2014 FIFA World Cup Football/Soccer Thread

[BroadwayBomber55]

Jerome Valcke says Brazil picking up the pace for World Cup
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201...eref=si_soccer

[BroadwayBomber55]

Instant Replay: Goal-line technology gets FIFA nod
http://espn.go.com/sports/soccer/sto...s-muslim-women

[EvanJ]

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/prelimi.../fixtures.html has the schedule. Starting at midnight, Solomon Islands hosts Tahiti. The USA is at Jamaica at 8:00 P.M. tomorrow.

[BroadwayBomber55]

BB55's Picks - 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying - Europe (UEFA)

First Round

Group A
1. Belgium
2. Croatia
3. Serbia
4. Macedonia
5. Scotland
6. Wales

Group B
1. Italy
2. Czech Republic
3. Denmark
4. Bulgaria
5. Armenia
6. Malta

Group C
1. Germany
2. Sweden
3. Republic of Ireland
4. Austria
5. Kazakhstan
6. Faroe Islands

Group D
1. Netherlands
2. Turkey
3. Hungary
4. Romania
5. Estonia
6. Andorra

Group E
1. Switzerland
2. Slovenia
3. Norway
4. Cyprus
5. Iceland
6. Albania

Group F
1. Russia
2. Portugal
3. Israel
4. Northern Ireland
5. Azerbaijan
6. Luxembourg

Group G
1. Greece
2. Slovakia
3. Bosnia and Herzegovina
4. Lithuania
5. Latvia
6. Leichtenstein

Group H
1. England
2. Ukraine
3. Montenegro
4. Poland
5. Moldova
6. San Marino

Group I
1. Spain
2. France
3. Finland
4. Belarus
5. Georgia

8 Best Second-Place Finishers to qualify for UEFA Second Round - Play-Off: France, Ukraine, Slovakia, Portugal, Czech Republic, Turkey, Slovenia, Sweden

[BroadwayBomber55]

BB55's Picks - 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying - Oceania (OFC)

Third Round

Note: Group winner plays the fourth-placed CONCACAF team in the OFC-CONCACAF Inter-confederation Play-Off.

1. New Zealand
2. Solomon Islands
3. New Caledonia
4. Tahiti

[BroadwayBomber55]

2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying - Oceania (OFC)

OFC Third Round

Group Matchday 1 FT Scores: September 7, 2012

From FIFA.com

New Zealand blanked New Caledonia 2-0 ahead of their first clash against Solomon Islands.

Perth Glory striker Shane Smeltz drew first blood for the All Whites 12 minutes in before West Bromwich Albion striker Chris Wood sealed the points in the 40th minute.

Meanwhile, Solomon Islands pitched a 2-0 shutout against Tahiti.

Henry Fa'arodo and Himson Teleda struck for Solomon Islands as they are tied with New Zealand at the top of the OFC Third Round standings with three points and a +2 goal differential.

The Kiwis and the Bonitos will face off in Auckland on Tuesday.

07/09/12 18:00 Noumea New Caledonia 0:2 (0:1) New Zealand
07/09/12 15:00 Honiara Solomon Islands 2:0 (1:0) Tahiti

[BroadwayBomber55]

2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying - South America (CONMEBOL)

CONMEBOL Round-Robin

Matchday 7 FT Scores: September 7, 2012

From FIFA.com

Atletico Madrid forward Radamel Falcao set the tone in Colombia's 4-0 rout over defending CONMEBOL Copa America champions and 2-time FIFA World Cup winners Uruguay.

Falcao scored two minutes into the contest which set up a brace from Teófilo Antonio Gutiérrez and a single major from Camilo Zúñiga.

Falcao's former Porto teammate James Rodriguez had two assists.

Lokomotiv Moscow striker Felipe Caicedo scored the only goal of Ecuador's game in the 74th minute as La Tri defeated Bolivia 1-0.

