September 16 to 22, 2019 Global Futbol MatchesA Chapter by Steve Clark The following article provides an oversight for matches and tournaments taking place in 2019. September 16 to 22, 2019Four games took place over the week in Group D Euro 2020 Qualification.
Scotland needed a solid win against Poland to lift themselves up the table. It did not look that way as only six shots were made for the entire match. Piotr Zieliński had the only shot for the first half for Poland, and his header flew wide of the mark. It took nearly sixty minutes for Scotland to finally register a shot, via John McGinn. Scotland did find ways beyond the defence, but were not good enough to score any goals, and the game ended in a dull, scoreless draw, with the only drawcard for fans being Scotland’s 34 tackles.
Germany continued their scoring prowess when they flew to Georgia. İlkay Gündoğan and Toni Kroos both scored braces as the Germans dominated much of the match, and Georgia looked helpless in their efforts to bypass their opponent’s defence. The only Georgian shot on target came from a free kick. All four goals were power shots, too fast and well placed for the Georgian goalkeeper to do a thing.
On Sunday, Georgia hosted Ireland in a crucial game. Both sides needed to bounce back from the mental anguish of losing significantly to Germany. Georgia had the better start and soon had two goals from Otar Kiteishvili and Valeri Qazaishvili. James McClean pegged one back for the visitors before the break and had a few chances to penetrate late in the game to draw level. However, it was Georgia who came out with the full three points, and second place on the table for their efforts. However, Georgian fans must be reminded they have played four home games and playing away will be tricky to keep that second spot.
Gibraltar hosted Scotland, with the visitors far more attacking than their previous match. This was perhaps due to Gibraltar starting out attacking and provoking the kind of reciprocal response from the Scots. Scotland had a goal either side of the break via Steven Naismith and Callum McGregor; the former a shot finding the top right-hand corner and the latter a grand header from a brilliant cross. Eamonn Brophy came off the bench and towered over the Gibraltar defenders, scoring in the 72nd minute. Three goals meant Scotland levelled with Poland on points and goal difference, and the second half of the Qualifiers will be interesting to see who will join Germany (who should qualify easily) in Euro 2020.
Greece continued their hosting winning prowess in Group F with a 4-1 victory over Northern Ireland. Petros Mandalos, from left midfield, opened the scoring, before Anastasios Bakasetas scored a brace by halftime. After assisting Bakasetas with his second goal, Evangelos Pavlidis then scored his own immediately after the break, tipping the post before bouncing in. Patrick McNair pegged a goal back for the visitors, but it was not enough as Greece dominated from start to finish.
Romania continued their winning ways when they flew to the Faroe Islands. The hosts outplayed Romania for much of the first half, nearly scoring multiple times. However, a counterattack formed, and Nicolae Stanciu finished the passes with a cool shot around the goalkeeper. Straight after the break, George Puşcaş reached over an Islander defender and headed the ball into an open net. That two-goal buffer remained for the rest of the match. Romania now possesses a clear lead in first place at the halfway stage, with Greece right behind.
On Sunday, Northern Ireland hosted Finland, hoping to reset what had happened against Greece. Instead, a goalless draw ensued, despite plenty of attacking from both sides. Finland should have opened the scoring through Joni Kauko, but his shot went to the right of goal. Minutes later, Northern Ireland’s Josh Magennis headed the ball over the crossbar, just shaving the woodwork. Magennis also had a chance late in a one-on-one contest, but he leant back as he kicked, and the ball again went over the top. Northern Ireland and Finland sit precariously close to one another near the tail end of the table, but with Finland set to play more home games, they have a better chance of rising upwards in the second half of Group F’s Qualifiers.
The Faroe Islands once again hosted an East European side, this time in Hungary. The home side again tried attacking early down the right flank as they had done against Romania, and it almost paid off again. However, Hungary scored in the 22nd minute via Balazs Dzsudzsák. From there, the Faroe Islanders found it hard to get in position to score. Substitute Odmar Færø had three opportunities to equalise, with a volley, long-range shot and header all sailing to the left of the goal. Hungary came away winners, now sitting three points behind Greece. The Faroe Islands, meanwhile, are without a point and can basically kiss their qualification for Euro 2020 goodbye.
The Czech Republic inflicted Turkey’s first defeat as they scored a solitary goal in an otherwise dull match. The Turks only had two shots on target in the first half, whilst the visitors had none. As the match seemed destined for a draw, Czech Jakub Jankto found a way to goal, and that is how the result remained.
Latvia thought they had a chance to grab a point, their first point, off the Netherlands when Dvis Ikaunieks equalised in the 56th minute. Earlier in the first half, Georginio Wijnaldum gave the Dutch the early lead, and should have been up by two or three goals at the break, but squandered easy shots. When Ikaunieks headed the ball home, the crowd stepped up in fervour. The visitors, however, had other ideas. Luuk de Jong led onto a chipped ball over the Latvian defence and coolly slotted the ball home, and the Dutch left Latvia with the full three points, and on the same amount of points as Turkey at the halfway stage.
