Poland extinguish Welsh hopes in Euro 2024 playoffs

🟥 EURO 2024 PLAYOFFS 🟥

Semi finals 21-March | FINALS 26-March

PATH [A]	SF1	POLAND	5-1	ESTONIA	Warsaw
		Frankowski 22, Zielinski 50 Piotrowski 70, Mets 73og Szymanski 76		Vetkal 78
	SF2	WALES	4-1	FINLAND	Cardiff
		Brooks 3, N Williams 38 Johnson 47, James 86		Pukki 45
	FINAL	WALES	0-0	POLAND	Cardiff
			aet	won 5-4 on penalties

POLAND crushed Welsh dreams of a third successive European Championship finals - and fourth major finals out of five - by winning their playoff final on penalties after a 0-0 draw. 

Leeds United winger Daniel James sat his kick up at a good height to the right of Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, as the teams were finally separated after over two hours of stalemate. 

There had, after all, been precious little between the sides in the match itself.

Poland failed even to record a single effort on target across the 120 minutes - although Wales also struggled to make clearcut openings.

Indeed, in failing at any stage to build up a significant head of steam, Robert Page's men probably did not make the most of an expectant full house at the Cardiff City Stadium.

Stand-in skipper Ben Davies thought he had headed the hosts into a first half lead but was adjudged narrowly offside - while, early in the second half, Kieffer Moore forced Szczesny into a full-stretch save.

In the extra time period, though, Page's men were persistently pushed back and Jakub Piotrowski thought he had won it for Poland with a 25-yard shot which curled just wide.

A first ever competitive penalty shootout featuring Wales fast became an inevitability - and both teams had obviously been practicing for this eventuality.

Robert Lewandowski, Sebastian Szymanski, Przemyslaw Frankowski, Nicola Zalewski and Krzysztof Piatek all converted for Poland - while Ben Davies, Moore, Harry Wilson and Neco Williams scored the first four Welsh kicks.

But, with the score in the shootout at 5-4 to Poland, James - looking understandably nervous - took the long march from the halfway line to the penalty area.

In fairness to James, it was more than a mere tentative prod at goal - but the direction of his effort was rather telegraphed and Szczesny's save was enough to settle this tightest of contests.

Earlier, both Poland and Wales had dealt with Finland and Estonia easily in their respective home semi finals.

The Poles unsurprisingly prevailed 5-1 in Warsaw against Estonia who were only in this tie by virtue of being the best-ranked team on the lowest rung of the Nations League.

Meanwhile, Wales beat the Finns 4-1 in Cardiff, leading from as early as the third minute when David Brooks slammed in a rebound from Wilson's shot.

The Welsh looked to be on easy street when Neco Williams thumped in a free-kick tapped to him by Wilson - but Teemu Pukki took advantage of some sleepy defending to keep it interesting at the interval.

Straight after the restart, though, Tottenham Hotspur forward Brennan Johnson restored the two-goal lead after poaching from close range.

Cymru then had countless chances to put the tie to bed before James did just that by racing through and taking advantage of a dreadful mistake by the Finnish defender.

Certainly then, it has been a rollercoaster few days for the 26-year-old with the period finishing on a rather big dip.

James, though, still has plenty to play for this season with his club side Leeds at the top of the Championship heading into the run-in.

Head coach Page can also look ahead to the next campaign having been assured by Football Association of Wales bosses that his position is not in doubt. 

However, for Poland, a summer adventure now awaits with matches in neighbouring Germany against Netherlands in Hamburg on Sunday 16 June (2pm), Austria in Berlin on Friday 21 June (5pm), and France in Dortmund on Tuesday 25 June (5pm).

PATH [B]	SF1	ISRAEL	1-4	ICELAND	Budapest
		Zahavi 31pen		Gudmundsson 39, 83, 87 Traustason 42
	SF2	BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA	1-2	UKRAINE	Zenica
		Matvienko 56og		Yaremchuk 85, Dovbyk 88
	FINAL	UKRAINE	2-1	ICELAND	Wroclaw
		Tsygankov 54, Mudryk 84		Gudmundsson 30

UKRAINE provided a rare good news story for its war-weary public by becoming the comeback kids of this playoff competition to qualify for a fourth successive European Championship.

Trailing 1-0 in both the semi final away to Bosnia-Herzegovina and in the final against Iceland, the Ukrainians turned both ties around to win 2-1.

The comeback in the semi final was particularly dramatic - Serhiy Rebrov's men were trailing right up until the 85th-minute when Roman Yaremchuk pulled Ukraine back level.

But, for good measure, the visitors stunned the home crowd again three minutes later as Artem Dovbyk headed in the winner.

It was tough on the Bosnians who were looking to qualify for a first European Championship finals since gaining their hard-won independence in the 1990s - although the Dragons did appear at the 2014 World Cup.

However, Ukraine themselves had suffered late devastation in the qualifying group when they were denied what looked like a clear last-minute penalty in their final game against Italy which, if scored, would have put them through.

By now, the momentum was back with the Ukrainians - although the ongoing invasion by Vladimir Putin's pariah state Russia forced their "home" final to be hosted in the Polish city of Wroclaw.

Moreover, Iceland refused to read the script - and, on 30 minutes, the in-form forward Albert Gudmundsson worked some space for himself and hit a thumping shot into the corner from just outside of the D. 

Ukraine had another comeback mission to complete - and they quickly responded with a barrage of shots including an effort from Yaremchuk which was correctly ruled offside.

