centerback and captain Emir Spahic (Sevilla) will need to keep his team alert to the counterattack.  Greece are always a tough nut to crack at home, especially for an on-the-rise side like Bosnia looking to qualify for their first major tournament finals.  Expect a tense low-scoring draw.

Belgium, after dropping two points at home to Croatia on the previous matchday, now head to Serbia in Group A.  Croatia are the best-positioned team in the standings at the moment, so Belgium and Serbia need to keep pace.  Marouane Fellaini (Everton, England) will be out for the matchup, so midfielder Axel Witsel (Zenit St. Petersburg) will have to make up for his absence.  Star Chelsea forward Eden Hazard leads the attack, but it is the Belgian backline that is spectacular, boasting Vincent Kompany (Manchester City), Thomas Vermaelen (Arsenal, England), and Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham Hotspur). Serbia were shown to be weak in attack during a poor opening showing in Scotland, but thankfully their defense have done well.  Branislav Ivanovic (Chelsea) is the leader in the back, but his teammates are quite capable themselves.  Neven Subotic (Borussia Dortmund) and Aleksadar Kolarov (Manchester City) are also playing for UEFA Champions League clubs.  Though it was against a poor opponent, Serbia's 6-1 home win over Wales is still fresh on the mind, so perhaps they will be able to score against Belgium.  This matchup will be interesting, and with so little to pick between the teams, a tie appears a reasonable result to predict.

Group C witnesses Ireland at Germany.  For all the talk of the Germans not being in top form, they still managed to win 2-1 on the road against Austria last round.  They will be at home against an Ireland time that does not have the talent to match up with Germany, especially with Robbie Keane (Los Angeles Galaxy), Sean St. Ledger (Leicester City), Richard Dunne (Aston Villa), Glen Whelan (Stoke City), James McClean (Sunderland), and Kevin Doyle (Wolverhampton Wanderers) all out for the fixture. Germany will win handily as they will not face the bulk of Ireland English Premier League contingent.

In a tight Group B with four contenders, a key matchup takes place in Bulgaria as Denmark come to visit.  The two teams are looking for three points to apply pressure to fellow contenders Italy and Czech Republic. Certainly, Bulgaria looked the stronger side, opening with a 2-2 draw at home to Italy while Denmark struggled mightily in a 0-0 home draw against Czech Republic.  The Danes have Daniel Agger (Liverpool) and Simon Kjaer (Wolfsburg) in central defense, though Agger doubles as a threat on set pieces.  Up top, they feature Nicklas Bendtner (Juventus) and Michael Krohn-Dehli (Celta Vigo).  However, the midfield consist of lesser known players looking to solidify their place as stars of the national side.  Bulgaria are less talented top-to-bottom, but that did not stop them from getting a result against Italy.  Right back Stanislav Manolev (PSV Eindhoven) is the biggest talent on the roster, although forward Ivelin Popov (Kuban Krasnodar, Russia) is a young man on the rise.  With Denmark facing Italy on Tuesday, this matchup in Bulgaria could prove to be a trap game.  Bulgaria are always strong at home, but for some reason I have the inkling that Denmark will nonetheless pick up their first victory of the tournament.

Match Previews:
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1783048/index.html?intcmp=newsreader_news_box_3
http://www.portugoal.net/index.php/more-natonal-team-news/37105-russia-v-portugal-preview
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1367360-russia-vs-portugal-date-time-live-stream-tv-info-and-preview-2014-world-cup
http://www.uefa.com/worldcup/season=2014/matches/round=2000294/match=2008699/prematch/preview/index.html
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/soccer/10/11/ireland-robbie-keane-germany.ap/index.html?sct=sc_t2_a12

CAF Group D standings altered

Sudan defeated Zambia 2-0 at home on 2 June 2012.  However, the official result will now read 3-0 in favor of Zambia after a FIFA ruling handed down today stated that Sudan were in violation of Article 55, Paragraph 1 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code.  Sudan played an ineligible player during that match.

Midfielder Saif Ali was ineligible due to previous yellow card infractions committed during the 2012 African Cup of Nations, including one in the quarterfinal against Zambia, but Sudan nonetheless fielded him for their opening fixture of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.  This ruling presents not only a major blow to Sudan but also to Ghana, who find themselves three points adrift of the Group D lead in spite of no wrongdoing on their part.  Only the first-place team will advance out of the group.

Zambia 6 pts +4
Ghana 3 pts +6
Sudan 1 pts -3
Lesotho 1 pts -7

News Reports:
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1769965/index.html
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/1184961/sudan-punished-and-fined-over-ineligible-player?cc=5901

Match Schedule: October 2012

The month of October 12 will see five teams in CONCACAF eliminated from Brasil 2014.  The AFC Fourth Round will make it to its halfway point, as will the CONMEBOL single group phase, and the OFC Third Round.  In OFC, Tahiti will be looking to avoid an early elimination this month.  UEFA Match Days Three and Four will start to clear up the picture in Europe.

All match times are given in Central Time (GMT-5).

12 October 2012
New Caledonia at Solomon Islands 23:00 (11 October) Honiara
Portugal at Russia 10:00 Moscow
Georgia at Finland 10:30 Helsinki
Austria at Kazakhstan 11:00 Astana
Italy at Armenia 11:00 Yerevan
Sweden at Faroe Islands 11:00 Torshavn
Iceland at Albania 12:00 Tirana
Romania at Turkey 12:30 Istanbul
Lithuania at Liechtenstein 12:30 Vaduz
Spain at Belarus 13:00 Minsk
Ukraine at Moldova 13:00 Chisinau
Denmark at Bulgaria 13:00 Sofia
Malta at Czech Republic 13:00 Plzen
Latvia at Slovakia 13:15 Bratislava
Germany at Ireland 13:15 Dublin
Hungary at Estonia 13:30 Tallinn
Croatia at Macedonia 13:30 Skopje
Belgium at Serbia 13:30 Belgrade
Norway at Switzerland 13:30 Bern
Andorra at Netherlands 13:30 Rotterdam
Bosnia and Herzegovina at Greece 13:45 Piraeus
Cyprus at Slovenia 13:45 Maribor
Scotland at Wales 13:45 Cardiff
Israel at Luxembourg 14:00 Luxembourg
San Marino at England 14:00 London
Peru at Bolivia 14:00 La Paz
Paraguay at Colombia 15:30 Barranquilla
Chile at Ecuador 16:00 Quito
United States of America at Antigua and Barbuda 18:00 North Sound
Cuba at Canada 18:45 Toronto
Uruguay at Argentina 19:00 Mendoza
Mexico at Guyana 20:00 Houston, United States of America
Costa Rica at El Salvador 20:30 San Salvador
Jamaica at Guatemala 21:00 Guatemala City
Honduras at Panama 21:05 Panama City
New Zealand at Tahiti 1:00 (13 October) Pirae

