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Iâ€m a bit late to this, but worth flagging this miss from Beto earlier this week. Guinea-Bissau were trailing Ethiopia 1-0 in their World Cup qualifier but created a golden opening in the 89th minute, only for the Everton striker to fluff his lines at the back post.
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This explainer from Andy Martin is a very nice run down of where we are globally with World Cup qualification. Twenty of the 48 places at the tournament have now been filled, including co-hosts Canada, Mexico and the USA.
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Perhaps we should start with Scotland. Ewan Murray was our reporter at Hampden and was brutally honest about how fortunate the home side were to take a crucial victory over Greece.
If Scotland make it to the promised land of next summerâ€s World Cup, they will glance back at this as a crucial evening. There must also be laughter to accompany reflection.
No sane observer could claim Steve Clarkeâ€s team deserved to prevail here. Lewis Ferguson and Lyndon Dykes sealed the win. Dick Turpin sprang to mind. Someone, somewhere appears to be smiling on Scotlandâ€s bid to play in a World Cup for the first time since 1998. The Scots, who had just 31% possession, are now in an excellent position in Group C. A playoff spot could be secured on Sunday evening, when Belarus visit Glasgow. Greece, who next travel to Denmark, need snookers.
“Football is a 90-minute game and you have to make sure you come out of it with a positive result,†said Clarke. “Maybe 3-1 flatters us but we did enough to win the game. It is a big win for us. Results are the only thing that qualify you for a tournament.â€
This is how Group C looks after that result. Had they lost, a play-off place could be slipping out of reach. But now, automatic qualification to the World Cup remains a very real possibility.
Photograph: Uefa.comShare
Preamble
You could hear the collective sigh emanating from the Football Association HQ last night as Thomas Tuchel decided that the best way to dissect Englandâ€s excellent 3-0 win over Wales at Wembley on Thursday night was to criticise the home fans that had parted with their hard-earned money and alternative evening plans to attend an international friendly.
The stadium was silent. We didnâ€t get any energy back from the stands. We did everything to win. What more can you give in 20 minutes? We didnâ€t let them escape. If you hear just Wales fans for half an hour, itâ€s sad because the team deserved more support today.
I stand by this statement. We cannot do more than being 3-0 in a derby. I would have wished for a bit more support in phases where it gets difficult. In the second half to get behind us, there was a bit too much support for Wales. It could have helped us to regain energy, but it is what it is and that is it.â€
Hmmm. How odd, picking a fight when there was almost none to be had. Anyway, weâ€ll have lots of reaction from Wembley, including the actual football, as well as the eight other World Cup qualifiers around Europe (including Scotlandâ€s crucial victory over Greece at Hampden) and preview the eight further qualifiers coming this evening.
Letâ€s get to it.
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