But, early in the second half, an equaliser did arrive as Viktor Tsyhankov cut inside from the right and neatly found the bottom left corner.

The tie was in the balance as the clock wound down and Gudmundsson - who hit a hat-trick in the 4-1 semi final thumping of Israel - shot narrowly wide.

With just over five minutes left, though, Mykhailo Mudryk made his effort count, finding exactly the same spot of the net as Tsyhankov had earlier.

Ukraine were going through to the finals after all, having been in any case probably unluckiest of all the teams to end up in the playoffs.

Indeed, a talented set of players should be competitive this summer in Group E against Romania in Munich on Monday 17 June (2pm), Slovakia in Düsseldorf on Friday 21 June (2pm) and Belgium in Stuttgart on Wednesday 26 June (5pm).

PATH [C]	SF1	GEORGIA	2-0	LUXEMBOURG	Tblisi
		Zivzivadze 40, 63
	SF2	GREECE	5-0	KAZAKHSTAN	Athens
		Bakasetas 9pen, Pelkas 15 Ioannidis 37, Kourbelis 40 Tapalov 86og
	FINAL	GEORGIA	0-0	GREECE	Tblisi
		won 4-2 on penalties	aet

GEORGIA qualified for their first ever major tournament finals by shocking Greece on penalties amid a red-hot atmosphere in Tblisi. 

In another largely chanceless encounter, Euro 2004 winners Greece dominated possession and came closest to scoring when West Ham United defender Konstantinos Mavropanos hit the bar with a powerful header in the first part of extra time.

That was swiftly followed by the closest effort to a goal from Georgia as Georges Mikautadze breached the offside trap and set up Zuriko Davitashvili.

Otherwise, the most notable moment until the penalty shootout came on the stroke of half time when a series of tetchy fouls resulted in members from both benches storming onto the pitch.

Onto penalties - and Greece made a nightmare start to the shootout after Anastasios Bakasetas had his effort saved.

And so, Georgia - kicking first - went 2-0 up through Giorgi Kochorashvili and Davitashvili before Georgios Masouras got Greece on the board.

That seemed enough to unnerve Mikautadze who missed the target altogether before Andreas Bouchalakis brought Hellas level at 2-2 from three kicks.

But the Georgians restored their lead through Lasha Dvali and, after striker Georgios Giakoumakis had rolled his penalty wide, all Nikoloz Kvekveskiri needed to do was keep his cool.

Kvekveskiri obliged to send the crowd at the Boris Paitchadze National Stadium into a wild frenzy with hundreds of fans bounding onto the pitch in joyous celebration.

Earlier, Georgia ended Luxembourg's own dreams of a first major finals appearance after the Luxembourgers belied their minnow status in the Nations League - while also giving a good showing in their qualifying group.

A keenly contested semi final turned on a mad sequence of events early in the second half. First, Georgia were denied a penalty by Spanish referee Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez then Gerson Rodrigues scored what appeared to be an equaliser for Luxembourg.

However, the Video Assistant Referee intervened and - fully three minutes after Rodrigues had hit the net - the officials ruled that Mikautadze had been brought down by Maxime Chanot.

The offence was deemed to have occurred outside of the box - but, as last man, Chanot was sent off. Play restarted with the resultant free-kick to Georgia while the Luxembourg equaliser was ruled out.

Unsurprisingly, a deflated and shorthanded Luxembourg struggled to mount much of a comeback after that - and Budu Zivzivadze soon scored his second of the game to put the tie out of reach.

In the other semi final, Greece thumped Kazakhstan - another side without any previous tournament experience - putting the tie in Athens beyond any doubt with a 4-0 lead at the interval before going on to win 5-0.

The Greeks, though, failed to carry through that goalscoring form to the final against the most talented all-round Georgian outfit since their independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

As such, Georgia will take on neighbours Turkey in Dortmund on Tuesday 18 June (5pm), Czech Republic in Hamburg on Saturday 22 June (2pm), and Portugal in Gelsenkirchen on Wednesday 26 June (8pm).

(Q) POLAND [A], UKRAINE [B] and GEORGIA [C] qualified for Euro 2024 via the playoffs 

🟥 COMPLETED EURO 2024 DRAW 🟥

GROUP A	GROUP B	GROUP C	GROUP D
[A1] GERMANY	[B1] SPAIN	[C1] SLOVENIA	[D1] POLAND
[A2] SCOTLAND	[B2] CROATIA	[C2] DENMARK	[D2] NETHERLANDS
[A3] HUNGARY	[B3] ITALY	[C3] SERBIA	[D3] AUSTRIA
[A4] SWITZERLAND	[B4] ALBANIA	[C4] ENGLAND	[D4] FRANCE
	GROUP E	GROUP F
	[E1] BELGIUM	[F1] TURKEY
	[E2] SLOVAKIA	[F2] GEORGIA
	[E3] ROMANIA	[F3] PORTUGAL
	[E4] UKRAINE	[F4] CZECH REP

GROUP A

14-June	(8pm)	GERMANY v SCOTLAND	Munich  ITV
15-June	(2pm)	HUNGARY v SWITZERLAND	Cologne  ITV
19-June	(5pm)	GERMANY v HUNGARY	Stuttgart  BBC
19-June	(8pm)	SCOTLAND v SWITZERLAND	Cologne  BBC
23-June	(8pm)	SWITZERLAND v GERMANY	Frankfurt  BBC
23-June	(8pm)	SCOTLAND v HUNGARY	Stuttgart  BBC

