Greece 3 - Romania 1

Photo by Aris Messinis

Romania were the visitors for the first leg of their playoff series with Greece.  The crowd in Piraeus was treated to a surprisingly offensive match.  A Greek free kick was played to Dimitrios Salpingidis, who then chipped over the three-man offside trap to Kostas Mitroglou.  Mitroglou had plenty of work left to do with his finish, but his volley with the outside of his foot was well struck into the net.  Dimitrios Siovas nearly scored on a second free kick in as many minutes, but his header was held by Romania goalkeeper Bogdan Lobant.  The massive traveling support of 2,000 fans had an equalizer to cheer soon thereafter.  A Gabriel Torje free kick was bent perfectly to the back post, floating over the goalkeeper in the process.  Bogdan Stancu rose into the heavens to head home from a sharp angle to equalize.  The Greeks immediately responded off the kickoff.  A run up the right flank from Vasileios Torosidis was rewarded with a long pass reception.  Torosidis first-timed a slotted pass across the six-yard box.  Salpingidis slid at the back post and kicked the ball in for 2-1.  Greece would lead by that 2-1 scoreline at the conclusion of the opening period.

A beautiful set piece goal for Greece came midway through the second period.  Giorgios Samaras (pictured, blue) sent a ball into the box that was flicked on by Kostas Katsouranis from his knees.  Mitroglou was able to smack another volley that found the back of the net to but the Greeks ahead 3-1.  Mitroglou nearly completed a hat trick in his club's home stadium as he beat the offside trap, but his backheel shot attempt was parried away by Lobant.  Romania substitute Costin Lazar found a way to pick up two yellow cards as a second-half substitute, earning a stoppage time ejection.  Romania finished with ten men.  On a last second corner kick, Samaras headed over the crossbar.  Greece win the first leg 3-1.

Goals
Greece
Kostas Mitroglou 14, 66
Dimitrios Salpingidis 20

Romania
Bogdan Stancu 19

Match Reports:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24862470
http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2013/11/15/5109002/greece-vs-romania-uefa-world-cup-playoffs-2013-final-score-result
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=2224397/index.html?intcmp=newsreader_news_box_3
http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Greece-beats-Romania-3-1-in-World-Cup-playoff-4986025.php

Highlights:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBTtF8x9ltk

Iceland 0 - Croatia 0

Photo by Halldor Kolbeins

Iceland played their biggest home match in history in Reykjavik today as Croatia came to town for the first leg of their playoff series.  In the first minute, Iceland had to clear off their own goal line.  An early block from Croatia defender Vedran Corluka prevented an early shot on goal from Alfred Finnbogason from disturbing the Croatian net.  At the end of the first half, Iceland lost Kolbeinn Sigthorsson to an injury.

Early in the second half, Iceland were dealt a major blow.  A ball from his own half by Croatia midfielder Ivan Rakitic (pictured, red #7) put Mario Mandzukic on the ball running toward goal.  Olafur Skulason tackled him just outside the penalty area, but the referee deemed him to be the last defender and sent him off the pitch for a red card, leaving the hosts to cope with ten men starting in minute 50.  A half volley reception was turned on goal by Ivan Perisic, but Iceland goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson made the save.  Then, a ball across from Eduardo was nearly turned in by Ivica Olic, but again Halldorsson saved Iceland from disaster.  Considering their numerical disadvantage, Iceland will be pleased with the 0-0 draw today.

Match Reports:
http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2013/11/15/5108560/croatia-iceland-2014-world-cup-playoffs-result
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2508024/Iceland-0-Croatia-0-match-report-Luka-Modrics-fail-break-10-men-hosts.html
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=2224404/index.html?intcmp=fifacom_hp_module_news

Highlights:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wF52LXJKUy0

Mexico 5 - New Zealand 1

Photo by Alfredo Estrella

Mexico were hoping to right their foundering campaign at home in Mexico City.  New Zealand were in town for the first leg of their intercontinental playoff series.  Mexico called up a squad completely comprised of locally-based players with a heavy reliance on Club America players.  Club America share the Estadio Azteca with the national side.  Mexico came close to breaking through the five-man backline on the quarter hour mark, but Oribe Peralta could not head Miguel Layun's cross on target.  Soon thereafter, another Layun cross led to a dangerous series of headers in the box that ended with New Zealand goalkeeper Glen Moss punching a header from Raul Jimenez off the line.  A long-distance knuckle ball from Mexico centerback Francisco Rodriguez nearly caught Moss unaware, but Moss was able to punch the ball off the crossbar and out for a corner kick.  On a long through ball, Jimenez was in on goal, but after angling his run, he could only manage to blast a shot into the arms and chest of Moss.  Mexico were dominant with over three-fourths of the possession.  A misplay from Moss led to the opening goal for Mexico.  Moss was too quick to come off his line even though his teammate Andrew Durante had the header clearance covered.  Moss crashed through the back of Durante, and the resulting weak header was pushed into the vacant goal by Paul Aguilar.  An audacious Jimenez airborne backheel flick forced a diving save out of Moss.  Off the resulting corner, Carlos Peña was completely unmarked in the box, so he headed down into the ground, and Jimenez was able to win the header inside the six-yard box to score the second goal for the hosts.

The lone striker for the Kiwis Chris Wood came close to hitting the top corner shortly after coming out of the locker room.  However, Mexico were the side to score early in the second period.  A long ball wide from Rafa Marquez landed at Layun's feet.  Layun rolled a ball into the box behind Ivan Vicelich to a wide open Oribe Peralta for the tap-in goal.  A medium-range free kick taken by Marquez was heading in at the far post before Moss made a diving save out for another Mexican corner.  With ten minutes left in regular time, Layun clinched his man-of-the-match award.  Again, a long ball across the field from Marquez landed at Layun's feet.  Layun crossed into the box perfectly to set up Peralta for a snap header goal.  This was a second assist from Layun's weaker left foot.  A corner kick led to another header opportunity that was buried by captain Marquez as the home side again destroyed the zonal marking system of the Kiwis.  Within one minute, New Zealand found a goal.  Rory Fallon won a contested header in the Mexican box and the second ball fell to Chris James, who hit a volley in off the post that just barely trickled over the line.  Moss had to make yet another long-distance save as Jimenez burned Vicelich off the dribble and decided to have a go.  Mexico win 5-1 and will be facing a very short-handed New Zealand side away in one week's time.  Perhaps New Zealand will be able to correct their poor marking on set pieces during the week off.

New Zealand lose their starting forward Wood, winger Leo Bertos, and centerback Ivan Vicelich for the second leg due to yellow card accumulation throughout qualifying. 

Goals
Mexico
Paul Aguilar 32
Raul Jimenez 40
Oribe Peralta 48, 80
Rafael Marquez 84

New Zealand
Chris James 85

Match Reports:
http://espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/1615578/mexico-blisters-new-zealand-5-1-wcup-playoff?cc=5901
http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2013/11/13/5101184/mexico-vs-new-zealand-2014-world-cup-qualifying-playoffs-final-score-report

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HN9hfuaRUgs

Uruguay 5 - Jordan 0

Photo by Jack Guez

Uruguay made the long trek across the globe to get to Amman in time to face their hosts Jordan in the first leg of their intercontinental playoff series.  The match started off slowly as the two sides were feeling each other out having never faced each other previously.  At the quarter hour mark, Oday Al-Saify created a chance when his cross floated right at the near post, forcing a diving save across his momentum by Uruguay goalkeeper Martin Silva.  It would be Uruguay who would score first, however.  A Cristian Stuani cross to Edinson Cavani at the back post led to a header that was saved by Jordan goalkeeper Mohamed Al-Shatnawi.  No Jordan defenders crashed on the follow up rebound, so Maxi Pereira was free to clean up the rebound and score the opener.  Egidio Arevalo Rios was the player of the half for the visitors as he cut out so many Jordan attacks from his position in the midfield.  Nicolas Lodeiro played a through ball to Stuani that just defied a sliding block attempt fromr Al-Saify.  Once the ball got through, Stuani popped it into the next to double the lead.  Uruguay would be pleased to be ahead 2-0 at the halftime whistle.

