Preview: India at United Arab Emirates; Injury Report

The United Arab Emirates were thought to be on the rise as recently as 2009, but a last-place finish in the fourth round of 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying and in the group stage of the 2011 AFC Asian Cup has left the team's confidence in pieces. Ismail Matar, a past youth World Cup golden ball winner, has finally secured a place overseas playing for Seoul FC, and will be looking to steer his mates in the right direction. UAE are coming into the match on a high, having won their most recently friendly against Lebanon 6-2, a match now made famous by the backheel penalty scored by Awana Diab, seen by some as a sign of disrespect. I prefer to see it as an expression of creativity and joy for the game. Diab was disciplined for his goal, so it will be interesting to see if he plays a part in this aggregate-goals series with India.

India, the 2011 Cricket World Cup winners, are looking to build off their 2008 AFC Challenge Cup championship and their long-awaited appearance at the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, their first in 27 years. India can even point to a recent 2-1 friendly win in Doha against Qatar, ranked 23 places ahead of the United Arab Emirates, on 17 July 2011. India had chosen to play at Qatar in order to acclimatize to the Gulf weather. If star keeper Subrata Pal can stop enough shots in goal, perhaps the offense of striker Sunil Chhetri (pictured) and the great service of midfielder Steven Dias could spell upset victory for India. With plenty of Indian expatriates populating the crowd in UAE, the first match might feel like a neutral site.

India have a new coach since their AFC Asian Cup appearance. In Armando Colaco's only two matches with the team, India tied 1-1 at Maldives before getting their famous 2-1 win at Qatar. "These boys are really playing well. This is not the same team you saw in the Asian Cup. There is a lot of difference. They like to keep the ball, they like to press, and they like to finish." Colaco believes that within the decade, India will have evolved into true contenders, but that does not stop his team from dreaming of winning against UAE.

His counterpart for UAE, Srecko Katanec has also noticed the improvement in India, but he believes his team will advance if they focus on eliminating the careless errors that allowed Lebanon to score twice in their recent friendly. "Even before the India-Qatar match we knew that our match against them will not be an easy task... My assistant watched the match in Doha and we already know what we wanted to about the team's players and their style and I have great confidence in my players to win promotion to the second round of the qualifiers."

This is by far the most anticipated matchup of the AFC Second Round. Both teams will feel they deserved an easier second round draw, but both will accept this great challenge before them. Remember that in the team's more recent meeting in November 2010, UAE defeated India 5-0. However, the two sides did trade matching 1-0 home victories during 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifying. Look for UAE to win the series and advance to the third round, but do not be surprised by an upset.

AFC Injury report:

The aforementioned Ismail Matar is unavailable for the first leg and potentially for the entire series against India. This certainly reads as an unexpected advantage for underdogs India. To compound matters, captain Subait Khater, goalkeeper Majid Nasser, and winger Abdulla Mosa are all going to be missing in action for the United Arab Emirates as well.

Wahyu Wiji Astanto and Tony Sucipto will miss Indonesia's first leg qualifier at Turkmenistan because their FA lost their passports and were unable to secure replacement visas for the two players in time.

Thailand have been hit hard by the injury bug coming into their series with Palestine, including by a couple of injuries in training. Nattaphong Samana and Rangsan Vivatchaichok were both bitten by the bug in training. Samana's injury is particularly troublesome considering that he had been penciled in as the replacement at left back for injured Anucha Kitpongsri. Perhaps the most disappointing absence for Thailand will be star striker Sarayoot Chaikamdee. Thailand hope some of their injured players may be healthy enough come match time to contribute.

Previews:

http://gulfnews.com/sport/football/friendly-victory-over-qatar-boosts-india-s-confidence-1.840437

http://www.thenational.ae/sport/football/colaco-puts-pressure-on-the-uae

http://www.goal.com/en-india/news/2696/indian-national-team/2011/07/22/2586379/indian-national-team-we-already-know-everything-about-indian

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/sport/football/2014-football-world-cup-qualifiers-spirited-india-ready-uae-challenge-255

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/sport/football/india-soccer-coach-rues-grassroots-deficiencies-090

http://www.the-aiff.com/pages/news/index.php?N_Id=2658 (India roster)

CONMEBOL Releases Full Schedule

Amidst the excitement of its ongoing continental finals, South America's confederation CONMEBOL released the match dates and fixture list for their entire 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying cycle. This will be the fourth straight qualifying cycle that will use the exact same fixture list, though all matches involving Brasil will now be off days for the opponent typically slotted to face Brasil as Brasil have already qualified as the host nation and will take no part in qualifying.

Each team plays every other team once at home and once on the road. The result is that each of the nine teams participating will play sixteen matches each during the eighteen CONMEBOL matchdays. The first matchday is in October 2011, and the eighteenth is in October 2013. The only team that will not play on the final matchday is Venezuela, who have historically been slotted to play Brasil in rounds nine and eighteen. The dates for the matches are approximations, and the date for any match may shift forward or backward by one day as the fixture approaches.

The top four finishers in the qualifying table go directly to the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals in Brasil. The fifth-place finisher advances to a playoff with the playoff team from one of the following three confederations: OFC, CONCACAF, AFC. The intercontinental matchup will be determined during the preliminary draw on July 30 in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.

