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Draw places Brazil, Portugal into Group of Death: The draw for the final tournament of the 2010 Men’s World Cup was kind to the defending finalists, but not the losing semifinalists. 2006 champions Italy face Paraguay, New Zealand, and first time qualifiers Slovakia in Group F, whilst France, who fell to the Azzurri in the 2006 final, were drawn against hosts South Africa, Mexico, and Uruguay in Group A. The Group of Death is widely considered to be Group G, which contains Brazil, Korea DPR, Côte d’Ivoire, and Portugal. The tournament’s opening match will be South Africa-Mexico at Johannesburg’s new Soccer City stadium on FRI 11 JUN 2010.
» Group A: South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, France
» Group B: Argentina, Nigeria, Korea Rep, Greece
» Group C: England, United States, Algeria, Slovenia
» Group D: Germany, Australia, Serbia, Ghana
» Group E: Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, Cameroon
» Group F: Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, Slovakia
» Group G: Brazil, Korea DPR, Côte d’Ivoire, Portugal
» Group H: Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, Chile
[posted SAT 05 DEC 2009 – 00:58:11 UTC]

Pots decided for South Africa 2010 draw: FIFA have settled on the pots, seedings, and draw procedure for the 2010 Men’s World Cup final tournament. The top seeds include hosts South Africa and the top seven teams in the FIFA world rankings of OCT 2009, who occupy Pot 1. Pot 2 contains the teams from the AFC, CONCACAF, and the OFC. Pot 3 holds the remaining teams from CAF and CONMEBOL, whilst Pot 4 contains the remaining UEFA teams. Each group will receive one team from each pot, and no group may contain more than two UEFA teams or more than one team from any other confederation. The draw begins at 17:00 UTC on FRI 04 DEC 2009 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.
» Pot 1: South Africa, Brazil, Spain, Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Argentina, England
» Pot 2: Australia, Honduras, Japan, Korea DPR, Korea Rep, Mexico, New Zealand, United States
» Pot 3: Algeria, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Paraguay, Uruguay
» Pot 4: Denmark, France, Greece, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland
[posted THU 03 DEC 2009 – 02:54:28 UTC]

UEFA matchday 18 recap: A quick summary of action around the UEFA playoffs on WED 18 NOV 2009.
» Ukraine 00-01 Greece: Greece reach the Men’s World Cup for the first time in sixteen years as Dimitris SALPIGIDAS scored the critical away goal in the first half, leading to a 1-0 aggregate win.
» Bosnia-Herzegovina 00-01 Portugal: Portugal won 2-0 on aggregate thanks to RAÚL MEIREILES’s second half goal.
» Slovenia 01-00 Russia: Nejc PEČNIK’s late goal in the first leg proved critical as Zlatko DEDIČ levelled the series 2-2 on aggregate at the end of the first half. That put the Slovenians up 1-0 on away goals, and Russia’s hopes of coming back diminished as first Aleksandr KERZHAKOV and then Yuri ZHIRKOV were sent off.
» France 01-01 Ireland Rep [F/OT]: But the most dramatic and contentious match was in Saint-Denis, where Robbie KEANE scored in the first half. Together with Nicolas ANELKA’s goal in the first leg, the series was level at 1-1, both goals away. When the match went to overtime, William GALLAS headed in France’s winning goal after a Thierry HENRY handball – which he admitted to postmatch – was missed by referee Martin HANSSON. France held on to win 2-1 on aggregate, but certainly Irish bitterness will not dwindle when South Africa 2010 kicks off without them.
¤ Qualified: France, Greece, Portugal, Slovenia
[posted THU 19 NOV 2009 – 09:04:15 UTC]