GROUP B

15-June	(5pm)	SPAIN v CROATIA	Berlin  ITV
15-June	(8pm)	ITALY v ALBANIA	Dortmund  BBC
19-June	(2pm)	CROATIA v ALBANIA	Hamburg  ITV
20-June	(8pm)	SPAIN v ITALY	Gelsenkirchen  ITV
24-June	(8pm)	ALBANIA v SPAIN	Dusseldorf  BBC
24-June	(8pm)	CROATIA v ITALY	Leipzig  BBC

GROUP C

16-June	(5pm)	SLOVENIA v DENMARK	Stuttgart  ITV
16-June	(8pm)	SERBIA v ENGLAND	Gelsenkirchen  BBC
20-June	(2pm)	SLOVENIA v SERBIA	Munich  ITV
20-June	(5pm)	DENMARK v ENGLAND	Frankfurt  BBC
25-June	(8pm)	ENGLAND v SLOVENIA	Cologne  ITV
25-June	(8pm)	DENMARK v SERBIA	Munich  ITV

GROUP D

16-June	(2pm)	POLAND v NETHERLANDS	Hamburg  BBC
17-June	(8pm)	AUSTRIA v FRANCE	Dusseldorf  ITV
21-June	(5pm)	POLAND v AUSTRIA	Berlin  ITV
21-June	(8pm)	NETHERLANDS v FRANCE	Leipzig  BBC
25-June	(5pm)	NETHERLANDS v AUSTRIA	Berlin  BBC
25-June	(5pm)	FRANCE v POLAND	Dortmund  BBC

GROUP E

17-June	(2pm)	ROMANIA v UKRAINE	Munich  BBC
17-June	(5pm)	BELGIUM v SLOVAKIA	Frankfurt  ITV
21-June	(2pm)	SLOVAKIA v UKRAINE	Dusseldorf  BBC
22-June	(8pm)	BELGIUM v ROMANIA	Cologne  ITV
26-June	(5pm)	SLOVAKIA v ROMANIA	Frankfurt  BBC
26-June	(5pm)	UKRAINE v BELGIUM	Stuttgart  BBC

GROUP F

18-June	(5pm)	TURKEY v GEORGIA	Dortmund  BBC
18-June	(8pm)	PORTUGAL v CZECH REPUBLIC	Leipzig  BBC
22-June	(2pm)	GEORGIA v CZECH REPUBLIC	Hamburg  BBC
22-June	(5pm)	TURKEY v PORTUGAL	Dortmund  ITV
26-June	(8pm)	GEORGIA v PORTUGAL	Gelsenkirchen  ITV
26-June	(8pm)	CZECH REPUBLIC v TURKEY	Hamburg  ITV

LAST 16

29-June	(5pm)	[38]  RUNNER-UP A v RUNNER-UP B	Berlin
29-June	(8pm)	[37]  WINNER A v RUNNER-UP C	Dortmund
30-June	(5pm)	[40]  WINNER C v THIRD PLACE D/E/F	Gelsenkirchen
30-June	(8pm)	[39]  WINNER B v THIRD PLACE A/D/E/F	Cologne
01-July	(5pm)	[42]  RUNNER-UP D v RUNNER-UP E	Dusseldorf
01-July	(8pm)	[41]  WINNER F v THIRD PLACE A/B/C	Frankfurt
02-July	(5pm)	[43]  WINNER E v THIRD PLACE A/B/C/D	Munich
02-July	(8pm)	[44]  WINNER D v RUNNER-UP F	Leipzig

QUARTER FINALS

05-July	(5pm)	(45)  WINNER [39] v WINNER [37]	Stuttgart
05-July	(8pm)	(46)  WINNER [41] v WINNER [42]	Hamburg
06-July	(5pm)	(48)  WINNER [40] v WINNER [38]	Dusseldorf
06-July	(8pm)	(47)  WINNER [43] v WINNER [44]	Berlin

SEMI FINALS

09-July	(8pm)	WINNER (45) v WINNER (46)	Munich
10-July	(8pm)	WINNER (47) v WINNER (48)	Dortmund

Euro 2016: Wembley should share the wealth

ENGLAND head into this week's Euro 2016 qualifiers against the might of San Marino and Estonia well aware that last month's win in Switzerland has already gone a long way to secure a place at the finals. 

The ludicrous expansion of the Championships to 24 teams means the Three Lions can finish third in their group and still make it through. 

And, with six points surely coming in these two games against opponents ranked 208th and 81st respectively, there would seem to be very little to get excited about.  

Just as much was admitted by head coach Roy Hodgson at the start of the season when he said: "We'll find it hard to bring attendances back because the opponents we're playing won't excite the public."

Hodgson was speaking after a 1-0 friendly win over Norway only attracted 40,181 fans to the National Stadium. The crowd for San Marino is not expected to be much higher.

Of course, not all of this is the fault of England or the Football Association. 

Part of the reason for the low crowd will be down to the intolerably tedious nature of these qualifiers, as organised by UEFA.

Meanwhile, another UEFA initiative for Euro 2016 has been to spread the qualifiers out in a 'Week of Football' - naturally, all geared towards the television audience.

But kick-offs on midweek evenings are not much good for England fans living far outside of the radius of the M25.

Here, then, is where the FA should step in by taking some of the national team's matches back up north. 

After all, the atmosphere of around 40-50,000 in Anfield or St James Park would be immeasurably better than the lost cries of a few rattling voices in a half-empty Wembley. 

There is also the desperate need for the England team to reconnect to all of its supporters, including those in the north, following the drab World Cup exit - and matches outside the capital would, at least, be a start.

