Sweden v Switzerland, France v Azerbaijan: World Cup qualifying clockwatch – live | World Cup 2026 qualifiers
Key events
The teams are out across the continent and the national anthems are playing. Time to grab a cup of tea – only a couple of minutes before kick-off.
Nwaneri inspires England U21s to win in Moldova
Divin Mubama scored his first two goals for England Under-21s but Ethan Nwaneri was the architect of a 4-0 win over Moldova which took them top of their European Championship qualifying group with a second successive victory.
The Arsenal attacking midfielder Nwaneri was given licence to roam in the No 10 position and provided assists for the opening two goals scored by the Chelsea winger Jamie Gittens and the Stoke striker Mubama in Chisinau. He also laid on the through-ball which saw the debutant Josh King brought down for a 74th-minute penalty, which was converted by Mubama. Rico Lewis added a fourth in the closing stages. PA Media
A positive result in Belgium tonight would mean the world to North Macedonia, who lead Group J on 11pts after five games. Belgium are in second on 10pts after four played, with Wales also on 10pts. Ezgjan Alioski, formerly of Leeds, earned North Macedonia a 1-1 draw against Belgium in Skopje in June.
Team news
Belgium: Courtois, Castagne, Debast, Theate, De Cuyper, Vanaken, Raskin, De Bruyne, Saelemaekers, Trossard, Doku.
Subs: Vandevoordt, Sels, Mechele, Witsel, Fofana, Lukébakio, Meunier, Seys, Vanhoutte, Onana, Openda, Batshuayi.
North Macedonia: Dimitrievski, Stojchevski, Zajkov, Askovski, Alioski, Atanasov, Bardhi, Musliu, Elmas, Miovski, Kostadinov.
Subs: Iliev, Aleksovski, Serafimov, Trajkovski, Churlinov, Despotovski, Velkovski, Rastoder, Alimi, Babunski, Ristovski, Stankovski.
Nigeria keep World Cup hopes alive as Benin on verge of history
Nigeria live to fight another day after an unconvincing 2-1 win against Lesotho in Polokwane in Group C. A William Troost-Ekong penalty and then Akor Adams’s strike were enough for a victory that takes them to within one point of second-place South Africa and three of group leaders Benin, who they face in their final qualifier next week.
South Africa have dropped the ball after a 0-0 draw against Zimbabwe that saw both teams reduced to 10 men. Benin’s 1-0 win against Rwanda, courtesy of an Aiyegun Tosin goal, means they will qualify for their first ever World Cup if they beat Nigeria in Uyo on Tuesday.
In Group H, Tunisia hammered São Tomé and Príncipe 6-0 in Rades – they have already qualified as group winners. Tunisia that is – not São Tomé, who are without a point and on -22 goal difference.
Northern Ireland can give themselves a fighting chance of making it to North America next summer if they beat Slovakia in Belfast tonight.
Slovakia have won both of their qualifiers so far – including at home to Germany in September – and lead the group on 6pts. Northern Ireland – winners against Luxembourg but losers to Germany – are in second on 3pts. Germany (3pts) have some catching up to do, with Luxembourg (0pts) bringing up the rear.
Team news
Northern Ireland: Peacock-Farrell, Ballard, McNair, Hume, Bradley, Galbraith, Shea Charles, McCann, Devenny, Reid, Price.
Subs: Southwood, McDonnell, Magennis, Spencer, McConville, Hazard, Smyth, Donley, Dion Charles, Marshall, Saville, Toal.
Slovakia: Dubravka, Gyomber, Satka, Skriniar, Obert, Bero, Hrosovsky, Duda, Schranz, Strelec, Sauer.
Subs: Mraz, Duris, Rigo, Haraslin, Kozlovsky, Rodak, Tupta, Benes, Bozenik, Mesik, Pekarik, Takac.
Germany: Baumann, Kimmich, Tah, Schlotterbeck, Raum, Goretzka, Pavlovic, Gnabry, Wirtz, Adeyemi, Woltemade.
Subs: Nubel, Dahmen, Anton, Koch, Baku, Beier, Amiri, Nmecha, Stiller, Brown, Burkardt, Andrich.
Luxembourg: Moris, Jans, Mahmutovic, Korac, Carlson, Olesen, Martins Pereira, Moreira, Barreiro, Bohnert, Dardari.
Subs: Pereira Cardoso, Fox, Curci, Avdusinovic, Muratovic, Veiga,
O Thill, Selimovic, Dzogovic, S Thill, Martins.