Kazakhstan’s Yuriy Pertsukh caught onto a goalkeeping parry in the second minute of their match against Iceland. It seemed the home side would get a crucial win to go into the halfway mark ahead of their opponents, but Kolbeinn Sigþórsson headed a lobbed pass into the goal in the 20th minute. Late in the game, Kazakhstan had all the run of play, trying to gain a second goal. It would not be, and the match ended in a draw. This leaves Kazakhstan precariously in fifth spot in Group A, and with only a slim hope of qualifying. The Czech Republic’s crucial away victory slipped them into third place and are poised for a good second half of the Qualifiers, particularly with a high number of home matches to come.
In Group B, after Wales’ shock loss to Israel at home, they bounced back with a solitary goal victory over Cyprus. Wales placed attacking pressure on the home side across both halves, with the pressure in the first period resulting in a goal by Daniel James just before the break. In the second half, Cypriot goalkeeper and Player of the Match (with seven saves) Neophytos Michael kept out multiple chances by the Welsh, and the game ended with that single goal being the difference.
Offsides were the order of the first half between Andorra and Belgium. That kept the Belgians at bay for much of the match, as well as their wayward shots in the second half. Facing the prospect of another draw in a game they should win, Kevin de Bruyne stepped up and coolly slotted home a goal, and it proved to be the difference between the two sides.
Bosnia/Herzegovina hoped the close the points gap between them and Israel. Eran Zahavi had the best chance for Israel early, but missed the mark. The Bosnians took charge of the play around the 25th minute mark, and from there, peppered the goals. However, they could not hit the finishing blow, and the game petered out to a scoreless draw, with goalkeeper Ariel Harush deemed Player of the Match with eight saves. Israel remain on top of Group B at the halfway stage, with Wales or Belgium set to overtake them, based on whoever wins in that next encounter between the Belgians and the Welsh. Israel travel to Cyprus in the hope of keeping their lead and Bosnia/Herzegovina hosts Andorra. Only four points separate the top four.
Spain and the Ukraine battled for supremacy at the halfway stage. Sergio Busquets had the first opportunity to score, hitting the right-hand post. However, as he had done against North Macedonia, Andriy Yarmolenko scored with his head, giving the visitors the lead. This time, though, they knuckled down in defence and gave Spain no chance to equalise in either half.
Meanwhile, Slovakia and North Macedonia battled for third place in their match. Though the Slovakians started strong, Vlatko Stojanovski scored twice, as he had done against the Ukraine two weeks ago. In between his two impeccable goals, Goran Pandev powered home a netter. Being three goals behind, Slovakia immediately scored via Stanislav Lobotka when the ball bounced out of the box after a corner. However, the score at the break would remain the same for the second 45 minutes. Michal Ďuriš should have nailed a header to reduce the margin, and Juraj Kucka should have scored from the edge of the box, along with his replacement, Nikolas Špalek.
Belarus scored early in their match against Luxembourg. Ivan Maevski needed three attempts before he found the back of the net. His first was the shot that created the corner, before he led onto the corner kick, headed straight up, before having the composure to readjust and head beyond the approaching goalkeeper. But from there, Belarus looked mediocre in long periods, unable to get beyond the Luxembourg defence. Some solid defending at the end kept the visitors in the match, but they could not translate it into anything beyond the halfway line, and so Belarus rounded out winners, and into fourth place in Group C.
England won their second away game, this time against Slovenia, after having defeated San Marino two weeks ago. Harry Kane was the solitary goal scorer for the match, with a power shot when he was one-on-one with Jan Oblak. Slovenia had chances to equalise, only to not find the back of the net. Their greatest chance was in the 86th minute when Jasmin Kurtič smacked the corner where the crossbar and post meet. From there, England held on for the full three points.
Estonia and Switzerland both had chances to score across the game, with both hitting the woodwork. As the game looked to peter out to a scoreless draw, Cedric Itten scored with his head and gave Switzerland the lead in Group E. They held on to the win despite Estonia’s grand efforts at the death to gain a point.
Lithuania finally lifted off the bottom of Group E at the halfway stage after two goals in the first period helped them overcome San Marino. Fedor Černych opened the scoring in the 13th minute and should have had a second. Arvydas Novikovas doubled the lead just before the break, though he also should have scored a couple of times. In the second half, lacklustre attempts kept the score at 2-0, although Novikovas smacked the woodwork just after the half-hour mark. All in all, Switzerland have the lead at the middle point, but England have far more home games, and are set to charge ahead in the next five games. Lithuania can still make it to Euro 2020 but will need to improve their finishing to have any chance. Estonia and Slovenia are also in the hunt.