7 October 2011

Bolivia at Uruguay

Paraguay at Peru

Chile at Argentina

Venezuela at Ecuador

11 October 2011

Argentina at Venezuela

Uruguay at Paraguay

Peru at Chile

Colombia at Bolivia

11 November 2011

Bolivia at Argentina

Ecuador at Paraguay

Venezuela at Colombia

Chile at Uruguay

15 November 2011

Argentina at Colombia

Bolivia at Venezuela

Paraguay at Chile

Peru at Ecuador

2 June 2012

Ecuador at Argentina

Chile at Bolivia

Colombia at Peru

Venezuela at Uruguay

9 June 2012

Paraguay at Bolivia

Chile at Venezuela

Peru at Uruguay

Colombia at Ecuador

7 September 2012

Uruguay at Colombia

Bolivia at Ecuador

Paraguay at Argentina

Venezuela at Peru

11 September 2012

Argentina at Peru

Ecuador at Uruguay

Colombia at Chile

Venezuela at Paraguay

12 October 2012

Uruguay at Argentina

Paraguay at Colombia

Chile at Ecuador

Peru at Bolivia

16 October 2012

Uruguay at Bolivia

Peru at Paraguay

Argentina at Chile

Ecuador at Venezuela

22 March 2013

Venezuela at Argentina

Paraguay at Uruguay

Chile at Peru

Bolivia at Colombia

26 March 2013

Argentina at Bolivia

Paraguay at Ecuador

Uruguay at Chile

Colombia at Venezuela

7 June 2013

Colombia at Argentina

Venezuela at Bolivia

Chile at Paraguay

Ecuador at Peru

11 June 2013

Argentina at Ecuador

Bolivia at Chile

Peru at Colombia

Uruguay at Venezuela

8 September 2013

Bolivia at Paraguay

Venezuela at Chile

Uruguay at Peru

Ecuador at Colombia

10 September 2013

Colombia at Uruguay

Ecuador at Bolivia

Argentina at Paraguay

Peru at Venezuela

11 October 2013

Peru at Argentina

Uruguay at Ecuador

Chile at Colombia

Paraguay at Venezuela

15 October 2013

Argentina at Uruguay

Colombia at Paraguay

Ecuador at Chile

Bolivia at Peru

Preview: AFC Second Round First Legs

With fifteen series from which to choose and with all thirty teams playing on the same two matchdays, what is a fan to do when deciding what to watch for in the second round of 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying in Asia? Divide and conquer, that's what. The series have been split into four categories based on the potential chances of the higher seed winning. The higher seed is listed first in each matchup. The number before the team name is the team's ELO rating.

The Sure Bets:

156 Lebanon vs. 189 Bangladesh

Lebanon, the lowest-ranked of the higher seeds, were fortunate in the draw not to receive an opponent with better credentials than Lebanon themselves. Lebanon would not have been favored to defeat Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, or the Philippines, but Lebanon avoid the Southeast Asian emerging powers and instead draw Bangladesh. Lebanon just got annihilated 6-2 by the United Arab Emirates in a friendly but should still be too strong for Bangladesh, barring monsoon weather that severely tilts the second leg at Dhaka into Bangladesh's favor.

48 China vs. 204 Laos

China, 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, draw the easiest opponent in Laos, a team which needed extra time to eliminate Cambodia in the previous round. Look for China's attacking midfielder Hao Junmin to break out in this series.

75 Oman vs. 183 Myanmar

Oman, the 2009 Gulf Cup champions, have hit some hard times recently, but luckily for them they are facing one of the weaker sides remaining and should advance without too much trouble.

66 Saudi Arabia vs. 155 Hong Kong

Saudi Arabia are a team looking for redemption after finishing last place in their group at the 2011 AFC Asian Cup. Two wins against Hong Kong will get Saudi Arabia into the preliminary draw, but the redemption will not be earned until later in the tournament.

33 Iran vs. 166 Maldives

Iran proved themselves to be on the path to recovery from their 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying issues with a first-place group finish at the 2011 AFC Asian Cup. The Maldives will be no match, but surely Iran are glad they get to visit the tropical paradise for the second leg. Look for Iran striker Gholamreza Rezaei to have a field day in this second round series.

64 Iraq vs. 135 Yemen

Iraq were quarterfinalists at the 2011 AFC Asian Cup and feature star Nashat Akram, he of the 100 caps, in their midfield. Expect to see more of him in the subsequent rounds of the tournament after Yemen give way.

68 Uzbekistan vs. 168 Kyrgyzstan

Uzbekistan are simply the strongest side taking part in the AFC Second Round of qualifying. Uzbekistan were semifinalists at the 2011 AFC Asian Cup and will show no mercy toward neighboring Kyrgyzstan. Odil Ahmedov is perhaps the best midfielder in Asia at the moment, and the forwards in front of him are experienced veterans of the European leagues, including Maksim Shatskikh (joint Asian topscorer in 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying) and Alexander Geynrikh.

79 Jordan vs. 187 Nepal

Nepal must be thrilled to have advanced this far, but 2011 AFC Asian Cup quarterfinalists Jordan and their midfielder Hasan Abdel Fattah will have no problems eliminating them. Abdel Fattah has already scored in five games for Jordan this year alone.

The Potentially Tricky:

108 Thailand vs. 152 Palestine

Thailand missed out of the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, its first time missing the tournament in six editions. With time to stew on this failure, perhaps 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying's Asian joint topscorer Sarayuth Chaikamdee will be fully motivated to make sure Thailand can correct their recent history and write new positive chapters. Palestine will be a tough out and will be riding the high of finally getting to play matches in front of a home crowd, a factor that will surely play into Palestine's hands during the second leg.

72 Syria vs. 130 Tajikistan

Syria upset Saudi Arabia in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup but still managed only third place in their group behind Jordan and Japan. Syria are maddeningly inconsistent, but their opponents Tajikistan are maddeningly unknown. Tajikistan are part of Central Asia, which has no regional championship and did not participate in 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualifying. Syria should expect to come through, but crazier things have happened.

96 United Arab Emirates vs. 147 India

Special preview upcoming.

The Upset Possibilities:

67 Kuwait vs. 180 Philippines

It is really saying something to claim that the 2010 West Asian Football Federation and 2010 Gulf Cup of Nations champions Kuwait could be upset, but after Kuwait's poor form at the 2011 AFC Asian Cup (three losses) and the resurgence of the Philippines, the impossible has become plausible. The Azkals have been playing very well as of late and feature two players based in Germany and two based in England, including young Fulham goalkeeper Neil Etheridge. Kuwait cannot play at a level too far below their best and expect to waltz over the Philippines, but Kuwait wins if they play to their ability.