France could take another step towards qualification tonight against Azerbaijan at the Parc des Princes. The 2022 finalists are top of Group D on six points, with Iceland on 3, and Ukraine and Azerbaijan each on 1. Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta is poised to make his senior France debut off the bench.
Team news
France: Maignan, Gusto, Saliba, Upamecano, T Hernandez, K Thuram, Rabiot, Coman, Olise, Ekitiké, Mbappé.
Subs: Samba, Chevalier, Digne, Koundé, Camavinga, Koné, Akliouche,
Mateta, Konaté, Nkunku, Thauvin, L Hernandez.
Azerbaijan: Mahammadaliyev, Aliyev, Badalov, Mustafazade, Krivotsyuk, Cafarquliyev, T Bayramov, Xaybulayev, Mahmudov, Akhmedzade, Emreli.
Subs: A Bayramov, Jafarov, Mammadov, Khachayev, Nuriyev, Dadashov,
A Huseynov, Dashdamirov, C Huseynov, Akhundzade, Qurbanly.
Iceland v Ukraine is the other game in this group.
The most intriguing match out there may well be in Stockholm as Sweden attempt to salvage their World Cup qualifying campaign.
After missing out on pre-season with Newcastle, Alexander Isak was only fit enough to play 18 minutes of Sweden’s second qualifier against Kosovo in September – a 2-0 defeat. The Liverpool striker sat out their opening 2-2 draw with Slovenia.
Switzerland hold a five-point lead over today’s opponents having won their first two games. Isak starts up front with Viktor Gyökeres tonight.
Team news
Sweden: Johansson, Lagerbielke, Hien, Gudmundsson, Bernhardsson, Bergvall, Karlstrom, Ayari, Sema, Gyökeres, Isak.
Subs: Nordfeldt, Hugo Larsson, Bardghji, Starfelt, Saletros, Elanga, Nygren, Svensson, Holm, Lindelöf, Ekdal, Tornqvist.
Switzerland: Kobel, Widmer, Elvedi, Akanji, Rodriguez, Freuler, Xhaka, Rieder, Ndoye, Embolo, Vargas.
Subs: Zeqiri, Schmidt, Sierro, Keller, Mvogo, Sow, Muheim, Manzambi, Jaquez, Itten, Bajrami, Amenda.
Kosovo v Slovenia is the other game in this group.
Here are the World Cup qualifiers going on this evening around Europe (all 7.45pm BST kick-offs):
Group A
Germany v Luxembourg
Northern Ireland v Slovakia
Group B
Kosovo v Slovenia
Sweden v Switzerland
Group D
France v Azerbaijan
Iceland v Ukraine
Group J
Belgium v North Macedonia
Kazakhstan 4-0 Liechtenstein
There’s already been one result from European World Cup qualifying today, with Kazakhstan beating Liechtenstein 4-0 at home. That leaves them four points off a playoff place in Group J. Liechtenstein are without a point.
Fifa investigate Equatorial Guinea for not traveling to World Cup qualifier
Fifa have opened a disciplinary case against Equatorial Guinea after the team did not travel to a World Cup qualifying game, the latest incident in an increasingly chaotic campaign.
Fifa said its disciplinary committee will investigate why the Equatorial Guinea men’s team did not go to Malawi for a game scheduled for yesterday. Both teams were still in contention to advance to the playoffs by finishing second in the group behind winners Tunisia.
Equatorial Guinea already forfeited their first two games last November as 3-0 losses after Fifa ruled that veteran captain Emilio Nsue was not eligible to represent the country. Nsue, who has 46 caps, had scored the goals in 1-0 wins against Namibia and Liberia.
A post on the team’s official Instagram account said the players voted in favour of not travelling to the game because their health was put at risk by being asked to fly overnight and land in Malawi on the morning of the game in Lilongwe.Their national federation suspended the coach Juan Michá over the incident and said on its own Instagram account that the players and coach had shown disrespect to the people of Equatorial Guinea.
The Malawi football federation said in a statement simply that the game was cancelled “due to unforeseen travel complications affecting the visiting team.”
Fifa typically would punish a team that does not fulfil its World Cup qualifying fixtures with a default loss. Federations whose teams do not play a scheduled game also can be ordered to pay costs and compensation to opposing teams and Fifa.
Nsue was finally cleared by Fifa this year to resume playing for Equatorial Guinea despite the Spain-born player previously being technically ineligible for his entire international career with the west African country, which started in 2013. Nsue, now 36, had played for Spain’s under-21 team, including at a European Championship.