After Liechtenstein losing to France by four goals, and Sweden defeating Moldova by the same margin, most presumed Sweden would win easily away. However, it was Liechtenstein that looked the more likely to score in periods, particularly after hitting the woodwork. The resulting header rebound by Martin Büchel, however, missed what seemed a definite goal. Yanik Frick should have also scored in the second half, but his shot flew wide of the mark. Instead, they held on for a draw, although Sweden can consider themselves lucky for not having lost the match.
Meanwhile, France came off their win against Liechtenstein to inflict Austria with their first loss of the campaign for Euro 2020. Moussa Sissoko scored with his head to set up a solid lead, and from there the French continued peppering the box. The home side perhaps should have scored more, but in the end, were content with their third victory and lie only three points behind Austria at this halfway stage.
Also hot on the heels of Austria is Russia, whose two first-half goals set up a win over Moldova. Aleksey Miranchuk opened the encounter with a long range shot in the seventh minute, before twelve minutes later Maxim Belyaev slid in a marvellous goal from a corner. However, constant offsides hampered Russia’s attempts to gain a third goal, and the easing off of pressure allowed Moldova back into the game, at least in the middle of the park. Vitalie Damaşcan should have scored but hit the woodwork twice. That prompted Eugeniu Cociuc to step up from midfield and gain a goal back. Buoyant, the home side sought a late equaliser, with Cociuc setting up Damaşcan, only for his shot to go over the bar. Still, the Moldovans left, content with their second-half display. Russia will seek to solidify second place and aim for topping the group as the end nears. Sweden, however, are now in danger of not qualifying.
Group H saw Bulgaria score three times as Malta had no answer for their attacking onslaught. Ivelin Popov scored in the fourth minute to set up the order of the day. Right back Strahil Popov then scored just after the half-hour, cutting back into the field and, finding no defenders in front of him, kept running until he was closer enough for his left foot to score. The same foot came into play towards the end of the match, where a corner was played out beyond the box, and Popov received the ball, slotting between the approaching defenders and beyond the goalkeeper.
In a shock start to the Azerbaijan and Italy game, the host’s goalkeeper, Emil Balayev, was set off thanks to a wild challenge. Federico Chiesa coolly slotted home the penalty, and from there, had the upper hand across the entire game. The Azerbaijanis, though, never gave up, and attacked whenever given the chance. Unfortunately, it meant Chiesa could snag a second goal when he was found alone on the edge of the box and easily shot into the back of the net. Azerbaijani substitute Tamkin Xəlilzadə smacked the crossbar late in a match that will be remembered for the beginning, not the end.
Croatia attacked Norway with no relent for the first half, only to hit the break still all square. That changed immediately after thanks to a cool finish by Marcelo Brozović, who curled the ball around the Norwegian goalkeeper. Croatia should have had more goals, but wayward shots made sure that Norway stayed with a sniff of gaining an equaliser, but that never came. Instead, Croatia moves to third, whilst Bulgaria’s win shot them from fifth up to second at the halfway stage. With the high number of draws in this group, it is likely the third placed side will not progress, and so it is essential for Italy, Bulgaria and Croatia to ensure the two guaranteed spots for Euro 2020, or face having to wait for four years.
The top of Group I clash between Portugal and Montenegro saw the hosts dominate the match. However, they struggled to turn it into effective shots on goal, and when they did, their shots were relatively weak. With three minutes from the end, substitute Nemanja Sekulić surprised everyone and snuck a goal around the Portuguese goalkeeper. Cristiano Ronaldo replied immediately running onto a ball that had so much force on it, the defence could not stop it, and the captain slammed home the equaliser. This sets up the second half of Group I’s qualifiers perfectly.
Denmark still remain without a win after another draw, this time against Serbia. Denmark had the upper hand for much of the match but could not turn that into goals. Serbian goalkeeper Predrag Rajković made six important saves and earned the Player of the Match award. Denmark now sit behind Montenegro, Serbia and Portugal by eight points, and must win four of their five remaining games to have any hope of qualifying for Euro 2020.
Ahead of Denmark is Armenia after their two goals in the first half set up a solid win over Albania. The Armenians took the foot off the pedal in the second half, content with their lead. The two goals came via Tigran Barseghyan, having scored twice now in two games, and Kamo Hovhannisyan from left wing back. Armenia next host Serbia and will look to override the 2-1 loss earlier in the campaign. Albania will fly to Portugal before playing the reverse leg immediately after.
Africa’s Group H AFCON Qualifiers ramped up this week in earnest. Libya and Kenya’s match ended in the same scoreline as the last time they met: 2-1. Libya, full of confidence in the knowledge they had beaten Kenya in Nairobi, went on the attack early. Moayed Al-Lafi scored in the 13th minute to give his side the advantage. When Khalid Magdi scored in the second half coming off the bench, thanks to a wonderful ball that found him free of defenders, the game seemed all but over. Kenya’s Michael Olunga pegged a goal back, and his side attacked the right wing to gain another, but the Libyan defence held firm.
