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Uruguay see off Costa Rica to qualify: Uruguay have appeared in playoffs for places in the last three Men’s World Cups. They have now won two of them, as they defeated Costa Rica 2-1 on aggregate in the CONCACAF/​CONMEBOL playoff. Diego LUGANO scored for la Celeste in the first leg, and the teams were greeted by heavy rains for the return leg in Montevideo. Sebastián ABREU gave Uruguay a 2-0 aggregate lead in the 69th minute, but Walter CENTENO responded with a goal just four minutes later. Costa Rica, though, could not find the all important second goal, and Uruguay will appear at their eleventh Men’s World Cup.
[posted FRI 20 NOV 2009 – 05:51:48 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]

Algeria qualify with playoff win: The Desert Foxes of Algeria are in the Men’s World Cup for the first time since 1986 as they defeated Egypt 1-0 in a playoff for the CAF Group C title. Antar YAHIA scored the spectacular winner in the 39th minute when he volleyed in a lob from Karim ZIANI off the underside of the bar. The match, played at Sudan’s National Stadium in Omdurman, was necessitated when the Pharaohs defeated Algeria 2-0 on the last day of Group C action, leaving the teams deadlocked atop the group on all tiebreaking criteria.
[posted THU 19 NOV 2009 – 08:25:15 UTC]

CAF matchday 14 recap: A quick summary of action around the CAF second group phase on the weekend of SAT 14-SUN 15 NOV 2009.
» Mozambique 01-00 Tunisia: Tunisia had a two point lead in Group B when the weekend began, but a win would guarantee qualification. The deadlock was finally broken in the 83rd minute when DARIO scored for the home side...
» Kenya 02-03 Nigeria: ...at which point Allan WETENDE equalised for Kenya. Just minutes later, Obafemi MARTINS scored his second goal of the day to put the Super Eagles through.
» Morocco 00-02 Cameroon: Cameroon win Group A and return to the Men’s World Cup as Achille WEBO and Samuel ETO’O were the goalscorers.
» Egypt 02-00 Algeria: The runup to the match was marred by an attack on the Desert Foxes’ team bus when they arrived in Cairo. When the match began, it immediately turned as Amr ZAKI pounced on a Mohamed ABOUTRIKA shot that struck the post. That gave Egypt the lead in the second minute, but no more goals were forthcoming as the tension mounted. With seconds remaining in stoppage time, though, Zaki’s replacement, Emad METEAB headed in the critical second goal. The teams are now dead even atop Group C, each with 13 points, nine goals scored, and four conceded. Each team won their home match by two goals, forcing a single match playoff in Sudan on WED 18 NOV 2009.
¤ Qualified: Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria
» Playoff required: Algeria-Egypt [Group C]
[posted SUN 15 NOV 2009 – 19:00:19 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]

All Whites qualify with win over Bahrain: New Zealand qualified for the 2010 Men’s World Cup with a 1-0 win over Bahrain in the second leg of the AFC/​OFC playoff final. The first leg in Manama had ended goalless, giving Bahrain a slight advantage as the teams entered Wellington. But Rory FALLON put the All Whites in front with a header from Leo BERTOS’s corner just before halftime. Five minutes after the break, Bahrain’s Abdulla OMAR was pulled down in the area – the resulting penalty by Sayed ADNAN was saved by Mark PASTON. New Zealand held on to win 1-0 on aggregate and reach the Men’s World Cup for the second time in their history, having previously qualified in 1982.
[posted SUN 15 NOV 2009 – 01:00:10 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]

CONCACAF matchday 20 recap: A quick summary of action around the CONCACAF final round on WED 14 OCT 2009.
» El Salvador 00-01 Honduras: David SUAZO’s cross in the second half found Carlos PAVÓN, who headed in the only goal of the night. The match ended with los Catrachos awaiting the other result.
» United States 02-02 Costa Rica: Emotions ran high in Washington, DC on both sides, where los Ticos were in need of a win and the Americans saluted forward Charlie DAVIES, seriously injured in an automobile accident earlier in the week. Bryan RUIZ’s two first half goals had Costa Rica on the verge of qualification, but the US equalised through a Jonathan BORNSTEIN header with just seconds remaining. That put Honduras in and sent Costa Rica to the playoff.
¤ Qualified: Honduras, Mexico, United States
» Advanced to CONCACAF/​CONMEBOL playoff: Costa Rica
[posted FRI 16 OCT 2009 – 05:13:51 UTC]

CONMEBOL matchday 18 recap: A quick summary of action around CONMEBOL on WED 14 OCT 2009.
» Uruguay 00-01 Argentina: Just days after securing a late win against Peru, la Albiceleste did it again. The match was still goalless in the 83rd minute when Uruguay’s Martín CÁCERES was shown a second yellow for pulling down Jonás GUTIÉRREZ by hand. When the resulting free kick fell to the feet of Mario BOLATTI, he calmly placed home the winner that earned qualification for Argentina.
» Chile 01-00 Ecuador: Uruguayans will no doubt be sending gifts to Humberto SUAZO, whose goal prevented Ecuador from reaching the playoff.
¤ Qualified: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay
» Advanced to CONCACAF/​CONMEBOL playoff: Uruguay
[posted FRI 16 OCT 2009 – 05:05:14 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]