73 Qatar vs. 139 Vietnam

2011 AFC Asian cup quarterfinalists Qatar feel they could have done better considering that in the quarterfinal they led eventual champions Japan at home by a score of 2-1 with only twenty minutes left to play. However, concern arises when we realize that Qatar have yet to win a match this year and lost to India in Doha on 17 July 2011, less than a week before their opener against Vietnam. Vietnam are riding high after romping all over Macau in the first round by an aggregate score of 13-1. It is not so much that victory that gives Vietnam confidence but rather the sensation of seeing so many goals enter an opponent's net. That goal-scoring sensation remains in the gut of 7-goal scorer Le Cong Vinh, which makes Vietnam a dangerous opponent for a floundering Qatar.

The Toss Ups:

116 Turkmenistan vs. 132 Indonesia

This matchup is a toss up because both teams are unknown quantities with decently similar rankings. Both will be glad not to have drawn a more difficult opponent, so both will be under some pressure to advance that neither side feels on a regular basis. Indonesia were 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup finalists, losing out to Malaysia in the final. Turkmenistan were 2010 AFC Challenge Cup finalists, losing out to North Korea on penalty kicks. Indonesia have no foreign-based players and Turkmenistan feature quite few. Turkmenistan is the precarious pick.

129 Singapore vs. 145 Malaysia

Up until their poor performance against Taiwan in the previous round, I would have picked Malaysia as the one lower seed I was sure would win its second round series. Malaysia won the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup, the championship of Southeast Asia. Singapore could not even advance past the group stages in that same tournament. However, the 4-4 aggregate tie with Taiwan is a worrisome sign for Malaysia coming into the next round (Malaysia won on road goals). I believe that Malaysia were looking past Taiwan and toward their rivalry showdown against Singapore, so the focus was lacking. That will not be the case against Singapore. Malaysia should win the series and become the only lower seed to advance to the third round of qualifying.

Previews:

http://www.the-afc.com/en/tournaments/men-a-youth/fifa-world-cup/35782-battle-for-brazil-cranks-up-a-gear

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1473983/index.html (Jordan v. Nepal)

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1475388/index.html (Malaysia v. Singapore)

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1142016/1/.html (Malaysia v. Singapore)

http://www.mehrnews.com/en/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=1364587 (Iran v. Maldives)

AFC Second Round Schedules

The AFC Second Round takes place this month and will pit thirty Asian hopefuls in fifteen home-and-away aggregate-goals series. The fifteen winners will join Japan, South Korea, Australia, North Korea, and Bahrain at the preliminary draw on July 30, where the third round fates for the surviving twenty teams will be decided. The top seeds in the second round all play their first legs at home and their second legs on the road.

AFC Second Round First Legs: (all times are Central Time, GMT-5)

23 July 2011

Laos at China 2:00 Kunming

Palestine at Thailand 5:00 Buriram

Malaysia at Singapore 6:30 Singapore

Indonesia at Turkmenistan 8:30 Ashgabat

Bangladesh at Lebanon 9:00 Beirut

Kyrgyzstan at Uzbekistan 9:00 Tashkent

Maldives at Iran 10:00 Tehran

Myanmar at Oman 10:30 Muscat

India at United Arab Emirates 11:00 Al Ain City

Yemen at Iraq 11:00 Arbil

Vietnam at Qatar 11:15 Doha

Philippines at Kuwait 11:30 Kuwait City

Nepal at Jordan 12:00 Amman

Tajikistan at Syria 12:00 Amman, Jordan

Hong Kong at Saudi Arabia 12:45 Dammam

AFC Second Round Second Legs:

28 July 2011

Oman at Myanmar 4:00 Yangon

Jordan at Nepal 4:45 Kathmandu

China at Laos 6:00 Vientiane

Kuwait at Philippines 6:00 Manila

Syria at Tajikistan 6:00 Tursunzade

Uzbekistan at Kyrgyzstan 6:00 Bishkek

Lebanon at Bangladesh 7:00 Dhaka

Turkmenistan at Indonesia 7:00 Jakarta

Saudi Arabia at Hong Kong 7:00 Hong Kong

Qatar at Vietnam 7:15 Hanoi

Singapore at Malaysia 7:45 Kuala Lumpur

United Arab Emirates at India 8:30 New Delhi

Thailand at Palestine 10:00 Al Ram

Iran at Maldives 11:00 Maldives

Iraq at Yemen 11:00 Al Ain City, United Arab Emirates

Belize 3 - Montserrat 1

On a day that will best be remembered for the FIFA Women's World Cup final and two Copa América quarterfinals, Belize and Montserrat quietly met in the second leg of their CONCACAF First Round qualifying series for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brasil.

After Belize won the first leg 5-2 a month ago (with five road goals no less), it seemed the series was no longer in doubt. Then, after FIFA suspended the Football Federation of Belize, the series was very much in doubt. However, Belize was reinstated and the return match was scheduled to take place in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.

Belize got a goal in the first period and took a 1-0 lead into the break. At the hour mark, Montserrat found the equalizer, which must have shaken the Belize offense awake because they responded with two goals in the next four minutes to stretch the lead to 3-1. Belize then successfully killed off the game 3-1 and the series 8-3 to advance to the preliminary draw on July 30.

This match was the conclusion of the first round of CONCACAF qualifying. All that remain before the preliminary draw are the fifteen AFC Second Round series, which begin on July 23.

Goals:

Belize

Daniel Jimenez 24

Deon McCaulay 61

Luis Mendez 63

Montserrat

Jay Lee Hodgson 59

Match Reports:

http://www.concacaf.com/page/WCQ/NewsDetail/0,,12813~2395637,00.html

http://edition.channel5belize.com/archives/58136

Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1Jm-PXdqH0&feature=feedu

St. Lucia 4 - Aruba 2; St. Lucia advance on PKs

The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers had their first penalty shootout today, the first in World Cup qualifying since the Jordan-Kyrgyzstan shootout in the 2010 Asian qualifiers. Today, the dramatic finale took place on the island of St. Lucia in the city of Castries. The rainy weather perhaps foreshadowed the flood of goals that was to come.