Equatorial Guinea should complete their qualifying group in a game Monday at home to Liberia. Associated Press
Barney Ronay’s latest column has dropped. It’s on Gary Neville, England flags and Nigel Farage – here’s a snippet:
I am still proud of Neville for speaking up. It is good that a sportsperson is addressing this, an actual issue in his home town, and doing so with genuine feeling, unafraid of the violent reaction that will follow. This is his parish. He is an angry middle-aged white man, and has spent a lot of time around flags. For all his easily gotcha-contradictions Neville feels it, is well intentioned and is worth a million Farages.
Thanks Michael, and hello everybody. I’ll be talking you through tonight’s World Cup qualifiers in Europe – France, Germany, Belgium and Northern Ireland are all in action later.
But first, what an afternoon for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Four goals, one red card (including a booking for kicking a corner flag in celebration) and a 4-3 win for Gabon. They will be without the suspended Aubameyang when they play Burundi in their final qualifier on Tuesday – a World Cup spot is still within their grasp.
I leave you with Friday’s edition of Football Daily, courtesy of Rob Smyth.
That’s me done on the blog. I’ll leave you in the capable hands of Billy Munday. Cheers!
Ivory Coast and Senegal close in on World Cup qualification
An avalanche of goals for the Ivory Coast and Senegal on Friday put both on the brink of World Cup qualification, which they can secure with home success in their last group matches next week to advance to next year’s finals in North America.
African champions Ivory Coast beat the Seychelles 7-0 away to stay one point ahead of Gabon in the Group F standings and they will qualify if they win their final game at home to Kenya on Tuesday.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored all four goals for Gabon, before being sent off, as they came from behind to beat the Gambia 4-3 in a thrill-a-minute affair in Nairobi that kept alive their hopes.
Senegal maintained their two-point advantage in Group B over the Democratic Republic of Congo as both teams won away from home in their penultimate fixtures.
Senegal beat South Sudan 5-0 in Juba while the Congolese recorded a 1-0 triumph in Togo. Senegal will qualify for a third successive World Cup if they beat neighbours Mauritania at home in Dakar on Tuesday.
Ismaïla Sarr gave Senegal a 29th-minute lead as Iliman Ndiaye delivered a cross to the back post from the right flank and the Everton winger was also the provider for Sadio Mané to score early in the second half. Sarr then scored his second goal while Nicolas Jackson and Cherif Ndiaye also found the net.
Cedric Bakambu broke away after an interception in the seventh minute to win the game for DR Congo in Lome, moving them to 19 points, two behind Senegal. The Congolese complete their campaign at home against Sudan on Tuesday and, should they fail to overhaul Senegal, will be aiming to finish as one of the best four runners-up from the nine qualifying groups to go into an African playoff in November.
That offers a chance to compete at an intercontinental playoff in March for a place at the finals in Canada, Mexico, and the US.
Another England midfielder not in Tuchel’s squad this week is James Maddison, albeit for different reasons. The Spurs creator ruptured an anterior cruciate knee ligament in pre-season. Maddison has created a YouTube channel – of course he has – but this mini-documentary (released just a few minutes ago) on his first three weeks of recovery looks like a really good insight into what an elite footballer goes through in these situations. Yes, some of these conversations are performative with the cameras rolling, but you can see that the physical and mental challenges are very real.
Jude Bellingham was dropped by Thomas Tuchel, but has been keeping busy as a Laureus Ambassador. On World Mental Health Day, he has admitted he used to check his phone to read what people were saying about him on social media, but now largely ignores it.
As a young player at Birmingham (City), I used to put my name into Twitter and read everything. But even if the comments were positive, I quickly decided: Why should I let the opinion of people who don’t know me validate how I think about myself?”
“I believed I was a good player before reading it on Twitter – so what was the point in reading other people saying it? Of course, if I came across negative comments, it would have the opposite effect. So, again, I asked myself: Why am I putting that on my own mental health? There’s enough negativity and pressure in professional sport that you don’t need to seek it out. Now, when I do read negative comments, it doesn’t affect me – but I’d still rather not see them.” Reuters
Leicester City Women name Passmoor as manager permanent basis
Tom Garry
Leicester City Women have appointed their interim coach Rick Passmoor as their new manager on a contract until the summer of 2028.
