Who is in FIFA 2010 World Cup so far?
October 12, 2009
Following weekend action for the FIFA 2010 World Cup we saw several more teams book a berth for the finals in South Africa in 2010.
Teams that have now qualified are:
Africa – Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana
Asia – Australia, Japan, Korea DPR and Korea Republic
Europe – Denmark, England, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Serbia and Spain
North, Central America and Caribbean – Mexico and USA
South America – Brazil, Chile, Paraguay
We have matches coming up on Wednesday in the South American FIFA world cup qualifying. The two matches that matter see Argentina playing Uruguay and Chile playing Ecuador. Argentina is currently in fourth spot just one point ahead of Uruguay and two ahead of Ecuador. A win for either Argentina or Uruguay will see them take the automatic fourth qualifying spot. A draw will allow Ecuador to leap frog Uruguay but then be level with Argentina.
In Africa teams play their final match in a months time while in Europe they also play on Wednesday this week. Of most interest will be to see if Portugal can claim a playoff spot. They should wrap up second spot in the group when they play Malta. This will see Sweden miss out.
There are still two groups in Europe that have yet to see someone claim top spot and the automatic qualifying spot. Group 2 sees Switzerland on top with 20 and Greece in second on 17. Both teams have scored 18 goals with the Swiss conceding one less. In the final matches the Swiss play Israel and Greece face Luxembourg. In Group 3 Slovakia are on top with 19 points just ahead of Slovenia on 17. Slovakia face Poland in their final match while Slovenia take on San Marino.
In the North, Central America and Caribbean zone Honduras and Costa Rica are fighting it out for the final automatic qualifying berth. The latter faces USA in Washington DC while Honduras play El Salvador.
A FIFA World Cup without Argentina?
September 10, 2009
Diego Maradonna was an inspirational player whenever he pulled on the shirt for Argentina. Unfortunately as a coach he is not getting the same results.
Just days after being humiliated by Brazil, Argentina has lost again. This time it was to Paraguay, 1-0. The win for Paraguay sees them qualify as the 11th nation into World Cup finals to be played in South Africa in 2010.
For Argentina they have slipped into fifth spot on the South African zone standings. Ecuador displaced Argentina from fourth spot after they had a 3-1 away win against Bolivia.
The current standings see Brazil 33, Paraguay 30, Chile 27, Ecuador 23, Argentina 22, Uruguay 21, Venezuela 21, Colombia 20, Bolivia 12 and Peru 10.
There are two matches left in the qualification series. Matches will be played on 10 October and 13 October. Argentina play Peru and Uruguay in their final two matches. Ecuador play Uruguay and Chile.
World Cup Football News
April 3, 2009
Here is a summary of news following the latest round of FIFA World Cup Football qualifying matches earlier this week.
South America
The big news was the 6-1 thrashing of Argentina when Diego Maradona’s team visited Bolivia. The match was played at 3,600 metres above sea level however Maradona did not call on this as an excuse. He also said “Every Bolivia goal was a stab in my heart”. For Bolivia it was striker Joaquin Botero led the charge with a hat-trick.
In other South American zone matches Brazil defeated Peru 3-0, Chile and Uruguay played out a 0-0 draw. Ecuador and Paraguay also played out a draw although it was 1-1. Venezuela defeated Colombia 2-0.
After 12 matches in the South American qualifying campaign it is Paraguay that sits on top of the standings with 24 points, Brazil 21, Chile 20, Argentina 19, Uruguay 17, Colombia 14, Ecuado 14, Venezuela 13, Bolivia 12 and Peru is on 7. The top four teams qualify.
North, Central America and Caribbean
Sven-Goran Eriksson paid the price for Mexico’s recent poor form. His was fired from the national team job after they lost their second of three matches in the latest stage of qualifying. Mexico lost 3-1 to Honduras. The USA defeated Trinidad and Tobago 3-0 and Costa Rica defeated El Salvador 1-0.The standings after three matches see the USA on top with 7 points, Costa Rica 6, Honduras 4, Mexico 3, El Salvador and Trinidad and Tobago 2. The top three teams at the end of qualifying automatically get their tickets to South Africa. The fourth place team plays the fifth placed South American team.