St. Lucia came into their home leg down 4-2 in the aggregate to regional surprise package Aruba. St. Lucia were favored to win the return leg nevertheless, but overcoming the aggregate deficit was more doubtful. St. Lucia opened the match strong with two goals in the first twenty minutes from Jamal Joseph, giving the team a 4-4 aggregate tie. Aruba answered with one just before halftime, giving itself a 5-4 lead on the series and a 2-1 halftime deficit.

However, St. Lucia were not to be denied. Joseph finished off his hat trick to knot the aggregate at 5-5 with under twenty minutes to play, a goal which placed St. Lucia in a position to advance 2-1 on road goals. Another St. Lucia goal followed two minutes later, giving St. Lucia a 6-5 aggregate lead. Nevertheless, Aruba responded one final time just two minutes after that goal, leaving the game 4-2 in St. Lucia's favor but the aggregate completely level at 6-6 and two road goals apiece. When the whistle sounded, the teams were bound for extra time.

No goals came in the extra time, (perhaps because Joseph had already been substituted) giving rise to the first penalty kick shootout of the tournament. St. Lucia shot first in each round and buried all five of their kicks, but Aruba were only able to connect on four after Jelano Cruden was unable to convert the team's fifth kick with the score 5-4. St. Lucia won the tiebreaker by that score and advance to the preliminary draw on July 30.

One must imagine that the victory for St. Lucia is being dedicated to the memory of striker Phillip Tisson, who was murdered 29 August 2010, the same night that he scored the winning goal against St. Kitts and Nevis in an international tournament.

Goals:

St. Lucia

Jamal Joseph 14, 20, 71

Kurt Frederick 73

Aruba

Frederick Gomez 44, 75

Penalty Kick Shootout:

St. Lucia (kicked first)

Zaine Pierre - goal

Kervin Justin - goal

Kurt Frederick - goal

Kevin Edward - goal

Pernel Williams - goal

Aruba (kicked second)

Jean Luc Bergen - goal

Raymond Baten - goal

Rensy Barradas - goal

Frederick Gomez - goal

Jelano Cruden - miss

Match Reports:

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1474223/index.html

U.S. Virgin Islands 2 - British Virgin Islands 1; Dominican Republic 4 - Anguilla 0

The battle of the Virgin Islands resumed today with the scene shifting to Tortola, British Virgin Islands. The U.S. Virgin Islands held a 2-0 lead in the aggregate-goals series after their first-leg victory one week ago.

The U.S. territory wasted no time in extending their lead after scoring the opener in the very first minute. The British territory knew they were up against the wall at that point, needing to score four goals from that point on to advance to the second round. One of those four goals was pulled back in the first half, which ended in a 1-1 tie. In the second half, the British Virgin Islands were unable to put together any goal, much less three, and to add insult to injury, the U.S. Virgin Islands scored in second-half stoppage time to win the day 2-1.

The U.S. Virgin Islands advance to the second round of qualifying for the first time after registering their first ever home and road victories in the FIFA World Cup. The U.S. territory wins the series by an aggregate score of 4-1 to banish their British counterparts to the sidelines for the remainder of the tournament. This was quite a performance for a side that had lost all five of its previous qualifiers in its history.

The Dominican Republic faced Anguilla for the second time in three days in San Cristóbal. This time around, the Dominican Republic actually were the designated home team, though they had won as "visitors" two days ago by a score of 2-0.

The Dominican Republic made quick work of Anguilla today, scoring three goals in the first half and a fourth in the second to win the match 4-0. Eerily, the Dominican Republic eliminate Anguilla by the same aggregate scoreline of 6-0 by which they eliminated Anguilla in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The Dominican Republic advance to learn their fate at the preliminary draw on July 30.

Goals:

U.S. Virgin Islands

Dwayne Thomas 1

Reid Klopp 90+3

British Virgin Islands

Trevor Peters 37

Dominican Republic

Inoel Navarro 18, 42

Jhoan Sanchez 25

Jonathan Faña 56

Match Reports:

http://www.concacaf.com/page/WCQ/NewsDetail/0,,12813~2389948,00.html

Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bnu2-JpXK4I (Dominican Republic v. Anguilla)

Bahamas 6 - Turks and Caicos 0

Bahamas, fresh off 4-0 thrashing of Turks and Caicos in the first leg of their CONCACAF First Round series, returned home to Nassau to put an exclamation point on the series outcome. That they did and then some as they became the first of five teams to advance out of the first round of CONCACAF qualifying.

Bahamas made their intentions for the night very clear early on, scoring in just the second minute to completely demoralize their soon-to-be-eliminated opponents. After that, it became the Lesly St. Fleur show. St. Fleur (pictured, yellow) added the second goal in the first half to take the game to the break at 2-0, but he really started to strut his stuff in the final thirty minutes of the game. St. Fleur scored four second half goals to bring his haul for the game to five, marking the highest single-player single-game outburst of the 2014 FIFA World Cup so far. St. Fleur is now the all-time leading scorer for the Bahamas with six goals to his name.

The final score read 6-0 Bahamas, but perhaps the biggest story was the new name charging up the leaderboard for the top scorer award. St. Fleur with five goals sits behind only Vietnam's Le Cong Vinh, who has scored seven so far. Bahamas wins the series by an aggregate score of 10-0 to advance to the preliminary draw.

Goals:
Bahamas
Demont Mitchell 2

Lesly St. Fleur 17, 64, 73, 86, 90

Match Report:
http://www.thenassauguardian.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11504:the-bahamas-turkscaicos-soccer-excitement&catid=41:sports&Itemid=50

http://www.tribune242.com/sports/07132011_stfleur_sports

Aruba 4 - St. Lucia 2; Dominican Republic 2 - Anguilla 0

The Dominican Republic hosted Anguilla in the first of two games to be played between the two sides over the next three days. Though both games will be held in San Cristóbal, the first leg technically counts as Anguilla's home leg because Anguilla elected to play its home game in the Dominican Republic. The situation was eerily similar to the 2006 qualifying series between the teams when both legs were played in Santo Domingo. The Dominican Republic won the series 6-0 on aggregate scoring.