UEFA matchday 17 recap: A quick summary of action around the UEFA playoffs on SAT 14 NOV 2009.
» Russia 02-01 Slovenia: Diniyar BILYATDINOV was Russia’s hero with two goals, but Slovenia managed to keep themselves in the tie with a late goal by Nejc PEČNIK. Marko ŠULER nearly earned a stunning equaliser in stoppage time, but Russia keeper Igor AKINFEEV was able to make the diving save.
» Greece 00-00 Ukraine: There will be no daylight between the teams when they return to Donetsk, but Greece had two chances to take the lead late. Georgios SAMARAS sent a shot over the bar with ten minutes left, and Sotiris KYRGIAKOS headed a cross just wide of the post in stoppage time.
» Ireland Rep 00-01 France: Ireland Rep’s luck may have finally run out, as France won the first leg on a deflection. In the 72nd minute, Nicolas ANELKA’s shot from the top of the area rebounded off home defender Sean ST LEDGER, off the post, and into Shay GIVEN’s goal.
» Portugal 01-00 Bosnia-Herzegovina: Portugal scored the day’s only goal in the 31st minute, when BRUNO ALVES headed in a cross by NANI. Bosnia-Herz responded well after the setback and had a dual opportunity to earn a 90th minute equaliser: Edin DŽEKO sent a header off the crossbar, and the rebound, falling to Zlatan MUSLIMOVIĆ, went off the post.
[posted SUN 15 NOV 2009 – 05:44:53 UTC]

Ireland Rep to meet France in UEFA playoffs: The draw for the UEFA playoffs put massive challenges in the way of two recent champions. France, 1998 Men’s World Cup and Euro 2000 champions, must face Ireland Rep, whilst Euro 2004 champions Greece will play Ukraine. Each two leg series is played SAT 14-WED 18 NOV 2009.
» Playoff 1: Ireland Rep v France
» Playoff 2: Portugal v Bosnia-Herzegovina
» Playoff 3: Greece v Ukraine
» Playoff 4: Russia v Slovenia
[posted TUE 20 OCT 2009 – 02:34:45 UTC]

France lead UEFA playoff seeds: France, Portugal, Russia, and Greece have been announced as the four seeded teams for the UEFA playoffs. As the four leading teams in the OCT 2009 FIFA rankings, they will each be drawn against one of the unseeded teams: Ukraine, Ireland Rep, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Slovenia. The playoff draw takes place at 12:00 UTC on MON 19 OCT 2009 in Zürich, Switzerland.
» Seeded teams: France [9th], Portugal [10th], Russia [12th], Greece [16th]
» Unseeded teams: Ukraine [22nd], Ireland Rep [34th], Bosnia-Herz [42nd], Slovenia [49th]
[posted SUN 18 OCT 2009 – 19:30:59 UTC]

UEFA matchday 16 recap: A quick summary of action around the UEFA group phase on WED 14 OCT 2009.
» Poland 00-01 Slovakia: Heavy snow in Chorzów may have contributed to the disastrous start; just four minutes in, Seweryn GANCARCZYK bundled a cross into his own goal. Slovak goalkeeper Ján MUCHA spent the rest of the match keeping the inspired home side out of his goal, giving Slovakia the points they needed to win Group 3. Slovenia took second place by defeating San Marino.
» Switzerland 00-00 Israel: A second yellow for Avihai YADIN ended Israel’s slight hopes of advancing out of Group 2. The draw meant a second consecutive Men’s World Cup appearance for the Swiss and a playoff place for Greece, who won against Luxembourg.
» Andorra 00-06 Ukraine: Ukraine had little trouble with the wooden spoon recipients of Group 6 and earned a place in the playoffs.
» Portugal 04-00 Malta: Portugal completed their Group 1 comeback and earned a playoff place with an easy win over Malta, their fourth win in the last five matches.
¤ Qualified: Denmark, England, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland
» Advanced to playoffs: Bosnia-Herzegovina, France, Greece, Ireland Rep, Portugal, Russia, Slovenia, Ukraine
[posted FRI 16 OCT 2009 – 04:54:42 UTC]

