September 2 to 8, 2019 Global Futbol MatchesA Chapter by Steve Clark The following article provides an oversight for matches and tournaments taking place in 2019. September 2 to 8, 2019The Inter-Nations League Asian and Oceanian home games started this week in Global Futbol, before more Continental Qualifiers took effect.
New Zealand opened with an own goal against Ghana: Tommy Smith cut into the box, and fooled everyone by dragging the ball across more as a pass. The ball bounced off Joseph Aidoo and into the goal. That was the only shot on target for the first half, as both sides battled hard in the middle. Ghana had the better of play in the second half, but steely defence ensured New Zealand gained the full three points.
Fiji took the lead in the 31st minute after a double attempt by Tito Vodowaqa, who now has his second goal for the tournament. Right on the stroke of halftime, it seemed as though Côte d’Ivoire had muffed their chances, but Nicolas Pépé coolly finished. From there, a tight second half ensued, but neither side could find the finishing blow.
Cameroon scored early twice to take charge when they travelled to Vanuatu. First it was Frank Zambo Anguissa who scored, before Vincent Aboubakar continued his scoring ways as he had done in the African Nations League Finals series. Straight after the break, Tony Kaltack’s header pegged one back for the hosts, but Cameroon held on and nearly scored a third goal to run away winners on the day.
Pakistan hosted Mexico, with a tight first half taking hold. Neither side looked particularly decisive in their attacking play. However, Mexico stepped up in the second half, and scored via Carlos Rodriguez in the 67th minute, and from that moment on held on for their first victory. Mexico should have had more goals, but Player of the Match Yousuf Ijaz kept all other shots at bay.
Japan and Jamaica faced off against one another, and the away side had an early goal thanks to Eiji Kawashima’s blunder, resulting in a yellow card. Had the foul taken place later in the match, it is likely a red card would have ensued. No matter, for Ricardo Morris easily slotted the penalty home. From there, the Japanese were on the back foot. The hosts eased one back, only for Jamaica to score again, as both Itakura and Peter Vassell respectively found open goals after their teammates had taken shots. Itakura found an equaliser in the 56th minute, but the home side failed to win a crucial match against the Jamaicans.
Costa Rica flew to South Korea for their first match of the Inter-Nations League, scoring inside five minutes thanks to Johan Venegas. From there, the Koreans were chasing the match, searching for that ever-elusive goal. Son Heung Min was at the forefront of this, with two key shots, one blocked, and one saved by the Costa Rican goalkeeper. Finally, as the hour neared, defensive midfielder Kwon Chang Hoon managed to find himself free and equalised, before Lee Kang-In came off the bench and scored as he had done in their previous match to take the full three points.
Bahrain hosted the Americans in a lively game. Sayed Dhiya Saeed opened the scoring in the 36th minute after his first shot was blocked. Jasim Al-Shaikh should have had a second for Bahrain, only for goalkeeper Brad Guzan to stop his shot. Guzan also stopped another header, before Jordan Morris found himself alone in the box at the other end with the ball, and easily slotted home the ball. Bahrain were unperturbed, and replied via Al-Shaikh, and from there, held on for a crucial victory.
Mexico, the USA, Jamaica and Costa Rica had a quick turnaround as they flew back to the Americas to continue qualifying for the Copa America.
Mexico changed their line up from the match against Pakistan earlier in the week when they faced Venezuela, knowing their five games scheduled over the next month will be tough. Jose Macaís should have had two goals in the match, but muffed up both easy chances. Instead, it was Salomon Rondón who scored for Venezuela first in the 25th minute. From there, Mexico struggled to get close to target, until substitute Raul Jiménez came on and headed home an equaliser. Both sides had opportunities to win the game, but the game ended one goal apiece. Mexico will take on last place the Bahamas in the hope of jumping to second place above Cuba.