In the 2010 edition of the FIFA World Cup, Anguilla lost its aggregate goals series to El Salvador 16-0, so expectations were low for the British territory coming into to today's match. However, Anguilla acquitted themselves well. The Dominican Republic took a 2-0 lead into the half, including a goal scored by star striker Jonathan Faña (pictured, #9), but the damage was limited to the same scoreline as neither team could breach the goal in the second period.

The two sides will face off in the return leg in two days time, with the series winner progressing out of the CONCACAF First Round and advancing to learn their fate at the preliminary draw on July 30. The Dominican Republic are in the driver's seat, with a 2-0 aggregate lead and two road goals in hand.

Aruba hosted St. Lucia at its national stadium in Oranjestad. Both teams have legitimate hopes of advancing, but certainly St. Lucia were considered the favorites. Aruba found the opener in the first quarter hour, but the visitors equalized within six minutes to knot the score anew. The half drew to a close with the score 1-1. In the first minute of the second half, all pandemonium broke less. Both teams scored a goal in a frenzied restart to the match.

The result now rested on the final 44 minutes of the half. Aruba's first substitute, Frederick Gomez, replaced national team mainstay Maurice Escalona, scorer of their second goal. Gomez promptly delivered Aruba's third goal to open up a 3-2 lead.

Bernard Edward was sent packing for St. Lucia after picking up his second yellow of the second half in minute 83, a mistake which was soon thereafter punished. The young Aruban striker David Abdul, a former Dutch first division player with Sparta Rotterdam, scored a mere minute after the expulsion to finish off the scoring for the night. Abdul's goal came in his first appearance for his national team. His strike gave Aruba a 4-2 victory on the night, though the series will be decided in four days' time. The consolation for St. Lucia will be that they did pick up two road goals which would come in handy were they to win the return leg 2-0 or 3-1. This win was just the second for Aruba in its FIFA World Cup history.

Goals:

Dominican Republic

Domingo Peralta 8

Jonathan Faña 42

Aruba

Erik Santos de Gouveia 13

Maurice Escalona 46

Frederick Gomez 74

David Abdul 84

St. Lucia

Kevin Edward 19

Kurt Frederick 46

Match Reports:

http://www.concacaf.com/page/WCQ/NewsDetail/0,,12813~2389365,00.html

Belize reinstated

The June 17 suspension of the Football Federation of Belize has been temporarily lifted until August 15, allowing the Belize national team to continue its CONCACAF First Round series against Montserrat, which Belize leads 5-2 after the first leg. FIFA required that the second leg take place outside of Belize, so Belize have turned to nearby Honduras as their makeshift home. This second match will count as Belize's home leg.

CONCACAF First Round

17 July 2011 (second leg)

Montserrat at Belize 17:00 San Pedro Sula, Honduras

References:

http://www.concacaf.com/page/WCQ/NewsDetail/0,,12813~2388449,00.html

U.S. Virgin Islands 2 - British Virgin Islands 0

In perhaps the most intriguing of the CONCACAF First Round matchups, the two sets of Virgin Islands squared off against each other.

The opening match took place in U.S. territory on a pitch in Charlotte Amalie, a name belying the magnitude of the occasion. The lower seeded U.S. Virgin Islands looked to seize a lead in the aggregate-goals series by winning its home leg, and they succeeded in doing just that. Within ten minutes, the home islanders were up a goal, a lead with stayed in place until after the break. The first fifteen minutes of the second period saw another U.S. Virgin Islands goal and a red card given to John Samuel of the British Virgin Islands. The 2-0 win goes down as the first FIFA World Cup win in the history of the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The star of the match was the captain of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Alderman Lesmond (pictured, #7). Lesmond scored the first goal of the match and assisted on the second, in the process doing his home island of St. Croix proud. His teammate Reid Klopp (pictured, #14) also chipped in with an assist and a goal.

The U.S. territory moves on to British soil for the return leg in one week's time on July 10. The two-goal lead in the aggregate series held by the U.S. Virgin Islands is augmented by the fact that no road goals were conceded in the process, meaning a solitary U.S. islanders goal in the return leg will force the British islanders to score four to advance to the second round of CONCACAF qualifying.

Goals:

U.S. Virgin Islands

Alderman Lesmond 7

Reid Klopp 57

Match Report:

http://virginislandsdailynews.com/sports/usvi-overcomes-soggy-field-to-beat-bvi-2-0-1.1170836#axzz1RIkPJldw

Palestine 1 - Afghanistan 1; Pakistan 0 - Bangladesh 0

Palestine hosted its first ever FIFA World Cup match on home soil, a proud moment for the nation. Thousands of spectators filed into the stadium in Al-Ram without incident, another boost to the international image of Palestine, though perhaps more fans would have arrived had the match start time been later in the evening. More importantly for the Palestine squad, it was a golden chance to advance to the second round for the first time. Palestine had won the first leg 2-0 over Afghanistan on Tajik soil.

Palestine will boosted by an early 40-meter strike by Husam Waadi, the first ever scored in a FIFA World Cup match in Palestine. At that point in time, it became clear that Afghanistan would have to score three goals with no reply in order to win the series. No more goals were scored in the first half. Afghanistan found its first with just under thirty minutes left to play, but that was all she wrote. The match ended 1-1. Palestine may be disappointed not to have won in front of the home fans, but they are excited to have won the series 3-1 and advance to the AFC Second Round to face Thailand. Plus, a second crack at a home match is now scheduled.

In the final match of the AFC First Round, Bangladesh took its gaudy 3-0 aggregate lead in Lahore looking to finish off Pakistan. Pakistan found itself the most populous nation booted from the FIFA World Cup at the end of the night, failing to register even a single goal in the tournament and garnering a disappointing 0-0 draw at home to bow out meekly.

Bangladesh advance to the next round, giving the south Asians plenty of chances to dream of progressing into the uncharted waters of the third round should they defeat Lebanon, one of the weaker seeded teams in the second round.