Asia
Australia almost advanced as the first team to qualify for the 2010 World Cup after they defeated Uzbekistan 2-0. A draw between Bahrain and Qatar would have seen them advance. As it turned out Bahrain recorded a 1-0 win to deny Australia in group 1.
In group 2 the grudge match between Korea Republic and Korea DPR saw Korea Republic take the points with a 1-0 win. The other group match saw Saudi Arabia stay in contention with a 3-2 win over United Arab Emirates.
The standings in group 1 see Australia on 13, Japan 11, Bahrain 7, Uzbekistan and Qatar on 4. In group 2 Korea Republic is on 11, Korea DPR 10, Saudi Arabia 10, Iran 6 and UAE is on 1.
The top two teams in each group advance to the finals in South Africa. The two third place teams playoff for the right to face Oceania’s New Zealand.
Europe
The European qualifying consists of nine groups, as such it is hard to cover all results. The notable performances were from the Netherlands, England and Spain who maintained their winning records. All teams have won all matches they have started. Netherlands and England are 5 from 5, Spain 6 from 6.
The European champions Spain snatched a last minute 2-1 come from behind win over Turkey when Albert Riera scored in injury time. Xabi Alonso had levelled the match after scoring a penalty which was awarded after a Torres header was handled.
England also had a late goal seal a win. John Terry scored in the 85th minute after Peter Crouch had earlier given England the lead after 29 minutes. Andriy Shevchenko had levelled the match after his 74th minute goal.
A ten man Italy managed to get a 1-1 result against Republic of Ireland. A Robbie Keane goal after 88 minutes denied Italy full points. Vincenzo Iaquinta had put Italy in front after his goal on 10 minutes. Gianpaolo Pazzini was sent off after four minutes after his elbow connected with an opponent.
Poland had the most one sided win after thumping San Marino 10-0 at home.
The top team in each group will advance to South Africa. The best 8 second placed teams will compete in two-legged play-offs for the four remaining Europe slots.
The next matches in FIFA World Cup Qualifying will be played in June.
Bahrain 1-0 Win Keeps Socceroos Waiting
April 2, 2009
A goal in the 52nd minute by Bahrain’s Fouzi Aaish has denied Australia a place at the 2010 Soccer World Cup, at least for now. Australia had earlier pulled off a 2-0 win over Uzbekistan in Sydney and a draw between Bahrain and Qatar would have meant qualification for the new boys to Asian football.
After the latest matches in the pool Australia sits on top of Asian Zone, Group A with 13 points, Japan are second with 11 and Bahrain are on 7. Uzbekistan and Qatar are on four points.
The top two teams in the group at the end of qualification automatically advance while the third place team has a playoff against the third place team in the other Asian group.
In Asian Zone, Group B Korea Republic tops the group after a hard fought 1-0 against Korea DPR. The match appeared to be headed to yet another draw between these two bitter rivals before Kim Chi Woo scored in the 87th minute.
Korea Republic on 11 points from five matches, Korea DPR on 10 from six matches, Saudi Arabia on 7 from five, Iran 6 points. UAE are out of the race with just one point from their five matches.
The next group A matches will be played in June. Australia visits Qatar on June 6 with Japan going to Uzbekistan on the same day. Australia then plays back to back home matches against Bahrain on June 10 and finally Japan on June 17. Just one point from the final three matches will see Australia qualify. They are not there yet.
Socceroos Edge Closer to FIFA World Cup Finals in South Africa
April 1, 2009
The Australian Socceroos went into their match against Uzbekistan knowing that a win for them and a draw in the other group match between Bahrain and Qatar would see them become the first team to qualify for the FIFA World Cup finals in South Africa.
The match was played on a heavy pitch in Sydney before a crowd of 57292. The first half saw both teams unable to score despite several good chances. Australia’s Mark Bresciano had the best chance as he had a clear shot on goal from about 10 yards out.
Australia’s coach Pim Verbeek was not looking terribly pleased on the sideline after seeing his boys put in a disappointing first half.
