London: Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck scored twice as England laboured to a 5-0 win over whipping-boys San Marino to go top of World Cup Group H qualifying on Friday after a game marred by an injury to Theo Walcott. Rooney, captain in the absence of the suspended Steven Gerrard and the injured Frank Lampard, marked the occasion by becoming his country's fifth highest scorer of all time on 31...
08:34 AM, Oct 13, 2012
Dublin: Germany hammered Ireland 6-1 away to notch a third straight World Cup Group C qualifying win on Friday with a result that equalled the hosts' worst defeat in front of their own fans. Doubles by winger Marco Reus and substitute Toni Kroos together with a Mesut Ozil penalty and a Miroslav Klose strike saw the irrepressible Germans inflict Ireland's heaviest home defeat since they lost 5-0 to Spain in...
08:27 AM, Oct 13, 2012
Minsk: Pedro set up Jordi Alba for the opening goal before grabbing a hat-trick as Spain extended their winning run in major championship qualifiers to 24 matches with a 4-0 World Cup Group I victory in Belarus on Friday. The world and European champions produced a typically efficient performance in chilly Minsk, dominating possession and quickly snuffing out any forward forays by the outclassed eastern Europeans. It was a useful...
08:19 AM, Oct 13, 2012
Moscow: Alexander Kerzhakov scored early as Russia edged out Portugal 1-0 to earn their third consecutive win at the start of their World Cup qualifying campaign under Fabio Capello on Friday. Kerzhakov struck in the sixth minute after breaking clear on goal following some quick one-touch passing featuring his Zenit St Petersburg team mates Viktor Faizulin and Roman Shirokov. Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo was a constant threat at the other...
09:58 PM, Oct 12, 2012
London: Wayne Rooney will captain England for the first time in a competitive international in Friday's World Cup qualifier against San Marino. A day after Rooney's wife, Coleen, announced the couple were expecting their second child, the Manchester United striker was given extra reason to celebrate after being handed the armband following Frank Lampard's withdrawal through injury. Rooney says it is a "great honor, something I'm really proud of." Steven...
07:17 PM, Oct 11, 2012
London: A club side from Belarus caused one of the biggest surprises in Champions League history last week. Now, the country's national team has a chance to spring another against world champion Spain. Belarus, without a point from two Group I games and the world's 87th-ranked team, hosts Spain in one of the biggest mismatches of Friday's World Cup qualifiers. The Spanish have won their last 23 qualifying matches, stretching...
08:47 AM, Oct 11, 2012
Berlin: Germany's Mario Goetze and Lukas Podolski are nursing minor injuries but will be fit for Friday's World Cup soccer qualifier against Ireland in Dublin, assistant coach Hansi Flick said on Wednesday. Borussia Dortmund midfielder Goetze was rested towards the end of training on Wednesday, feeling the effects of a minor muscle injury. Arsenal winger Podolski is recovering from an ankle injury and both players missed training on Tuesday. "Today...
07:44 PM, Oct 10, 2012
Trinidad and Tobago will play Yorkshire on Wednesday in their opening qualifying match. ...
02:47 PM, Oct 10, 2012
Buenos Aires: Stopping Lionel Messi is the primary concern of South American teams facing Argentina in the World Cup qualifiers. This week it is Uruguay's turn. Argentina defend their lead in the South American group at home to Uruguay in Mendoza on Friday (0100 GMT Saturday). After seven matches they have 14 points, one more than Colombia and Ecuador and two ahead of Uruguay and Chile. They will be looking...
09:28 AM, Oct 10, 2012
Munich: Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger has demanded more respect for the national team's performances after reaching the Euro 2012 semi-finals in June, their fourth successive last- four spot or better in major tournaments. Schweinsteiger, criticised for playing in the European Championship despite nursing an injury picked up in Bayern Munich's Champions League final defeat by Chelsea, said Germany's overall record was very successful. "(Semi-final finishes) should not be taken for...