Rwanda thought they would be able to overcome Sao Tome and Principe, having defeated them earlier 1-0. However, a poor passing accuracy denied either side any real penetration into their attacking third. Rwanda attacked late, hoping to gain a victorious goal, but some scrambling in defence kept them at bay, and the game ended in a scoreless draw, much like Rwanda’s last match against Lesotho.
Sao Tome then hosted Lesotho on Sunday, hoping to nullify their 1-0 loss to the southern African side earlier in the Qualifiers. Ludgério Silva scored just after the half hour mark, as he had against Libya at home, when he chipped the Lesotho goalkeeper. Later in the match, Sao Tome and Principe had chances to double their lead, but all thwarts fell short of the mark. Still, the three points meant they jumped ahead of Lesotho, and will seek to reach the top two in the coming weeks.
Kenya, needing their first win, hosted Rwanda in a game where Kenya dominated in their forward third. However, missed opportunities, including from striker Olunga and plucky goalkeeping by Yves Kimenyi kept the score all square. It took substitute Boniface Muchiri to come on and take a free kick, a kick that nicked the inside of the right-hand post and into the goal. From there, Kenya took control of the match even more, and Jesse Were nearly had a goal as well when he came off the bench. Nevertheless, Kenya gained their first win, and have a slim chance of qualifying for AFCON 2020. Rwanda, though this was their first loss, still remain on top of Group H.
After a bye on the last Match Day, the Central African Republic needed a win to keep in the hunt in catching the Democratic Republic of Congo. Attacking became the order from the coach as the hosts searched for an elusive goal. That goal came via Louis Mafouta, finding the back of the net with his left boot. The Congolese should have equalised after Cédric Yambéré gave away a cheap penalty, only for defender Christian Luyindama to miss the penalty as Geoffrey Lembet moved to his right to save the ball. From there, the Central African Republic side found another way to goal, again with Mafouta scoring, and closed the gap on the table.
Mozambique looked to lift off the bottom of the table at the halfway stage with a solid game against Somalia. Telinho opened the scoring with a chip shot over the goalkeeper in the eighth minute, and from there Mozambique continued to pepper the goals. Two goals for Reginaldo Faife in the second half meant an easy victory for the Mozambicans, and Somalia to drop to the bottom of the ladder, with only one win.
On the Sunday, Mozambique flew to Mali to continue climbing up the table, but with Mali being on top, it would be a difficult task. Despite Mali’s numerous attempts on goal, none of the attackers could score a goal, and a goalless draw ensued. Amadou Haïdara had the most shots on target, with Sékou Koïta and Adama Traoré I also having the same amount of shots. In the end, Mozambican goalkeeper Júlio Franque received the Player of the Match award with nine saves.
Somalia’s Anwar Sidali Shakunda scored a hat trick in the first half to help set up a solid defeat over the Central African Republic. The visitors had no answers as the striker found gaps in the defence and slotted home three remarkable goals. His first two were headers, before Shakunda’s third came off his left boot. Abel Gigli made it a fourth after he was given plenty of room to lead onto a ball, and the Somalians not only nullified the three-goal defeat to the Central African Republic earlier, but also helped them drop a spot on the table, allowing Mozambique to overtake them.
Match Day 4 in Group A saw the Congo defeat eSwatini and gaining their first win for the Qualifiers. Harvy Ossété opened the scoring in the 29th minute with a cool header off a corner. Amour Loussoukou had a chance to double the lead after his Player of the Match performance from the previous match, but his shot was blocked. Ossété nearly had a brace, only for the eSwatini goalkeeper to thwart his chances. In the end, the single goal was enough for the Congo as they are now level on points and goal difference with eSwatini.
Sudan bounced back from a 4-0 drubbing last time they met Nigeria to win 1-0. Maaz Abdelraheem was the hero for Sudan as his multiple attempts led to his goal. He led onto a ball that cut the Nigerian defence and with his left, hit it with the outside and curled it around the Nigerian goalkeeper. Abdelraheem should have scored a second late in the match, but the keeper thwarted the shot. Ahmed Musa came on late for the second-string Nigerian side and should have scored, only to hit the post. Sudan are now on the same points as Nigeria, with goal difference separating the two sides. However, Nigeria have two home games remaining and should win both.
Algeria needed a result to remain ahead of the pack in Group B when they faced Tanzania. A scoreless draw was enough for them, though Tanzania had more of the attacking opportunities. The first half saw attempts from Ditram Nchimbi go begging as Happygod Msuva dominated the right wing, before right back Salum Kimenya had an attempt thwarted by the Algerian defence. Algeria’s best chance was classed offside. In the second half, Mbwana Samatta had an opportunity missed when he was one-on-one with the goalkeeper, and Bakari Nondo from defence attacked a few times, including a long counter run off an Algerian corner. In the end, the scoreless draw was best for Algeria, while the Tanzanian coach felt this was the game that got away from them; their second scoreless draw in a row.