The former Leeds United and Notts County manager, who was most recently the assistant coach at West Ham United, was brought in initially on a short-term basis in August after Leicester sacked the Frenchwoman Amandine Miquel just 11 days before the start of the WSL campaign.
The East Midlands side were widely tipped for relegation but have enjoyed a more positive start to the campaign that was forecasted, picking up four points from their opening five Women’s Super League games of the season, including beating Liverpool with 10 players, to sit 10th, four points above the drop zone, and Passmoor has been rewarded with the job.
England Under-21s kick-off at 5pm BST against Moldova, and they the line-up is very, very strong. I’m surprised to see Fulham’s Josh King only on the bench.
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Brooke Norton-Cuffy is given a start by Lee Carsley. Here’s Ed Aarons’ interview with the Genoa defender from earlier this week.
Happy birthday to Tony Adams, who turns 59 today. Here’s an interview I did with the England and Arsenal legend last year.
Elliot Anderson was excellent for England in defensive midfield alongside Declan Rice, but it’s fair to say there was widespread bemusement at Tuchel omitting Adam Wharton from his squad for this week’s matches.
The Crystal Palace midfielder is an unassuming, modest lad and had this to say on his omission. I’m surprised to hear that he is not more upset about being left out. He certainly deserves to be in the squad, and gives something completely different to Tuchel.
[Tuchel] just gave me a message saying I’m playing well, I’m close and I deserve to be there but he’s going to stick with the same team. That’s football, I’m not too fussed about that. I can take the time off, go see my grandparents, and it’s not the end of the world as there’s another camp next month. It’s nice to hear [what Tuchel said] but I think my focus is on Palace and if that goes well then England is just a bonus. Nothing is expected. England have some top players and he’s got a lot of players to choose from. No matter who he picks, someone is not going to get in and there will be a fuss about it.
“I can’t sit here and cry about it, this is football and I’m happy playing for Palace and getting minutes and trying to do as well as I can and improve and if I get picked, I get picked. If not I’ll carry on playing for Palace and enjoying it – there’s nothing else I can do really.”
Speaking of the rise of quirky set pieces (and in case you didn’t see this) Hearts and Hibs both had bizarre kick-off routines in the Edinburgh derby last weekend.
Will Unwin spoke to the original throw-in specialist and analyses how Premier League teams are reaping the rewards from long set-pieces.
Sound the Football Weekly klaxon! Ewan Murray joins live from a jazz bar to break down Pavlidis’s airshot, Ryan Christie’s equaliser, and why Scotland never seem to have enough good goalkeepers.
Here’s our report on Ross Wilson’s move to Newcastle United as the club’s new sporting director. Wilson oversaw 43 signings at Forest, which is some going. There were a lot of question marks over their transfer strategy at the time, but ultimately they survived in 2023-24 and qualified for Europe last season. Despite their dire curent form, Forest have a really strong squad and should be nowhere near the relegation places come the end of the season. Should. Wilson can claim a lot of credit for that.
Handover: Michael Butler is here to take you down the home staright – thanks for your time and your correspondence.
Newcastle United: The Premier League club are on the verge of appointing Nottingham Forest sporting director Ross Wilson, following the departure of Paul Mitchell from the corresponding role at St James’ Park last year. A former employee of Southampton and Rangers, Wilson will be responsible for player identification, recruitment and helping to grow Newcastle on and off the pitch. his Geordie suitors are currently believed to be negotiating a compensation fee with Forest in order to get Wilson on board.
Scotland: After last night’s rather fortuitous win over a Greece side that missed several good chances to put the game beyond their Hampden Park hosts, Steve Clarke could seal his legacy by winning a World Cup qualifying group for the first time since 1982 and securing a return to the finals, writes Ewan Murray.
FSA responds to Tuchel’s criticism of fans
England: The Football Supporters’ Association has responded to Thomas Tuchel’s criticism of the atmosphere at Wembley last night by saying they hope the England head coach understands the “challenges” fans face with midweek matches.
After the game, Tuchel claimed the “stadium was silent” and said he expected more support from the stands to help his side push for further goals in the second period. “England regulars will understand the atmosphere wasn’t amazing in the second half, but they’ll also understand there were multiple factors at play,” said an FSA spokeman.
“For a start it was a friendly and the game was settled early in the first half, when the atmosphere from the home section was really good. For many match-goers, midweek kick-offs at Wembley are incredibly difficult to get to as well. A lot of supporters have to leave at half-time to catch the last train home to different parts of the country.