For the first half of the second period, Jordan were the completely dominant team.  A cross in from Adnan Adous beat the two defenders around Ahmad Hayel, but Hayel somehow pushed wide with the goal at his mercy.  After the Hayel miss, Jordan just could not seem to complete the final probing passes necessary to break down the Uruguayan defense.  One can only imagine how things would have turned out differently for Jordan had they made it 2-1.  Cavani ran all the way to the endline and dragged Al-Shatnawi out of position.  Cavani then cut a pass back upfield, and Lodeiro chipped into the vacant net for 3-0.  Substitute Alvaro Pereira hit a long, floating ball over the Jordanian defense, which had overplayed to its right flank in response to his run.  Cristian Rodriguez was open on the other side, and had time to trap with his chest before blasting a ball into the bottom corner for Uruguay's fourth goal.  A Thaer Bawab ball into Hayel was cut out at the last moment by a Diego Lugano slide, preserving the shutout with five minutes to go.  In the penultimate minute of regulation, a late chance for Diego Forlan was parried out for a corner kick by Al-Shatnawi.  In stoppage time, a high-boot challenge from Adous led to a free kick chance from nineteen yards away.  Cavani hit an amazing curling free kick that went from outside the far post back on frame into the upper ninety.  Uruguay record a massive 5-0 victory and will come home next week to face Jordan in what will amount to a party to celebrate their qualification for Brasil 2014.

Goals
Uruguay
Maxi Pereira 22
Cristian Stuani 42
Nicolas Lodeiro 69
Cristian Rodriguez 78
Edinson Cavani 90+2

Match Reports:
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/newsid=2223500/index.html?intcmp=newsreader_news_caption
http://www.thenational.ae/sport/jordans-world-cup-dream-in-tatters-after-uruguay-thrashing
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/nov/13/uruguay-jordan-world-cup-playoff

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW2LmhI7ln4

Preview: Intercontinental Playoffs

The intercontinental playoffs are a rare treat in the world of international football.  These two series are the only four matches in a four-year period that feature competitive matches between teams from different confederations that do not take place in a neutral host country.  The FIFA Confederations Cup, the FIFA World Cup, and even the Olympics all take place at neutral sites.  Qualifying matches for continental finals and for the FIFA World Cup take place before partisan crowds, but they feature matches among teams from the same confederation.  Only the intercontinental playoffs provide fans the chance to show partisan support for their home teams as they take on unfamiliar foes from other regions of the world.

Due to the long distances between Amman and Montevideo, and Mexico City and Wellington, these series take place over an eight-day period rather than the more typical five-day period offered by the international matchday windows.  This is to compensate for long travel times and to allow for better acclimatization as the teams explore different parts of the Earth.

Mexico are the negative surprise package of the bunch.  Few would have predicted that the team seeded first in North America at the start of the tournament would finish as low as fourth position.  Even more surprising was the fact the Mexico were a mere three minutes from being eliminated in fifth position before the United States of America turned around their final qualifier against Panama in the final moments to deny Panama a berth in these intercontinental playoffs.  Mexico have just switched to their fourth different coach since September.  In fact, no foreign-based players have been called up by the new coach due to the lack of good performances in qualifying produced by the European-based stars of El Tri.  Even the formerly mystical home field advantage of the Estadio Azteca has been shredded by a run of only one victory from five home qualifiers in 2013.  However, the all-local side did defeat Finland in a recent friendly.  They also are somewhat familiar with New Zealand, having played and won two friendlies against the Kiwis in the past four years.  The big question for Mexico is whether their inexperienced midfield can hold up over the two legs of this tie.  Only one midfielder on the roster has even ten caps.

New Zealand are the obvious participant in this round as few expected any other Oceania side to truly push New Zealand for superiority in qualifying.  Now, after eight months without playing a competitive match since finishing the Oceania campaign in March, the Kiwis finally get to face the pressure of a match that counts.  In 2009, New Zealand were able to hold Bahrain away before securing a classic 1-0 victory at home in the Westpac Stadium.  Unfortunately, New Zealand are missing stalwart captain and fullback Winston Reid due to injury, so they will have to make up for his absence.  With only six matches played this year, are the players familiar enough with each other to overcome Mexico?  New Zealand did defeat Saudi Arabia away two months ago.  With a roster full of A-League players along with England-based Tommy Smith and Chris Wood, the Kiwis will be looking to stay solid defensively on the road in the first leg.

Jordan are the positive surprise package of the bunch.  Few would have predicted that the team seeded thirteenth in Asia at the start of the tournament would finish in fifth position.  It was even a bit of a surprise to some that Jordan made it into the final ten given that they were in an AFC Third Round group with China and Iraq with only two tickets available to the final round.  Jordan have navigated through eighteen fixtures so far, including a pair of home-and-away aggregate-goals series such as the one they now face against Uruguay.  Jordan have won penalty shootouts in each of the past two FIFA World Cups, defeating Kyrgyzstan in 2007 and Uzbekistan in 2013 to qualify for these intercontinental playoffs.  No expectations will be weighing upon the Jordanians as they take on 2011 Copa America champions Uruguay.  Nearly the entire roster plays its club football in either Jordan or Kuwait.  Jordan have been impressive in two recent friendlies in the Middle East, defeating both the 2012 and 2013 African Cup of Nations champions by a score of 1-0.  Zambia and Nigeria may not quite match up to the standards of Uruguay, but Jordan are in good form at the moment.  They are unbeaten in their past ten matches, and have a record of ten wins and three draws at home in 2013.

Uruguay are the perennial qualifying underachievers of South America, but at least they are consistent in their bid to finish fifth place every cycle.  Two of Colombia, Paraguay, Ecuador, and Chile manage to finish ahead of Uruguay alongside Argentina and Brasil, yet Uruguay always manage to stay ahead of the other two in order to claim fifth position.  This time around with Brazil not taking part in qualifying, Uruguay managed only to surpass Paraguay, but that was enough.  La Celeste have a ridiculously long history with the intercontinental playoffs.  In 2001, Uruguay defeated Australia.  In 2005, Australia beat Uruguay in a penalty shootout.  In 2009, Uruguay defeated Costa Rica despite not winning their home leg at the Estadio Centenario.  Jordan appear to be the weakest of the four opponents Uruguay will have faced, but nothing should be taken for granted.  La Celeste's run to the semifinals of this year's FIFA Confederations Cup has really reinvigorated the national team.  Still, for a team that since June has defeated France, Venezuela, Nigeria, Japan, Peru, Colombia, and Argentina, underestimation of their opponents Jordan is the likeliest source of trouble.  Starting goalkeeper Fernando Muslera is out for this series.

Going by the ELO ratings, #24 Mexico are favorites to knock off #56 New Zealand for spot number thirty-one at Brasil 2014 while #7 Uruguay are huge favorites to knock off #59 Jordan and claim spot number thirty-two at Brasil 2014.  I expect those rankings to hold true.

Mexico will win their first leg at home by multiple goals.  Even if New Zealand manage to win at home, they will not win on aggregate.  Uruguay are simply too strong right now and will win both legs in order to claim not only the final berth at Brasil 2014 but also a place among the eight seeded teams.