The Uzbekistan team went to Australia after having had a good win over the weekend. The short turnaround for them and the long trip to Australia meant they were expected to fade in the second half. With Australia looking a lot sharper in the second half it was a matter of time before the Socceroos scored.
A crucial substitution saw Josh Kennedy come on for Scott McDonald on the 61 minute. Just five minutes later the move paid off as Kennedy headed Australia into the lead. A mistake by Uzbekistan saw Australia move the ball nicely up field. Bresciano put in an excellent cross that Kennedy guided just inside the right upright.
Not long after the first goal a clumsy challenge inside the penalty box on Richard Garcia saw him brought down. The referee decided a penalty was in order. Harry Kewell calmly stepped up to the spot and powerfully drove the ball along the ground to his right to beat the goalkeeper. 2-0 to the Socceroos.
Kewell was substituted a few minutes later by Brett Holman. He received a good cheer from the home crowd.
Bresciano was my man of the match after his lively performance in the second half. It was his great cross that got the scoring started for Australia.
Now eyes turn to the Bahrain and Qatar match. A draw of course will see Australia qualify. It would be fitting to see Australia go in as the first team for the 2010 World Cup after having been the 32nd team to qualify for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
In the other group the two Koreas face each other as do Saudi Arabia and UAE.
Late in the game Uzbekistan had a goal disallowed for offside.
Australia Japan 0-0 in FIFA World Cup Qualifier
February 11, 2009
Tonight in the Football World Cup 2010 qualifying Australia travelled to Japan to take on the home team in Yokohama. This was a match between the top two teams in the Asian qualifying group one.
The Japanese spurred on by their home crowd totally dominated the match however they could not get the result they wanted. The final score was 0-0. Australia barely troubled the Japanese keeper as they only got one or two shots on goal throughout the match.
It was all Japan in the second half. They had some good shots saved by Australian keeper Mark Schwarzer. The Japanese were getting in cross after cross but just could not find the back of the net.
The Australian defence were solid all night and that was what gave Australia their well earned away point. Scott Chipperfield put in a good performance having not played for about eight weeks, along with Lucas Neil and Craig Moore the defensive unit was strong.
This match will go down as a great escape for Australia.
The draw now sees Australia at the top of the group on 10 points from four matches, Japan is two points adrift on eight. Next come Qatar on four points from four matches.
In Asia group 2 in an earlier match Korea DPR took a 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia to move into equal first in the group. They are on seven points in a tie for top spot. The Korea Republic is also on seven points but have a match in hand.
Craig Foster blasts current Socceroos
November 23, 2008
SBS football analyst got stuck into the current Socceroo team on SBS television today. He said they are nothing like the team was two years ago and he was also a bit annoyed with the comments from Socceroo star Tim Cahill in relation to past Socceroo teams.
Foster said Cahill stated that past Socceroo teams would not have been able to grind out a win as the Socceroos did in their recent World Cup qualifying match. Foster said Cahill should not comment on past Socceroo performances.
Do you agree with Tim Cahill or is Craig Foster right?
Socceroos steal points in Bahrain
November 20, 2008
In the latest round of Asian zone World Cup qualifying Australia has left it until the fourth minute of stoppage time to score the winning goal against Bahrain.
In a team that contained Tim Cahill, Harry Kewell and Josh Kennedy it looked as though the Socceroos would have to go away from there trip to the middle east with just one point. Thanks to Marco Bresciano the Socceroos now go away with full points and maintain their lead at the top of Group 1.
The goal came after Breschiano took advantage of a mistake from Bahrain captain Mohamed Husain. Bahrain had themselves not taken advantage of chances they had to score and paid the penalty with the late goal snatching the points for Australia.
In the other Group 1 match Japan travelled to Qatar and came away 3-0 winners. Japan are on 7 points in Group 1 and trail top of the group Australia by two points. Australia and Japan face each other when Japan hosts the Socceroos on 11 February 2009.
In Group 2 the United Arab Emirates and Iran had a 1-1 draw while the Korea Republic scored a 2-0 away win against Saudi Arabia. The Koreans are now on top of group 2 with seven points from three matches, followed by Iran on five.
The top two teams from both five team groups will earn a spot in the World Cup finals in South Africa. The two third placed teams will have a playoff for the right to take on New Zealand in an interconfederation play-off for the the last spot available.