“When England do play the odd fixture away from Wembley, there is always a big demand for tickets and a great atmosphere. We appreciate Thomas Tuchel pushing for a better atmosphere, it’s something we all want to see, but we hope he understands the reasons why and understands the challenges many fans face in getting to midweek games.”
There always has to be some bullsh1t, doesn’t there? England can’t ever just win and everyone is satisfied.
International friendly: Chelsea’s exciting young winger Estevao was among the goalscorers as Brazil walloped South Korea 5-0 in the past couple of hours. Rained poured down as the hosts were completely overwhelmed by Carlo Ancelotti’s side in front of 63,237 fans at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, with Estavao and Vinicius Junior scoring two goals apiece, while Rodrygo also chipped in with his ninth goal for his country.
The Premier League was well represented in the Brazil ranks, with Matheus Cunha, Bruno Guimaraes, Casemiro and Gabriel all lining up with Estevao. Lucas Paqueta, Richarlison and Igor Jesus came off the bench, while Joelinton, Gabriel Martinelli and Joao Gomes were among the unused substitutes.
Arsenal sanctioned for breaching ticket rules
Arsenal have been sanctioned for breaching FA Cup ticket rules for last season’s third-round tie against Manchester United. Arsenal have been given a suspended £500,000 fine by the Football Association’s Professional Game Board after being unable to provide United with 15 per cent of the tickets issued, as required under the competition rules.
The FA said the fine would be triggered if Arsenal are unable to confirm they can comply with competition rules this season, or if they then fail to comply with the rules on ticket allocations in this season’s rounds. Mail Sport reported last December that United had made a complaint to the FA about the allocation they received. It is understood Arsenal had safety concerns around housing United fans in an upper tier of the Emirates Stadium due to the risk of persistent standing.
Despite not having as many fans at the Emirates as they were entitled to, Manchester United won the match on penalties despite having been reduced to the 10 men shortly after the hour mark, when Diogo Dalot was sent off. A game that finished 1-1 after Gabriel had cancelled out Bruno Fernandes’ opener was settled by Joshua Zirkzee after Altay Bayinder had saved from Kai Havertz in the shoot-out.
Republic of Ireland: Heimir Hallgrimsson has faced the press ahead of tomorrow night’s match between the Republic of Ireland and Portugal in Lisbon and conceded that his side would “need to have almost a perfect game” to get a point against Cristiano Ronaldo and chums.
Ireland were anything but good, let alone perfect in their last World Cup qualifier, a 2-1 defeat in Armenia and with just one point from their opening two games, their hopes of qualifying for next summer’s World Cup are already hanging by a thread.
“We know that we need to have almost a perfect game to get something from this match”, said Hallgrimsson. “And if we do, we have a chance to steal a point or to win the game. Obviously, we need to try to keep a clean sheet. That’s always going to make it easier.
“We know from their past matches and against almost all their opponents, they will have possession, let’s say, 60-70 per cent tomorrow. There will not be unlikely statistics from past games. So we will be defending a lot of the time. That will be the most challenging thing.
“And the goalscoring threats from their players is not one player, it’s a lot of them. So we cannot be focusing on one and then just another one will shine. That’s going to be the toughest one.
“And then for our forwards to use the opportunities we get, probably there’s not going to be many goalscoring chances we have, but we must maximise what we take from our chances.”
Rangers condemn “shameful” attack on Walter Smith statue
The Scottish Premiership club have condemned a fire attack on the statue of former manager Walter Smith which took place in the early hours of this morning. Footage has emerged on social media of flames on the statue and plinth outside Ibrox Stadium.
“Rangers FC is aware of an incident at the Walter Smith statue last night, and strongly condemns this shameful behaviour,” read a club statement. “The matter has been reported to Police Scotland, and work is underway to ensure the site is cleaned and returned to good condition.”
The bronze statue was unveiled in May 2024 between Edmiston House and the Copland Road stand. Smith, who died aged 73 in October 2021, led Rangers to 10 league titles, five Scottish Cups and six League Cups as well as a Uefa Cup final, during two spells in charge at Ibrox.
He arrived at Ibrox as assistant manager to Graeme Souness in 1986 and left in 1998 before returning in 2007 and retiring from management in 2011. Smith was later chairman of Rangers for a short spell in 2013.
I was at Hampden last night for my first Scotland home game and nearly left early to go to the pub. It’s the worst atmosphere I’ve ever experienced at Hampden (the team didn’t exactly help), and we need to bin the ‘I can boogie’ shite, as well as Runrig songs. It’s just bloody lame.