Match Previews:
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/newsid=2222779/index.html?intcmp=newsreader_news_box_1
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/newsid=2222441/index.html

Match Schedule: November 2013

November 2013 marks the end of the long journey that is FIFA World Cup qualifying for Brasil 2014.  The cycle began in Trinidad and Tobago back on 15 June 2011 and will end on 20 November 2013 in Uruguay.  This month, the remaining twenty-two teams across all six confederations will be whittled down to the final eleven qualifiers with the other eleven sides suffering elimination at the final hurdle.  Four qualifications and four eliminations will come out of the playoffs in Europe.  Five qualifications and five eliminations will come out of the second legs of the final round in Africa.  The final two qualifications and two eliminations will take place on the final day of qualifying in the two intercontinental playoff series.  The seventeen matches this month will see the field of thirty-two nations finally reveal itself in its entirety ahead of the final draw in December.

All times are given in Central Time (GMT-6).

13 November 2013
Uruguay at Jordan 9:00 Amman
New Zealand at Mexico 14:30 Mexico City

15 November 2013
Croatia at Iceland 13:00 Reykjavik
France at Ukraine 13:45 Kiev
Romania at Greece 13:45 Piraeus
Sweden at Portugal 13:45 Lisbon

16 November 2013
Ethiopia at Nigeria 9:00 Calabar
Cote d'Ivoire at Senegal 12:00 Casablanca, Morocco

17 November 2013
Tunisia at Cameroon 8:30 Yaoundé

19 November 2013
Ghana at Egypt 10:00 Cairo
Burkina Faso at Algeria 12:15 Blida
Greece at Romania 13:00 Bucharest
Ukraine at France 13:00 Saint-Denis
Iceland at Croatia 13:15 Zagreb
Portugal at Sweden 13:45 Solna

20 November 2013
Mexico at New Zealand 00:00 Wellington
Jordan at Uruguay 17:00 Montevideo

European Playoffs Draw

The draw to determine the four European playoff matchups was held today in Zurich.  With the two more traditional powers France and Sweden in the second pot, top seeds Portugal were hopeful that they would not be too severely punished for not winning their group.  Hope did not salvage the Portuguese on this day as they drew Sweden right away.  The matchup will surely focus on the attacking battle between Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo against Sweden's Zlatan Ibrahimovic.  Portugal will be more disappointed to have again fallen into the playoffs, but Portugal did win playoffs to qualify for South Africa 2010 and Euro 2012.  Sweden finished third behind Portugal and Denmark in the quest for South Africa 2010.  The teams played to two scoreless draws during that tournament.

France drew Ukraine out of the first pot, so Les Bleus are probably ecstatic given that they avoided the three more established teams.  France will certainly be favored to move forward, but given the goalkeeping troubles they had against Belarus recently, Ukraine are certainly not going to feel that they are approaching an impossible task.  Ukraine are unbeaten in their last seven qualifiers and only conceded four goals in ten matches to date.  France did win 2-0 in Ukraine during Euro 2012.  France won a playoff to get to South Africa 2010 whereas Ukraine lost in the playoff round in the same tournament.

Greece, the only team to have tied for first place in their group, now get to assert their defensive prowess against a Romania side that has suffered two multiple-goal shutout defeats in qualifying, including a 2-0 reverse at home against Turkey.  In fact, after subtracting the two matches against Andorra, Romania had a negative goal differential over the other eight group matches.  Greece have only surrendered four goals over ten matches, and they are the masters of the 1-0 victory.  Greece qualified for South Africa 2010 via the playoffs.

Croatia were given surprise team Iceland, which actually suits both teams quite well.  Croatia are on the slide recently and were the worst second-place side to advance to the playoffs.  They have suffered two surprising losses to Scotland in qualifying this year, and coupled with a home loss to Belgium and a road draw with Serbia, they have failed to win any of their last four qualifying matches.  Iceland, on the other hand, are a team on the rise, having gone undefeated in their last four qualifiers.  Of course, Iceland did suffer three losses during the campaign and have never experienced the pressures that come with being so close to qualifying for a major tournament.

The four home-and-away aggregate-goals series are listed below with the home team for the first leg listed first.  The first legs will be played on 15 November 2013 and the second legs will be played on 19 November 2013.  The teams' current ELO ratings are listed.  These ratings again reinforce the concerns about the FIFA rankings, which seeded Croatia and Ukraine rather than Sweden and France.

11 Portugal - 15 Sweden
21 Ukraine - 12 France
19 Greece - 34 Romania
79 Iceland - 22 Croatia

The four teams that I see advancing to Brasil 2014 are Sweden, France, Greece, and Iceland.  For me, the hardest tie to pick is Iceland versus Croatia.

News Reports:
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=2201671/index.html?intcmp=newsreader_news_box_1

Video of Draw:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zxpXVw7fUM

UEFA Playoffs Pot Allocations

Europe has been awarded thirteen spots at the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals in Brasil.  Nine spots have already been claimed.  The final four spots are up for grabs in the UEFA Playoffs to take place in November 2013.  Eight teams have advanced to the playoffs round, and they will learn their playoff fates this Monday, 21 October 2013, at the draw ceremony in Zurich.

Portugal, Croatia, and Greece have dropped into the playoffs despite being top seeds in their qualifying groups.  France and Sweden are where they were expected to be as second seeds in their groups.  Ukraine survived as a third seed, Romania join as a fourth seed, and Iceland are the miracle team, advancing this far as a sixth seed (the lowest seeding).

The four highest ranked teams by the FIFA rankings have been placed into Pot 1.  The other four teams have been placed into Pot 2.  One team from each pot will be drawn into each of four home-and-away aggregate-goals series.  The pot allocations are shown below.

Pot 1
1. Portugal
2. Greece
3. Croatia
4. Ukraine

Pot 2
5. France
6. Sweden
7. Romania
8. Iceland

Bolivia 1 - Peru 1

Photo by Cris Bouroncle

Lima was the site of the final match of FIFA World Cup qualifying for the month of October 2013.  After all the meaningful matches being played today, it was anticlimactic to finish with Peru's home match against Bolivia, but that's the way it goes sometimes.  There was an eerie lack of atmosphere because Peru were banned from having fans present for this home qualifier.  A quick pass forward by Carlos Lobaton off a pass backward by Juan Vargas caught the Bolivia backline unprepared.  Yoshimar Yotun took the through ball and scored to give Peru a 1-0 lead.  Carlos Zambrano had a chance to double the lead, but he pulled his shot wide after making a solo run into space of over thirty yards.  Teenager Christian Benavente nearly scored his second goal for Peru, but his shot was blocked off the crossbar by Marvin Bejarano.  Benavente started a three-versus-one counterattack, but with the goalkeeper at their mercy, Vargas took a heavy touch and the break fell apart.  In stoppage time, Marcelo Martins (pictured, green #9) took a curling, dipping shot that forced Peru goalkeeper Diego Penny into a diving save.  The long rebound was floated into the goal by Diego Bejarano.  The score was tied 1-1 at the conclusion of the first forty-five.

Peru were the only side to create a chance in the second half of the match.  Their best opportunity came from a Claudio Pizarro through ball into for Yordy Reyna.  Reyna beat two Bolivians in a foot race, but his shot could not defeat the crossbar.  Bolivia had only one chance in the match, but they took it.  Bolivia therefore steal a 1-1 draw on the road.