16 October 2012
Tahiti at New Zealand 1:35 Christchurch
Solomon Islands at New Caledonia 3:30 Noumea
Uzbekistan at Qatar 7:25 Doha
Jordan at Oman 8:00 Muscat
Australia at Iraq 9:15 Doha, Qatar
Azerbaijan at Russia 10:00 Moscow
Luxembourg at Israel 11:00 Tel Aviv
Georgia at Belarus 11:00 Minsk
South Korea at Iran 11:30 Tehran
Liechtenstein at Latvia 12:00 Riga
Estonia at Andorra 12:00 Andorra La Vella
Montenegro at Ukraine 13:00 Kyiv
Norway at Cyprus 13:00 Larnaca
Netherlands at Romania 13:00 Bucharest
Lithuania at Bosnia and Herzegovina 13:00 Zenica
Wales at Croatia 13:00 Osijek
Bulgaria at Czech Republic 13:00 Prague
Ireland at Faroe Islands 13:00 Torshavn
Serbia at Macedonia 13:30 Skopje
Turkey at Hungary 13:30 Budapest
Greece at Slovakia 13:30 Bratislava
Kazakhstan at Austria 13:30 Vienna
Moldova at San Marino 13:30 Serravalle
Switzerland at Iceland 13:30 Reykjavik
Slovenia at Albania  13:45 Tirana
Scotland at Belgium 13:45 Brussels

Sweden at Germany 13:45 Berlin

Denmark at Italy 13:45 Milan
England at Poland 14:00 Warsaw
France at Spain 14:00 Madrid
Uruguay at Bolivia 14:00 La Paz
Northern Ireland at Portugal 14:45 Porto
Panama at Cuba 15:00 Havana
Canada at Honduras 15:00 San Pedro Sula
Peru at Paraguay 17:00 Asuncion
Ecuador at Venezuela 17:00 Puerto La Cruz
Antigua and Barbuda at Jamaica 18:15 Kingston
Guatemala at United States of America 18:15 Kansas City
Argentina at Chile 19:05 Santiago
El Salvador at Mexico 20:00 Torreon
Guyana at Costa Rica 20:00 San Jose

New Caledonia 4 - Tahiti 0

Photo by La Depeche employee

In the final September 2012 match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Tahiti played host to New Caledonia in the Francophone derby in Pirae.  Interestingly, Tahiti are on the other side of the International Date Line from their three group counterparts, so their home matches are played nearly twenty-four hours after the other match in their group on their three OFC Third Round home matchdays.  Tahiti captain Nicolas Vallar was suspended for this matchup, and the 2012 OFC Nations Cup champions appeared to be all out of sorts during the rematch of the final without his presence.  New Caledonia had the better of the few chances in a scoreless first forty-five minutes.

The second period would see Les Cagous take it to the Oceania champions.  A deflected ball was heading for a Tahiti own goal  until Cesar Loholea (pictured, red with ball) slid along the line to claim the opener as his own.  Three minutes on, Loholea slotted across the box for a tap-in by Bertrand Kai, giving the visitors an unexpected 2-0 lead on the road.  Just two minutes after that, Loholea continued his man-of-the-match performance with an absolutely ridiculous bicycle-kick cross that found the head of Georges Gope-Fenepej for Les Cagous' third goal in six minutes.  A stoppage-time strike was added by Gope-Fenepej.  New Caledonia win 4-0, leaving Tahiti in an unexpected last-place position with four matchdays left to play.

New Zealand 6 pts +7
New Caledonia 3 pts +2
Solomon Islands 3 pts -3
Tahiti 0 pts -6

Goals
New Caledonia
Cesar Loholea 57
Bertrand Kai 60
Georges Gope-Fenepej 62, 90

Match Reports:
http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/News/ViewArticle/tabid/125/Article/050ca6eb-d8c7-4716-8332-fbe55cd580ac/language/en-US/Default.aspx
http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/News/ViewArticle/tabid/125/Article/719019ef-db05-46ec-987e-f28d620fc468/language/en-US/Default.aspx
http://www.ladepeche.pf/article/football/terrible-desillusion-pour-tahiti

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtNv0MKYREk&feature=g-all-u

Panama 2 - Canada 0; Honduras 1 - Cuba 0

Panama City was the site for the rematch between visiting Canada, 1-0 winners at home, and hosts Panama.  The horns were blaring from the start as La Marea Roja were looking to avenge a loss in Canada four days ago.  Six minutes into the match, the lights went out.  Dwayne De Rosario, Canada's star midfielder, went out with a knee knock during the quarter-hour stoppage of play as the down time stopped the flow of adrenaline and forced him to be substituted.  The first warning that Canada were in for trouble came off the boot of Alberto Quintero, who forced a good saved out of the Canuck goalkeeper.  With seven minutes left in the half, an Armando Cooper corner kick was met violently by the head of his Panama teammate Roland Blackburn.  The ball caromed off the inside of the far post and whipped the crowd into a frenzy. Panama led 1-0 at intermission.

Canada came out strongly to start the half, earning a variety of corner kicks that did not lead to goals.  Quintero then stemmed the tide of momentum as he made a swell run up the left side of the pitch.  Quintero made it to the end line, from where he pulled back, faked a pass to Blas Perez to draw out the goalkeeper, and then did slot a pass to Perez, who smashed the ball home with authority to send la Marea Roja on their way to victory with a second goal.  Panama win 2-0 and assert control of Group Three with two matchdays left.

San Pedro Sula was the site as the hosts Honduras were looking to eliminate Cuba from Brasil 2014.  Toothless Cuba had yet to score a goal in their opening three qualifiers.  That poor run of form continued today, but Honduras were made to work to find their own offense.  Roger Espinoza beat his man around the end line and floated a cross to the far post to Jerry Bengston (pictured, white), who had slipped his mark to find acres of space.  Bengston rose for the header and nodded home for a goal created by two Major League Soccer players.  Honduras led 1-0 at halftime.

Honduras were unable to extend their advantage in the second period, but Cuba once again provided no offense.  Honduras end up winning 1-0.  Cuba are now reduced to playing the spoiler role for the rest of their qualifying campaign, for with the 1-0 defeat Cuba are the first and only team to be eliminated from the 2014 FIFA World Cup during the month of September 2012.  At least Cuba can consider the 1-0 reverse an improvement over their 3-0 loss to Honduras in Havana.

