Global Futbol Matches December 3rd to 9th, 2018

The following article provides an oversight for matches and tournaments after the 2018 Global Futbol World Cup.

December 3rd to 9th 2018

Match Day 3 of the Nations League continued this week.

 

The tradition of the away team winning in the first group of the top European flight remained after the Netherlands defeated the Italians 2-nil through Promes and de Jong. France showed the clear gap between them and Ireland and won by three goals.

 

In Africa League B, Algeria showed why they deserve to be in League A after a 5-nil drubbing of Niger, including a double from Mahrez. Chad scored through N'Douassel, his second goal for the tournament, setting up Chad’s campaign to reach the top league.

 

In Asia League B, a deflected shot started Ali Ahmed Mabkhout’s brace as the UAE gained their third win for the tournament, leaving Sri Lanka behind in the 2-1 result. Bangladesh flew to Macau and dominated the first thirty minutes, but then after this it was Macau who looked most likely to score. Neither did in the end.

 

In Europe B, Turkey played out their second scoreless draw for the tournament, this time at home against Bulgaria. The two Hazard brothers dominated and scored a goal each inside ten minutes against Hungary. However, the Hungarians fought their way back into the game, and a penalty ensured a third for the away team. Belgium need to restructure their defence as this is the second time in a row they have allowed three goals in, otherwise the World Cup finalists will find themselves oddly relegated to League C and losing momentum in the Invitational Cup. Derviševič helped Slovenia with a lengthy run and long-range shot to score the winner over Sweden, who remain winless after two games in the Nations League.

 

A competitive yet scoreless draw took place on the Marshall Islands, as the home team and Tonga fought hard in the centre of the park.

 

In Asia League C, Singapore’s pressure defence on the Philippines’ defenders and subsequent steals helped Singapore to come from behind and win 2-1. The Maldives followed in Singapore’s footsteps and came from a 1-nil halftime deficit to run out eventual winners, thanks to a Hamzath Mohamed injury-time strike.

 

Over in the Americas League C, the US Virgin Islands maintained all home wins in their group, defeating Antigua and Barbuda one-nil. Group C3’s home ground advantage also proved fruitful, as Bermuda’s 4-1 win over Puerto Rico places them on top of the group. The British Virgin Islands’ midfielder Septus scored in injury time after being switched from left midfield to the right, collecting his side’s first win for the tournament against all odds over St Lucia. Neither Montserrat nor the Dominican Republic could break the 1-all deadlock, with both sharing the points.

 

The second legs of the Physico Championships took place this week.

 

When eSwatini hosted Costa Rica in the Physico Championships second leg, it seemed like the Central Americans would ease into another victory after scoring twice by the 33rd minute. However, eSwatini did not let the impossible task of overcoming four goals across the two legs, and worked their way back into the game through possession and tight passing. This helped them cut the lead to zero through the two Dlaminis, before substitute Cubero’s header from a corner flattened the Africans’ hopes and ensured progression for Costa Rica to the Playoff Round.

 

Liechtenstein faced an impossible quadruple deficit, but their lead-up play towards goal, particularly in the first half, was of a higher quality than in their first leg against Finland. The game ended in a nil-all draw, thanks largely to Finn goalkeeper Joronen’s fives saves. Liberia’s Maccornel once again scored against Pakistan to progress to the next stage as his side dominated across the park (including 60% possession).

 

Australia welcomed back Milligan in defence and his Player of the Match performance set up an away win against a lacklustre Georgia, which included a second goal for Luongo against the Georgians. Australia now face Denmark, who flew to Uzbekistan and could not find a way to match the Uzbek’s attack in the first half. With Uzbekistan up by three goals at halftime, showing why they qualified for the World Cup earlier in the year, the Danes restructured and with a free kick from Eriksen and a double from substitute Cornelius, they were able to draw level and win on aggregate.

 

Iran produced the goal of the day with Rezaei sending in a cross from the left flank, where Ansarifard headered the ball back to the penalty spot and Torabi slotted the volley home. However, this and a second Iranian goal was not enough to advance as substitute Fedin scored for Kazakhstan and altered the course of the knockout fixtures.

 

Kazakhstan will take on Greece; their game against Wales had many twists and turns. First it was the Gareth Bale show as he quickly had a double. However, Fortounis and Mitroglou combined to ease back a goal. Mitroglou then missed a real penalty chance, before assisting Bakasetas to draw level. Based on a 2-2 scoreline, Greece would progress. However, Wales took a free kick before the Greek defence had time to respond, allowing Ramsey to slot the ball home. As injury time ticked away, Bakasetas attacked the Welsh defence, and caused a slight error. He pounced on the ball and managed to sneak it past Welsh keeper Hennessey, sending the crowd into a frenzy not seen for a while on Greek soil.