Argentina 32 pts IN
Colombia 30 pts IN
Chile 28 pts IN
Ecuador 25 pts +4 IN
Uruguay 25 pts 0
Venezuela OUT
Peru OUT
Bolivia OUT
Paraguay OUT

Goals
Peru
Yoshimar Yotun 19

Bolivia
Diego Bejarano 45+2

Match Reports:
http://us.soccerway.com/news/2013/October/16/fifa-world-cup-qualifying-peru-1-bolivia-1/

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkM68p84QAI

United States of America 3 - Panama 2

Photo by Arnulfo Franco

Panama were at home in Panama City and needed a win against United States of America coupled with a Costa Rica win against Mexico in order to qualify for the intercontinental playoffs.  The Yanks' squad was full of second-stringers looking to make their way into the squad at next summer's tournament finals.  American left back Edgar Castillo made an awful pass in his final third that was easily picked off by Humberto Quintero.  Quintero hit a through ball by Castillo into Marcos Sanchez, who touched off for Gabriel Torres.  Torres executed a no-frills finish to make it 1-0.  Panama had chances to extend their lead, but they did not take them.  Panama took a vital 1-0 lead with them into their locker room.

Second half substitute Brad Davis proved to be the man of the match for the Americans.  His corner sailed just over Clarence Goodson's head, but Goodson's leap unsighted Panama defender Carlos Rodriguez.  This allowed Michael Orozco to nod a free header into the goal to level the match.  Two Panama substitutes linked up to put their team ahead with only seven minutes left in regulation.  Roberto Chen made a run to the end line before hitting desperately back across the box.  United States goalkeeper Brad Guzan tried to catch the ball, but he could only tip it.  Panama substitute Luis Tejada was alert and able to tap home the short rebound for 2-1.  Coupled with Costa Rica's lead, this goal would be enough to send Panama into the playoffs, and a pressing question began to swirl in the minds of many.  Would the United States lie down in order to eliminate their eternal rivals Mexico?  The answer was a resounding "no!"  In stoppage time, Davis provided an inch-perfect cross from the left flank that allowed Graham Zusi to rise high and head into the near side netting for the late equalizer.  Jairo Jimenez had mistakenly chosen to double team the ball rather than go with the run of Davis, and his side paid a hefty price.  Panama had had their heart ripped out, so the Americans took advantage one minute later.  Terrence Boyd played a pass to Aron Johannsson (pictured, white #9), who took a touch to his right foot before curling his first international goal into the near lower corner.  Tejada was given a second yellow card for a late tackle, leaving only ten Panamanians on the pitch at the conclusion of the match.  The miraculous turnaround in stoppage time results in a 3-2 victory for the United States that sends archrivals Mexico a lifeline in the form of a berth in the intercontinental playoffs.  Panama are eliminated in a match that two minutes prior to its conclusion would have kept them afloat in their quest for Brasil 2014.

USA 22 pts IN
Costa Rica 18 pts IN
Honduras 15 pts IN
Mexico 11 pts
Panama OUT
Jamaica OUT

Goals
United States of America
Michael Orozco 64
Graham Zusi 90+2
Aron Johannsson 90+3

Panama
Gabriel Torres 18
Luis Tejada 83

Match Reports:
http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/usa/story/panama-2-3-united-states-world-cup-qualifier-review-yanks-end-wild-campaign-101513
http://soccer.si.com/2013/10/16/usa-panama-concacaf-world-cup-qualifying/?sct=sc_t11_a1

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxAonpKPU1E

Costa Rica 2 - Mexico 1

Photo by Moises Castillo

San Jose was the site of Costa Rica's home match against Mexico.  Costa Rica had not won a home qualifier against Mexico since 1992, a string of five matches without a win.  A result for Mexico would see them avoid elimination, and a two-goal win coupled with a Honduras loss would put them into Brasil 2014.  Costa Rica were the superior side in the early going, but Mexico weathered the proverbial storm and the non-metaphorical rain storm.  Mexico created a golden opportunity off a Carlos Peña through ball to Oribe Peralta.  Two-on-one with the goalkeeper, Peralta pushed a pass laterally to Javier Hernandez, who swung and nearly missed at the open goal, forcing Peralta to tap in the miss while in an offside position.  Costa Rica were not feeing charitable on this night, so they added to the Mexican misery.  Hugo Ayala could not clear a ball out of defense cleanly due to the coverage from Cristian Bolaños.  The ball bounced in the box, and Ticos forward Bryan Ruiz headed a ball to himself before doing a 270-degree turn off two defenders to free up space.  Ruiz then scored the opening goal from eleven yards out.  Peña played another fine through ball forward, this time to Hernandez.  Costa Rica goalkeeper Keylor Navas came off his line well to tap the ball away from Hernandez, but Peralta received the rebound and blasted the ball in off the underside of the crossbar.  The half ended 1-1.

Not quite twenty minutes into the second half, the Ticos restored their lead.  Joel Campbell passed ahead to Christian Gamboa down the right flank.  Gamboa then crossed into the center of the box to a wide-open Alvaro Saborio.  Saborio easily redirected a header on frame to make it 2-1 in favor of the hosts.  Bolaños's shot for a third goal hit the post, leaving Mexico with hope of a draw to secure their playoff berth.  Mexico goalkeeper denied Bolaños late in the match, but it was not enough to get his team back in the match.  Costa Rica win 2-1 to leave Mexico in dire need of help from the United States of America in order to survive.

Goals
Costa Rica
Bryan Ruiz 26
Alvaro Saborio 64

Mexico
Oribe Peralta 29

Match Reports:
http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2013/10/16/costa-rica-2-mexico-1-world-cup-qualifying-match-recap
http://fansided.com/2013/10/15/costa-rica-vs-mexico-final-score-el-tri-falls-ticos-2-1-still-advance-play/
http://www.goal.com/en-us/match/97780/costa-rica-vs-mexico/report?
http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2013/10/15/4843228/mexico-costa-rica-2014-world-cup-qualifying-final-score-result

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

Jamaica 2 - Honduras 2

Photo by Ricardo Makyn

Jamaica were at home in Kingston to finish their FIFA World Cup journey against Honduras.  The visitors needed a draw to secure their place at Brasil 2014.  In the first minute of the match, Honduras claimed a corner kick.  They scored when Carlo Costly hit a side volley through a defender's legs that found the back of the Jamaican net.  Two minutes later the match was level.  The two Jamaican forwards Darren Mattocks and Jermaine Anderson wreaked havoc and confusion among the five Honduras, and in the goal mouth scramble, Anderson's shot was bungled over the line for an own goal.  Thirty minutes later, Honduras were back in the lead.  Maynor Figueroa smacked a free kick from thirty-five yards that sailed into the goal thanks to a soft four-man wall.  Honduras led 2-1 at halftime and were forty-five minutes away from securing their qualification.

Not quite fifteen minutes after the restart, Honduras were whistled for a handball inside their own box.  Jamaica converted the penalty kick to restore parity at two goals apiece.  The rest of the match did not feature much intensity, perhaps due to the dearth of fans in attendance.  The 2-2 draw is enough to send Honduras into the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals, to be held in Brasil in June 2013.

Goals
Honduras
Carlo Costly 1
Maynor Figueroa 33

Jamaica
Jorge Claros 3 OG
Rodolph Austin 58

Match Reports:
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sport/match-report--honduras--jamaica-draw-2-2
http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2013/10/15/4843504/jamaica-honduras-world-cup-qualifying-final-score-result

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06Mhgt0dFao

Uruguay 3 - Argentina 2

Photo by Miguel Rojo

Uruguay needed a huge margin of victory at home in Montevideo in order to qualify directly to the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals., an unlikely task given that group winners Argentina were the visitors.  Five minutes into the match, a loose ball in the Argentine box fell to Cristian Rodriguez in space, so he settled the ball and then fired Uruguay into an early 1-0 lead.  Ten minutes later, a skillful chest trap from Augusto Fernandez inside the Uruguay area gave Maxi Rodriguez a shot on goal that he blasted into the net for the equalizer.  Some artful and disgraceful flopping by Luis Suarez inside the Argentina penalty area drew a penalty kick, and Uruguay undeservedly converted for a 2-1 lead.  Rodriguez scored his second equalizer of the night as halftime approached.  He received a pass and then cut inside of Jorge Fucile (pictured, left) before rolling the ball in at the far post.  The teams were tied at 2-2 going into the break.