Panama 9 pts +2
Honduras 7 pts +2
Canada 7 pts 0
Cuba OUT

Goals
Panama
Roland Blackburn 38
Blas Perez 57

Honduras
Jerry Bengston 32

Match Reports:
http://www.thespec.com/sports/article/797786--canada-falls-to-panama-2-0-in-key-world-cup-qualifying-game
http://www.thestar.com/sports/soccer/article/1255406--panama-defeats-canada-2-0-in-world-cup-qualifier
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/panama-2-0-canada-reds-032000121--sow.html
http://www.concacaf.com/page/WCQ/NewsDetail/0,,12813~2916572,00.html

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jq0Ma7b0rMQ (Panama v. Canada)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozGVpbaFg5U (Honduras v. Cuba)

Peru 1 - Argentina 1

Lima was the site of Peru's second home qualifier in five days.  This time the poor visiting souls were Argentina.  Peru out-muscled Argentina all night, and  they kept someone in the breathing space of star Lionel Messi (pictured, blue #10) so that he never found a rhythm.  Peru drew a penalty when Angel Di Maria took down Jefferson Farfan in the box.  Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero saved the twelfth minute penalty kick from Claudio Pizarro.  Peruvian Rinaldo Cruzado smacked a long through ball from midfield into the path of Luis Advincula, who composed himself at the end line before slotted across the box to Carlos Zambrano, who finished after beating two Albiceleste players to the ball.  Peru finally had their 1-0 lead, but it would last only a quarter hour.  The goal was very similar, with Federico Fernandez smacking a long ball to Ezequiel Lavezzil, who slotted across the box to Gonzalo Higuain, who then beat one defender to the ball before equalizing.  The half ended 1-1 with Peru feeling as though they deserved better.

Peru remained the superior side in the second half, and Argentina were merely fighting to hold onto a point.  Pizarro headed just wide of goal on one occasion.  Peru came closest to the winner in stoppage time, but Romero was there to turn away a Zambrano chance and deny the home side the win they deserved.  The match ends in a 1-1 draw, so Argentina go top of the table.

Argentina 14 pts +9
Colombia 13 pts +6
Ecuador 13 pts +1
Uruguay 12 pts +4
Chile 12 pts -1
Venezuela 11 pts -1
Peru 7 pts -4
Bolivia 4 pts -5
Paraguay 4 pts -9

Goals
Peru
Carlos Zambrano 22

Argentina
Gonzalo Higuain 38

Match Reports:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1331458-argentina-vs-peru-1-1-draw-reveals-key-to-harnessing-argentinians-speed
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1700262/index.html
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/48997440/ns/sports-soccer/
http://www.goal.com/en-us/match/82139/peru-vs-argentina/report

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Id1woDidJCE

Full Match Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbpDxAI5XSg

El Salvador 3 - Guyana 2; Mexico 1 - Costa Rica 0

Providence was the scene for the return match between hosts Guyana and El Salvador.  Both teams needed to win to push for the second spot in Group Two, and both teams went out with an attacking mindset, leading to an open football match.  The Golden Jaguars got the crowd going in the first minute when Gregory Richardson scored after an unforced turnover by El Salvador.  La Selecta answered ten minutes later when a Jaime Alas cross led to an Osael Romero header nutmegged the goalkeeper for 1-1.  Poor finishing more than anything else prevented the scoreline from changing before halftime.

La Selecta took ten minutes, but they nosed ahead when Alas gathered an overhit corner kick before unleashing his team's second goal to the near post before the goalkeeper could march across his goal line to cover.  Guyana leveled the match again when a Carl Cort header was trapped by Chris Nurse before Nurse finished into the Salvadoran net.  El Salvador took a 3-2 lead with one quarter hour to go through after a weak headed clearance attempt fell to an onrushing Rafael Burgos, who provided a classy finish, but the height of the drama came just before the final whistle.  Guyana were awarded a penalty kick when Richardson was brought down, but Cort's effort was saved by Salvadoran goalkeeper Dagoberto Portillo to preserve the 3-2 victory.  El Salvador win 3-2 and now must only beat Costa Rica at home next month in order to advance to the CONCACAF Fourth Round.  Guyana must win their final two matches to have any hope of survival.

The famed Estadio Azteca hosted the return of Mexico to home soil to take on Costa Rica.  Hector Moreno's powerful header off a Mexico corner was headed toward a destination in the Tico net, but goalkeeper Keylor Navas flew to the upper reaches of his goal to tap the ball onto the crossbar.  The otherwise slow first half ended 0-0.

Early in the second period, Navas continued his hero turn with a diving one-handed stab at a solid header from Jesus Zavala.  Mexico broke through on the hour mark when a Jose Torres Nilo cross had the absolute perfect pace, height, and curl to float one centimeter over Navas's hand and onto Javier Hernandez's (pictured, green) grateful head at an abandoned back post, giving the hosts a 1-0 lead.  The rest of the match stayed true to its slow, relaxed pace with no real action to be found.  With the uneventful 1-0 victory, Mexico are the first of six teams to advance to the CONCACAF Fourth Round.

Mexico 12 pts IN
El Salvador 5 pts 0
Costa Rica 4 pts +1
Guyana 1 pts -7

Goals
El Salvador
Osael Romero 12
Jaime Alas 56
Rafael Burgos 76

Guyana
Gregory Richardson 1
Chris Nurse 62

Mexico
Javier Hernandez 60

Match Reports:
http://www.demerarawaves.com/index.php/201209124577/Latest/el-salvador-ends-3-game-world-cup-qualifying-winless-streak-against-guyana.html
http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2012/09/12/guyana-lose-3-2-to-el-salvador/
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/mexico-1-0-costa-rica-030200414--sow.html

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVhviBVfNuI (El Salvador v. Guyana)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7XQJHr75yM (Mexico v. Costa Rica)

United States of America 1 - Jamaica 0; Guatemala 1 - Antigua and Barbuda 0

Antigua and Barbuda hosted the return match against Guatemala in North Sound.  Regular Antigua goalkeeper Molvin James was out for a red-card suspension.  Twenty minutes in, the crowd at North Sound witnessed the goal of the day in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.  Sadly for them, it was Carlos Ruiz of the Chapines who authored the strike.  A half-volley from twenty-five yards was struck purely by Ruiz and became the upper-niniest of upper-ninety goals.  Guatemala nearly made it two, but their effort was smacked off the near post straight back toward its origin.