However, Benin are now on top of Group B after their 3-0 win over Malawi. Steve Mounié opened the scoring for the hosts in the 19th minute after the ball rebounded off the crossbar straight to the striker and he calmly slotted the goal with his head. Mounié then combined with Stéphane Sessègnon to set up Mickaël Poté with a low right-footer into the net. After the break, Benin stepped up a few notches in attack, but the Malawian defence held firm until the 72nd minute when Mounié scored with his head again. The final result exemplified the home side’s dominance and they will now seek to top the group, although Algeria have two home games remaining, including the epic battle against Benin to decide who is likely to qualify automatically, and who will have to be the better second-placed sides across the AFCON Qualifiers.
In Group C, newcomer Zakaria Sanogo scored a hat trick for Burkina Faso as they trounced Gabon by four goals. Sanogo had his first with his head in the fourth minute, before latching onto a loose ball and scoring his second. The second half could not find a third goal, until another rebounding ball, this time off the Gabonese goalkeeper, gave Sanogo his third. He then set up substitute Lassina Traoré for Burkina Faso’s second goal in additional time. Burkina Faso now have a great advantage going into the final two matches, while Gabon are in serious trouble of not qualifying for the African Cup of Nations.
Liberia salvaged a draw against Angola despite being a goal down and a player down after left back Gasimu Kouyateh earned his second yellow card, something that rarely takes place in Global Futbol these days in comparison to the old FIFA days. Earlier, Angolan Fábio Abreu scored after the free kick given away by Kouyateh hit the crossbar. With the Liberian goalkeeper out of play, Abreu found it easy to header home the goal. Both sides had chances to score further, but it was substitute Sylvanus Nimely who surprisingly scored in the 80th minute after Liberia were forced to pressure in attack down the right wing. It paid off and Liberia levelled, keeping the scoreline the same for the final ten minutes.
Group D’s Côte d’Ivoire scored three goals against Ethiopia, a par score considering the west Africans won 3-2 away in their previous encounter. Ethiopia looked likely to score first, if not for a remarkable save by Sylvain Gbohouo. Instead, Nicolas Pépé headed home the Ivoirians’ first goal. Soon Maxwel Cornet was in on the action and eventually scored as well. His brace came in the second half where his diving header was too good for the Ethiopian goalkeeper. Côte d’Ivoire should have scored further but to no avail, though it solidified their place on top of the table.
Zimbabwe came from behind against the Gambia to win 3-2 in a tight and high-quality match. The Gambia’s Bubacarr Trawally opened the scoring in the 14th minute, stunning the crowd. However, Zimbabwean Ovidy Karuru replied in two minutes with a long-range shot. Straight after, the Gambia hit the woodwork. After the break, Karuru rose above defenders to take the game by the grip to score his second. The Gambia would not lie down in defeat, and Musa Barrow came off the bench to hit the ball powerfully enough for the Zimbabwean goalkeeper to only slow it down. At 2-2, both sides grew desperate. Knox Mutizwa came on for Khama Billiat and with eleven minutes to go, snagged Zimbabwe’s third. That propelled Zimbabwe from last to second and are now in with a shot at qualifying for AFCON 2020.
In Group E, both Namibia and Ghana had the lead, before their opponents equalised. Dynamo Fredericks opened the scoring for the home side in the tenth minute, firing a long range shot beyond the goalkeeper. Ghana’s Iddrisu Baba pegged that goal back ten minutes later, receiving the ball right at the semicircle and banging home the ball. Thomas Partey made it two for the Ghanaians, and it seemed they would take charge and win the match. However, right before the break, Fredericks scored again, with both sides going into the break at 2-2. The second half was far tighter, with neither side able to break down the defence. In additional time, though, Denzil Haoseb jumped up and took two attempts to score, sending the home crowd into utter jubilation. Ghana, meanwhile, are in danger of not qualifying, as they have two home games left to turn that around.
In similar fashion to Namibia, Togo scored late via Peniel Mlapa to take the full three points against Guinea. Earlier, Mlapa opened the scoring with a quick series of backsteps to set a wondrous goal in the left pocket. It took Guinea until just before the hour mark to equalise through Naby Keïta’s deft touch, curling the ball into goal as he strode one-on-one against the goalkeeper. Togo would not be outdone, and as Haoseb had done against Ghana, Mlapa found the back of the net from a corner and giving his side a solid chance of qualifying for AFCON 2020 with two matches remaining.
In Group F, the Comoros Islanders looked to exact revenge on the Cape Verde Islanders after their 3-1 loss in their previous encounter. Comoros looked to attack first, having a near-goal kept off the line. Ali M’Madi then scored, chipping the Cape Verde goalkeeper Vózinha. Moments later, he set up Nordine Ibouroi to do the same, but Vózinha learnt from the previous time and did not rush out as quickly as earlier and got his hands on the ball enough to stop it moving towards goal. El Fardou Ben Nabouhane came on late and attempted to score a goal, only to miss wide of the mark. As a result, the Comoros sit one point ahead of Cape Verde, but with two away games left, will they hold on?