Five minutes after the restart, Suarez latched onto a long through ball ahead of the defense.  Suarez drew the only defender back before playing a short pass to Edinson Cavani.  Cavani gathered the ball in stride, drove at the goal, and then unleashed a scorcher to put Uruguay ahead by one goal for the third time in the match.  Uruguay held on for the final forty minutes and win 3-2, but in spite of being level on points in fourth place with Ecuador after the completion of all fixtures, Ecuador had a better goal differential, meaning that Uruguay will be going to the intercontinental playoffs.  Ecuador officially qualify for Brasil 2014.  With the second leg at home, should Uruguay beat Jordan they will be the last of the thirty-two teams to qualify for Brasil 2014.

Goals
Uruguay
Cristian Rodriguez 5
Luis Suarez 34 PK
Edinson Cavani 50

Argentina
Maxi Rodriguez 15, 41

Match Reports:
http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2013/10/15/4842854/uruguay-argentina-2014-world-cup-qualifying-final-score-result
http://www.goal.com/en-gb/match/97334/uruguay-vs-argentina/report?

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dcvHhzAjvs

Chile 2 - Ecuador 1

Photo by Claudio Santana

Chile needed a result at home in Santiago against Ecuador in order to qualify for Brasil 2014.  Ecuador needed only a draw themselves in order to qualify.  Christian Noboa had the first chance of the match of any note.  His hooking effort on a short-range free kick from just outside the Chilean box brought out a nice diving punch-away from Chile goalkeeper Claudio Bravo.  Walter Ayovi was the next to break through the Chile backline, but Bravo tipped his rolling shot around the bar.  Bravo then had to punch away an Ayovi free kick at his near post.  Chile surprisingly were the first team to score.  Eugenio Mena flicked in a cross from the left side to Alexis Sanchez (pictured, red).  Sanchez somehow outleaped his much taller marker Frickson Erazo (pictured, blue) to power a header home at the near post.  Sanchez hit a dipping free kick soon thereafter that necessitated a leaping tip over the bar by Ecuador goalkeeper Alexander Dominguez.  1-0 soon became 2-0 for Chile.  On the resulting Marcelo Diaz corner, Sanchez won a header and flicked it onto the goalmouth, where a waiting Gary Medel added the finishing touch.  Chile led 2-0 at halftime.

Arturo Vidal nearly made it 3-0, but his header smacked the inside of the post and then rebounded into the grateful hands of Dominguez, who had not moved as the header had left him rooted to his spot.  Midway through the second half, Antonio Valencia led a breakaway for Ecuador.  Valencia's through ball to Felipe Caicedo was placed out of the reach of Bravo to make it a nervy 2-1 game.  After all the action prior to that point, the end of the match was a dud.  This suited both teams just fine.  Chile win 2-1 and qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.  Ecuador needed to wait until Uruguay's match with Argentina went final before popping the champagne, but their goal differential would all but assuredly send Ecuador through barring the most unthinkable barrage of goals by Uruguay late in their match against Argentina.  In an odd scene, both teams were celebrating on the field after the game in spite of the fact that one of them had just lost a match.

Goals
Chile
Alexis Sanchez 35
Gary Medel 38

Ecuador
Felipe Caicedo 66

Match Reports:
http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2013/10/15/4843120/chile-ecuador-2014-world-cup-qualifying-final-score-result
http://news.yahoo.com/soccer-chile-beat-2-1-ecuador-both-qualify-021324476--sow.html

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

Full Match Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmV6P820oHY (1st half)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_3988304439&feature=iv&src_vid=qmV6P820oHY&v=j2aHK1xMC14 (2nd half)

Colombia 2 - Paraguay 1

Photo by Victor R. Caivano

Colombia were confident ahead of their trip to Asuncion, having won their previous three qualifiers in Paraguay.  Jorge Rojas made his intentions known early as his laser shot from distance sailed just wide of the Colombian goal.  Shortly thereafter, Rojas let fly from thirty-one yards out, and the bouncing shot ate up Colombia goalkeeper David Ospina, who allowed the ball to bounce through his arms for the opening goal.  Freddy Guarin was sent off for a second yellow card, picking up his second caution as early as minute 31.  Colombia were down a goal and down to ten men with a hole in the midfield.  Guarin will miss the first match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals.  The Cafeteros were not shaken by the turn of events.  A James Rodriguez free kick was headed home from seven yards out by his center back and captain Mario Yepes.  Yepes's goal evened the score at one goal apiece.  Yepes had not scored for Colombia since 2007.  At the break, the match was level at 1-1.

Ospina denied a solid strike from Roque Santa Cruz at his near post.  Carlos Bacca took a shot inside the Paraguayan box after a scramble, forcing a desperate save from Paraguay goalkeeper Justo Villar.  Yepes was on the doorstep and pushed home the rebound to give his team a 2-1 lead.  Paraguay were stunned not to be able to equalize after being denied on a double save.  Oscar Cardozo sent a fast shot into Ospina.  The rebound fell to Santa Cruz, but his one-timed effort was saved off the line by a lunging block from Pablo Armero.  Somehow, in spite of their numerical disadvantage, Colombia created two late chances through Jackson Martinez (pictured, yellow).  Villar saved the first with his chest, but Martinez scuffed the second.  Nevertheless, Colombia win 2-1 despite having only ten men on the pitch for the final hour of play.

Goals
Colombia
Mario Yepes 38, 56

Paraguay
Jorge Rojas 7

Match Reports:
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/soccer-captain-yepes-leads-colombia-2-1-win-023404164--sow.html
http://us.soccerway.com/news/2013/October/16/fifa-world-cup-qualifying-paraguay-1-colombia-2/n242461/

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dmd0zcOP9zU

Full Match Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-sozG_4M2o

Spain 2 - Georgia 0; France 3 - Finland 0

Photo by Jose Jordan

France needed to defeat Finland at home in Saint-Denis and see Spain lose in the other Group I match in order to qualify directly for Brasil 2014.  Any thing less would leave them in the draw for the UEFA Playoffs.  Franck Ribery continue his spectacular week at the Stade de France tonight.  Ribery avoided the block of Teemu Pukki and fired a laser from outside the box that clipped the underside of the crossbar on its way to glory.  France led 1-0 at halftime.

Mathieu Debuchy played in a nice cross from the right wing with a quarter hour left on the clock.  Olivier Giroud hit a powerful header that was going in at the back post.  A desperate swing by a defender could only hit the ball into the net at a different angle, so France were now up 2-0.  Ribery finished the match off in style.  He drove into the box on the left side of goal and then held up play while waiting for support.  He found some and then made his move to the end line before popping a pass to Karim Benzema.  Benzema swung a volley from waist level into the goal to make it an emphatic 3-0.  France win 3-0 but were all but resigned to their fate of appearing in the UEFA Playoffs.

Spain needed only a draw at home in Albacete against Georgia in order to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals.  A bicycle kick shot from Spain forward Alvaro Negredo was tipped over by Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Loria.  Pedro Rodriguez played to Andres Iniesta, who laid back off to Rodriguez who one-timed a chipped pass to Iniesta, who first-timed a volley into the box.  Negredo one-timed a tap-in off the bounce to give Spain an intricate opener.  Negredo hit the post on a chance later in the period.  Spain took a comfortable 1-0 lead with them into their dressing room.

On the hour mark, Spain received a good bit of fortune as a defensive header deflected off Gerard Pique and fell to Juan Mata inside of ten yards.  Mata blasted the rebound into the back of the net to give Spain a 2-0 and the crowd reason to begin booking flights to Brasil.  Spain continued to be the only team with any designs on goal, and they eased to victory.  Spain win 2-0 and clinch a berth at Brasil 2014.  They will be there looking to defend their South Africa 2010 championship.  France will take part in the UEFA Playoffs next month.