Guatemala dealt well with the pressure of a tight match in the second forty-five.  Though their offense could not muster much against a resolute Antigua defense, the Chapines refused to bend on their own defenseive end.  Guatemala see the 1-0 win out and move into a tie for first place in Group One.

United States of America returned to their fortress in Columbus to take on group leaders Jamaica.  Jamaica goalkeeper Dwayne Miller was unbeatable in the first half.  Not even a deflection after having committed to a dive the opposite way could best him as he somehow stopped momentum and dove backwards to tip the ball off the post.  First-time United States starting midfielder Graham Zusi was the best field player in the first half, and he nearly scored on two occasions, once denied Miller.  Danny Williams hit a wicked bullet from over forty yards that beat Miller, but the intersection of the posts took the brunt of the blow and not the back of the net.  Jamaica were relieved to enter the locker room tied 0-0.

Ten minutes into the second period, the United States drew a free kick.  Herculez Gomez struck a decent ball over the wall, but Miller got both hands to it.  Still, the ball somehow got through Miller anyway, and the United States had a deserved 1-0 lead.  At this point, the level of energy dropped from the home side, giving Jamaica hope to snatch a draw.  A Luton Shelton shot in the final ten minutes was the first real Reggae Boyz attack, and it would be the last.  United States win 1-0 to move into a three-way tie for first place with two matchdays left to play.

USA 7 pts +2
Guatemala 7 pts +2
Jamaica 7 pts +1
Antigua 1 pts -5

Goals
Guatemala
Carlos Ruiz 20

United States
Herculez Gomez 55

Match Reports:
http://www.tropigol.com/2012/09/11/ruiz-gives-guatemala-1-0-victory-at-antigua/
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/soccer/09/11/usa-jamaica.ap/index.html#?sct=sc_t2_a3
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/avi_creditor/09/12/usa-jamaica-steve-cherundolo/index.html?sct=sc_t12_a0

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mA_E5d4FBKc (Guatemala v. Antigua)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5CBZjcGpis (USA v. Jamaica)

Venezuela 2 - Paraguay 0

Venezuela visited Asuncion to take on hosts Paraguay never having so much as even scored a goal on Paraguayan soil in their history.  The visitors came out with a much more positive attacking lineup than they had four days earlier in Peru, with three attacking midfielders instead of just two in their 4-4-2 formation.  The Brasil 2014 debut of striker Josef Martinez proved vital for Venezuela as the diminutive man was a great foil to star striker Salomon Rondon (pictured, white).  While Rondon controlled the center of the box, Martinez was wreaking havoc along the sidelines.  With solid defense behind them, led by central defender Franklin Lucena, Venezuela absolutely dominated the first half.  Nevertheless, Paraguay had the best chances early as Venezuela goalkeeper Dani Hernandez was forced to come up with two ridiculous saves.  On one occasion, Hernandez stuck out his long arm while seated on his bottom to deny a redirect.  Venezuela's reward for their dominance came in the final minute when a stellar cross from Cesar Gonzalez allowed Rondon to beat the offside trap and strike the ball into the turf to bounce it over Paraguay goalkeeper Justo Villar.  Venezuela led 1-0 at the break.

Early in the second period, Venezuela were on the offensive looking for goal number two.  Still, Hernandez had to make yet another incredible save in the second half, cementing his status as the most valuable player on the pitch on this night.  A certain goal from Jonathan Fabbro was going to equalize the match before Hernandez dove like a humpback whale and pawed the ball off frame at full stretch and on the dive.  Just as their offensive had died down after the half's midway point, a Venezuela free kick from Juan Arango was punch away by Villar off the back of his own player and into the path of Rondon, who slotted the ball into the open net for a 2-0 La Vinotinto advantage.   Venezuela win 2-0.  The only downsides for La Vinotinto are the yellow card suspensions of Gonzalez and Oswaldo Vizcarrondo for their next match at home to Ecuador.

Goals
Venezuela
Salomon Rondon 45, 68

Match Reports:
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/soccer-venezuela-win-2-0-push-paraguay-nearer-020105789--sow.html

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQokTBEtZgU&feature=g-all-u

Ecuador 1 - Uruguay 1

Montevideo welcomed Copa America 2011 champions Uruguay home to take on Ecuador.  The hosts, after a horror performance in Colombia last Friday, continued to be second best on this night.  Ecuador jumped on La Celeste early.  Uruguay centerback and captain Diego Lugano took down Felipe Caicedo in the box.  Caicedo dusted himself off and converted from the penalty spot himself to give the visitors a 1-0 lead inside of ten minutes played.  The visitors remained in the ascendancy for the majority of the half.  Uruguay started to pull themselves together just after the half hour mark.  Luis Suarez nearly equalized with an off-balance chip shot with three minutes remaining, but the ball only fell in time to hit the top of the crossbar.

At the hour mark, Ecuador had shouts for a penalty when Cristian Benitez was clipped in the Uruguayan penalty area, but the referee instead booked Benitez for simulation.  Uruguay were saved when a block clearance fell to Edinson Cavani in the penalty area, from where he hit a shot goalward too quickly for the goalkeeper to even react.  In stoppage time, a second yellow card to Ecuador's Antonio Valencia saw him leave the pitch for the final few seconds.  The match ends as a 1-1 draw.

Goals
Ecuador
Felipe Caicedo 8 PK

Uruguay
Edinson Cavani 67

Match Reports:
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/cavani-strike-saves-uruguay-second-defeat-row-010658037--sow.html

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDwk50tz0M0

Full Match Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g94DKKmEqJQ (1st half)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_632524&feature=iv&src_vid=g94DKKmEqJQ&v=hdjRXxVRMc4 (2nd half)

Colombia 3 - Chile 1

Santiago was the site as the rested Chile team coming off an open date was hosting surging Colombia.  The match was back and forth in the early going with Chile looking the more dangerous side, but in minute 34 the whole outlook of the afternoon changed when Gary Medel was sent off for the hosts for a straight red card after slapping an opponent in the face.  His utter stupidity seemed not to matter immediately after his moment of madness, for seven minutes later Chile found their opener.  Matias Fernandez gathered a loose ball twenty-three yards from goal and then fired through a mess of yellow jerseys to put his shot on frame and past the goalkeeper.  Chile would head into the break up a goal but down a man.