UEFA matchday 15 recap: A quick summary of action around the UEFA group phase on SAT 10 OCT 2009.
» Russia 00-01 Germany: Miroslav KLOSE was the hero as Germany secured qualification from Group 4. Russia will have another chance in the playoffs.
» Estonia 00-02 Bosnia-Herzegovina: Bosnia-Herz also wrapped up a playoff place as the number two team in Group 5. Vedad IBIŠEVIĆ sealed the win with Bosnia-Herz’s second goal midway through the second half.
» Ukraine 01-00 England: Ukraine now have a leg up on Croatia for the Group 6 playoff place after their win over previously undefeated England. Three Lions goalkeeper Robert GREEN was sent off for a professional foul just fifteen minutes in.
» Denmark 01-00 Sweden: A thunderous strike from Jakob POULSEN twelve minutes from time proved decisive as Denmark won Group 1. Sweden must now hope for Portugal to slip up against Malta on WED 14 OCT 2009.
» Greece 05-02 Latvia: Fanis GEKAS took his tally to nine total goals in the qualifiers with four tonight, helping Greece keep second place in Group 2. A win against Luxembourg on the last matchday means at least a playoff place.
» Slovakia 00-02 Slovenia: The Slovaks blew a chance to secure their first trip to a Men’s World Cup as Valter BIRSA and Nejc PEČNIK scored for Slovenia. Slovakia will have another opportunity to take the Group 1 crown against Poland on Wednesday.
» Ireland Rep 02-02 Italy: Sean ST LEDGER sent the fans at Croke Park into a frenzy as he scored his first goal for Ireland Rep to take the lead in the 87th minute. But just two minutes later, Alberto GILARDINO equalised, and Italy earned qualification from Group 8. Ireland Rep are assured of a playoff position.
¤ Qualified this matchday: Denmark, Germany, Italy, Serbia
» Advanced this matchday: Bosnia-Herzegovina, France, Ireland Rep, Switzerland
× Eliminated this matchday: Austria, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Turkey
[posted SUN 11 OCT 2009 – 00:25:19 UTC]

UEFA matchday 13 recap: A quick summary of action around the UEFA group phase on SAT 05 SEP 2009.
» Scotland 02-00 Macedonia FYR: Goals from Scott BROWN and James MCFADDEN gave Scotland the advantage heading into Group 9’s last matchday. They can secure second place with a draw against already qualified Netherlands on WED 09 SEP 2009.
» Denmark 01-01 Portugal: Seven points adrift in Group 1, Portugal needed to attack early and often in Copenhagen. Though Nicklas BENDTNER scored against the run of play late in the first half, LIEDSON equalised for his new country in the 86th minute.
» Hungary 01-02 Sweden: Sweden also did their part to make Group 1 much more interesting; at the death, Zlatan IBRAHIMOVIĆ blocked Gábor BABOS’s clearance into the goal for an improbable win. Denmark are still four points clear, but Hungary are now just one point ahead of Sweden and three ahead of Portugal for second place.
» Georgia 00-02 Italy: But the most unlikely goals of the day were both scored by Georgia’s Kakha KALADZE – in his own net. Italy remain one point ahead of Ireland Rep in Group 8 with a match in hand.
» Switzerland 02-00 Greece: Greece’s Loukas VINTRA saw his second yellow as the first half expired, but the Swiss could not capitalise until the last six minutes of the second half. They now pull ahead of Greece for the lead in Group 2.
» Slovakia 02-02 Czech Rep: Marek HAMŠÍK put Slovakia ahead 2-1 on a second half penalty but then received a second yellow card. Milan BAROŠ scored on a header to level the match again, leaving Slovakia still two points clear of Northern Ireland in Group 3 with a match in hand.
» Spain 05-00 Belgium: Spain ratcheted their goal difference to +16 as David SILVA and David VILLA each scored twice. They are assured of at least a playoff place and need four more points to win qualification from Group 5.
» Advanced this matchday: Spain
× Eliminated this matchday: Armenia, Cyprus, Estonia, Faroe Is, Moldova, Montenegro
[posted MON 07 SEP 2009 – 04:48:55 UTC]