Goals:

Palestine

Husam Waadi 11

Afghanistan

Balal Arezou 63

Match Reports:

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1467742/index.html

http://www.theworld.org/2011/07/team-palestine-takes-on-afghanistan-in-world-cup-qualifier/

http://footballpalestine.blogspot.com/2011/07/post-match-thoughts-palestine.html

http://www.dawn.com/2011/07/05/lutfi-defends-his-players-show-in-lahore.html

Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wjsqc3iWXL0 (Palestine v. Afghanistan)

Taiwan 3 - Malaysia 2; Laos 6 - Cambodia 2 (extra time); Vietnam 7 - Macau 1

We shall start with a discussion of the undisputed most dramatic match of the day. Laos returned home to Vientiane down 4-2 in the aggregate to neighboring Cambodia knowing that a two-goal margin was a necessity to survive. The first half saw Laos stake itself to a 2-0 lead just past the half hour mark, giving itself a 4-4 aggregate score with a 2-0 road goals lead. However, Cambodia was not going down easily. The visitors struck back just before intermission to make the score 2-1 and 5-4 on the aggregate.

A determined Laos machine came out for the second half and pushed two more goals home within the first ten minutes. 4-1 Laos, 6-5 aggregate. However, Cambodia again clawed its way back from the dead with a goal fifteen minutes from the final whistle. The goal proved to be the final one, leaving the match 4-2 Laos and the aggregate 6-6 with two road goals per side. Extra time would be needed for the first time in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Laos were the team that got the job done in extra time, scoring once in each of the two overtime periods. The deflated Cambodians will have to take solace knowing that they played in the best series in qualifying so far. Laos win the night 6-2 and the series 8-6 and advance to face China in the next round.

In a surprisingly close series, Taiwan came home to face Malaysia down only 2-1 in the aggregate. However, things began to look bleak early as Malaysia erased Taiwan's road goal with a 40-meter free kick that bounced in off the crossbar to make the aggregate 3-1. However, Taiwan was game and ready to fight to the bitter end on this night. Taiwan leveled on the night at the half hour mark only to go down yet again after a dipping free kick by Safiq Rahim entered the net (pictured, #8) made the deficit nearly impossible to overcome. Malaysia led 2-1 at that point, 4-2 in the aggregate, and 2-1 in road goals. Taiwan would have to win the remainder of the match by three goals to advance.

Taiwan nearly pulled out the unthinkable comeback. The Taiwanese were blessed with three penalty kick opportunities. The first was converted just before halftime. 2-2 game, 4-3 aggregate. The second and third opportunities both came in the second half. Chen Po Liang, scorer of the first penalty kick, missed a penalty kick in minute 62. His duty was transferred to a teammate for the third kick, which was converted. Taiwan led 3-2 on the night and had a 4-4 tie in the aggregate, but were still losing the series on road goals. They fought desperately and valiantly, but no fourth goal was found and Malaysia survived a massive upset bid.

Malaysia go on the face rivals Singapore in the second round in what looks on paper to be a very close matchup. However, the Malaysians feel themselves to be playing below their standard currently, so they are looking to improve drastically before July 23 comes around.

The Vietnam-Macau matchup was all over except for the victory lap heading into the second leg in Macau with Vietnam up 6-0. Hat trick hero Le Cong Vinh looked to increase his lead in the race for the FIFA World Cup qualifying golden boot. That he did, scoring a brace in the first period as Vietnam staked itself to a 4-0 lead. Macau pulled one back at the hour mark, but Vietnam then proceeded to punish Macau for their insolence by knocking home three more, including two more from Le. The night ended 7-1 for Vietnam and the series 13-1. Le leads all scorers with seven goals in his two matches.

Vietnam advance to face some significantly stiffer competition in 2011 AFC Asian Cup quarterfinalists Qatar in the second round. Vietnam, brimming with confidence, will be looking to pull off the upset against Qatar.

Goals:

Laos

Lamnao Singto 19, 55

Khampheng Sayavutthi 31

Souliya Syphasay 47

Visay Phaphouvanin 94

Sysomvang Kanlaya 112

Cambodia

Chhin Chhoeun 45

Kouch Sokumpheak 75

Taiwan

Cheng Han 31

Chen Po Liang 44 PK

Chen Xavier 75 PK

Malaysia

Mohamad Abd Radzak 8

Safiq Rahim (pictured, #8) 40

Vietnam

Huynh Quang Thanh 3, 86

Nguyen Quang Hai 24

Le Cong Vinh 29, 43, 75, 82

Macau

Leong Ka Hang 60

Match Reports:

http://www.the-afc.com/en/tournaments/men-a-youth/fifa-world-cup/35564-laos-v-cambodia-agg

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/03072011/58/world-cup-malaysia-survive-taiwan-scare.html

http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?Type=aSPT&ID=201107030023

http://www.the-afc.com/en/tournaments/men-a-youth/fifa-world-cup/35563-macau-v-vietnam-agg

Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jTNmeN-r20 (Laos v. Cambodia)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lubFGTpKmKo (Taiwan v. Malaysia)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Su_5RCz25K0 (Vietnam v. Macau)

Philippines 4 - Sri Lanka 0; Myanmar 2 - Mongolia 0

The constantly improving and supremely confident Azkals of the Philippines hosted their second leg against Sri Lanka to kick off the day in FIFA World Cup qualifying. Having already begun to sell tickets to the second round in spite of the aggregate score being knotted at one apiece, the Philippines had many expectations placed upon their backs.

However, what the fans received from the Azkals may have surpassed even their dreams. Emelio Caligdong (pictured, #13) opened the account. Recently injured Phil Younghusband (pictured, left) returned with a vengeance as he knocked home a brace with a goal in the first half to send it to the break 2-0 and one in the second half to seal the match at 4-0. Rohana Ruwan Dinesh was sent off for Sri Lanka late in the second half for his second yellow card. The 5-1 aggregate victory for the Philippines sends them on to the second round to face 2011 AFC Asian Cup participants Kuwait in what amounts to a winnable series for the Philippines. The Azkals advance beyond the first round for the first time in their history.