Colombia frustratingly could not break through the acrobatics of Chile goalkeeper Claudio Bravo.  It took a left-footed James Rodriguez free kick off the inside of the near post to knot the score at one apiece.  South America is the current cradle of left-footed free-kick geniuses, with goals scored this past week by Argentina's Lionel Messi and Venezuela's Juan Arango with lefty strikes as well.  Colombia, against a tiring Chile, finally made the extra man pay off.  Aldo Ramirez was substituted onto the pitch and paid immediate dividends when he slotted a through ball between the centerbacks onto which Radamel Falcao latched to create a one-on-one with Bravo.  Falcao won the battle, and Colombia had a 2-1 lead to go with their man advantage.  Four minutes later, Colombia had a three-on-three situation, and Falcao picked out Teofilo Gutierrez to this left, leading to a finish around Bravo for Los Cafeteros' third goal.  Colombia lost their extra man when Abel Aguilar gathered his second yellow card in minute 83. Colombia coasted to the finish line and win 3-1 on the road.

Goals
Colombia
James Rodriguez 58
Radamel Falcao 73
Teofilo Gutierrez 76

Chile
Matias Fernandez 41

Match Reports:
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/soccer-colombia-continue-recovery-3-1-win-chile-223301073--sow.html
http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Colombia-beats-10-man-Chile-3-1-in-qualifying-3857478.php
http://deportesus.terra.com/sports/soccer/cup/2014/qualifiers/noticias/0,,OI6146877-EI18601,00-Colombia+routs+Chile+gets+into+qualification+zone.html

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7sByqLVGhc

Full Match Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGcR-LBbWBM

Luxembourg 1 - Northern Ireland 1; Russia 4 - Israel 0; Portugal 3 - Azerbaijan 0

Ramat Gan welcomed visiting Russia as they came into town to take on Israel.  Alexander Kerzhakov drew an early free kick, and he himself stepped up to curl over a stationary wall from twenty-five yards to give Russia a 1-0 lead.  Eleven minutes after that, Vladimir Bystrov took out two Israel defenders and he crashed to the turf in pain, but the ball checked up inside the Israeli box for Alexander Kokorin to finish for 2-0.  Bystrov soon after was substituted out of the match.  Russia led 2-0 at the interval.

Russia continued to assert their dominance and send a message to Portugal that Group F will be a titanic battle between the two sides.  At the midway point of the half, Victor Fayzulin gathered a long pass beautifully at the top of the box.  Fayzulin took one step and sent a looping cross to the six-yard box, from where a sprinting Kerzhakov volleyed home for his second and Russia's third.  Alexander Samedov provided the service on the final Russian goal with Fayzulin hitting a simple side volley with his instep.  With the 4-0 victory, Russia prove themselves to be the danger team in the group.

The fans in Belfast hoped that Northern Ireland would be able to snap an eight-game winless streak dating back one year in time.  Jonny Evans played the two in a one-two-one with Dean Shiels, slotting a through ball between the Luxembourg center backs.  Shiels stutter-stepped to gather his timing before chipping the onrushing goalkeeper to send Belfast into a frenzy with just under a quarter hour gone.  Northern Ireland appeared to have a second, but the goal was disallowed for a foul committed by Kyle Lafferty.  The home side were up 1-0 after the first forty-five minutes.

Northern Ireland continued to try their hardest to put the game away to no avail.  Lafferty almost clinched it with fifteen to play, but Jonathan Joubert in the Luxembourg goal did well to get a touch.  Three minutes later, Joubert saved from Jamie Ward.  Five minutes after that, Steven Davis beat Joubert but not the near post, leaving the match still balanced at 1-1.  Luxembourg took advantage of their one chance as Daniel Da Mota (pictured, red) fired from twenty-three yards and saw a deflection carry his ball safely into the net.  Luxembourg snatch a draw 1-1 on the road.

Braga waited expectantly to see home side Portugal rout Azerbaijan.  Portugal were the better team in the first period, which could not have been said of them four nights ago in Luxembourg.  However, Portugal had the misfortune of striking three posts in the first period and scoring no goals.  Azerbaijan drew the first frame 0-0.

Portugal began the second period with yet another post, leaving the team and their fans exasperated.  Silvestre Varela was brought onto the pitch, and one minute later he had changed the tone.  Helder Postiga backheeled a deflected shot into the path of Varela, who pushed home to give Portugal the 1-0 lead.  Postiga half-volleyed home off a Cristiano Ronaldo header for a second goal for the Portuguese with under six minutes left in the match to finally make the advantage a comfortable 2-0.  Bruno Alves added a third three minutes later off a header from a corner kick to make the scoreline more accurately reflect the match.  Portugal win 3-0.

Russia 6 pts +6
Portugal 6 pts +4
Luxembourg 1 pts -1
N. Ireland 1 pts -2
Azerbaijan 1 pts -3
Israel 1 pts -4

Goals
Russia
Alexander Kerzhakov 7, 64
Alexander Kokorin 18
Victor Fayzulin 77

Northern Ireland
Dean Shiels 14

Luxembourg
Daniel Da Mota 86

Portugal
Silvestre Varela 64
Helder Postiga 85
Bruno Alves 88

Match Reports:
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1699399/index.html
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/columnists/steven-beacom/steven-beacom-the-night-northern-ireland-hit-rock-botton-16210034.html
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1699875/index.html
http://news.sudanvisiondaily.com/details.html?rsnpid=214120
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1699952/index.html

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLt6ZbiYkXU (Russia v. Israel)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QI8icTxsz8Q (Luxembourg v. N. Ireland)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzG8mg7bEqs (Portugal v. Azerbaijan)

Ukraine 1 - England 1; Poland 2 - Moldova 0; Montenegro 6 - San Marino 0

Serravalle was the fortress of San Marino under siege from Montenegro.  With nearly twenty-five minutes gone, Montenegro had their first when a wicked deflection looped over the goalkeeper, off the post, and into the path of Luka Djodjevic for an easy finish.  The second Montenegrin goal came in the next minute when a beautiful backheel led to a sprint to the end line, from where a cross was rolled along the ground for a tap-in second.  The half ended 2-0 for the visitors.

Another through ball broke the Sammarinese defense for the third Montenegrin goal.  A shot from distance by Elsad Zverotic barely lifted one yard off the ground, but it did the job.  A fifth goal came after a rebound was blocked into the path of a Montenegrin attacker.  The sixth goal was unstoppable, as a side-footed volley by Andrija Delibasic made its way into the side net.  Montenegro win 6-0.