As for the match between Chad and Niger, while the game was hotly contested in the middle of the park, only three shots were taken in the first 70 minutes. Niger ramped up their attack in the latter stages, only to miss wide of the mark. From there, Chad held on for a draw.
Group G’s match in Botswana saw the hosts score three first-half goals over Mauritania, gaining their first win while also inflicting on Mauritania their first loss. The visitors had the early pick of the pressure, but soon ran out of steam as Botswana took hold. Tumisang Orebonye led onto a ball and seemed to punt it with his left boot into the grass. That, however, confused the goalkeeper, leaving him in no man’s land as the ball trickled beyond him and into the net. Orebonye scored a second after Botswana tried a number of cutbacks to find someone more directly in front of goal. That tactic paid off and the striker had his brace. Kabelo Seakanyeng made it three goals for Botswana in a scintillating first-half display. The second half found no more goals, though Seakanyeng came close when he hit the post. Still, a three-goal win means Botswana have confidence going into their last two away games.
The Seychelles should possibly have had a penalty early in their match against Tunisia. Instead, a box-to-box match ensued, with both sides attacking as the ball rocked back and forth along the field. Eventually a goal was scored by Saîf-Eddine Khaoui, powering with his left boot into the net. From there, Tunisia had control as they played more defensively. At the death, substitute Anice Badri should have scored a second goal only to miss the mark. Tunisia take on Botswana, with a win or draw guaranteeing their qualification for AFCON 2020.
Group I saw Senegal needing a win over Cameroon to have a chance at qualification. Instead, Cameroon kept their perfect record with a goal in the first half by Arnaud Djoum, the only shot on goal for that period as the defensive midfielders from either side dominated the match. Senegal never looked like winning, but they should have equalised via Famara Diédhiou who hit the woodwork once and missed another time. Sadio Mané also hit the post. Diédhiou’s replacement, Sidy Sarr also missed a late equaliser, and Cameroon left with the full three points.
When Mauritius faced off against Burundi, Burundi gained the early lead via Cédric Amissi as he strode into the box with little pressure and slotted with his right. Straight after the break, Mauritian striker Adrien François won a penalty and slotted it into the Burundian goalkeeper’s knee, but with all that power it skimmed off and hit the back netting. Full of confidence, Mauritius attacked, with Kevin Perticots hitting the crossbar before substitute striker Andy Sophie eased the ball into the open goal. Mauritius took three points and third place, behind Senegal only on goal difference. Cameroon, meanwhile, have guaranteed qualification not only as hosts, but as first place in Group I, and that is still with two home games remaining. They will be a force to be reckoned with come next year.
South Sudan needed a result against South Africa of some kind to remain second in Group J, but the South Africans kept their perfect record with a goal via Lebo Mothiba. Though the South Sudanese attacked for a good portion of the match, the visitors had an answer for every one of their thwarts. With that win, South Africa became the second nation to qualify for AFCON 2020.
On the other hand, Uganda gained their first win as they romped six goals past Equatorial Guinea. Strangely, it was Emilio Nsue who scored first for the visitors in the sixth minute. That seemed to propel the Ugandans into gear, as eight minutes passed before the reply from striker Fahad Bayo. Khalid Aucho then had a ball cut across the edge of the box to him and his left footer easily found the back of the net. Luwagga Kizito, after the break, curled a left footer to swing away from the Equatorial Guinean goalkeeper, thus giving Uganda the three points guaranteed. But the goal scoring continued. Emmanuel Okwi also scored with his left boot after he led onto a great pass by Bayo. Bayo then scored with his head, pushing the ball back across and wrongfooting the goalkeeper. Substitute Allen Okello capped off the goal fest as he cut back in from the left wing, outsmarted the defence and found the final nail for the visitors’ coffin with his left. Now in second place, Uganda face the fear of two final away matches. Will they be able to gain draws to have a chance to qualify and join their counterparts South Africa?
Eritrea pulled off a late equaliser in the 85th minute against Egypt to snag a vital point. Earlier, Mahmoud Trezeguet scored straight after halftime to give the visitors the lead. However, Abel Okbay snuck the ball between the post and the Egyptian goalkeeper, giving his side a boost of confidence going into their final two away games.
Two goals in each half set up Morocco for a vital win over Guinea-Bissau. Both sides hit the post within the first thirteen minutes. However, from there, Morocco took control of the match as three of their four defenders scored goals. Fayçal Fajr started the campaign, before Hakim Ziyech scored a pearler from left midfield. Sofyan Amrabat pounced on a goal after the break, before Fajr bagged a second goal to give Morocco a good chance against Egypt in the race for first place.
