Friday 13 September 2013

World Cup 2014 qualifiers: Hodgson satisfied by Ukraine stalemate

WORLD CUP 2014 QUALIFIERS
(Q) Brazil, Japan, Australia, Iran, South Korea, Netherlands, Italy, United States, Costa Rica, Argentina

ENGLAND stayed on course to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil after a 0-0 draw against Ukraine in Kiev kept the Three Lions on top of Group H.

The drab stalemate puts England on 16 points, one clear of both Ukraine and Montenegro, with two matches left.

Roy Hodgson's men host the Montenegrins and Poland in back-to-back games at Wembley in October, and so can be confident of completing the job.

But the veteran head coach was forced on the defensive after a match of few chances brought more criticism from legendary striker Gary Lineker.

Match of the Day presenter Lineker described the performance as "awful" on Twitter, adding: "What happens to some of these players when they pull on an England shirt?"

And, while Lineker has since sought to clarify his comments, Hodgson was still far from happy, noting "He has done it for a second time".

Lineker had earlier suggested England's tactics in the drawn friendly against Ireland in May were "a step back to the dark ages".

Now, in the past of course, England have sometimes qualified with ease but still underperformed on the big stage - and, having failed to beat anyone other than minnows Moldova and San Marino in the group so far, Hodgson will have to hope the opposite also holds true.

Being realistic, though, it is difficult to see either England or Ukraine going too far in the tournament with performances like the one from this week.

At least England are still likely to qualify, which is more than can be said for the other home nations at this stage.

Incredibly, Scotland were the very first team from the European qualifiers to be eliminated - before even San Marino and the Faroe Isles - though, in fairness, the appointment of Gordon Strachan has seen an upturn in their fortunes in Group A.

Wales are now bottom of that group following a 3-0 home defeat against Serbia despite which coach Chris Coleman has expressed a desire to remain in his role.

However, the most humiliating result by a British team came from Northern Ireland, beaten 3-2 by Luxembourg after conceding two late goals. It was Luxembourg's first World Cup win since 1972.

Things are not quite as bad as that south of the border but two defeats against Sweden and Austria this week leave Ireland requiring a series of extraordinary results to reach the Rio beaches.

On the back of a poor effort in Euro 2012, in which the Irish had the worst record of all 16 competitors, it was perhaps little surprise the successive losses spelt the end for Giovanni Trapattoni.

Yes, the Italian coach may have got some good results for a while but, once they dried up, his safety-first tactics were never likely to help him preserve his position... 

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Elsewhere around the world, there are now 10 teams assured of a World Cup place next summer, including hosts Brazil of course, and the first qualifiers from Europe - World Cup 2006 winners Italy and 2010 runners-up Netherlands.

Overnight, United States, Costa Rica and Argentina also sealed their place in their respective qualifying zones, with the Americans beating Mexico 2-0 in Columbus, Ohio.

It is a result which leaves the Mexicans in danger of missing out on their first World Cup finals since 1990, when they were banned for fielding an ineligible player in a youth competitions.

Given the availability of three automatic places, and the fall-back option of a playoff against Oceania winners New Zealand, it would still be amazing if Mexico failed to make it.

But then no one would have expected them only to win one match out of eight so far, and none at home in their former fortress, the Azteca.

Definitely going to the World Cup from Asia are the final group stage winners, Iran and Japan, and their respective runners-up South Korea and Australia.

Meanwhile, Jordan will aim to join them and qualify for their first World Cup, the Middle East team having won an extraordinary fifth-place playoff against Uzbekistan this week.

Following two 1-1 draws, and extra time in the second leg, Jordan eventually prevailed 9-8 in a penalty shoot-out with no fewer than 20 spot-kicks.

Their final hurdle will be the fifth-placed South American team, likely to be 2010 semi finalists Uruguay or Ecuador after the latest round of matches officially knocked out long-time stragglers Peru, Bolivia and Paraguay.

As mentioned, Argentina have made it through easily, losing just once in the marathon format so far.

Colombia face Chile next month, with the victors also certain of making it - while Ecuador-Uruguay on the same night will go a long way to deciding who faces those extra games against Jordan in November.

Also reaching its climax is the African qualifying competition. The group stage has now been completed with the 10 winners to be drawn in playoffs on Monday to determine the five qualification places.

The seeded teams in the draw, based on September's FIFA rankings, are Ivory Coast, Ghana, Algeria, Nigeria, and Tunisia - who only got through to this stage after Cape Verde were thrown out for fielding a suspended player in one of its matches.

In the unseeded half of the draw, Egypt, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Senegal and surprise package Ethiopia await their fate.

For Egypt, a finals appearance would be their first since 1990. Burkina Faso and Ethiopia have, of course, never been to the World Cup.

The next two round of matches will be played on 11 and 15 October. The European and North American and South American group phases completed and the identity of 11 more qualifiers will be discovered.

Links to full Group Tables/Results FIFA World Cup - Wikipedia

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