Wroclaw was the site as hosts Poland face Moldova.  Moldova, fresh off a 5-0 loss to England, were actually on the front foot in the first period.  They made Poland goalkeeper Przemyslaw Tyton earn his keep in the first period.  Tyton had to tip over a free kick from Alexandr Suvorov in the game's opening chance.  Nevertheless, just beyond the half hour mark it were the Poles who ascending into the lead after drawing and converting a penalty kick.  That would provide the only score in a 1-0 first half, with Igor Picusciac missing just wide for an equalizer late in the half.

Tyton had to make another save in the second half before Poland truly gathered their wits.  Moldova goalkeeper Stanislav Namasco had a nice half, reacting quickly to stop Adrian Mierzejewski and then Robert Lewandowski later in the period.  A downward header goal by Jakub Wawrzyniak clinched the win for Poland with ten minutes left to play.  Moldova must have felt hard done by the final score since they had so many chances.  Poland win 2-0 to keep pace at the top of Group H.

London's famed Wembley Stadium hosted its first match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup as home side England took on Ukraine.  Jermaine Defoe appeared to have given the Three Lions a lead, but his goal was taken away for his hand to the neck of his defender.  In fact, Defoe was shown a yellow.  Steven Gerrard went to ground to block a goalbound shot to save England from going down 1-0.  Tom Cleverley could have given the home side a first-half hat trick, but instead he came out with a clunker of finishing touch and botched his finished terribly.  Ukraine's Yevhen Konoplyanka made the play of the day of the FIFA World Cup, freezing Gerrard from twenty-two yards before cutting inside and unleashing an unstoppable effort into the side netting.  Cleverly hit the post before the half expired with the Three Lions down 1-0.

Fullback Glen Johnson came forward to shot right at the bottom corner, but Ukraine goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov tipped it just off frame along the ground.  Danny Welbeck hit another post for England, who really were feeling the pressure as they still trailed coming into the last five minutes.  Luckily for England, Welbeck flicked a ball into the arm of a Ukraine defender for a late penalty kick.  England converted the penalty kick for one-all.  Gerrard was sent home for a second yellow in minute 88, leaving the hosts to cope down a man for the endgame.  England and Ukraine tie 1-1.

Montenegro 4 pts +6
England 4 pts +5
Poland 4 pts +2
Ukraine 1 pts 0
San Marino 0 pts -6
Moldova 0 pts -7

Goals
Montenegro
Luka Djordjevic 24
Fatos Beciraj 25, 52
Elsad Zverotic 69
Andrija Delibasic 78, 82

Poland
Jakub Blaszczykowski 33 PK
Jakub Wawrzyniak 81

Ukraine
Yevhn Konoplyanka 38

England
Frank Lampard 87 PK

Match Reports:
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1699767/index.html
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1699920/index.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/sep/11/england-ukraine-world-cup-qualifier-report
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1699809/index.html

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5inJkF51RU (Montenegro v. San Marino)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0xIQBFqEWM (Poland v. Moldova)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zq7m6CelQus&noredirect=1 (Ukraine v. England)

Croatia 1 - Belgium 1; Scotland 1 - Macedonia 1; Serbia 6 - Wales 1

Novi Sad was the site of an absolute beating as Serbia, coming off a frustrating draw, welcomed hapless Wales.  An Aleksandar Kolarov free kick was curled neatly over the wall for 1-0.  Awful Welsh defending allowed a clumsy Kolarov to run through three people to end up next to the goalkeeper before the rebound was coughed up for a tap-in.  At the half hour mark, a superb lefty free kick was drilled by Gareth Bale to close the score to 2-1.  Serbia took advantage of more awful Welsh defending as the kicked a long ball from their own half over everyone's head and then hit a through ball to give themselves a two-on-none break at the goal. They converted and took the 3-1 lead with them off the pitch.

Branislav Ivanovic continued Welsh misery in the subsequent period.  He stripped Bale of the ball and run unimpeded into the box before coolly delivering a perfect ball for an easy conversion by a teammate for 4-1.  Keeping with the theme of the day, awful Welsh defending prevented a corner kick from being cleared on three occasions, allowing for a crack to be taken at goal and converted for 5-1.  Yet, it was still not over for Wales.  A deflected shot from outside the box became a perfect chip over the Wales goalkeeper to make it even more painful, so much so that Serbia did not even celebrate.  Serbia win 6-1.  Wales are the prohibitive favorites to finish a distant last in Group A.

Brussels was the site of the crucial encounter between home Belgium and visiting Croatia.  A fluke goal occurred when two Belgian defenders wiped out along with the one Croat in the Belgian penalty area, allowing a free ball to be collected and finished under no pressure by Ivan Perisic for an early 1-0 lead to Croatia.  After a nervy ten minutes to start, Belgium dominated the half.  In stoppage time, a Belgium corner was partially cleared, but Guillaume Gillet laced a volley from the half circle into the net for an equalizer .  If this were a competition for best goal, Belgium would be ahead, but this is football, so the game was tied 1-1 at the half.

Luckily for Croatia, the frenzied crowd was given fifteen minutes to calm down after the Gillet golazo.  Belgium went closest to breaking the stalemate in the second period, but it was not to be.  Josip Simunic made a clearance off his line six minutes in, and from that point on Croatia were able to defend well enough to hold on for a precious road point against fellow group favorites.  The match ends in a 1-1 draw.

Glasgow was the scene as hosts Scotland were paid a visit by Macedonia.  Off a short corner, Macedonia worked the ball expertly around, giving Daniel Georgievski to cross a ball across the six-yard box with the Scotland defenders still shifting momentum, allowing a sliding finish by Nikolce Noveski.  Of course, it did not help the Scottish cause that Noveskia was very far offside.  Two minutes before half, Scotland made a great play, passing through two colliding Macedonia defenders to spring Jamie Mackie on a two-on-none break.  Mackie selflessly passed off to Kenny Miller for the simple finish and the 1-1 halftime score.

Macedonia were the more dangerous team upon the restart, coming very close when Ferhan Hasani rattled the post during the run of play.  A frustrated Scotland crowd let their displeasure with the situation be heard, but Macedonia continued on the offensive in spite of the introduction of substitute forwards for Scotland.  Mirko Ivanoski found himself alone with only the keeper to beat, but Allan McGregor made a kick save while sliding forward to cut off the angle, keeping Scotland level.  It was a strange match; Macedonia deserved to score a goal and get at least a draw, but they did not deserve the one goal they got.  Regardless, the result of the match is a 1-1 draw.