 

All seemed done and dusted when Ecuador rose to 4-1 over Trinidad and Tobago. However, 2 quick goals in the 83rd and 85th minutes meant the final few minutes was nail biting for both coaches.

 

On Saturday, Mauritania defeated Bahrain and kept progressing through the qualification rounds. Gabon’s Boukamba’s goal proved the difference on aggregate as they surprised the USA by winning 3-1 at home and advancing to a game against another CONCACAF nation, Costa Rica. Laos held their heads high as they won at home against World Cup side Iraq, but it would not be enough to reduce the deficit from the previous leg.

 

Laotian neighbours Cambodia hosted Panama, and the Central Americans had a 3-nil lead at half time. Cambodia worked their way back into the contest, but two goals were not enough as Panama now look to playing their northern counterparts, Mexico. Myanmar led Colombia for an hour, looking the more dangerous of the two in attack, before three late goals ensured the World Cup winners another joyous victory. It took Latvia nine shots at goal before they managed to score, and then the floodgates opened, with three goals into the Bahamian net. Latvia will now take on Sweden in the Playoff Round. Finally, Vietnam managed a single goal at home to overcome Aruba and will now face Saudi Arabia.

 

In Match Day 5 of the Women’s Nations Cup Qualifiers, Namibia shocked Nigeria with a 2-1 victory, including two goals in the first 17 minutes. South Africa, thanks to a double from Kgatlana, came from behind to overcome local rivals Lesotho three goals to one. Côte d’Ivoire’s one-nil win over Cameroon did not reflect truly their dominance at home, but it did place them in second position at the halfway mark behind their opponents on goal difference. Kenya scored three times against the Congo for their first win, allowing them to level on the Group D ladder with the Congo. Morocco remains without a loss as they compiled three goals in eleven second-half minutes to defeat Equatorial Guinea. A Sawdogo brace helped Burkina Faso in their first win of the qualifiers, whilst their opponents, Botswana, remain without a point. Madagascar jumped off the bottom of Group A after defeating Zimbabwe two-nil.

 

In the Caribbean, Haiti flew away from Antigua and Barbuda with a one-nil victory, thanks to a late Salomon-Ali winner. Further north, the United States knocked six goals beyond the Aruba keeper, setting up two wins and thirteen goals in total so far in the qualifiers (Ertz and Morgan with three each). St Kitts and Nevis received their first win after leading by three goals against Panama, before Panama caused a slight scare with a goal against the play. Trinidad and Tobago played in a curtain raiser to the Men’s Physico Championship match, and slotted four goals past a hapless St Lucia. The Dominican Republic should have scored more than three against Grenada, but easy misses were the order of the first half. Suriname remains goalless after two games, as Costa Rica slotted the only goal for the game to win away. Jamaica and Dominica fought out a draw, both scoring one each. Mexico needed a double at the death from substitute Romero to overcome Curacao. Cuba slotted three into the Bermudan net to keep first place in CONCACAF D. Sinclair scored the first goal for Canada against St Vincent and the Grenadines; however, in the process was injured in the collision straight after taking the shot. Canada still ran out four-goal winners, including a brilliant individual run-and-goal from substitute Regan with her first touch. Five different goalscorers helped Guyana annihilate the US Virgin Island, and a double from captain Socarrás ensured Puerto Rican victory over Barbados.

 

In Europe, Norway’s second-tier side breezed three goals past Georgia, though will it be enough to help them qualify for the Nations Cup? Signs point both directions at the halfway mark. The Czech Republic’s two second-half goals set up a win over Italy, as well as a first win for the qualifiers. Both nations are chasing Israel and Hungary, where the former scored three goals to one against the latter. Though, one must remember that Israel have had three home games, and with that sort of advantage, top Group G, whereas Italy have travelled on the road for three of their games. England remains first in their group, largely thanks to a seven-goal win over Malta. Behind the English is Ireland by a goal difference of eight, after they slotted twice past Greece. Luxembourg shocked Sweden as both sides traded goals, before Luxembourg scored in injury time to run out 3-2 winners. The Ukraine played away to Bulgaria and came away 2-1 winners, placing them third in Group B.

 

Over in Asia, the Thai Women’s side were down against Palestine, before finally equalising. The footballing gods changed direction and Palestine looked set to win, though easy chances were missed. From there, Thailand regrouped, and scored twice to finish 3-1 winners and receive their first win for the qualifications. Similarly, China needed late goals to produce a respectable scoreline of three-nil against Nepal. Iran remain top of Asia Group B after a 4-0 win over Syria, though the Syrians defence held on as long as possible in a first half that included nine shots on target (fifteen in total). Japan finally found their form and rose off the bottom of Group A with a comprehensive five-nil win over Uzbekistan. India’s soft shots in the first half and wide shots in the second kept the score at 0-0, until a spectacular Devi goal in injury time provided the win against Bahrain. No player could break the deadlock between Tajikistan and Bhutan, allowing Tajikistan to slip into third, just ahead of Japan.