Sadly, this is not going to happen any time soon. The £757m debt incurred from building Wembley means the Three Lions are committed to play all of their home games at the stadium for the next eight or nine years.

But, surely a restructuring of the repayments could be considered if such an arrangement allowed England to go on tour every now and then.

For every now and then is all it would be - as I am not actually against the National Stadium.

Indeed, I personally admire the redesign of Wembley and its impressive arch - coincidentally, one of the first London landmarks that can be seen from the north on the M1.

It is just as clear, though, that the growing divide between the capital and the rest of the country has already also seeped into perceptions of the national team.

"London FC", a derisive Twitter nickname for the national team, is beginning to stick, no matter how many players from Liverpool or other northern teams are in the squad.

Meanwhile, the regular and unseemly sight of the empty Club Wembley seats near the tunnel can only cause a further disconnect.

And so, while England are already in no peril of missing out on a place at Euro 2016, the Football Association seems to be playing its own dangerous game with its failure to engage the whole of the nation.

Yes, London proudly stands one of the world's most important cities - but England always has been, and always should be about more than its capital.

MATCHDAY TWO FIXTURES
09-Oct Group C, Group E, Group G
10-Oct Group A, Group B, Group H
11-Oct Group D, Group F, Group I

MATCHDAY THREE FIXTURES
12-Oct Group C, Group E, Group G
13-Oct Group A, Group B, Group H
14-Oct Group D, Group F, Group I

GROUP A Netherlands, Czech Republic, Turkey, Latvia, Iceland, Kazakhstan

10-Oct	19:45	Latvia	0-3	Iceland	Riga
10-Oct	19:45	Netherlands	3-1	Kazakhstan	Amsterdam
10-Oct	19:45	Turkey	1-2	Czech Republic	Istanbul

13-Oct	17:00	Kazakhstan	2-4	Czech Republic	Astana
13-Oct	19:45	Iceland	2-0	Netherlands	Reykjavik
13-Oct	19:45	Latvia	1-1	Turkey	Riga

GROUP B Bosnia-Herzegovina, Belgium, Israel, Wales, Cyprus, Andorra

10-Oct	19:45	Belgium	6-0	Andorra	Brussels
10-Oct	19:45	Cyprus	1-2	Israel	Nicosia
10-Oct	19:45	Wales	0-0	Bosnia-Herzegovina	Cardiff

13-Oct	19:45	Andorra	1-4	Israel	Andorra la Vella
13-Oct	19:45	Bosnia-Herzegovina	1-1	Belgium	Zenica
13-Oct	19:45	Wales	2-1	Cyprus	Cardiff

GROUP C Spain, Ukraine, Slovakia, Belarus, FYR Macedonia, Luxembourg

09-Oct	19:45	Belarus	0-2	Ukraine	Barysaw
09-Oct	19:45	FYR Macedonia	3-2	Luxembourg	Skopje
09-Oct	19:45	Slovakia	2-1	Spain	Zilina

12-Oct	17:00	Ukraine	1-0	FYR Macedonia	Lviv
12-Oct	19:45	Belarus	1-3	Slovakia	Barysaw
12-Oct	19:45	Luxembourg	0-4	Spain	Luxembourg City

GROUP D Germany, Republic of Ireland, Poland, Scotland, Georgia, Gibraltar

11-Oct	17:00	Republic of Ireland	7-0	Gibraltar	Dublin
11-Oct	17:00	Scotland	1-0	Georgia	Glasgow
11-Oct	19:45	Poland	2-0	Germany	Warsaw

14-Oct	19:45	Germany	1-1	Republic of Ireland	Gelsenkirchen
14-Oct	19:45	Gibraltar	0-3	Georgia	Faro, Portugal
14-Oct	19:45	Poland	2-2	Scotland	Warsaw

GROUP E England, Switzerland, Slovenia, Estonia, Lithuania, San Marino

09-Oct	19:45	England	5-0	San Marino	London
09-Oct	19:45	Lithuania	1-0	Estonia	Vilnius
09-Oct	19:45	Slovenia	1-0	Switzerland	Maribor

12-Oct	17:00	Estonia	0-1	England	Tallinn
12-Oct	19:45	Lithuania	0-2	Slovenia	Vilnius
12-Oct	19:45	San Marino	0-4	Switzerland	Serravalle

GROUP F Greece, Hungary, Romania, Finland, Northern Ireland, Faroe Islands

11-Oct	17:00	Romania	1-1	Hungary	Bucharest
11-Oct	19:45	Finland	1-1	Greece	Helsinki
11-Oct	19:45	Northern Ireland	2-0	Faroe Islands	Belfast

14-Oct	19:45	Faroe Islands	0-1	Hungary	Torshavn
14-Oct	19:45	Finland	0-2	Romania	Helsinki
14-Oct	19:45	Greece	0-2	Northern Ireland	Piraeus

GROUP G Russia, Sweden, Austria, Montenegro, Moldova, Liechtenstein

09-Oct	19:45	Liechtenstein	0-0	Montenegro	Vaduz
09-Oct	19:45	Moldova	1-2	Austria	Chisinau
09-Oct	19:45	Sweden	1-1	Russia	Solna

12-Oct	17:00	Austria	1-0	Montenegro	Vienna
12-Oct	17:00	Russia	1-1	Moldova	Moscow
12-Oct	19:45	Sweden	2-0	Liechtenstein	Solna

GROUP H Italy, Croatia, Norway, Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, Malta