Costa Rica played their fourth home game in a row for the Qualifiers, this time against Dominica. Originally, the match was going to be at Dominica, but the Costa Ricans petitioned CONCACAF and CONMEBOL officials to allow their rapid return from South Korea to have their match on home turf. And it seemed to help, as Jonathan Moya scored in the 20th minute, helping his side with an early lead. Dominica had other ideas, and Julian Wade scored his second goal in two games, before David Ramirez pounced from right midfield, cutting between two defenders with his run, and scoring a crucial goal. In the second half, Costa Rica were caught napping, and Anfernee Frederick’s first shot was initially saved, only to pop straight back to him, and he coolly headed the ball into the net. To save face, Keynor Brown came off the bench, playing right midfield, and when he stole the ball, he made no mistake in giving Costa Rica the win and a jump above Dominica on the table.
In the other Group G match, St Vincent and the Grenadines held Brazil to a remarkable scoreless draw after Player of the Match Dwaine Sandy made ten vital saves, and the away side’s defence made three vital blocks between them. Brazil, whilst attacking relentlessly, could not find the finishing blow, and remain in third place on the table. St Vincent and Grenadines, a 2018 World Cup team, are not over and done with, and will throw everything they can to not only qualify for the Copa America, but also set up an ideal campaign for the 2022 World Cup.
The USA chose not to request a home game straight after the Bahrain match, instead flying to the Cayman Islands, ready to tackle the islanders. However, the home side kept the USA on the defence, especially as they would catch them on the counterattack and the American defence required deft tackles to thwart them. The second half produced more chances for both sides, but it was plain to see the Americans wanted the goal more. After a cheap miss, Sergino Dest replaced Joshua Sargent. The former, on the stroke of normal time completing, worked around the Islanders’ defence and pocketed a crucial goal, and the full three points for the Americans.
Guyana provided a real shock to Group D as they defeated Chile in Santiago. The Guyana defence and goalkeeper did not give an inch to the Chileans as they attacked time after time. The crowd thought eventually the defence would falter thanks to the constant pressure, but it was Guyana who scored against the odds via Daniel Wilson to set up a grand finish to the match. Chile could not match the same intensity, and Guyana held on for their grandest victory. They now sit ahead of Chile on the table, and with an outside chance of qualifying for Copa America.
Jamaica returned from Japan to face Anguilla in Group F, and a tight game ensued. Jamaica could not find a weak link in the Anguillan back four, even with attempts from Ricardo Morris and Bobby Reid. Reid’s attempt led to a corner, which Morris coolly slotted home, and from there, Jamaica held on for a 1-0 victory.
Uruguay closed the gap to Grenada after defeating the Caribbean side two-nil. The two goals came from Luis Suárez, who once again produced another brace after doing so against Anguilla. However, Uruguay struggled for long periods to bypass the Grenadian defence, and two goals certainly is not the outcome Uruguay wanted. Still, three points were enough to stay above Jamaica on goal difference before they face each other next.
Group B had one game this week, and it was Ecuador flying to the US Virgin Islands. Ecuador sought to catch Guatemala in the group, and along with the hosts, threw defence out the window for the first few minutes. The US Virgin Islands hit first via Rakeem Joseph, sneaking one between defensive legs and around the goalkeeper. Ecuador hit back three minutes later as Romario Ibarra curled his right foot shot around and into the net. From there, Ecuador dominated long periods of play, and Edder Valencia scored Ecuador’s second goal as the break approached. Two more goals from Jhegson Méndez rounded out the match, and gifted Ecuador the top spot in the group, whilst their opponents still lie on the bottom.
Peru flew to Nicaragua, hoping to inflict the loss on the Central American side. They had the best possible start in the ninth minute where Gabriel Costa scored. However, Nicaragua caught some luck, and Camphers Pérez slid into goal after combining with Carlos Chavarría. It was Peru, though, that led at the break when Édison Flores put his second attempt away. From there, both sides attacked, but Nicaraguan Chavarría ensured a point for his side when he scored against the run of play.