Spain 20 pts IN
France 17 pts
Finland OUT
Georgia OUT
Belarus OUT

Goals
France
Franck Ribery 8
Joona Toivio 76 OG
Karim Benzema 87

Spain
Alvaro Negredo 26
Juan Mata 61

Match Reports:
http://www.goal.com/en-gb/match/92609/france-vs-finland/report?
http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2013/10/15/4842260/france-vs-finland-2014-world-cup-qualifying-final-score-report
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1812676-france-vs-finland-score-grades-and-post-match-reaction
http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2013/10/15/4842256/spain-vs-georgia-uefa-world-cup-qualifying-final-score-result
http://www.goal.com/en-us/match/92610/spain-vs-georgia/report?
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/oct/15/spain-qualify-georgia-world-cup

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfNSMjfWrQY (France v. Finland)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75EAcVvHRCY (Spain v. Georgia)

England 2 - Poland 0; Moldova 5 - Montenegro 2; Ukraine 8 - San Marino 0

Photo by Mike Hewitt

Montenegro closed their campaign at home in Podgorica against visiting Moldova.  Montenegro needed a win and a shock San Marino win in order to make it to the UEFA Playoff round.  The opening goal was the ultimate emotional swing for Montenegro goalkeeper Vukasin Poleksic.  He somehow parried away a fast deflection off his defender Savo Pavicevic, but then Poleksic dragged the off-target return shot from Alexandru Antoniuc into the goal with his legs.  Moldova led 1-0 on Antoniuc's first international goal.  The 1-0 halftime score was not indicative of how eventful the second half would be.

Moldova were unlucky to commit a foul on the very top right corner of their penalty area.  Stevan Jovetic's penalty kick was done in the Panenka-style, and it bounced in off the underside of the crossbar for the equalizer.  Moldova regained the lead shortly thereafter.  Petru Racu won a header inside the Montenegrin area from a very high bouncing jumpball, and his header led to an easy finish for teammate Igor Armas.  Soon thereafter, Eugeniu Sidorenco made it 3-1 to Moldova.  He backheeled wide to a teammate and then received a poor pass back to him at the half circle.  Sidorenco was able to kick the ball up to himself, switch feet, and then hit a side volley that spun into the net.  Artur Ionita stripped Poleksic in possession at the edge of the box and then side-footed into the empty net for his first international goal and a 4-1 lead.  On a late breakaway, Antoniuc shimmied his way into the box, dropping his marker Vladimir Bozovic to the floor before pushing home for Moldova's fifth goal of the match.  Off a free kick rebound, Jovetic headed home a consolation strike in stoppage time.  The shock 5-2 victory for Moldova eliminates Montenegro from the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Ukraine were visiting Serravalle to take on San Marino in their final Group H match.  This match goes as further evidence for why UEFA need a preliminary stage to eliminate their weakest sides before the group stage.  Ukraine had three goals in the opening twenty minutes and took that 3-0 advantage with them into halftime.

In the second period, matters worsened for San Marino.  They suffered two goals in the first ten minutes.  Then, Mirko Palazzi was sent off for a red card in minute 57, leaving them down a man.   Marko Devic converted the penalty kick for his hat trick and a 6-0 lead.  Another Ukraine goal came midway through the period.  Ukraine added one last goal in the final minute of regulation.  Alessandro Della Valle was sent to the sideline for his second yellow card in the final minute of the match, leaving San Marino down to nine men.  Ukraine win 8-0 but were still searching for help from Poland.

Poland paid a visit to England in London.  England needed a victory in order to qualify for Brasil directly, otherwise they would be heading to the playoffs barring a massive upset win by San Marino.  Robert Lewandowski nearly scored on a counterattack for Poland when his teammate dummied over a ball.  Lewandowski dragged just wide of goal, and England seemed to relax after narrowly avoiding tragedy.  A booming shot from Andros Townsend (pictured, white) crashed the crossbar, but Poland goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was able to get up into time to parry away a driven shot off the rebound by Daniel Sturridge.  Grzegorz Wojtkowiak made a sliding block in defense for Poland to prevent a tap-in off a probing pass.  Toward the end of the first half, Wayne Rooney had just lost his protective headband when Leighton Baines sent a cross into the Polish penalty area.  Rooney rose to meet the ball and let it skim off his naked forehead, proving the perfect redirection into the goal to put the Three Lions ahead 1-0.  England led 1-0 at intermission.

Rooney's twenty-yard curler was stopped on the dive by Szczesny, keeping Poland within striking distance in this match and Ukraine alive with hope of qualifying directly should England drop points.  Lewandowski nearly helped out Ukraine, but England goalkeeper Joe Hart made himself big on a charge off his line.  Lewandowski's shot nicked the triceps of Hart and England remained in the lead.  England midfielder and captain Steven Gerrard sealed England's berth at Brasil 2014 with a goal two minutes from time.  During his run, the ball hit the boot of Poland centerback Kamil Glik (pictured, red #15), but the ball maintained its course, allowing Gerrard to toe poke over Szczesny and into the net.  England win 2-0 and are going to the FIFA World Cup finals.  Ukraine are into the playoffs.

England 22 pts IN
Ukraine 21 pts
Montenegro OUT
Poland OUT
Moldova OUT
San Marino OUT

Goals
Moldova
Alexandru Antoniuc 28, 89
Igor Armas 62
Eugeniu Sidorenco 64
Artur Ionita 74

Montenegro
Stevan Jovetic 55 PK, 90+1

Ukraine
Yevgen Seleznov 13 PK, 19
Marko Devic 15, 51, 58 PK
Andriy Yarmolenko 55
Roman Bezus 66
Vitaliy Mandzyuk 90

England
Wayne Rooney 41
Steven Gerrard 88

Match Reports:
http://www.uefa.com/worldcup/season=2014/matches/round=2000294/match=2008735/postmatch/report/
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/soccer-ukraine-face-playoffs-despite-thrashing-san-marino-213233808--sow.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24439799
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/oct/15/england-poland-world-cup-qualifier
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/england/10380652/England-2-Poland-0-match-report.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2461626/England-2-Poland-0-Wayne-Rooney-Steven-Gerrard-seal-win--Martin-Samuel.html

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv2TMgG8AvM (Moldova v. Montenegro)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FF5gCRLmfhI (Ukraine v. San Marino)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YEIIUIpVZ8 (England v. Poland)

Scotland 2 - Croatia 0; Wales 1 - Belgium 1; Serbia 5 - Macedonia 1

Photo by John Thys

Serbia closed their Brasil 2014 campaign at home against Macedonia in Jagodina.  Serbia caused an own goal fifteen minutes into the match.  Zoran Tosic burst into the Macedonian area and then pushed wide for Dusan Basta.  Basta played a ball that would have been tapped in by teammate Dusan Tadic if it had not been for the own goal by Macedonia.  A low cross was Aleksandar Kolarov was then bundled over the line inelegantly but effectively by Basta for 2-0.  On a Serbian corner, Boban Grncarov accidentally produced a crunching tackle on Radosav Petrovic, conceding a penalty kick.  Serbia converted for a 3-0 lead they would take with them into the locker room.

Serbia continued to steamroll their opponents in the second period.  Not even ten minutes in, Basta connected on a low poss to Tadic.  Tadic was not denied by an own goal this time, so he finished himself on the slide for 4-0.  Basta sealed his man-of-the-match status with an excellent cross to the far post that was headed in by Stefan Scepovic for Serbia's fifth and his first international goal.  Somehow, Macedonia snatched the best goal of the day through an amazing run by Adis Jahovic, who channeled his best Diego Maradona impression as he slalomed through five defenders on a run of forty-five yards from his own half of the pitch before calmly slotting the ball past the goalkeeper.  Serbia win 5-1.