10-Oct	19:45	Bulgaria	0-1	Croatia	Sofia
10-Oct	19:45	Italy	2-1	Azerbaijan	Palermo
10-Oct	19:45	Malta	0-3	Norway	Ta' Qali

13-Oct	19:45	Croatia	6-0	Azerbaijan	Osijek
13-Oct	19:45	Malta	0-1	Italy	Ta' Qali
13-Oct	19:45	Norway	2-1	Bulgaria	Oslo

GROUP I Portugal, Denmark, Serbia, Armenia, Albania, [France]

11-Oct	17:00	Armenia	1-1	Serbia	Yerevan
11-Oct	19:45	Albania	1-1	Denmark	Elbasan
11-Oct	19:45	France	2-1	Portugal	Saint-Denis

14-Oct	17:00	Armenia	0-3	France	Yerevan
14-Oct	19:45	Denmark	0-1	Portugal	Copenhagen
14-Oct	19:45	Serbia	A-A	Albania	Belgrade

Match abandoned on 40 minutes after a flag promoting Greater Albania flew over the pitch. The flag was seized by a Serbia player, which led to a brief scuffle between players from both sides and major violence involving Serbian fans. The score was 0–0.

World Cup 2014: Back home

WORLD CUP 2014

Preview - Groups A-D - Groups E-H - Complete results

England v Italy - England v Uruguay - England v Costa Rica

GROUP A Brazil and Mexico qualify

Thu 12-Jun	BRAZIL	3-1	CROATIA	Sao Paulo
9pm ITV	Neymar 29, 71(pen) Oscar 90+1		Marcelo (og) 11
Fri 13-Jun	MEXICO	1-0	CAMEROON	Natal
5pm ITV	Peralta 61
Tue 17-Jun	BRAZIL	0-0	MEXICO	Fortaleza
8pm BBC
Wed 18-Jun	CAMEROON	0-4	CROATIA	Manaus
11pm ITV			Olic 11, Perisic 48  Mandzukic 61, 73
Mon 23-Jun	CAMEROON	1-4	BRAZIL	Brasilia
9pm ITV	Matip 26		Neymar 17, 35 Fred 49, Fernandinho 84
Mon 23-Jun	CROATIA	1-3	MEXICO	Recife
9pm ITV	Perisic 87		Marquez 72, Guardado 75 Hernandez 82

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
(Q) BRAZIL	2	1	0	7	2	7
(Q) MEXICO	2	1	0	4	1	7
Croatia	1	0	2	6	6	3
Cameroon	0	0	3	1	9	0

GROUP B Netherlands and Chile qualify

Fri 13-Jun	SPAIN	1-5	NETHERLANDS	Salvador
8pm BBC	Alonso 27(pen)		Van Persie 43, 72 Robben 53, 80, De Vrij 64
Fri 13-Jun	CHILE	3-1	AUSTRALIA	Cuiaba
11pm ITV	Sanchez 12, Valdivia 14 Beausejour 90+2		Cahill 35
Wed 18-Jun	SPAIN	0-2	CHILE	Rio de Janeiro
8pm BBC			Vargas 20, Aranguiz 43
Wed 18-Jun	AUSTRALIA	2-3	NETHERLANDS	Porto Alegre
5pm ITV	Cahill 21 Jedinak 54(pen)		Robben 20, Van Persie 58 Depay 68
Mon 23-Jun	AUSTRALIA	0-3	SPAIN	Curitiba
5pm ITV			Villa 36, Torres 69  Mata 82
Mon 23-Jun	NETHERLANDS	2-0	CHILE	Sao Paulo
5pm ITV	Fer 77, Depay 90

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
(Q) NETHERLANDS	3	0	0	10	3	9
(Q) CHILE	2	0	1	5	3	6
Spain	1	0	2	4	7	3
Australia	0	0	3	3	9	0

GROUP C Colombia and Greece qualify

Sat 14-Jun	COLOMBIA	3-0	GREECE	Belo Horizonte
5pm BBC	Armero 5, Gutierrez 58 Rodriguez 90+3
Sun 15-Jun	IVORY COAST	2-1	JAPAN	Recife
2am ITV	Bony 64, Gervinho 66		Honda 16
Thu 19-Jun	COLOMBIA	2-1	IVORY COAST	Brasilia
5pm BBC	Rodriguez 64, Quintero 70		Gervinho 73
Thu 19-Jun	JAPAN	0-0	GREECE	Natal
11pm BBC
Tue 24-Jun	JAPAN	1-4	COLOMBIA	Cuiaba
9pm BBC	Okazaki 45+1		Cuadrado 17(pen) Martinez  55, 83 Rodriguez 89
Tue 24-Jun	GREECE	2-1	IVORY COAST	Fortaleza
9pm BBC	Samaris 42, Samaras 90+3		Bony 74

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
(Q) COLOMBIA	3	0	0	9	2	9
(Q) GREECE	1	1	1	2	4	4
Ivory Coast	1	0	2	4	5	3
Japan	0	1	2	2	6	1

GROUP D Costa Rica and Uruguay qualify

Sat 14-Jun	URUGUAY	1-3	COSTA RICA	Fortaleza
8pm ITV	Cavani 24(pen)		Campbell 54, Duarte 57 Urena 84
Sat 14-Jun	ENGLAND	1-2	ITALY	Manaus
11pm BBC	Sturridge 37		Marchisio 35, Balotelli 50
Thu 19-Jun	URUGUAY	2-1	ENGLAND	Sao Paulo
8pm ITV	Suarez 39, 84		Rooney 75
Fri 20-Jun	ITALY	0-1	COSTA RICA	Recife
5pm BBC			Ruiz 44
Tue 24-Jun	ITALY	0-1	URUGUAY	Natal
5pm ITV			Godin 81
Tue 24-Jun	COSTA RICA	0-0	ENGLAND	Belo Horizonte
5pm ITV