Two substitutes combined as Daniel Jiménez crossed from the left wing to find Krisean Lopez’s head for the only goal in an otherwise dull match. It was the bottom of the table clash between Belize and Aruba, where only two shots were taken for the first half. In the second half, Belize, buoyed by the home crowd, combined better, and finally scored in the 78th minute. From there, they clung on, and not only produced a five-point buffer on Aruba, but climbed above El Salvador into third place at the halfway stage of the Group C Qualifiers.
Two sides so close in ranks faced off, with St Lucia hosting Bermuda. St Lucia should have scored first, but somehow the defenders kept the ball away from the net when goalkeeper Dale Eve was out of position. Instead, Bermuda scored via Nakhi Wells, before Bradley Nestor equalised for the home side six minutes later. From there, the tight tussle continued, and St Lucia should have scored again, only for desperate defence to clear the original chip over Eve. The game ended in a one-all draw.
Paraguay needed to bounce back when they faced Trinidad and Tobago, after their two-two draw against Bermuda. Miguel Almirón showed the host’s intent as he nearly scored with their first attack. At the 11th minute, Dario Lezcano scored with his head. Adrian Cubas followed suit, scoring his second goal for the tournament. As half time neared, Matias Rojas powered a shot beyond the goalkeeper, and with three first-half goals, there was no looking back. Lezcano scored a second nine minutes after the break, and from there, they gained a vital victory.
Group H’s only match saw Panama travel to the Turks and Caicos Islands. Though Panama looked the more likely to score, it was the hosts who were methodical in their buildup play. However, straight after halftime, Gabriel Torres scored twice, effectively ending the result. The Islanders tried to work a late goal, largely thanks to Markenly Amilcar and his three late attempts, the last hitting the woodwork. Panama now fly second, just behind Colombia on goal difference at the midpoint of the Qualifiers, but there is a real toss up who will finish on the bottom, with Haiti and the Turks and Caicos Islands unable to win any of their first four matches.
Honduras wanted to take first place off Argentina in Group I, and by halftime, despite the Argentinian efforts, Honduras had a two-goal lead. Roman Castillo shocked the visitors first, before Brian Velásquez slotted home a beauty. With all the attention on Messi and Sergio Agüero, Argentina hit back straight away after the break via Leandro Paredes. However, despite the tension, Honduras ramped up the attacking, and scored a third through Alberto Elis, gaining top spot on the table and bragging rights until their next meeting.
The British Virgin Islands hoped to bounce back from their 9-0 drubbing at the hands of Argentina when they hosted Antigua and Barbuda. It was the home side who created the better half chances in the first period, but Javorn Stevens from Antigua and Barbuda scored just before the break. His defenders held firm against more attacks from the opposition, and ended with the full three points, their first for the Qualifiers.
In Euro 2020 Qualifiers, the Netherlands faced off against the Czech Republic. The hosts had the better of the better of the opportunities in attack; however, Ondrej Kolář had other ideas with constant saves. Both de Jongs, Myron Boadu and Wout Weghorst were among the shot takers, but to no avail. Then, in the 70th minute, the Czech Republic shocked the home crowd by scoring via Toma Souček, who had come off the bench. That propelled the Dutch up a gear, and in the 80th minute, Georginio Wijnaldum had equalised. Again they attacked, and hit the woodwork, before Memphis Depay slid behind the defence at the death and slipped the ball beyond Kolář, thus retrieving the full three points for his team.
Turkey gained a crucial second away victory, this time against Kazakhstan. The host’s goalkeeper, Dmytro Nepogodov, gifted Hakan Çalhanoğlu a free goal, and from there, they struggled to get back in the match. Turkey had a chance for a second goal after the break, only for Nepogodov to make a double save and keep his side in the match. However, Turkey won their fourth match, and keep a perfect record as they sit on top of Group A.