In Group M, Madagascar needed to close the gap Zambia were making on the table. The hosts controlled, in part, some of the match but could not get shots on target. After the break, Donashano Malama finally got onto a ball and headed into the gap, giving Madagascar the lead. Then, as the match was nearly at a close, a penalty was given for an infringement on Patson Daka. Replays showed that while Lalaina Nomenjanahary won the ball cleanly, it was Thomas Fontaine who had slid straight into Daka. Daka stepped up to take the spot kick, only to hit the post, and the Madagascans held on for a vital victory.
Hassan Hirir scored for Djibouti just before the hour mark in an otherwise dull match as they hosted Sierra Leone. The pair of nations had drawn in their previous encounter and it looked the game was heading that way for a long period. Finally, Hirir stole the ball off a defender and snagged the winner, earning Djibouti a solid third place and with a slight chance of qualifying, but with two away games, it seems unlikely.
Mexico scored twice against the Bahamans to help them climb the ladder in Copa America Qualifying Group A. Carlos Rodriguez opened the scoring the third minute, but from there, Mexico struggled to have effective shots on goal. In the second half, Orbelin Pineda was denied a cross into a likely goal after he was deemed offside. Then, Carlos Antuna should have scored after being in front of goal with the goalkeeper out of position, but he muffed the ball over the bar. Pineda snagged a goal two minutes from the end of play after a deflected shot made its way to the left of goal.
Mexico shifted their line up for the match on Sunday against Cuba. Only Rodriguez remained part of the original eleven, partly thanks to his goal. It took this new eleven time to settle into the match, before Roberto Alvarado pounced on a Sandy Sanchez fumble and pocketed a goal. In the second half, as pressure mounted, Pineda came off the bench and scored again, as he had done in the previous match, with a lovely right footer from outside the box. Raul Jiménez then finished off in additional time with a deft flick over his manning defender and slotted into goal for Mexico’s third. Rodriguez gained his second Player of the Match award, and Mexico top spot in the group.
The last time Puerto Rico and the Bahamas met ended in a 3-3 draw, the only points the two sides had thus far in the Qualifiers. It was a far tighter contest in the middle of park after Ryan López had scored a goal, sneaking the ball between the goalkeeper and the right-hand post. The Bahamas should have equalised on two occasions but missed wide of the mark. Substitute Joseph Villafane crossed in the 75th minute to his bench partner in Jacob Conde, who looped his header into space and into the goal. Puerto Rico will rest assured with their first win of the Qualifiers, but it will be tricky for them to qualify, let alone reach third place.
Group B saw the US Virgin Islands hosting Guatemala after having hosted Ecuador. The best chance in the first half came via the Islanders’ Aaron Dennis, whose shot hit the right-hand post. In the second half, goals came the way of the hosts after Rakeem Joseph stole the ball off goalkeeper Nicholas Hagen and scored into the open goal. As the crowd grew in delight with the prospect of snagging a vital victory, Guatemalean Victor Guay came off the bench to equalise in the 81st minute. Then, Yeltsin Álvarez scored in additional time to wrestle the three points away from the US Virgin Islands and keep their perfect record after four games.
Guatemala then hosted Canada, in the hope of defeating them a second time after the 3-1 surprise away win at the start of the Qualifiers. The only thing keeping Guatemala’s headers away from goal were on-the-line defensive headers. Finally, Luis Martínez scored with his head off Jose Márquez’s cross beyond the goalkeeper in the 44th minute and set up an ideal position for the hosts in the second half. Guatemala continued attacking, hoping to bag a second goal, and it came via Rudy Barrientos after Martínez set him up.
Suriname played the game of their existence with a 2-0 victory over Ecuador. From the outset, it was clear the hosts were there to win, and they scored via Nigel Hasselbaink as halftime neared. Soon after the break, Dimitrie Apai headed home Suriname’s second, and could have scored a third, had Gleofino Vlijter not put so much power on his chip over the goalkeeper.
A brace from Joshua Santana in the first 25 minutes set up Aruba’s solid win over El Salvador. His first goal came from a parry where the ball fell to him front and centre of goal and he made no mistake. The second was a cut back to a long run, where he tapped the ball to his advantage and away from the El Salvadoran defenders, before slotting into the net. In the second half, Aruba should have had a third goal, but Glenbert Croes and Mark Jacobs both hit the post in the same passage of play. The third goal did come at the death thanks to substitute Jean Heyden, helping his side close the gap with their first win of the Qualifiers.
Peru also scored three goals away to Belize. Andre Carrillo scored a brace, with his first rebounding off the post to curtail into the open goal, before nailing a poor clearance three minutes later. Belize were playing a back three up until this point and immediately shifted to a back five defence. The game tightened as a result, though Peru were able to find a third via Yoshimar Yotún, whose shot along the ground confuddled the other players.
In the only Group D game for the week, Chile looked to close the gap between them and the USA, and possibly overtake them into first place, depending on the number of goals scored. Arturo Vidal found the back of the net in the 28th minute, before Alexis Sánchez made it two in the 77th, picking off from a post rebound. They should have scored a third, but Brad Guzan kept the ball at bay and kept the United States side on top of the ladder for another Match Day.