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
(Q) COSTA RICA	2	1	0	4	1	7
(Q) URUGUAY	2	0	1	4	4	6
Italy	1	0	2	2	3	3
England	0	1	2	2	4	1

GROUP E France and Switzerland qualify

Sun 15-Jun	SWITZERLAND	2-1	ECUADOR	Brasilia
5pm ITV	Mehmedi 48, Seferovic 90+3		E Valencia 22
Sun 15-Jun	FRANCE	3-0	HONDURAS	Porto Alegre
8pm BBC	Benzema 45(pen), 72 Valladares (og) 48
Fri 20-Jun	SWITZERLAND	2-5	FRANCE	Salvador
8pm ITV	Dzemaili 81, Xhaka 87		Giroud 17, Matuidi 18 Valbuena 40, Benzema 67 Sissoko 73
Fri 20-Jun	HONDURAS	1-2	ECUADOR	Curitiba
11pm ITV	Costly 31		E Valencia 33, 65
Wed 25-Jun	HONDURAS	0-3	SWITZERLAND	Manaus
9pm BBC			Shaqiri 6, 31, 71
Wed 25-Jun	ECUADOR	0-0	FRANCE	Rio de Janeiro
9pm BBC

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
(Q) FRANCE	2	1	0	8	2	7
(Q) SWITZERLAND	2	0	1	7	6	6
Ecuador	1	1	1	3	3	4
Honduras	0	0	3	1	8	0

 
GROUP F Argentina and Nigeria qualify

Sun 15-Jun	ARGENTINA	2-1	BOSNIA-HERZ	Rio de Janeiro
11pm BBC	Kolasinac (og) 3 Messi 65		Ibisevic 85
Mon 16-Jun	IRAN	0-0	NIGERIA	Curitiba
8pm BBC
Sat 21-Jun	ARGENTINA	1-0	IRAN	Belo Horizonte
5pm ITV	Messi 90+1
Sat 21-Jun	NIGERIA	1-0	BOSNIA-HERZ	Cuiaba
11pm BBC	Odemwingie 29
Wed 25-Jun	NIGERIA	2-3	ARGENTINA	Porto Alegre
5pm ITV	Musa 4, 47		Messi 3, 45+1, Rojo 50
Wed 25-Jun	BOSNIA-HERZ	3-1	IRAN	Salvador
5pm ITV	Dzeko 23, Pjanic 59 Vrsajevic 83		Ghoochannejhad 82

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
(Q) ARGENTINA	3	0	0	6	3	9
(Q) NIGERIA	1	1	1	3	3	4
Bosnia-Herzegovina	1	0	2	4	4	3
Iran	0	1	2	1	4	1

GROUP G Germany and United States qualify

Mon 16-Jun	GERMANY	4-0	PORTUGAL	Salvador
5pm ITV	Muller 12(pen), 45+1, 78 Hummels 32
Mon 16-Jun	GHANA	1-2	UNITED STATES	Natal
11pm BBC	A Ayew 82		Dempsey 1, Brooks 86
Sat 21-Jun	GERMANY	2-2	GHANA	Fortaleza
8pm BBC	Gotze 51, Klose 71		A Ayew 54, Gyan 63
Sun 22-Jun	UNITED STATES	2-2	PORTUGAL	Manaus
11pm BBC	Jones 64, Dempsey 81		Nani 5, Varela 90+5
Thu 26-Jun	UNITED STATES	0-1	GERMANY	Recife
5pm BBC			Muller 55
Thu 26-Jun	PORTUGAL	2-1	GHANA	Brasilia
5pm BBC	Boye (og) 31, Ronaldo 80		Gyan 57

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
(Q) GERMANY	2	1	0	7	3	7
(Q) UNITED STATES	1	1	1	4	4	4
Portugal	1	1	1	4	7	4
Ghana	0	1	2	4	6	1

GROUP H Belgium and Algeria qualify

Tue 17-Jun	BELGIUM	2-1	ALGERIA	Belo Horizonte
5pm ITV	Fellaini 70, Mertens 80		Feghouli 25(pen)
Tue 17-Jun	RUSSIA	1-1	SOUTH KOREA	Cuiaba
11pm BBC	Kerzhakov 74		Keun-ho 68
Sun 22-Jun	BELGIUM	1-0	RUSSIA	Rio de Janeiro
5pm BBC	Origi 88
Sun 22-Jun	SOUTH KOREA	2-4	ALGERIA	Porto Alegre
8pm ITV	Son 49, Koo 72		Slimani 26, Halliche 28 Djabou 38, Brahimi 62
Thu 26-Jun	SOUTH KOREA	0-1	BELGIUM	Sao Paulo
9pm ITV			Vertonghen 77
Thu 26-Jun	ALGERIA	1-1	RUSSIA	Curitiba
9pm ITV	Slimani 59		Kokorin 6

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
(Q) BELGIUM	3	0	0	4	1	9
(Q) ALGERIA	1	1	1	6	5	4
Russia	0	2	1	2	3	2
South Korea	0	1	2	3	6	1

FIRST ROUND FALLERS
Group A - Croatia W1 D0 L2 F6 A6 Pts 3 - Rank 19
Ultimately for Croatia, it came down to a winner-takes-all match against Mexico following an unfortunate opening day defeat to Brazil and a 4-0 thrashing of Cameroon. But Mexico, who struggled through qualifying, have been one of the surprise packages of the World Cup and richly deserved their 3-1 win which dumped Niko Kovac's Croatians out. 
 