Fighting to stay off the bottom was Iceland, as they hosted Latvia. Iceland dominated much of the play in the middle of the ground, and this culminated in an 18th-minute goal by Gylfi Sigurðsson. From there, Iceland looked to keep hold of the match, but Latvia had other ideas. Just before the hour mark, Vladimirs Kamešs found the mark, leveling the match and demanding the Icelandic side step up a notch. They did, and substitute Samuel Friðjónsson scored in the 79th minute, and held on for a victory, despite Latvia’s last-gasp attempts.
In Group B, Andorra and Cyprus both needed a win to have any chance of qualifying for Euro 2020. Two defensive blunders helped both sides score a goal each. The former was Joan Cervós, who gave away a penalty, which Ioannis Kosti coolly slotted, even though Josep Gómes correctly dived in the right direction. The second fell to Marc Rebés, who equalised for the home side. However, Neophytos Michael, the newcomer Cypriot goalkeeper, helped keep Andorra at bay with nine saves, and they held on for a draw.
Wales looked to exert their forward play through Gareth Bale, but it was Israel who scored first via Dia Seba. From there, a tight tussle ensued, with Israel looking the better side, growing in confidence after their first goal. Bale thought he had equalised, as had the crowd, when he chipped the goalkeeper, only to hit the crossbar. The Israeli side counterattacked, and scored again through Eran Zehavi’s three attempts overpowering the Welsh defence, and the visitors led by two at the break. This deflated the Welsh, and Israel pounced again, scoring a third via Dolev Haziza, and the game was all over. Israel have now shown their true intent, and are in a great place to qualify for Euro 2020, whereas Wales will need to bounce back when they travel to Cyprus.
Bosnia/Herzegovina scored early against Belgium, prompting a temporary switch in formation from 3-4-3 to a more 4-2-3-1. That formation became permanent to carry Kevin de Bruyne’s injured ankle through to halftime, which he was able to do so. In fact, he leveled the scores right before halftime, thanks to a quick Christian Benteke pass. Less than a minute later, he helped Yannick Ferreira Carrasco score to give Belgium the lead. After the break, Belgium did lack the de Bruyne effect, and neither side could find an effective way to goal. That all shifted when Romelo Lukaku was substituted on for a corner. He immediately flew for a header, but landed awkwardly and had to be taken out of the game. The Bosnians attacked the weak left defence in makeshift defender Thorgan Hazard, and with a perfect cross from Izet Hajvorić, found substitute Edin Džeko, who brought the match to a draw. That draw leaves Belgium in a slightly precarious situation, whereas Bosnia/Herzegovina will relish the opportunity as they have more home games than their counterparts for the remainder of the Qualifiers.
Luxembourg shocked Slovakia with a late equaliser from Vincent Thill’s head to gain their second point of the Qualifiers in Group C. Early on, hosts Slovakia dominated much of the first half, which lead to a Juraj Kucka goal straight after the break. However, Luxembourg’s defence held firm as they denied any true attempts for the Slovakians until late in the game, and with the counterattacking goal, have made it difficult for Slovakia to qualify for Euro 2020.
A new-look Belarus side gave Spain a scare in Madrid as they scored against the run of play just before halftime. Vladislav Klimovich took on the Spanish defence and found the back of the net. From there, Spain stepped up, and scored three goals after the break. Alvaro Morata started the ball rolling, before Mikel Oyarzabal came off the bench and helped Spain take the lead. Morata scored his second goal with finesse after taking the ball from a goalkeeping parry. However, Vitali Lisakovich had other ideas, and pegged back one goal. It would not be enough, and Spain earned the full three points, but Belarus the respect.