CONCACAF matchday 19 recap: A quick summary of action around the CONCACAF final round on SAT 10 OCT 2009.
» Mexico 04-01 El Salvador: Barely two minutes after the kickoff, bees attacked El Salvador’s goal, causing a nine minute delay. The goal was under attack by El Tri throughout the rest of the match, as four different players scored to earn qualification.
» Costa Rica 04-00 Trinidad-Tobago: Alvaro SABORÍO scored twice in three minutes as los Ticos climbed to third. They are assured of at least a place in the playoff.
» Honduras 02-03 United States: The excitement in Honduras’s recent political situation was rivalled by that in the Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano, where a spectacular free kick by Julio César DE LEÓN put the home team ahead early in the second half. But a double by Conor CASEY and another amazing free kick, this by Landon DONOVAN, put the US 3-1 up. Though de León scored again ten minutes later, los Catrachos then missed three chances to equalise, including a penalty that Carlos PAVÓN sent over the bar. Honduras are still in the playoffs at least and can qualify directly by defeating El Salvador on WED 14 OCT 2009 if Costa Rica do not win.
¤ Qualified this matchday: Mexico, United States
» Advanced this matchday: Costa Rica, Honduras
× Eliminated this matchday: El Salvador
[posted FRI 16 OCT 2009 – 04:33:13 UTC]

CONMEBOL matchday 17 recap: A quick summary of action around CONMEBOL on the weekend of SAT 10-SUN 11 OCT 2009.
» Argentina 02-01 Peru: A rainy night in Buenos Aires nearly ended in disaster for the home side when Peru’s Hernán RENGIFO equalised in the 90th minute. But in stoppage time, Martín PALERMO scored the winner, sending la Albiceleste back up to fourth place.
» Colombia 02-04 Chile: Chile scored twice in the space of just two minutes, cancelling out an earlier own goal. In the second half, Giovanni MORENO scored an equaliser, but Jorge VALDIVIA and Fabián ORELLANA each scored to give la Roja the win and a trip to South Africa.
» Ecuador 01-02 Uruguay: Antonio VALENCIA put Ecuador up midway through the second half, only to see Luis SUÁREZ equalise a minute later. In stoppage time, Uruguay’s Edison CAVANI was fouled in the area, and Diego FORLÁN made no mistake on the penalty. The fourth and final automatic place will go to the winner of the Uruguay-Argentina match on WED 14 OCT 2009, whilst Ecuador can reach the playoff with a win over Chile.
¤ Qualified this matchday: Chile
× Eliminated this matchday: Colombia
[posted MON 12 OCT 2009 – 00:56:15 UTC]

CAF matchday 13 recap: A quick summary of action around the CAF second group phase on the weekend of SAT 10-SUN 11 OCT 2009.
» Zambia 00-01 Egypt: Hosny ABD RABOU was the hero for the Pharaohs as he placed a powerful strike in the top corner of the goal. Egypt host Algeria next month needing a three goal win to qualify. If Egypt win by two goals, a playoff will be needed to decide the Group C title.
» Malawi 01-01 Côte d’Ivoire: With the home side playing only for a place in the African Nations Cup, Jacob NGWIRA gave them the lead in the second half. But the Elephants’ Didier DROGBA equalised four minutes later, and the draw meant that Côte d’Ivoire are bound for South Africa as Group E winners.
» Cameroon 03-00 Togo: After a slow start in Group A, the Indomitable Lions have now won three straight.
» Gabon 03-01 Morocco: The Black Panthers kept pace with a hard fought win over Morocco. To qualify, Gabon must hope for Cameroon to slip up in Morocco next month.
» Nigeria 01-00 Mozambique: As the match remained goalless, it appeared that Tunisia’s win over Kenya would make them the champions of Group B. But deep in stoppage time, a save from João KAPANGO rebounded straight to Victor OBINNA, who scored the goal that kept the Super Eagles alive. Nonetheless, Tunisia qualify if they defeat Mozambique next month.
¤ Qualified this matchday: Côte d’Ivoire
× Eliminated this matchday: Burkina Faso, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, Togo, Zambia
[posted MON 12 OCT 2009 – 00:56:01 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]

CONMEBOL matchday 16 recap: A quick summary of action around CONMEBOL on WED 09 SEP 2009.
» Uruguay 03-01 Colombia: Uruguay jumped back into the thick of the CONMEBOL race as Andrés SCOTTI and Sebastián EGUREN scored in a 10 v 10 second half. There is now a three point range between fourth placed Ecuador and eighth placed Colombia.
» Paraguay 01-00 Argentina: Nélson HAEDO VÁLDEZ scored midway through the first half to send Paraguay through to South Africa 2010. Meanwhile, Argentina’s troubles multiplied as Sebastián VERÓN was sent off for a second yellow; la Albiceleste fall into fifth place.
» Brazil 04-02 Chile: Chile missed their first chance to qualify as a late double by NILMAR extended Brazil’s unbeaten streak in the qualifiers to eleven matches.
¤ Qualified this matchday: Paraguay
× Eliminated this matchday: Bolivia
[posted THU 10 SEP 2009 – 05:58:57 UTC]

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