Group A - Cameroon W0 D0 L3 F1 A9 Pts 0 - Rank 32
A disaster from start to finish - or perhaps even before the World Cup started - with the Cameroon players predictably indulging in a row over bonuses. There were no win bonuses to be had anyway as Cameroon's seventh appearance in the finals ended with them racking up a record seventh successive defeat, stretching back to 2002. Starting with a 1-0 loss to Mexico which could have been much worse, the Indomitable Lions completely collapsed in their second match against Croatia, losing Alex Song to a reckless sending off on their way to going down 4-0. In a bizarre moment towards the end of that game, Benoit Assou-Ekotto landed a headbutt on team-mate Benjamin Moukandjo. The campaign ended with a 4-1 defeat to the hosts Brazil to leave Cameroon ranked last of the 32 teams competing.

Group B - Spain W1 D0 L2 F4 A7 Pts 3 - Rank 23
The end of an era - as Spain, winner of their previous three major tournaments, went out of this World Cup after just two games. Yet, even during the course of the first match, a Spanish implosion looked unlikely. Vicente del Bosque's men led 1-0 and David Silva had just missed a good chance to double the lead when Robin Van Persie equalised with a brilliant diving header. But, after half time, the game turned on its head as Van Persie and Arjen Robben proceeded to rip apart the ageing Spain defence with goalkeeper Iker Casillas, in particular, enduring a horrible night. On the back of the 5-1 defeat, Spain moved on to face Chile - but the South Americans high-pressing game proved too much for the vulnerable defence in a 2-0 defeat. David Villa and Fernando Torres scored, along with Juan Mata, in a 3-0 defeat of Australia in the dead-rubber. It was a sharp reminder of what La Roja once were. 

Group B - Australia W0 D0 L3 F3 A9 Pts 0 - Rank 30
The lowest-ranked team of the tournament unsurprisingly went out in the group stage, losing all three games in a very tough group. Nevertheless, the youthful Socceroos can head home with their heads held high - and with a strong candidate for goal of the tournament following Tim Cahill's stupendous volley against the Netherlands. That made it 1-1 against the Dutch in Porto Alegre - and when Mile Jedinak converted a penalty early in the second half, it looked as if there was going to be a huge shock. Ultimately, the Dutch stepped up their game to win 3-2, and that comeback - along with the Aussies' stage-fright in going 2-0 down to Chile after just 14 minutes, were the vital moments of a campaign which finished in rather anti-climatic fashion against a Spain team with something to prove.   

Group C - Ivory Coast W1 D0 L2 F4 A5 Pts 3 - Rank 21
Just what will it take for Ivory Coast to progress through the group stage at a World Cup? Handed two fiendishly difficult groups in 2006 and 2010, it looked as if the Ivorians had cracked it this time, particularly when Wilfried Bony and Gervinho overturned Japan's surprise lead in their first match. A 2-1 reverse to Colombia was disappointing, but not unexpected - and left the Elephants with the task of holding their nerve against Greece. Instead, they seemed to panic - even when Bony equalised Andreas Samaris' goal, one last Greek attack ended with Georgios Samaras converting a stoppage-time penalty he had won himself. Off the field, the Toure brothers, Yaya and Kolo, had to deal with the difficult news that their brother Ibrahim had died of cancer.
 
Group C - Japan W0 D1 L2 F2 A6 Pts 1 - Rank 29
Keisuke Honda's goal against Ivory Coast gave Japan an ideal start to this World Cup - but that was about as good as it got for the Blue Samurai. The Ivorians came back to win 2-1 and, although Japan kept themselves in with a shout of a Last 16 place with a dull 0-0 draw against Greece, a heavy defeat to the free-scoring Colombians showed exactly how just short of the required standard they were.
 
Group D - Italy W1 D0 L2 F2 A3 Pts 3 - Rank 22
Despite an ideal start - victory over England in the first match - Italy failed to make it through the group phase for the second World Cup in a row. A lacklustre performance in the second match against Costa Rica got exactly what it deserved - a 1-0 defeat - and that scoreline was repeated in a winner-takes-all clash against Uruguay. A hot-headed encounter saw Claudio Marchisio sent off for a studs-up challenge - but the real controversy came, inevitably, through Luis Suarez and his bite on the shoulder of Giorgio Chellini. One minute later, the Azzurri were behind to Diego Godin's header with barely any time to rescue the game. Coach Cesare Prandelli and the head of the FA Giancarlo Abete have both resigned.
 
Group D - England W0 D1 L2 F2 A4 Pts 1 - Rank 26
Somewhat encouraging against Italy, dreadfully disappointing against Uruguay and downright dull against Costa Rica. All the matches have already been covered on this site - so I am not going to scratch the Three Lions' wound any harder, thank you.
 
Group E - Ecuador W1 D1 L1 F3 A3 Pts 4 - Rank 17
Sixty seconds of Ecuador's opening match against Switzerland would sum up a campaign which fitted the phrase so near yet so far. Level at 1-1 into stoppage time, La Tri had a glorious chance for a famous World Cup win - but the ball was scrambled clear and, seconds later, Haris Seferovic had slammed in a glorious Swiss winner on the break. It actually then got worse before it got better with the impressive Enner Valencia hitting his second and third goals of the tournament to overturn a shock Honduran opener - and so the results heading into the last day meant that Ecuador only had to match Switzerland's result to go through. But, while the Swiss recovered their goal difference, previously damaged by France, by beating Honduras 3-0, Ecuador toiled against the French in a 0-0 draw. Their cause was hardly helped by Antonio Valencia's sending off - though the level of caution exercised even late on in the match had to be seen to be believed. 