Although North Macedonia fielded the stronger attacking side, it was the Ukraine who piled on the pressure in the first half. Andriy Yarmolenko scored in the ninth minute, and from there, the Ukraine took hold of the match, with the Macedonians’ back firmly against the wall. The second half was a different affair, led by captain Goran Pandev that led to a brace for Vlatko Stojanovski. From there, the home side held on for their first win of the Qualifiers, and inflicted the Ukraine with their first loss and dropping to second place.
Gibraltar figured their best chance against Poland in Group D would be to deny their opponents possession in decent parts of the ground, and that worked for much of the game. Intercepts were the other gameplan as Poland struggled to fine-tune their passes in attacking territory. Still, Kamil Grosicki scored in the 19th minute, and though they struggled to get too close to goal, Poland gained their first win of the Qualifiers.
In the only other game in Group D, Joshua Kimmich scored a hat trick inside the first seventeen minutes to continue his goal-scoring prowess from a holding midfielder role. İlkay Gündoğan backed it up against Ireland with a fourth goal for Germany a minute later, and Nadiem Amiri came off the bench and scored late to give Ireland a rousting of five goals, and to claim top spot in the group.
Switzerland required a two-goal victory to overtake Slovenia in Group E. They dominated the first half, constantly pressuring the Slovenian defence. This pressure increased after Granit Xhaka’s 12th minute goal, the easiest of tap-ins, and the constant passing that weaved through Slovenia’s setup. However, Slovenia worked back into the match and scored with eighteen minutes remaining via substitute Mina Zajc. The Swiss stepped up, and Cedric Itten (as he had earlier when he assisted Xhaka) found Michael Lang coming from right midfield with acres of space. His shot surprised newcomer Jan Oblak, choosing to sneak the ball inside the near post, gain the full three points, and join Slovenia on seven points overall.
Also joining Slovenia and Switzerland on seven points is Estonia after a two-goal win against Lithuania. The home side dominated the first half, denying Lithuania any shots at goal, whilst having six of their own. After the hour mark, left back Ken Kalaste found himself front and centre with the ball, and pocketed easily into the net with his left boot. Minutes later, Erik Sorga headed the ball home to give Estonia the buffer of two goals. A third looked likely, but as in the first half, Estonia could not find that final deft touch. Estonia now sit in third place on goal difference, and Lithuania are in real trouble at only two points to their name, as the halfway stage of Qualifiers nears.
Hot on their heels is England, who finally gained their first win for the Qualifiers after overcoming San Marino away. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scored in the 14th minute, and then Callum Hudson-Odoi followed suit seven minutes later. However, San Marino held their own after this time, with the defence blocking any chances on goal, and being able to break down the English advances. Two opportunities came their way, but both times the shots were too weak. England perhaps should have netted a third, but offside kept them at bay, as well as some last-line defence. Still, both sides left the ground content with their efforts.
Three goals separated Romania and Hungary, as the hosts gave nothing away to the Hungarians. Romania first attacked down the right wing, crossing to headers twice early, only for the headers to fly straight to the goalkeeper. Ianis Hagi then found a way beyond the final man, streaking a goal into the net with his right boot. Straight after the break, a little mix up meant Florinel Coman had the ball alone in the box, and his shot was too powerful for Peter Gulácsi to thwart despite getting a hand on the ball. Hagi had his second goal in the 53rd minute, and Romania kept up the pressure, but not enough to bag a fourth goal.
Substitute Efthymios Koulouris’ goal was the difference between Greece and Finland, where the match was mostly played in the centre of the field. However, Greece never really looked in doubt for gaining the three points, particularly when the goal came in the 66th minute. Finnish substitute Robert Taylor had two chances to equalise, including one in additional time, but the first missed the mark, and the defence blocked the second. Greece now sit in second place, whilst Finland precariously lie in fifth place, although they have only played one home game thus far.