I was at the Hungary game in Germany and thought this was going the same way, but a win is a win, I don’t want to be too grumpy.
England: While only time will tell if Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham feature in Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup plans, both players were overlooked by the England coach for the current international window. Cole Palmer is another notable absentee but would almost certainly have featured if he wasn’t suffering from a groin injury. Jack Grealish, Adam Wharton, Reece James, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Noni Madueke and Tino Livramento also missed out for one reason or another.
Handed the captain’s armband in the absence of Harry Kane last night, Declan Rice said England miss all the players in question, despite winning comfortably in their absence.
“I think every time you play for England, you want to grab the shirt, you want to grab your chance,” he said. “But we do miss Jude, for sure. We miss Phil, we miss Cole, we miss loads of players for reasons that the manager’s obviously said.
“We are obviously an unreal team, and they’re in the team as well. Let’s not get away from that. What they’ve done in an England shirt is incredible. We’re looking forward to having them back next camp, hopefully. As a team, we want to keep integrating everyone as much as possible before the World Cup. I think that’s the most important thing, and we’ve done that in the past.”
Scotland: Perhaps taking a leaf out of Thomas Tuchel’s book after hearing him berate England fans for not getting behind their team, Andy Robertson has called on Scotland’s Tartan Army to whip up a vocal storm when Belarus pitch up at Hampden Park on Sunday.
Sitting level on seven points with Group C leaders Denmark, Clarke’s side now host a team who have conceded 13 goals in their opening three qualifiers, two of them against Scotland. With goal difference potentially crucial in the four-team group, fans will be looking for an emphatic win and Robertson knows it will be a huge help to have the Hampden roar at full blast from the start.
“We hope that the Tartan Army were happy going home,” said the left-back after last night’s somewhat fortuitous win against Greece. “Obviously there were frustrations in the stands at times, but everyone’s dancing at the end of the game and a game’s 90 minutes, not 60. It was a massive result and I think you could feel that in the stands and you could also feel it on the pitch. But it’s only a massive result if we then kick on from here. So we’re in control of that and we need to do that.
“Like I said, the fans were clearly frustrated the first 60 minutes, which I can understand and I can get, but sometimes it doesn’t help. But after their goal went in I thought they were magnificent. Once we started doing the things that we should have been doing from the start and putting pressure on them and getting bodies in the box, getting corners, getting set-pieces, and we know we’re a threat from them, then the fans got behind us.
“They helped us over the line and they helped us get our noses in front and then the third goal meant they could enjoy it. So we’re going to need them again Sunday. Sunday’s a completely different test and we’re going to need everyone in full voice because we’ve got three games now to try and qualify for a World Cup and we need everyone pulling in the same direction. If they can give us noise in the stands and cheer us on and support us then it’s only going to help us.”
Quiz: The Richard Osman to Guardian Football’s House of Games, John Brewin has set this fiendishly difficult On The Ball quiz, which you can find via the Puzzles tab on the Guardian app. While we can’t promise you a Brewin bathrobe, fondue set or suitcase if you beast your mates, it will keep you all entertained.
Scotland: I watched their match against Greece in its entirety last night and with Scotland being played off the park and a goal down after an hour, was tempted to switch over to Celebrity Traitors. I simply couldn’t see any way of them forcing themselves back into the game but they defied my expectations and those of many of their own fans by doing exactly that to run out 3-1 winners. While Greece could well have been 4-0 up before Scotland scored, Steve Clarke’s men rode their luck and notched up a massive victory.
A word of warning for Scotland fans, however. On today’s episode of the Football Weekly podcast, which should be along soon, the Guardian’s habitually downbeat and pessimistic fitba correspondent, Ewan Murray, expressed his total confidence in Scotland comfortably beating Belarus in their next qualifier on Sunday. One suspects that fate has never before been so sorely tempted.
What a result for scotland. Maybe we should try to play that badly more often if it means we sneak spawny wins. We have the players for it after all.
Anyway. Onwards to the Belarus game. A recently-spanked whipping boy at home following an unexpected win against close rivals in the group. The sort of situation that instills cold fear in the hearts of the tartan army. Right now, i would settle for a 1-0 win with the winner being a ricochet off McGinns ample arse.