Already-qualified Belgium finished their qualification slate at home against Wales in Brussels. 
Wales goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey did his best to kept out the potent Belgian strike force.  Hennessey denied Romelu Lukaku and Kevin Mirallas (pictured, red) in the first period.  With just under ten minutes to go in the half, Belgium right back Tony Alderweireld pulled off a sombrero flick to beat Craig Bellamy before unleashing a dipping shot that struck a Welsh defender and then the crossbar and came back into the field of play.  Belgium were disappointed to be leaving the field still tied at 0-0.

A Lukaku half-bicycle pass ate up James Wilson, and the ball was met by the run of Kevin de Bruyne.  De Bruyne was able to score with his well-taken chance to put Belgium ahead 1-0 twenty minutes into the second period.  Some power dribbling by Mirallas on the edge of the penalty area produced another dangerous chance that Hennessey parried aside.  With two minutes left, Bellamy produced a fitting sendoff to his international career.  Aaron Ramsey began a one-two-one with Bellamy, with Bellamy picking out a beautiful pass that Ramsey only had to redirect from three yards out, albeit it at a sharp angle, for the equalizer.  Wales snatch an unexpected point with a 1-1 draw.

Due to results elsewhere, Croatia had already clinched a spot in the UEFA Playoffs before their match today had ended.  They were on the road in Glasgow to take on Scotland.  Scotland with a win would sweep the two games from Croatia.  Charlie Mulgrew drove the ball down the left flank for Scotland before floating a high cross into the six-yard box.  Croatia center back Dejan Lovren did not feel like winning the ball, so he allowed a motivated Robert Snodgrass to rise above him from behind to hammer a header home for a 1-0 Scottish lead.  Croatia goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa denied Snodgrass a second goal two minutes later with a diving fingertips save that needed the far post to see the ball away.  Scotland were in front 1-0 at intermission.

Eduardo latched onto a slightly too heavy through ball.  Eduardo was forced to attempt a last-ditch effort from a sharp angle at an open net, but he could not get the ball on target.  Domagoj Vida tripped Scotland winger Ikechi Anya in the box for a penalty kick to Scotland.  Pletikosa saved a very-well struck attempt by Barry Bannan, but luckily for Scotland Steven Naismith was the first to the rebound.  Naismith finished to double Scotland's lead.  The Croatians, knowing they were already in the playoffs by this point, showed little fight the rest of the way.  Scotland win 2-0 for their only home victory of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Goals
Serbia
Stefan Ristovski 16 OG
Dusan Basta 19
Aleksandar Kolvaro 38 PK
Dusa Tadic 54
Stefan Scepovic 74

Macedonia
Adis Jahovic 83

Belgium
Kevin de Bruyne 64

Wales
Aaron Ramsey 88

Scotland
Robert Snodgrass 28
Steven Naismith 73

Match Reports:
http://www.macedonianfootball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5939:wcq-2014-serbia-macedonia-51&catid=13:international&Itemid=64
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/match-reports/belgium-1-1-wales-aaron-ramsey-2446452
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24439786
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2461873/Belgium-1-Wales-1--match-report-Aaron-Ramsey-rescues-Wales.html
http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/latest/scotland-restore-hampden-pride-against-croatia-1-3142856
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24439813

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbNVC7YeC8c (Serbia v. Macedonia)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djRNpbNMY3A (Wales v. Belgium)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TK145SC498U (Scotland v. Croatia)

Germany 5 - Sweden 3; Austria 3 - Faroe Islands 0; Ireland 3 - Kazakhstan 1

Photo by Jonathan Nackstrand

There was nothing to play for in Group C today except for ranking points.  Germany had already won the group and Sweden had already clinched a playoff berth.  Those two teams met two on Swedish soil in Solna.  Their first match in Group C play had ended in a memorable 4-4 draw, and this match nearly outdid the first meeting.  Sweden struck first early in the match.  A goal kick turned into offense for the Swedes and Sebastian Larsson played a through ball for Tobias Hysen.  Hysen scooted into the area and then rolled a low shot through the goalkeeper's legs for the opener.  Germany regained composure and were the better side for the rest of the half.  Thomas Muller headed a would-be equalizer off the crossbar.  With halftime approaching, Sweden again hit a through ball into space, taking advantage of the poor offside positioning played by Germany left centerback Mats Hummels for a second time.  Kim Kallstrom played the ball ahead to Alexander Kacaniklic, who finished ahead of the recovery run by Hummels.  In the final minute, Germany pulled a goal back.  Sweden blocked a pass, but the ball took a lucky hop for die Mannschaft.  Mesut Ozil was the recipient of the bounce at the edge of the penalty area, so without hesitation he powered a strike goalward to make it 2-1.  The halftime scoreboard read Sweden 2, Germany 1.

Andre Schurrle (pictured, white) became a sensation in the second half for the visitors.  His slick dribbling slipped a trap at midfield, beginning the run up to the equalizer.  Eventually, Ozil had the ball inside the box.  A nice hesitation dribble drew three defenders, leaving Mario Gotze open.  Ozil toe-poked the ball to Gotze, who roofed the shot for 2-2.  Schurrle then anticipated a Per Nilsson (pictured, yellow) pass perfectly, stepping around the intended target to rob the ball before sprinting thirty yards into the box.  Schurrle cut back on Nilsson in the box before slotting home for 3-2.  Germany had taken the lead a mere dozen minutes into the second half.  Hysen was then caught in possession by Max Kruse.  The ball fell to Gotze, who passed to an onrushing Schurrle for the finish and 4-2.  Three minutes later, Hysen atoned for his sin.  Hysen took a running start and was able to get a boot on a Larsson free kick for an impressive volley finish.  With a quarter hour left on the clock, the two-goal lead was restored for the visitors.  Toni Kroos pushed to the left from the half circle to the red-hot Schurrle.  Schurrle curled a ball into the far side upper ninety to finish his hat trick and put Germany ahead 5-3.  Without much possession, Sweden had done well enough to score three goals.  Five was simply too tall an order.  Germany win 5-3 to cap off their Group C campaign with a ninth victory.

Austria finished their campaign with a trip north to Torshavn to take on Faroe Islands.  Andreas Ivanschitz scored off a cross from Martin Harnik to put Austria ahead just ahead a quarter hour had elapsed.  Christian Holst's attempt at an equalizer was blocked by Austria defender Sebastian Prodl.  Austria led 1-0 at the conclusion of the first half of play.

Austria sealed the match in a five-minute window midway through the second half.  Prodl scored from the run of play, and then minutes later Harnik drew a penalty kick off a foul from Frodi Benjaminsen.  Austria converted for their third goal of the match and then coasted over the finish line.  Austria win 3-0.

Ireland finished their FIFA World Cup adventure at home in Dublin, with Kazakhstan serving as the foil.  Ireland dug themselves a hole after a dozen minutes when Seamus Coleman swung and missed at a clearance attempt.  Dmitriy Shomko arrived to strike the ball first-time, and the result was a beautiful goal from twenty-three yards out to give Kazakhstan the lead.  Aleksandr Kislitsyn thought he was playing baseball and decided to stick a gloved hand straight into the air to bring down a ball inside the Kazakh area.  Kislitsyn is a field player, however, so Ireland were awarded a penalty kick.  They converted for the equalizer.  Nine minutes later, a high bounce off a header from Richard Dunne was not handled cleanly by Kazakhstan goalkeeper Andrey Sidelnikov, so John O'Shea was able to clean up the rebound and put Ireland ahead 2-1.  The crowd went silent as Darren Gibson had to be stretchered off the pitch for Ireland ten minutes later.  Ireland led 2-1 at the break.