Mongolia was coming off its first-ever FIFA World Cup victory with a 1-0 result in their home leg. Myanmar was not so keen on becoming the biggest upset victim of the first round, however, and set their sights on overcoming the one-goal deficit in the aggregate tally. A scoreless first half certainly did not give the Myanmar fans any reason to celebrate. The hour mark came and went. Then, the breakthrough. Myanmar scored to even the aggregate at 1-1. Just when it seemed extra time was in store, Myanmar scored five minutes from time to garner a 2-0 victory on the night and a 2-1 victory in the series. Mongolia lost Ochbayar Olzvoi to his second yellow during added time, adding insult to their crushing defeat.

Myanmar will face Oman in yet another winnable second round series, but like the Philippines, Myanmar will enter as underdogs when qualifiers resume July 23.

Goals:

Philippines

Emelio Caligdong 19 (pictured, #13)

Phil Younghusband 43, 57 PK (pictured, left)

Angel Guirado 51

Myanmar

Soe Pai 61

Mai Aih Naing 85

Match Reports:

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1468836/index.html

http://www.philstar.com/thedeanscorner/columnscontent.aspx?articleId=703177&publicationSubCategoryId=69

http://www.the-afc.com/en/tournaments/men-a-youth/fifa-world-cup/35561-myanmar-v-mongolia-agg

Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFP5AVQfkeU (Philippines v. Sri Lanka)

Bahamas 4 - Turks and Caicos 0

Turks and Caicos, the higher seeded team, played host to their counterparts in Bahamas at Providenciales. Unfortunately for Turks and Caicos, their seeding advantage did not translate in the slightest to their performance on the pitch. After a scoreless thirty minutes, Bahamas began to rip the home boys to shreds. Nesley Jean scored the first of his brace to open the series, with a penalty goal coming shortly thereafter. Bahamas was able to double its halftime lead of 2-0 to win the match 4-0 and head home with an enormous and seemingly insurmountable lead in the aggregate-goals series.

One week from today, the two teams face off again, this time in Nassau. The winner advances to the preliminary draw for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the CONCACAF Second Round.

Goals:

Bahamas

Nesley Jean 32, 61

Cameron Hepple 36 PK

Jackner Louis 90+2

Match Report:

http://www.thenassauguardian.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11379&Itemid=50

Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OM5d6I66FlI&feature=related

Nepal 5 - Timor Leste 0

This second leg encounter between Nepal and Timor Leste was guaranteed to reveal the first casualty of the qualifying process for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, a cruel three years ahead of schedule for the losing party.

Nepal, off a 2-1 home leg victory three days earlier, played host again to Timor Leste in Kathmandu, though this time around Nepal were nominally visitors. Nepal decisively used its home-field advantage to banish Timor Leste from the tournament. A quick strike from the penalty spot by Anil Gurung (#10 in photo) erased Timor Leste's road-goal advantage and gave Nepal a 3-1 aggregate lead.

Timor Leste held off the avalanche until half time, but Nepal poured in four more goals after the resumption of play to win the day 5-0 and the series 7-1. Nepal advance to the AFC Second Round for the first time in their history, and will face 2011 AFC Asian Cup quarterfinalists Jordan.

Goals:

Nepal

Anil Gurung 3 PK

Bhola Silwal 56

Manu Rai Ju 60

Jagjeet Shrestha 89

Sujal Shrestha 90

Match Report:

http://www.the-afc.com/en/tournaments/men-a-youth/fifa-world-cup/35546-timor-leste-v-nepal-agg

Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5Tw5VCjiP0

Full Match Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ey_5O_Yep9U&feature=related (Minutes 30-halftime)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LOmCo6pueY (Second half)

OFC Qualifying format redone

The 2011 South Pacific Games are no longer going to be used as part of qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup due to the possibility of Guam, a member of the AFC, taking part in the event. This also means that Kiribati and Tuvalu will not be taking part in FIFA World Cup qualifying as they are OFC members only and not members of FIFA.

The OFC has announced a new format that is unattached to the South Pacific Games which will take place over a series of three rounds. New Zealand are no longer scheduled to receive a bye into the final round of qualifying.

In the first round, American Samoa, Samoa, Cook Islands, and Tonga will play each other once each at a single site, likely to be Apia, Samoa. After each team has played its three games, the team in first place will advance to the second round of OFC qualifying while the other three will be eliminated.

The first round winner will join the seven highest ranked teams in Oceania in the second round. The teams have been split into two pots for the preliminary draw on 30 July 2011.

Pot 1

1. New Zealand

2. Fiji

3. New Caledonia

4. Vanuatu

Pot 2

5. Solomon Islands

6. Tahiti

7. Papua New Guinea

8. First round winner

The teams will be split into two groups of four teams, with each group taking two teams from both pots. The second round doubles as the OFC Nations Cup 2012. Suva, Fiji will be the site for all matches here. The group stage of the second round will pit each team against its group opponents once each. The top two teams in each group advance to the semifinals and to the third round of OFC 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying.

The third round of OFC qualifying will feature the four surviving teams in a single group. Each team will play the other three times twice each, once at home and once on the road for a total of six games per team. The top team advances to an intercontinental playoff against a team from either CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, or AFC depending on the preliminary draw results of 30 July 2011. The other three teams will be eliminated from qualifying.

Should the Oceania champion win its home-and-away aggregate-goals playoff series, they will have qualified for the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals in Brasil.

Malaysia 2 - Taiwan 1; Vietnam 6 - Macau 0

Vietnam hosted Macau in a full stadium in Ho Chi Minh City. The crowd was not deterred by the prospect of a bloodbath, and that is exactly what the Vietnamese faithful received. Vietnam romped behind a first-half hat-trick by Le Cong Vinh and led at the interval 3-0. The score was doubled in the second half and Vietnam won big 6-0.

The second leg in Macau is but a mere formality now, and with Vietnam not being located too far away, one could expect a good number of Vietnam's fans to show up for the return leg. Unless a miracle occurs, Macau will bow out and Vietnam will advance to face Qatar in what could be the most intriguing AFC Second Round matchup aside from India versus UAE.