The Championship: Coventry were 17th when Frank Lampard took over as head coach from Mark Robins a year ago. Now they are top of the table, unbeaten and scoring three goals per game. Harry Paterson reports on the rejuvenation of a club and its head coach’s reputation …
Republic of Ireland: The Boys in Green are in Lisbon to face Portugal tomorrow and anything less than a draw at Estádio José Alvalade would almost certainly end the Republic of Ireland’s already slim hopes of qualifying for next summer’s World Cup. Heimir Hallgrímsson’s side have taken just one point from their opening two games against Hungary and Armenia, with defeat in Yerevan last time out described in many quarters as a shock, even if it came as no great surprise to seasoned Ireland-watchers.
In today’s Irish Times, Kevin Kilbane has said that unless the Republic of Ireland can take at least three points from their upcoming matches against Portugal (away) and Armenia (home), Hallgrímsson should be dismissed immediately so that John O’Shea can take interim charge of the rest of the campaign until a successor is found. Kilbane says Damien Duff, Robbie Keane and Stephen Bradley are the obvious candidates to replace the Icelandic dentist.
“It feels like all the problems Irish football has experienced over the past six or seven years are manifesting themselves in the men’s senior team,” wrote Kilbane. “The players are struggling to cope. Fear gripped them in early September, well before the flight to Armenia.
“It’s their calling card now. Overwhelming nervousness that disguises their ability, stymies their talent. They seem frozen by realistic expectations. From Nathan Collins the skipper to his centre-half partner Dara O’Shea, fear seeped through the group. What other reason can explain all the individual errors last month?”
That seems like a brutal but entirely fair assessment from a former player renowned as one of the nicest blokes in football.
Ricky Hatton. The much loved boxing legend is being laid to rest today and his funeral service has just started at Manchester Cathedral. A devoted Manchester City fan who was loved by almost all in Greater Manchester and beyond, whatever their football allegiances, the boxer’s funeral cortege passed his gym in Hyde en route to the cathedral, along streets lined with thousands of mourners. Many of them wore City shirts as a tribute to their hero, who passed away last month.
Hatton’s funeral cortege was led by a flatbed truck carrying the three-wheeled Reliant Robin that was made famous on Only Fools and Horses, a TV show the boxer loved so much that he bought Del Boy’s car for £4,000 when filming wrapped.
I heard one of his pals being interviewed earlier and he explained that – true to form – they couldn’t get the car to start the last time he called around to Hatton’s house, which explains why it is on the back of a lorry. Hatton’s sky blue coffin followed in a hearse, while three cars full of mourners, a black Lamborghini (I think) and a Harley Davidson made up the convoy.
Manchester City are well represented at Hatton’s funeral and about 20 minutes ago, the club legend Mike Summerbee felt compelled to cut short an interview with the BBC because he could not contain his emotions and hold back the tears. “It’s impossible for me to be happy today,” he said, as a reporter asked if him if he had fond memories of Hatton. Wayne Rooney and his wife Coleen are also among the mourners in attendance. After the private funeral service, the cortege is due to pass Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium. Rest in peace, champ.
That’s my first stint on the blog done. I’ll leave you in the very capable hands of Barry Glendenning now. Cheers!
As well as his comments about England fans, I thought Tuchel’s remarks about Bukayo Saka were interesting. The winger provided the moment of the match against Wales, scoring a pearler into the top corner to make it 3-0, but the England manager was in combative mood when he was asked about Saka, challenging the Arsenal man to do more.
How many goals did he score for England? Thirteen? One three? It has to be more, it’s not enough. He needs to keep on going. I thought it was 30, at least, and then I would have said it’s not enough, because I am never satisfied.
“He is such a threat for Arsenal in the most difficult league in the world, so why would he not be at international level? We have the position for him, he has the attitude, the stamina, the talent, everything to be a top player at international level, and that’s what he has to show. We can just encourage him to be influential, like he was today. Next game, he needs to try to repeat it.”
There were eight European World Cup qualifiers on Thursday. Here is our round-up of the results.
Hidden in the results was Faroe Islands 4-0 Montenegro, the hosts’ biggest competitive win. That is quite some feat for a country with just 55,000 people. The Faroe Islands have three wins from six, and could yet qualify!
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This interview with WSL referee Emily Heaslip is a timely one, given Anthony Taylor’s comments this morning.
Djed Spence is at it again. The England defender has a history of boasting on social media about “locking up wingers” after good performances and following England’s win, the full-back has done Spurs teammate and Wales winger Brennan Johnson dirty in his latest post. Scroll to the fifth image to see.