Serbia 4 pts +5
Belgium 4 pts +2
Croatia 4 pts +1
Scotland 2 pts 0
Macedonia 1 pts -1
Wales 0 pts -7

Goals
Serbia
Aleksandar Kolarov 16
Zoran Tosic 24
Filip Duricic 39
Dusan Tadic 55
Branislav Ivanovic 79
Miralem Sulejmani 90

Wales
Gareth Bale 30

Croatia
Ivan Perisic 6

Belgium
Guillaume Gillet 45+2

Macedonia
Nikolce Noveski 11

Scotland
Kenny Miller 43

Match Reports:
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1699829/index.html
http://www.football.co.uk/croatia/belgium_battle_back_to_draw_with_croatia_rss3541706.shtml
http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/soccer/general/view/20220912croatia_holds_belgium_to_1-1_in_qualis/
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1699888/index.html
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1699918/index.html

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDNFYmoU7a4 (Serbia v. Wales)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMz1WiuK4Kc (Croatia v. Belgium)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXZgrMNi6K8 (Macedonia v. Scotland)

France 3 - Belarus 1; Spain 1 - Georgia 0

Tbilisi was were Spain began their journey to defend the FIFA World Cup began as they visited Georgia in their opener.  Spain were the last of the thirty-two finalists from South Africa 2010 to begin their journey to Brasil 2014.  Spain were the only team that caused any danger offensively in the match, but Georgia proved a tough nut to crack.  Two minutes before the half hour hit, David Silva fired a shot off the far post.  The minute before the half ended saw a Xavi Hernandez shot tipped over by Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Loria.  One minute later in stoppage time, Loria saved a one-on-one against Roberto Soldado.  Somehow, the half ended with no goals having been scored.

Georgia nearly stole a lead when defender Aleksandr Amisulashvili curled a shot with the inside of his foot onto Spain's far post.  Loria took a heavy blow to his head midway through the period and had to be substituted off the field after several minutes of suffering.  Spain finally capitalized on one of their many chances with only four minutes remaining in regulation when a Cesc Fabregas pass was one-timed into the net by Soldado. Georgia refused to roll over and forced a last-gasp block from Sergio Ramos (pictured, red #15) to preserve Spanish victory.  Spain win 1-0.

Saint-Denis was the site of France's home opener with Belarus looking to crash the party.  The opening half demanded that Belarus play on their back foot the entire time, but luckily their goalkeeper Sergei Veremko was up to the task.  France defender Mamadou Sakho will not be inviting Veremko to any parties after he was denied on two occasions from scoring for France.  The half ended scoreless.

Belarus finally found an offense at the resumption of play, but France goalkeeper Hugo Llloris was up to the challenge.  Etienne Capoue scored his first international goal for France two minutes after his goalkeeper had been called into action.  Franck Ribery had picked up a weak poke from a seated Belarusian defender and then slotted into space for an onrushing Capoue who did the rest to make it 1-0.  Christophe Jallet scored his first goal for Les Bleus on a misfired cross twenty minutes after their opener.  Right back Jallet was looking to find the head of his teammate, but his cross was hit seven yards too far to the right and ricocheted off the underside of the crossbar for a lucky 2-0 lead.  Four minutes after Jallet's good fortune, Belarus had revived hope when Mapou Yanga tripped up his man in the box.  Sergei Kornilenko stepped up to take the penalty.  Lloris saved his effort low and to the right, but the rebound was knocked home through the legs of Lloris, pulling Belarus to within one goal at 2-1.  With ten minutes remaining, Karim Benzema set up Ribery for a chipped goal over an oncoming Veremko for a stylish third goal.  France win 3-1.

France 6 pts +3
Spain 3 pts +1
Georgia 3 pts 0
Finland 0 pts -1
Belarus 0 pts -3

Goals
Spain
Roberto Soldado 86

France
Etienne Capoue 49
Christophe Jallet 68
Franck Ribery 80

Belarus
Anton Putilo 72

Match Reports:
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1699502/index.html
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1699972/index.html
http://www.goal.com/en-gb/match/80705/georgia-vs-spain/report
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1699923/index.html
http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/soccer/general/view/20220912france_beats_belarus_3-1_in_world_cup_qualifier/

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mVyYbft3O0 (Spain v. Georgia)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjYjwmohv4I (France v. Belarus)

Greece 2 - Lithuania 0; Bosnia and Herzegovina 4 - Latvia 1; Slovakia 2 - Liechtenstein 0

Zenica welcomed home Group G contenders Bosnia and Heregovina to take on Latvia.  Latvia spoiled the party with an excellent corner kick set piece five minutes into the match. Oskars Klava found the head of Deniss Ivanovs, who nodded to the back post where a sliding captain Kaspars Gorkss finished against a stunned Bosnia defense.  Six minutes later, Bosnia drew an unbelievably soft penalty that they would convert for 1-1. Just before half, an Edin Dzeko run up the left side of the pitch led to a cross to Miralem Pjanic, who gathered, turned off his defender, and blasted home for a 2-1 lead after forty-five minutes.

Pjanic won a 50-50 ball just outside Latvia's penalty box with ten minutes off the clock, and he then picked out Zvjezdan Misimovic for Bosnia's third goal.  In stoppage time, Dzeko pulled a double juke, causing two defenders to fall with the same move before beating the goalkeeper for Bosnia's fourth and final goal. Bosnia win 4-1, marking the second straight match that Latvia led 1-0 before ultimately losing.

Bratislava welcomed their heroes Slovakia to take on visiting Liechtenstein.  Liechtenstein goalkeeper Peter Jehle made a fine save from close range after a half-dozen minutes to prevent Slovakia from taking the lead.  Vladimir Weiss put a low cross into the box, and on his second attempt to make contact, Marek Sapara scored the opener for his side.  In the final ten minutes, Slovakia kept pushing, and a Marek Hamsik header crashed the underside of the crossbar without going in, leading the provider of the service Sapara with his hands on his head in disbelief.  Slovakia took the 1-0 advantage into the dressing room.

Jehle saved from Hamsik in the first danger play of the half.  With twelve minutes to go when Miroslav Stoch had a one-on-one with Jehle and got the ball through his hands.  Stoch's goal was stolen by a teammate as it crossed the line, but no matter. Slovakia win 2-0.

Greece made their first appearance at home in the 2014 FIFA World Cup against Lithuania in Piraeus.  Greece had the better of play at the start, but they did not come close to a goal until a free kick by Sotiris Ninis (pictured, blue #18) curled over the wall and was tipped away by goalkeeper Zydrunas Karcemarskas.  Karcemarskas made two more saves to preserve the 0-0 after one half.