St Kitts and Nevis took on St Lucia, where defenders and goalkeepers reigned supreme. Finally, Mervin Lewis found a way to goal early in the second half, with his header overcoming the St Lucian defensive structure. From there, they held on for their second win of the Qualifiers.
The clash between Bermuda and Trinidad and Tobago then became a battle for second place. Whoever won would be in a good place to qualify. It seemed like Bermuda would be that team with Nahki Wells scoring after Justin Donawa stole the ball and cut it back to him. However, with twenty minutes remaining, Kevon Goddard got his head above the Bermudan defence and equalised. Bermudan midfielder Roger Lee nearly replied minutes later, only to hit the crossbar. From there, the game petered out to a draw and neither side took second place, keeping St Lucia in that spot.
Substitute Vurlon Mills scored for Jamaica late in the match in their away game against Uruguay. In the match where the winner would gain top spot in Group F, the Jamaican defence kept out Luiz Suárez and Edison Cavani, giving only one shot on goal in the first half. Uruguay ramped up the pressure in the second half, only to not find the mark. When Mills scored, the crowd was silenced, recognising the shock in being beaten by the Caribbean side for the second time in the Qualifiers. In the end, Jamaica ran out winners and are in a good chance in qualifying for the tournament next year with three games remaining.
Brazil returned a few big names to the side to tackle bottom-placed Curacao. However, the visitors’ defence held firm for the whole first half as Brazil struggled to find the back of the net. Roberto Firmino finally scored as he chipped the Curacao goalkeeper early in the second half. With the inclusion of Willian after the break, Brazil took charge, particularly when Philippe Coutinho and Willian swapped between attacking midfielder and left wing. Coutinho won a penalty and coolly slotted it home, before gaining a second goal after Firmino set him up between the Curacao central defenders. Three goals were enough for Brazil to feel content with the result but must capitalise on chances across both halves.
Buoyed by their away draw against Brazil, St Vincent and the Grenadines sought to catch a key result when they hosted Costa Rica. Both sides remarkably played with a back five, with defence the tactic of the day whilst working down the wings. Seaqueam Millington scored in the 23rd minute with his head, and from there, St Vincent found themselves the better of the two teams as they gained the crucial three points, and Costa Rica dropping to second place on the table.
Group H’s Turks and Caicos Islands salvaged a point at home to the Dominican Republic, their second point for the Qualifiers. Ronaldo Vásquez opened the scoring for the visitors in the 28th minute with a low, fast shot. The match seemed destined to go the way of the Dominican Republic when substitute Christopher Louisy put his left boot through the ball drifting from a free kick and equalised, keeping his opponents in third place.
Colombia scored twice in the first half to set up a comfortable win over Haiti. Radamel Falcao scored for the hosts when he led onto a through ball, hitting it first time into the netting. James Rodríguez then chipped the Haitian goalkeeper right before the break to double the lead. Later in the match, both Colombian substitute midfielders, Christian Borja and Edwin Cardona, had headers to find the third, but one hit the left-hand post and the other missed to the left. Colombia remain on top of Group H and will seek to solidify that position in the coming Match Days.
Similar to Colombia, Argentina scored two first-half goals to gain three points against Antigua and Barbuda. The score should have been far higher, particularly with Lionel Messi’s five shots on target in the first half alone. However, Player of the Match Molvin James made fourteen saves for the match, only letting Sergio Agüero and Rodrigo de Paul to score. Agüero’s goal came when he waited out to the left, received the ball from Messi and shot first time. As for de Paul, it was his header that defeated James after Agüero crossed in from the left to his run from the right midfield. Argentina also hit the woodwork three times across the match, but no third goal ever came.
Bolivia did not look like scoring against the British Virgin Islands early. Eventually they worked through balls beyond the defence, and Marcelo Martins set up Cristian Arano for Bolivia’s first. Straight after the break, Martins caught a through ball with his first touch and scored. From there, though, they struggled to gain a third goal. In the 88th minute, the British Virgin Islanders surprised with a Trevor Peters goal using his head. Bolivia quickly replied as Martins scored his second goal, cutting into the box before sliding home the ball with his left boot. Bolivia still remain third and must do well in their final three games to qualify for the Copa America tournament.
In the Inter-Nations League, Japan flew to New Zealand with a different line up for their first away game for the tournament, having hosted all their previous matches. They thumped the Kiwis 5-1 in a true display of dominance. However, New Zealand held their own for 39 minutes, before a penalty allowed Jun Takahashi to open the scoring. Eiji Okazaki’s header made it two soon after the break, and Yuki Kobayashi ended the hopes of New Zealand in gaining a result, scoring with a fine header from close range. New Zealand’s Jeremy Brockie did peg one back with his trusty head, before Takahashi, playing as left midfield, scored his second and Kei Suzuki made it five for the visitors.
© 2020 Steve Clark |
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Added on April 1, 2020 Last Updated on April 1, 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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