In the tough Group G, Austria inflicted on Russia their first defeat, whilst also keeping their perfect record. Russia should have scored a couple of times early through Aleksey Miranchuk, only to miss the mark. From there, Austria took hold of the game, scoring via Michael Gregoritsch right before halftime. Another goal came in the second half as Stefan Ilsanker found himself free of defenders, and then Gregoritsch scored with his head when substitute Jorg Siebenhandl crossed beautifully to find the attacker. Three goals and a solid win puts Austria clear of the rest of the pack, and a great chance to not only qualify for Euro 2020, but also be a host city for the tournament.
Sweden’s four-goal win against Moldova, along with Russia’s three-goal loss, helped the Swedes take second place in the group. Ken Sema chipped the goalkeeper in the 13th minute, enabling his side to take charge of the match. Sebastian Andersson quickly found a brace, first with his head and then with his right boot. Later, Dejan Kulusevski came off the bench, and with his first touch, snagged Sweden’s fourth.
France also won by four goals against Liechtenstein. Wissam Ben Yedder scored in the eighth minute after Olivier Giroud tapped him into space. France continued attacking, but wayward shots and last-gasp defending kept them at bay. It took a goal by Giroud to finally give the French a respectable buffer, before the talisman scored twice more in additional time. Four goals against Liechtenstein looked more realistic, and sets France up for a race to reach the top three sides.
Group H, the group of draws, finally saw Azerbaijan win their first game for the Qualifiers, downing Bulgaria, and overtaking them on the table in the process. Vusal İsgəndərli scored in the first half after the ball was cut back to him. Similarly but from the other edge of the box, Ramil Şeydayev was found free in front of goal and pocketed a second for the hosts. Bulgaria’s Kiril Despodov pegged one goal back, but it was not enough as the final score, 2-1, favoured Azerbaijan.
Croatia scored twice in the first half to set up a solid win over Malta. However, the second half could not find another goal for the hosts, partly due to final third woes and partly due to desperate defence. Croatia’s goal scorers were Ivan Perišić and Marcelo Brozović, both with solid shots from a similar position on the left hand side of the box.
Norway dominated the first period of the match against Italy, but could not find the finishing blow. Mats Dæhli should have scored with his chip over the Italian goalkeeper, but the ball slid wide of the post. Italy countered and hit the post, then later countered again and scored via Ciro Immobile. After the break, Markus Henriksen made the scores level, but two quick goals from Federico Chiesa placed the Italians in the box seat. Unperturbed, the Norwegians gained their second goal thanks to Sander Berge. However, their efforts to equalise did not come to fruition, and Italy gained a vital away win, and top spot in the group.
Albania surprised Denmark with a goal in the 37th minute from Keidi Bare. Lasse Schöne did make the scores level, and Denmark looked to dominate the rest of play. However, Andreas Cornelius missed what should have been an easy goal, firing over the bar. His immediate replacement, Kasper Dolberg, should have scored as well, but could not beat the Albanian goalkeeper. The game ended in a draw, with Albania gaining their first point, and Denmark in dire need of around five wins from their next six games to have any chance of qualifying.
Unlike Denmark, Portugal had no trouble overcoming a back-five defence in Armenia, as they scored three times before Armenia had time to blink. Pizzi opened the scoring, before Bernardo Silva scored a brace. Armenia pegged one goal back before the break through Tigrain Barseghyan, his second for the Qualifiers. However, that is how the score remained, and Portugal closed the gap on Serbia.
Serbia faced their local rival in Montenegro, but the hosts gained the upper hand with two chipped goals in quick succession by Deni Hočko and Vladimir Jovović. Serbia’s Aleksandar Mitrović gained a goal back right before the break, and both sides could have another goal in the second half. Neither could find that finishing blow, and Montenegro played for the win in the remaining minutes to not only provide Serbia with their first loss, but also perform a table take over.
© 2020 Steve Clark |
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Added on March 6, 2020 Last Updated on March 6, 2020 Author
Steve ClarkAdelaide, South Australia, AustraliaAboutA free spirited educator who dabbles in the art of writing novels and articles. more..Writing
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