Karcemarskas knocked away a close-range Kostas Mitroglou  header in the first minute after the break, leaving Greece to wonder if they would ever score.  Mitroglou had another header chance, but this time he hit the post.  Greece gathered the rebound, and Ninis ended up with a nice turn-and-shoot to make it 1-0 to Greece.  Mitroglou, in his third chance after substituting onto the pitch, scored with under twenty minutes to play off a one-two-one play with Ninis.  Greece would set out the match, and they win 2-0.

Bosnia 6 pts +10
Greece 6 pts +3
Slovakia 4 pts +2
Lithuania 1 pts -2
Latvia 0 pts -4
Liechtenstein 0 pts -9

Goals
Bosnia
Zvjezdan Misimovic 12 PK, 54
Miralem Pjanic 44
Edin Dzeko 90+1

Latvia
Kaspars Gorkss 5

Slovakia
Marek Sapara 36
Martin Jakubko 78

Greece
Sotiris Ninis 55
Konstantinos Mitroglou 72

Match Reports:
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1699691/index.html
http://www.euronews.com/sport/1654464-rampant-bosnia-continue-goal-spree-to-sink-latvia/
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1699909/index.html
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1699935/index.html

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yEviK3s5zw (Bosnia v. Latvia)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tFO_ZCWahA (Slovakia v. Liechtenstein)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1cFl9VhNTk (Greece v. Lithuania)

Full Match Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NXI53iqV4c (Bosnia v. Latvia - 1st half)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guBfApaAr4I (Bosnia v. Latvia - 2nd half)

Bulgaria 1 - Armenia 0; Italy 2 - Malta 0

Sofia hosted Bulgaria for the second time in five days.  Bulgaria this time faced Armenia with three points on their minds.  Ivelin Popov created the first goal for Bulgaria with two minutes left before the half when he executed a stepover and then threaded a pass across the box with the outside of his foot to give Stanislav Manolev an easy and emphatic finish.  Bulgaria led 1-0 after the opening period.

The second period with forever be known for a mass fight in minute 73.  Bulgaria defender Veselin Minev was boxing out a ball as his keeper was sliding to get it.  Armenia attacker Henrikh Mhitaryan shoved Minev down over his goalkeeper, leading to a big row.  Armenia substitute Marcos Pinheiro was expelled with a red card, and Bulgaria lost Svetoslav Dyakov to a second yellow card.  Four minutes later, Armenia lost Gevorg Ghazaryan to his second yellow, so the end of the match was played with only nineteen players on the pitch: ten Bulgarians and nine Armenians.  With the numerical disadvantage, Armenia mustered no attack, so Bulgaria win comfortably 1-0.

Italy were looking to improve on an opening fixture draw as they welcomed Malta to Modena.  In the fifth minute, a long distance Claudio Marchisio pass from his own half of the field found a bounding Mattia Destro, who having gotten behind the Maltese backline was able to toe poke home for a 1-0 lead to the hosts.  Alessandro Diamanti had two of his efforts saved by Malta goalkeeper Andrew Hogg in the first half, including the first off a free kick.  Italy led at the break 1-0.

Roderick Briffa proved to be a thorn in the side of the Italian defense as the striker kept up a hearty search for the equalizer.  He hit a couple of rifled shots toward Italy's net, but none completed its journey netward, one because Antonio Nocerino provided a block.  In stoppage time, Italy doubled their lead when Andrea Pirlo's (pitured, blue #21) corner was nodded off the goalkeeper and the man stationed at the near post on its way in by Federico Peluso.  Italy win 2-0.

Italy 4 pts +2
Bulgaria 4 pts +1
Armenia 3 pts 0
Czech Rep 1 pts 0
Denmark 1 pts 0
Malta 0 pts -3

Goals
Bulgaria
Stanislav Manolev 43

Italy
Mattia Destro 5
Federico Peluso 90+2

Match Reports:
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1699593/index.html
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/italy-2-0-malta-azzurri-204200567--sow.html
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1699870/index.html

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aohuflftU_Q (Bulgaria v. Armenia)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6m4m5rDTR7U (Italy v. Malta)

Germany 2 - Austria 1; Sweden 2 - Kazakhstan 0

Sweden opened their 2014 FIFA World Cup campaign at home in Malmo against visiting Kazakhstan.  The visitors parked the bus from the start of the match, leading to a frustrating night for Sweden, who were never challenged defensively but really had trouble breaching the opponent's goal.  Indeed, it took a horribly missed shot to break the deadlock as the wild shank landed at the foot of Rasmus Elm, who finished an unmarked volley for a 1-0 lead with ten minutes remaining.  Sweden led 1-0 at the half.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic nearly gave Sweden a second, but his close-range header was tapped away.  A frustrated Sweden starting taking bad fouls, and Kazakhstan knew they only hap to pip one goal for a road point.  They threatened a couple times, but it was Sweden who iced the match in second-half stoppage time when Ibrahimovic cross from the wing along the end line to an onrushing Marcus Berg for the tap-in.  Sweden make a winning debut, 2-0.

Vienna was the site of home side Austria's 2014 FIFA World Cup debut.  Their opponents were Group C favorites Germany.  Austria were the better side, with striker Martin Harnik in particular quite dangerous.  Nevertheless, the first goal was to come against the run of play.  With two minutes left, Marco Reus took three touches, shaking two defenders and then finishing coolly in the bottom corner for a 1-0 Germany lead that would hold up through the half.

It did not take long for Germany to afford themselves another goal-scoring chance. Thomas Muller was fouled inside the box, and Mesut Ozil (pictured, white) finished from the penalty spot for a 2-0 lead.  Austria regained contact five minutes later when Marko Arnautovic shook two defenders to cross into the box where Zlatko Junuzovic beat three defenders and the goalkeeper to the ball for the tap-in.  This was a goal scored on sheer determination alone.  Arnautovic could have provided the equalizer to send his home crowd into a frenzy, but his somehow botched the finish, letting Germany off the hook with a 2-1 win.

Germany 6 pts  +4
Sweden 3 pts +2
Ireland 3 pts +1
Austria 0 pts -1
Kazakhstan 0 pts -3
Faroe Islands 0 pts -3

Goals
Sweden
Rasmus Elm 37
Marcus Berg 90+4

Germany
Marco Reus 44
Mesut Ozil 52 PK

Austria
Zlatko Junuzovic 57

Match Reports:
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1699805/index.html
http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Elm-and-Berg-score-as-Sweden-beats-Kazakhstan-2-0-3857021.php
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1699794/index.html

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAErMTKGNDs (Sweden v. Kazakhstan)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Il6FcsUb0Hc (Germany v. Austria)