Group E - Honduras W0 D0 L3 F1 A8 Pts 0 - Rank 31
Probably the kindest thing to write here is that Honduras will not be much missed from the World Cup, their thuggish attitude out of place in this wonderfully free-flowing tournament. Their 'style' of play was evident from the start, Wilson Palacios seeing red against France in a 3-0 defeat. A second loss to Ecuador followed, although La Bicolor at least managed to score their first finals goal since 1982 when Carlo Costly gave them a brief lead. Xherdan Shaqiri's hat-trick for Switzerland ended slim hopes of progression in the last round of matches, Honduras returning home without a point. 

Group F - Bosnia-Herzegovina W1 D0 L2 F4 A4 Pts 3 - Rank 20
Bosnia-Herzegovina belatedly stepped up to the mark, goals from Edin Dzeko, Miralem Pjanic and Avdija Vrsajevic giving them a first ever World Cup finals win. Their first goal in the finals was actually scored by Vedad Ibisevic against Argentina - but a nightmare start, featuring an own goal from Sead Kolasinac, meant it was no more than a consolation. A 1-0 loss to Nigeria in the second game sent the Bosnians out, and so the historic 3-1 victory over Iran was effectively too little, too late. It did, at least, take the Dragons off the bottom of Group F and the whole experience should prove vital in years to come for a clearly talented generation of footballers. Coach Safet Susic is not sticking around, though - he has resigned.

Group F - Iran W0 D1 L2 F1 A4 Pts 1 - Rank 28
Proof, if it were needed, that an overly-cautious approach was not the right attitude for this World Cup. Desperately boring in an opening 0-0 against Nigeria, the Iranians actually came out their shell and missed some good chances against Argentina, only to go down to a last-minute Lionel Messi strike. Team Melli still harboured some hope of a Last 16 place but these were quickly extinguished by already-eliminated Bosnia-Herzegovina. A late goal by Charlton Athletic striker Reza Ghoochannejhad at least ensured the Iranians did not go home without a goal - and, indeed, it meant that none of the 32 teams in Brazil failed to score at least once. Ongoing sanctions continue to bite hard into Iranian football with Carlos Queiroz unable to be kept on.

Group G - Portugal W1 D1 L1 F4 A7 Pts 4 - Rank 18
Portugal were still paying for Pepe's stupidity in getting sent off for a headbutt right until the very end of the group phase after their 4-0 opening defeat to Germany left them with too much to do. Indeed, the Portuguese could have been out after two games after falling 2-1 behind to the United States in a disjointed performance. But, into the fifth minute of stoppage time, the otherwise well-shackled Cristiano Ronaldo escaped on the right and produced a brilliant cross for Silvestre Valera to convert. That point still left A Selecção with much to do as their goal difference was far inferior to the Americans - but they probably could have made it up against Ghana if Ronaldo had managed to take all of his chances. As it was, Portugal did win - but only by 2-1 and so they head home after the group stages for the first time since 2002. Talisman Ronaldo will be 33 by the time of the next World Cup in Russia.

Group G - Ghana W0 D1 L2 F4 A6 Pts 1 - Rank 25
Ghana failed to make it through the group stages of a World Cup for the first time amid acrimony in the squad over unpaid bonuses. It has been reported the Black Stars' players even needed a phone call from their country's president to get them on a plane to Brasilia for the decisive group game against Portugal - though it did not do them much good anyway. A comical John Boye own goal and a Cristiano Ronaldo strike gave the Portuguese a consolation win and left Ghana bottom despite encouraging performances in the 2-1 defeat to the United States and the 2-2 draw against Germany which was probably game of the tournament so far.

Group H - Russia W0 D2 L1 F2 A3 Pts 2 - Rank 24
For Russia under Fabio Capello in 2014, refer to England under the Italian in 2010 - except for a fortunate group stage win. Deathly dull throughout, the Russians battled their way to a 1-1 draw in their opening match against South Korea before being beaten by a late Belgium goal in their second game. At this point with England four years ago, Capello won his final group match against Slovenia to progress - and it looked as if history really was going to repeat itself when Russia took a 1-0 lead against Algeria. But Islam Slimani's controversial second half equaliser sent the North Africans through at Russia's expense, Capello's men having scored just twice and failed to win any of their games. Much more will be expected in four years time when Russia will host the World Cup for the first time.

Group H - South Korea W0 D1 L2 F3 A6 Pts 1 - Rank 27
South Korea have gone a long way backwards since reaching the semi finals of their home World Cup in 2002. Now placed outside of the top 50 in the FIFA rankings, the Koreans looked short on quality right through the group stage, scraping a draw against Russia thanks to a goalkeeping error before being comfortably beaten by Algeria in the first ever instance of an African team hitting four goals in a single World Cup match. Still with a slim chance of progression in the last round of matches, the Koreans were given a chance against Belgium when Steven Defour stupidly got himself sent off in first half stoppage time. But still the Taeguk Warriors could not take advantage - and, indeed, Belgium earned a third narrow win through Jan Vertonghen's goal to leave the Koreans bottom of the group.

Rank Teams ranked in places 17 to 32 by points scored, goal difference then goals scored.