UEFA matchday 9 recap: A quick summary of action around the UEFA group phase on WED 01 APR 2009.
» Turkey 01-02 Spain: The venue was different, but the result the same. Semih ŞENTÜRK put the home side ahead midway through the first half, but a penalty by Xabi ALONSO and a stoppage time winner by Albert RIERA kept the pressure on Spain’s Group 5 opposition.
» Bosnia-Herzegovina 02-01 Belgium: Edin DŽEKO continued his form against Belgium, scoring twice in the first fifteen minutes. Bosnia-Herz held on to maintain their hold on second place in Group 5.
» Italy 01-01 Ireland Rep: Giampaolo PAZZINI set an unfortunate record for the Azzurri by being sent off, for an elbow to John O’SHEA, just four minutes in, fastest in team history. Six minutes later, though, Vincenzo IAQUINTA put Italy ahead. The goal would stand until Robbie KEANE’s 89th minute equaliser. Italy and Ireland Rep are still first and second, respectively, in Group 8.
» Hungary 03-00 Malta: Both Hungary and Group 1 co-leaders Denmark won their fourth in a row, as both are now seven points clear of Portugal, Sweden, and Albania.
» Greece 02-01 Israel: Georgios SAMARAS scored the winning penalty for the Greeks, who lead Group 2 on goal difference over Switzerland.
» Northern Ireland 01-00 Slovenia: Warren FEENEY’s 73rd minute headed goal kept N Ireland in the lead in Group 3, but closest competitors Slovakia have two matches in hand.
» Scotland 02-01 Iceland: With the Netherlands handily defeating all comers, Scotland are fighting for second in Group 9.
× Eliminated this matchday: Malta, San Marino
[posted THU 02 APR 2009 – 22:31:25 UTC]

UEFA matchday 8 recap: A quick summary of action around the UEFA group phase on SAT 28 MAR 2009.
» Belgium 02-04 Bosnia-Herzegovina: The day’s best match in UEFA was in Genk, where Edin DŽEKO put the visitors ahead just seven minutes in. Moussa DEMBÉLÉ equalised in the second half, at which point smoke bombs thrown onto the pitch forced the referee to take the players off temporarily. After the restart, Sanel JAHIĆ led Bosnia-Herz’s improbable three goal fightback, leaving them in second place in Group 5.
» Spain 01-00 Turkey: But the class of Group 5 is clearly the European champions Spain, who stood their ground against Turkey’s strong performance and won the match with a 60th minute goal by Gerard PIQUÉ, his first for la Furia Roja. In a scheduling quirk, the group’s matches on WED 01 APR 2009 are a reverse of today’s.
» Russia 02-00 Azerbaijan: Russia took advantage of their opportunities: when the referee ordered a first half free kick retaken, Roman PAVLYUCHENKO sent the second chance through the Azeri wall and past the goalkeeper. Pavlyuchenko also assisted on Russia’s second half goal by Konstantin ZURIANOV, and Russia now sit in second place in Group 4.
» Northern Ireland 03-02 Poland: Violence was found in and around Belfast on match day, and play had to be stopped when an assistant referee was struck by an object thrown from the crowd. Warren FEENEY scored ten minutes into the match for the home side, and Jonathan EVANS’s first goal for his national team proved decisive as N Ireland took over first place in Group 3.
» Romania 02-03 Serbia: Romania’s Dorel STOICA scored two goals – the bad news was that one of them was in his own net. Serbia’s other goals came through Milan JOVANOVIĆ and Branislav IVANOVIĆ as they took sole possession of first place in Group 7.
» Israel 01-01 Greece: Greece held on to first place in Group 2, ahead of Switzerland on goal difference, by holding back the attack minded Israeli squad and earning a draw. Like Group 5, this group sees the return matches of today’s action on Matchday 9.
» Portugal 00-00 Sweden: Both teams may now hit the panic button, as they fought to a goalless draw in Lisbon that leaves them both tied with Albania for third in Group 1, four points behind joint leaders Denmark and Hungary.
[posted MON 30 MAR 2009 – 06:20:43 UTC]

UEFA matchday 5 recap: A quick summary of action around the UEFA group phase on WED 15 OCT 2008.
» Czech Rep 01-00 Slovenia: Libor SIONKO scored in the 63rd minute to give the Czechs their first win in Group 3, though a win against Poland put Slovakia in first place.
» Greece 01-02 Switzerland: The Greeks were handed their first loss of the tournament as Alexander FREI and Blaise NKUFO were the Swiss goalscorers. Greece still lead Group 2, but Israel and Switzerland are close behind.
» Austria 01-03 Serbia: All three Serbian goals came between the 14th and 24th minutes, as Serbia and Lithuania are tied atop Group 7.
» Belgium 01-02 Spain: David VILLA broke the tie on an 88th minute header and sent the Belgian supporters home disappointed, as la Furia Roja maintained their perfect record in Group 5.
» Portugal 00-00 Albania: Despite playing the entire second half with a man advantage after Admir TELI’s second yellow, Portugal could not capitalise. Both teams, along with Sweden, are tied for third in Group 1.
[posted THU 16 OCT 2008 – 03:52:56 UTC]