Malaysia, the defending ASEAN champions, were made to suffer for their win at home to Taiwan in the first leg of their aggregate-goals series. The yellow-and-blue-clad home supporters were rocking the stadium in Kuala Lumpur in support of Malaysia, and their hopes were realized before the half-hour mark after a powerful right-footed blast from Safiq Rahim that violently curved into the side netting. Malaysia held the 1-0 lead into the half, and then really gave the crowd something to cheer after a header made the score 2-0 to the good. However, Taiwan did not quit, knowing fully well that one road goal can make all the difference in a home-and-away series. A smartly cut back ball from the endline found its way into the Malaysia penalty area, from where Po Liang Chen coolly tucked the ball home. The match ended at 2-1, with the final goal subduing the crowd.

The two sides face off in four days’ time in Taipei for the right to advance to the second round. Favorites Malaysia have a slim lead that appears slimmer still after surrendering an away goal, but the Malaysians still hope for an AFC Second Round clash against archrivals Singapore.

Goals:
Vietnam
Le Cong Vinh 19, 36, 39 PK
Pham Thanh Luong 62
Nguyen Ngoc Thanh 67
Nguyen Van Quyet 87

Malaysia
Safiq Rahim 28
Mohamad Aidil Abd Radzak 55

Taiwan
Chen Po Liang 77

Match Reports:
http://www.the-afc.com/en/tournaments/men-a-youth/fifa-world-cup/35507-vietnam-v-macau

http://www.the-afc.com/en/tournaments/men-a-youth/fifa-world-cup/35508-malaysia-v-chinese-taipei

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcL-GrKI05o (Malaysia v. Taiwan)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcL-GrKI05o (Vietnam v. Macau)

Bangladesh 3 - Pakistan 0; Mongolia 1 - Myanmar 0

Bangladesh hosted the country from which it gained independence at home in Dhaka. As is characteristic of Bangladesh, the match featured torrential rain. However, the rain was not the only obstacle visiting Pakistan failed to overcome on this night in the matchup of the two most-closely ranked teams in the round one of AFC qualifying. Bangladesh put Pakistan on the mat in the first minute with a goal and continued to pin the Pakistanis to the turf. The Bangladeshis struck again midway through the first period and again ten minutes into the second period. Pakistan placed a formal complaint to FIFA about the conditions of the pitch, but really, both teams had to play on a flooding field and Bangladesh were superior on the night.

Bangladesh take a three-goal aggregate lead into Lahore in four days time and look set to advance and play Lebanon in the second round.

Mongolia achieved its first ever win in a FIFA World Cup with a first-leg win at home to Myanmar. Khurelbaatar is a name that will go down in history as the first ever matchwinner for Mongolia in a FIFA World Cup after the 21-year-old struck gold to begin the second half. Mongolia is the only East Asian Football Federation member taking part in the first round of AFC qualifying.

The two teams reconvene in four days time in Yangon will the ultimate goal being victory and a date with Oman in the AFC Round Two.

Goals:

Bangladesh

Zahid Hasan Emily 1

Mohamed Zahid Hossain 22

Rethul Karim 56

Mongolia

Tsend-Ayush Khurelbaatar 48

Match Reports:

http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/more.php?news_id=141057&date=2011-06-30

http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=55209&Cat=10&dt=6/30/2011

http://www.the-afc.com/en/tournaments/men-a-youth/fifa-world-cup/35504-mongolia-v-myanmar

Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vYcbWSzjpU&feature=related (Mongolia v. Myanmar)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqqEeqXLkmk (Bangladesh v. Pakistan)

Full Match Video (Mongolia-Myanmar)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P86RE_TDc3M&feature=related

Sri Lanka 1 - Philippines 1; Palestine 2 - Afghanistan 0

Palestine visited Tajikistan in Afghanistan's designated home leg, and the guests did not repay their hosts kindly. Super hot striker Murad Alyan knocked home his fifth goal in four matches for Palestine before the half-hour mark, but the game stood delicately poised at 1-0 until Palestine substitute Ismail Alamour knocked homed the second goal at the death of regular time.

Palestine finds themselves with a massive 2-0 lead in the aggregate series, built upon a solid foundation of two away goals. Palestine will be pleased to take the lead back home for their first ever FIFA World Cup qualifying match on home soil. Afghanistan will be hard pressed to advance to face Thailand in the second round.

The match which many considered the best of the day did not disappoint. The Azkals of the Philippines visited Sri Lanka in Colombo. It was the visiting side that dominated possesion early, but it was the home side that took the narrowest of leads into halftime after a late goal in spite of sparse support. The Philippines looked to be reeling after star striker Phil Younghusband (pictured on right) was subbed out three minutes before Sri Lanka's goal due to injury. However, the Philippines wasted no time in overcoming the deficit, with Younghusband's replacement Nate Burkey scoring a mere five minutes into the second half. Neither team was able to push for the ultimate victory, and the match ended as the first draw in the tournament, and the only draw on the day, thanks in no small part to the Philippines' goalkeeper Neil Etheridge.

Keen observers will turn their focus to the return leg in the Philippines in four days time, with second round opponent Kuwait being the most interested observers of all. With the aggregate score tied and two teams evenly matched, the hungry Filipino crowd may prove the decisive factor for its Azkals, a side that chose not to compete in the previous FIFA World Cup. The stadium in Manila is already sold out, and the Philippines have already begun preparations for ticket sales for the potential Kuwait match.

Goals:

Palestine

Murad Alyan 28

Ismail Alamour 89

Sri Lanka

Chathura Gunarathna 43

Philippines

Nate Burkey 50

Match reports:

http://www.the-afc.com/en/tournaments/men-a-youth/fifa-world-cup/35505-afghanistan-v-palestine

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/224793/sports/azkals-tie-sri-lanka-in-away-match-with-sparse-crowd (VIDEO included)

http://www.dailynews.lk/2011/06/30/spo02.asp

Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yupe9q6Hz8 (Sri Lanka v. Philippines)