 

December 4 Nations League Match Day 3 Oceania B ·  Marshall Islands 0 Tonga 0 Asia B ·  Sri Lanka 1 UAE 2 Africa B ·  Algeria 5 Niger 0 ·  Chad 1 Sudan 0 Europe A ·  Italy 0 Netherlands 2 ·  France 3 Ireland 0 U17 Men’s Friendlies 20 ·  Ecuador 0 Brazil 2 ·  Malta 2 Germany 1 ·  Kosovo 3 Monaco 1 ·

December 5 Nations League Match Day 3 Asia B ·  Macau 0 Bangladesh 0 Asia C ·  Singapore 2 Philippines 1 ·  Maldives 2 Afghanistan 1 Europe B ·  Turkey 0 Bulgaria 0 ·  Belgium 2 Hungary 3 ·  Slovenia 2 Sweden 1

December 7 Physico Champs 3rd Q Round (Part 2) ·  eSwatini 2 Costa Rica 3. Costa Rica wins 5-2 on aggregate. ·  Liechtenstein 0 Finland 0. Finland wins 4-0 on aggregate. ·  Liberia 1 Pakistan 0. Liberia wins 2-0 on aggregate. ·  Georgia 0 Australia 1. Australia wins 2-1 on aggregate. ·  Uzbekistan 3 Denmark 3. Denmark wins 4-3 on aggregate. ·  Iran 2 Kazakhstan 1. Kazakhstan wins 4-3 on aggregate. ·  Greece 3 Wales 3. Greece wins 4-3 on aggregate. ·  Trinidad and Tobago 3 Ecuador 4. Ecuador advances with aggregate of 6-3.       Women’s Nations Cup Qualifiers Match Day 5 Africa A ·  Namibia 2 Nigeria 1 ·  Madagascar 2 Zimbabwe 0 Africa B ·  Lesotho 1 South Africa 3 ·  Burkina Faso 3 Botswana 0 Africa D ·  Côte d’Ivoire 1 Cameroon 0 ·  Kenya 3 Congo 0 Africa C ·  Morocco 3 Equatorial Guinea 0 Europe D ·  Norway 3 Georgia 0 ·    CONCACAF B ·  Antigua and Barbuda 0 Haiti 1 CONCACAF A ·  USA 6 Aruba 0 ·  St Kitts and Nevis 3 Panama 1 CONCACAF F ·  Trinidad and Tobago 4 St Lucia 0 ·  Dominican Republic 3 Grenada 0 CONCACAF E ·  Suriname 0 Costa Rica 1

December 8 Nations League Match Day 3 Americas C ·  US Virgin Islands 1 Antigua and Barbuda 0 ·  Bermuda 4 Puerto Rico 1 ·  British Virgin Islands 2 St Lucia 1 ·  Montserrat 1 Dominican Republic 1 Physico Champs 3rd Q Round (Part 2) ·  Mauritania 2 Bahrain 1. Mauritania progresses with 3-1 aggregate. ·  Gabon 3 USA 1. Gabon progresses with 4-3 aggregate. ·  Laos 2 Iraq 1. Iraq progresses with 4-3 aggregate. ·  Cambodia 2 Panama 4. Panama progresses with 7-4 aggregate. ·  Myanmar 1 Colombia 3. Colombia progresses with 6-1 aggregate. ·  Latvia 3 Bahamas 0. Latvia progresses with 4-0 aggregate. ·  Vietnam 1 Aruba 0. Vietnam progresses with 2-1 aggregate.   Women’s Nations Cup Qualifiers Match Day 5 Europe G ·  Czech Republic 2 Italy 1 ·  Israel 3 Hungary 1 Europe F ·  England 7 Malta 0 ·  Ireland 2 Greece 0 Europe B ·  Luxembourg 3 Sweden 2 ·  Bulgaria 1 Ukraine 2   CONCACAF E ·  Dominica 1 Jamaica 1 CONCACAF D ·  Curacao 0 Mexico 2 ·  Cuba 3 Bermuda 0 CONCACAF C ·  Canada 4 St Vincent and the Grenadines 0 ·  Guyana 5 US Virgin Islands 0 CONCACAF B ·  Puerto Rico 2 Barbados 0

December 9 Women’s Nations Cup Qualifiers Match Day 5 Asia B ·  Thailand 3 Palestine 1 ·  China 3 Nepal 0 ·  Iran 4 Syria 0 Asia A ·  Japan 5 Uzbekistan 0 ·  India 1 Bahrain 0 ·  Tajikistan 0 Bhutan 0