UEFA matchday 2 recap: A quick summary of action around the UEFA group phase on SAT 06 SEP 2008.
» Poland 01-01 Slovenia: Michał ŻEWŁAKOW scored for the home side on a first half penalty, but less than twenty minutes later, Zlatko DEDIČ had earned an equaliser for Slovenia. Meanwhile, Slovakia took the lead in Group 3 by defeating Northern Ireland.
» Albania 00-00 Sweden: A Swedish side already hit by injuries was made to suffer further when Tobias LINDEROTH was injured just five minutes in. Under new coach Arie HAAN, Albania kept up the tempo and earned a draw in their first Group 1 match. Portugal are atop the group with a win over Malta.
» Israel 02-02 Switzerland: Blaise N’KUFO had headed in the Swiss’ second after 56 minutes, but Yossi BENAYOUN scored one for Israel prior to Ben SAHAR’s stoppage time equaliser. But Greece and Latvia are tied for first in Group 2 after defeating Luxembourg and Moldova respectively.
» Austria 03-01 France: The day’s most surprising result had to be in Group 7, where Marc JANKO put the homestanding Austrians ahead in the eighth minute. Then, in the 72nd minute with the score 2-1, Janko drew a penalty that Andreas IVANSCHITZ converted to seal the win. Les Bleus now find themselves three points behind Austria, Lithuania, and Serbia.
» Spain 01-00 Bosnia-Herzegovina: The new European champions are off to a good start in Group 5, with David VILLA continuing his Euro 2008 form by scoring the only goal in the second half. Turkey and Belgium join Spain atop the group.
[posted SUN 07 SEP 2008 – 23:51:09 UTC]

Qualifying draw raises excitement: The draw for the 2010 Men’s World Cup qualifiers took place in Durban, South Africa on SUN 25 NOV 2007. Here are some of the highlights:
» UEFA group phase: Croatia must face England again, as well as the Ukraine, in Group 6. Other groups that look to be contentious include Group 2 [Greece, Israel, and Switzerland] and Group 5 [Spain, Turkey, and Belgium].
» CAF second round: Even though South Africa are only competing for a place at the 2010 African Nations Cup, they can still dent Nigeria’s chances in Group 4. Egypt, Congo DR, and Malawi square off in Group 12.
» CONCACAF first round: El Salvador could crash Panama’s party in Group 3C, but otherwise the seeded teams expect little trouble.
» AFC third round: Without a doubt, the AFC’s Group of Death is Group 1, in which Australia face China PR and defending Asian champions Iraq. Also intriguing is Group 3, which sees Korea Rep face Korea DPR.
[posted MON 26 NOV 2007 – 03:11:21 UTC]

Qualifying draw to reveal all: The footballing world is descending upon Durban, South Africa for the draw for the 2010 Men’s World Cup qualifiers. Five Asian, twelve North American, nine European, and twelve African groups will be drawn in the festivities, which start at 15:00 UTC on SUN 25 NOV 2007. The CONMEBOL group phase and OFC final round are already underway and do not require draws. Below are listed the top seeded teams in each of the other confederations.
» AFC third round: Australia, Korea Rep, Iran, Japan, Saudi Arabia
» CONCACAF first round: Mexico, United States, Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama, Trinidad-Tobago, Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti, Guatemala, Canada, Guyana
» UEFA group phase: Italy, Spain, Germany, Czech Rep, France, Portugal, Netherlands, Croatia, Greece
» CAF second round: Cameroon, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Morocco, Ghana, Tunisia, Egypt, Guinea, Senegal, Mali, Angola, Togo
[posted SAT 24 NOV 2007 – 19:45:26 UTC]

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