Australia too good against Qatar in World Cup qualifier
October 15, 2008
The Australian Socceroos team has cruised to a win over Qatar in their second match in the fourth stage of Asian zone qualifying. The match was delayed for half an hour after a torrential downpour in Brisbane.
The rain nor Qatar could stop the Australians. Tim Cahill opened the scoring after a cross from the right was headed across to Josh Kennedy, he in turn flicked another header across to an unmarked Cahill. The Everton player made no mistake as he shot with accuracy into the bottom right of the goal. 1-0 to Australia after nine minutes.
The second goal for Australia came via a penalty which was converted by Brett Emerton in the 17th minute. The penalty was awarded after Cahill was shoved in the back as he attempted a shot from close range. Emerton shot to the right of the keeper from Qatar. Abdulaziz Abdulla managed to get a hand to the ball but only deflected it into the side netting.
After dominating the first 25 minutes of the match Australia eased off. The visiting Qatar team started to get more possession and managed to fire off a few shots. Only one made Mark Schwarzer do some work. The halftime break came with Australia leading 2-0.
The second half was an even affair apart from on the scoreboard. Josh Kennedy setup another goal when he fed Emerton on the right. From about a 45 degree angle the Australian no. 7 shot to the right of the outstretched keeper. The keeper got his fingertips to the ball only to see the shot go in off the lefthand upright. 3-0 after 59 minutes.
Another goal was to come for the Australians who were now cruising to a win. This time it was Josh Kennedy who beat the advancing goalkeeper to head home in the 76th minute. This was a well deserved goal for the towering Australian. Kennedy was later named man of the match.
The win for Australia sees them take full points from the first two matches in this stage. It is also the third win for the Australians over Qatar in the 2010 World Cup qualifying. The first match was a 3-0 win for Australia at home and then the away match saw an Emerton double helf Australia take a 3-1 win.
In the other match in group 1, Japan took on Uzbekistan at home. Maksim Shatshikh gave the visitors the lead after 27 minutes. Japan hit back through Keiji Tamada after 40 minutes. 1-1 was how the match ended.
Australia now sits at the top on group 1 with 6 points from two matches. Japan is second on 4 points from 2 matches played. Qatar is third, also with 4 points. They have played three matches.
Australia’s next match is away against Bahrain on 19 November.
European zone World Cup qualifying results
October 12, 2008
Saturday in Europe saw another round of European zone World Cup football qualifying for the 2010 finals to be held in South Africa.
England kept their perfect start to qualifying going as they trounced Kazakhstan 5-1 at Wembley. England now lead group 6 by two points from Ukraine after three games.
Current World Cup holders Italy dropped points in Bulgaria with a 0-0 draw. Despite the draw they still lead group 8 by three points.
Germany scored a win over the European Cup finalists Russia with a 2-1 result in Dortmund. Lukas Podolski and Michael Ballack scoring for Germany, with Andrei Arshavin netting Russia’s goal.
Below are the results.
World Cup football qualifying – European Zone results Saturday 11 October
Group 1
Hungary 2-0 Albania
Denmark 3-0 Malta
Sweden 0-0 Portugal
Group 2
Grece 3-0 Moldova
Switzerland 2-1 Latvia
Luxembourg 1-3 Israel
Group 3
Poland 2-1 Czech Republic
San Marino 1-3 Slovakia
Slovenia 2-0 Northern Ireland
Group 4
Wales 2-0 Liechtenstein
Finland 1-0 Azerbaijan
Germany 2-1 Russia
Group 5
Belgium 2-0 Armenia
Estonia 0-3 Spain
Turkey 2-1 Bosnia-Herzegovina
Group 6
England 5-1 Kazakhstan
Ukraine 0-0 Croatia
Group 7
Faroe Islands 1-1 Austria
Serbia 3-0 Lithuania
Romania 2-2 France
Group 8
Georgia 1-1 Cyprus
Bulgaria 0-0 Italy
Group 9
Scotland 0-0 Norway
Netherlands 2-0 Iceland
For more information the 2010 World Cup qualifying visit the FIFA website.