“YOU CANNOT ESCAPE THE INEVITABLE 👿LETS TAKE A WALK TO THE PENITENTIARY BROTHER”, writes Spence in the caption. Brutal.
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England’s Dan Burn has revealed he has a broken hand, sustained in Newcastle’s win over Nottingham Forest on Sunday. The big defender did not feature for England against Wales but says he is still available for selection, despite the injury.
I actually broke my hand, I don’t even know how I did it, I think I went to grab someone and then I felt a crack,” Burn told Chronicle Live. “It was early in the second half, so I went for the scan and I have seen a specialist. I’ve been told I can play with it. I am ready for Latvia, I am ready for Newcastle and I’d have been ready to play tonight. I will not be missing any time for a broken hand! This is nothing, I have had worse injuries than this. I am ready to go and ready to play.”
You might have missed Hamza Choudary’s first international goal for Bangladesh in their Asian Cup qualifier against Hong Kong – a crazy game in Dhaka on Thursday in which the home side scored a 99th-minute equaliser to make it 3-3, only to concede in the 101st minute as Hong Kong snatched a dramatic 4-3 victory. Wembley can only dream of an atmosphere like this!
Referee Anthony Taylor reveals he considered quitting due to abuse
Anthony Taylor has admitted there have been times he has considered quitting refereeing because of the constant barrage of abuse and revealed his family no longer attend high-profile matches after he was harassed by Roma fans at an airport.
Taylor, 46, has twice taken charge of the FA Cup final, in 2017 and 2020, and been on the Fifa referees’ list for more than a decade.
Having been selected as one of six English officials for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Taylor was subsequently appointed for the 2023 Europa League final between Sevilla and Roma in Budapest.
Following an ill-tempered affair at the Puskas Arena – with Sevilla eventually beating Roma, then managed by José Mourinho, after a penalty shoot-out – Taylor, who issued 13 yellow cards during the match, was accosted by angry fans at the airport as he travelled home.
Despite being considered one of the Premier League’s leading referees, Taylor believes he and all other match officials have become an easy target, with criticism coming again following Chelsea’s dramatic stoppage-time win over Liverpool at Stamford Bridge last weekend.
Taylor was asked if he had ever considered quitting refereeing.
“There’s certainly been moments – and I won’t be alone in this – there’s certainly been moments where you are thinking, ‘Is it worth it?’,” he told BBC Sport. “And certainly, moments where you’re thinking, ‘What’s being said is completely unfair’.”
Taylor continued: “We have this archaic psychological tactic of ‘let’s bombard the ref or bombard the fourth official with the hope of getting a decision out of it’.”
After the 2023 Europa League final, video footage emerged of the incident involving Taylor at Budapest Airport. A chair and drinks were thrown in the direction of the English referee and his group as they made their way through a gathering of Roma fans before being ushered to a safe area by airport security.
Taylor revealed his family now no longer attend big matches.
“That’s for sure the worst situation I’ve dealt with in terms of abuse,” he said. “Not only because I was travelling with family members at the time, but it also highlights the impact of people’s behaviour on others. It makes you reflect back on whether you made a mistake travelling with your family in the first place.”
Asked whether that means his family no longer go to the high-profile games, Taylor said: “Yeah very much so. They haven’t been to one since.” PA Media
Our comments section is open.
Tuchel is right. I’ve heard more noise at a family wake than at Wembley last night.
Your team is 3:0 up after 20 minutes, but virtually all the sound is either coming from Welsh supporters or the players themselves.
Pointing out the elephant in the room isn’t ’picking a fight’. I doubt there’s another national team in the world whose supporters seem to take a vow of silence whenever they enter their home stadium.
Two more pieces from Wembley last night. Barney Ronay wrote on England producing something “daring and avant garde”.
Ben Fisher was on Wales duty. Craig Bellamy has plenty to ponder before his side’s crucial Belgium showdown on Monday.
I’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.
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.
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 summer’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 Clarke’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 Scotland’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.”
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.
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 England’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 didn’t get any energy back from the stands. We did everything to win. What more can you give in 20 minutes? We didn’t let them escape. If you hear just Wales fans for half an hour, it’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.”
Hmmm. How odd, picking a fight when there was almost none to be had. Anyway, we’ll have lots of reaction from Wembley, including the actual football, as well as the eight other World Cup qualifiers around Europe (including Scotland’s crucial victory over Greece at Hampden) and preview the eight further qualifiers coming this evening.
Let’s get to it.