07:04 PM, Oct 09, 2012
Madrid: Cristiano Ronaldo's shoulder injury is not serious and he will join up with the Portugal squad later on Monday, his club Real Madrid said. Ronaldo hurt his left shoulder attempting an overhead kick in the second half of Sunday's 2-2 La Liga draw at Barcelona and although he appeared in some discomfort he played on until the end of match. "The Real Madrid forward was examined by club medical...
05:39 PM, Oct 08, 2012
Paris: France football coach Didier Deschamps has finalised the squad for the World Cup qualifier against Spain. In the 23-man squad he announced Sunday, injured Lassana Diarra was replaced by uncapped Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Clement Chantome, Xinhua reported. Diarra injured his back in Anzhi Makhachkala's 2-0 win at Dynamo Moscow in the Russian Premier League Sunday and was unable to finish the match. Squad: Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (Tottenham Hotspur), Steve...
11:41 AM, Oct 08, 2012
Madrid: Spain coach Vicente del Bosque recalled Bayern Munich center back or defensive midfielder Javi Martinez on Friday to patch up his weakened defense for the World Cup qualifiers against Belarus and France. Del Bosque said the two matches, which come a week after an always intense meeting between Barcelona and Real Madrid, were "vitally important" to the world champion's bid to win an unprecedented fourth consecutive major title. "These...
07:34 PM, Oct 05, 2012
Amsterdam: Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal recalled Rafael van der Vaart on Friday for World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Romania. Van der Vaart was dropped for the first two qualifiers as he returned to full fitness following his move from Tottenham to Hamburg. Also back in the squad were midfielders Ibrahim Afellay and Nigel de Jong, who also have proved their match fitness after summer transfers. Afellay moved from...
07:16 PM, Oct 05, 2012
Frankfurt: Bayern Munich midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger is back in the Germany squad for World Cup qualifying matches against Ireland and Sweden. Schweinsteiger was dropped for the first two games against the Faeroe Islands and Austria after losing form following a series of injuries last season, but he has come back strongly for Bayern since the start of the season. "He is important for our team, he gives the impulse, he...
04:30 PM, Oct 05, 2012
Italy laboured to a scrappy 2-0 win over Malta in a World Cup Group B qualifier in Modena on Tuesday as an early strike from Mattia Destro and a late Andrew Cohen own goal earned them the three points. AS Roma striker Destro capitalised on Italy's fast start when he latched on to a smart Claudio Marchisio through-ball to score after five minutes, but Cesare Prandelli's side struggled to create...
09:23 AM, Sep 12, 2012
Vienna: Marco Reus scored his third international goal and Mesut Oezil added a penalty Tuesday to help Germany beat Austria 2-1 in a 2014 World Cup qualifier. Germany looked vulnerable in defense and narrowly avoided a second Austrian goal several times. "We have got six points from two matches, the start is good," Germany captain Philipp Lahm said. "But we can't be satisfied with our game, especially early in the...
09:20 AM, Sep 12, 2012
Budapest: Jeremain Lens scored twice to lead Netherlands to a 4-1 win over Hungary in a qualifier for the 2014 World Cup on Tuesday. Lens scored his first in the third minute, heading in a pass from the right side by Luciano Narsingh, only for Hungary to equalize four minutes later through a penalty by Balazs Dzsudzsak after Jordy Clasie fouled Zoltan Gera. The Dutch regained the lead for good...
09:11 AM, Sep 12, 2012
Wembley: Frank Lampard's late equalizer spared Roy Hodgson from losing his first competitive home match as England coach on Tuesday, salvaging a 1-1 draw against Ukraine in 2014 World Cup qualifying. Lampard scored his 26th England goal in the 87th minute from the penalty spot after Yevhen Khacheridi handled the ball. But England's pursuit of a winner was stymied by being reduced to 10 men when captain Steven Gerrard received...
02:04 AM, Sep 12, 2012
Saint-Denis: Franck Ribery scored a well-taken goal and helped create the other two as France beat Belarus 3-1 in a World Cup qualifier on Tuesday. Midfielder Etienne Capoue and right back Christophe Jallet earned their first international goals as France followed up Friday's 1-0 win in Finland with an encouraging performance ahead of next month's crucial match away to European and World Cup champion Spain. After Anton Putilo pulled a...
01:51 AM, Sep 12, 2012