In the second period, the only notable action came from a shot from Aiden McGeady.  Shomko had to do his best to try and clear the ball off his line with Robbie Keane lurking for the tap-in goal, but Shomko only managed an own goal.  Ireland stroll to a 3-1 home victory.

Goals
Germany
Mesut Ozil 45
Mario Gotze 53
Andre Schurrle 57, 66, 76

Sweden
Tobias Hysen 6, 69
Alexander Kacaniklic 42

Austria
Andreas Ivanschitz 16
Sebastian Proedl 64
David Alaba 67 PK

Ireland
Robbie Keane 17 PK
John O'Shea 26
Dmitriy Shomko 77 OG

Kazakhstan
Dmitriy Shomko 13

Match Reports:
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/oct/15/sweden-germany-world-cup-qualifier
http://www.mail.com/int/sports/soccer/2399234-schuerrle-scores-3-germany-beats-sweden-5-3.html
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/mesut-ozil-picks-up-knee-injury-as-germany-defeat-sweden-53-prompting-arsenal-doubts-for-weekend-visit-of-norwich-8883518.html
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1812487-sweden-vs-germany-score-grades-and-post-match-reaction
http://espnfc.com/en/report/334813/report.html?soccernet=true
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24525613
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/oct/15/republic-ireland-kazakhstan-world-cup-qualifer
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2461437/Republic-Ireland-3-Kazakhstan-1-match-report-Robbie-Keane-John-OShea-score.html

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpiF_zbUcRM (Germany v. Sweden)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQgQtcgbX6w (Ireland v. Kazakhstan)

Armenia 2 - Italy 2; Czech Republic 1 - Bulgaria 0; Denmark 6 - Malta 0

Photo by Dimitar Dilkoff

Before this group kicked off today, Bulgaria and Denmark were in danger of being eliminated from the 2014 FIFA World Cup by results elsewhere.  This is because these teams could no longer finish among the best eight second-place sides should they manage to take second from Group B.  Once the Group B had had made it to their hour mark, those results had come to fruition.  Switzerland's defeat of Slovenia eliminated both Bulgaria and Denmark from contention.

Czech Republic were visiting Sofia to take on Bulgaria.  Bulgaria needed a win and a miracle combination of results all across Europe in order to make it to the UEFA Playoffs.  Libor Kozak was put through on goal from a booming ball out of the Czech half of the field.  Kozak had no defender within twenty yards of him, but when it came time to shoot, he lifted his shot high over the crossbar.  The Czechs shook off the miss quickly.  A through ball from Borek Dockal put Petr Jiracek in with a chance, but he held the shot too long and Bulgaria goalkeeper Vladislav Stoyanov was able to block with his chest.  In the final minute of the half, Kozak hit a header from a Jiracek cross that collided with the far post.  Bulgaria managed to escape the field of play even at 0-0.

Dimitar Rangelov come on at the half for the hosts and almost made an immediate impact.  He performed a through in and then immediately received the pass.  He ran across the top of the box to hit a bending ball, but Czech Republic goalkeeper Petr Cech was able to dive and push the ball to safety.  The visitors scored off a Dockal shot from outside the penalty area, but truthfully the ball never should have beaten Stoyanov.  Bulgaria were the better team in the second half, but football can be cruel.  Peter Zanev was sent off for Bulgaria in minute 75 for a second yellow card, all but ending a comeback bid.  The end of the match was quiet, which suited the visitors well enough.  Czech Republic win 1-0.

Denmark were at home in Copenhagen to take on Malta.  Denmark needed a win and a miracle combination of results all across Europe in order to make it to the UEFA Playoffs.  Denmark struck early and often in this match.  A cross from the right by Emil Larsen was headed at the near post by Morten Rasmussen.  Malta goalkeeper Justin Haber made the initial save, but Rasmussen cleaned up the rebound for 1-0.  Three minutes later, it was 2-0.  John Mintoff had conceded a penalty to Denmark for his nasty tackle on Michael Krohn-Dehli.  The spot kick was converted.  Later in the half, a deep cross evaded the hands of Haber and was headed in by Andreas Bjelland for 3-0.  Larsen drew another penalty kick as he was felled during a goal-area scramble.  Denmark again converted from the penalty spot.  The hosts led 4-0 at halftime.

Fifteen minutes from time, Rasmussen tapped in a pass from Larsen while sitting three yards from goal.  He was onside as a Maltese defender had rushed in the goal in an effort to aid Haber.  The final goal came when Krohn-Dehli played a great through ball for Nicki Nielsen.  Nielsen chipped into the net over an onrushing Haber.  Denmark win 6-0, but it does them no good as their second-place finish is not enough to make the playoffs for they are the worst of the nine second-place teams in Europe.  However, this result does spell the end of the line for Armenia's qualification hopes as they cannot finish in second place in the group.

Italy finished off their qualification schedule at home to Armenia in Naples.  Five minutes in, Armenia forced a turnover from Alberto Aquilani and then proceeded to score a goal.  Yura Movsisyan showed no nervousness at all as he fired a low shot into the far side netting to put Armenia ahead.  Italy forced a turnover on the other end as Pablo Osvaldo tapped away from Artur Yedigaryan.  Lorenzo Insigne held the ball up until he saw the run of Alessandro Florenzi.  Insigne floated a cross the Insigne who headed back across the goalkeeper for 1-1.  The teams left the field of play even at one goal apiece.

A Gevorg Ghazaryan corner kick caused all sorts of problems for Italy.  No one, not even the goalkeeper, could rise high enough to prevent Henrikh Mkhitaryan from striking a powerful header that clipped the underside of the crossbar and bounced over the goal line.  Armenia were hoping to pull off a shock road victory for the third time this year, and they led 2-1.  Five minutes later, a brilliant first time chip pass from Andrea Pirlo put the ball tantalizingly close to Armenia's goal.  Mario Balotelli fought off a couple defenders and was able to hit his shot into the goal to tie the match again.  Armenia actually came closest to the winner in the final stages of the match, but no further goals were tallied.  The match ends in a 2-2 draw, and Group B ends without a playoff participant.

Italy 22 pts IN
Denmark OUT
Czech Rep OUT
Bulgaria OUT
Armenia OUT
Malta OUT

Goals
Czech Republic
Borek Dockal 52

Denmark
Morten Rasmussen 8, 74
Daniel Agger 11 PK, 39 PK
Andreas Bjelland 28
Nicki Nielsen 84

Armenia
Yura Movsisyan 4
Henrikh Mkhitaryan 70

Italy
Alessandro Florenzi 24
Mario Balotelli 76

Match Reports:
http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2013/10/15/4840566/bulgaria-vs-czech-republic-uefa-world-cup-qualifying-final-score-result
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20131015/sport/denmark-beat-malta-6-0.490504#.UnwLlvmkqT4
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2013-10-15/football/malta-ends-commitments-with-humiliating-6-0-defeat-against-denmark-2898690048/#inscore_ifheight_xdc_2865
http://forzaitalianfootball.com/2013/10/italy-2-2-armenia-balotelli-saves-the-azzurri-from-shock-defeat/
http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2013/10/15/4841878/italy-vs-armenia-uefa-world-cup-qualifying-final-score-result
http://www.goal.com/en-us/match/92564/italy-vs-armenia/report?

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pjD2gC8CLc (Czech Republic v. Bulgaria)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wtfp-OV4IPw (Denmark v. Malta)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRwGfe9lPho (Armenia v. Italy)

Full Match Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6Jjlu4rb2Y (Armenia v. Italy 1st half)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ife9otGJFk (Armenia v. Italy 2nd half)