Ronald Raldes bundled Luis Saritama in the area giving Ecuador a penalty which Caicedo tucked it home beautifully.

Argentina hit the top of CONMEBOL qualifying with a 3-1 demolition over Paraguay.

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi scored his fourth goal in 2014 World Cup qualifying and Real Madrid teammates Angel di Maria and Gonzalo Higauin were also on target for the two-time FIFA World Cup winners.

A second half brace from Schalke 04 striker Jefferson Farfan lifts Peru to a 2-1 victory over Venezuela.

Fellow German Bundesliga player, Borussia Mönchengladbach's Juan Arango gave Venezuela a 1-0 lead in the 43rd minute before Farfan's brace gave Peru the three points.

07/09/12 20:25 Lima Peru 2:1 (0:1) Venezuela
07/09/12 20:10 Cordoba Argentina 3:1 (2:1) Paraguay
07/09/12 16:00 Quito Ecuador 1:0 (0:0) Bolivia
07/09/12 15:30 Barranquilla Colombia 4:0 (1:0) Uruguay

[BroadwayBomber55]

2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying - North, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF)

CONCACAF Third Round

Group Matchday 3 FT Scores: September 7, 2012

From FIFA.com

Group A
Jamaica moved one step closer towards the CONCACAF Fourth Round (aka Hexagon) stage of World Cup qualifying and putting a heavy dent on the United States' chances with a 2-1 victory in Kingston's Independence Park.

Tottenham Hotspur forward Clint Dempsey gave the Stars and Stripes a 1-0 lead one minute in.

But Jurgen Klinsmann won't be happy with the U.S. defending again. The Reggaeboyz tied the game at 1 22 minutes in through Leeds United's Rudolph Austin and former Sheffield United player Luton Shelton sealed the win in 62nd minute as Jamaica head into Columbus Crew Stadium on Tuesday leading Group A.

Guatemala tied the U.S. for second in Group A defeating Antigua and Barbuda 3-1.

Former Los Angeles Galaxy forward Carlos Ruiz netted a brace in the win as Guatemala tied with the United States for second with four points.

07/09/12 19:00 Kingston Jamaica 2:1 (1:1) USA
07/09/12 20:00 Guatemala City Guatemala 3:1 (0:1) Antigua and Barbuda

Group B
Mexico is a perfect 3 for 3 and moved one step closer towards the Fourth Round of CONCACAF Qualifying blanking Costa Rica 2-0.

Former PSV Eindhoven and Fulham defender Carlos Salcido gave El Tri a 1-0 lead in the 43rd minute before Jesús Zavala sealed the win seven minutes into the second half.

El Salvador blew a chance to move into second after a 2-2 draw against Guyana.

Goals from Isidro Gutiérrez and Osael Romero were cancelled out by Treyon Bobb's brace.

07/09/12 19:30 San Salvador El Salvador 2:2 (2:1) Guyana
07/09/12 20:05 San Jose Costa Rica 0:2 (0:1) Mexico

Group C
Dwayne De Rosario came through in the clutch again as Canada blanked Panama 1-0 to reach the top of the Group C standings.

The D.C. United attacking playmaker struck with 13 minutes to go.

Honduras blitzed Cuba 3-0 as Jerry Bengtson, Victor Bernárdez and Marvin Chávez were on target for Los Catrachos.

07/09/12 15:00 Havana Cuba 0:3 (0:1) Honduras
07/09/12 19:45 Toronto Canada 1:0 (0:0) Panama

[BroadwayBomber55]

2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying - North, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF)

CONCACAF Third Round

Standings and Scenarios heading into Matchday 4

From FIFA.com

Group A
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Jamaica 3 2 1 0 4 2 +2 7
United States 3 1 1 1 5 4 +1 4
Guatemala 3 1 1 1 5 4 +1 4
Antigua and Barbuda 3 0 1 2 2 6 −4 1

On the next matchday: (September 11)
- Jamaica will advance to the next round if they defeat the United States AND Antigua and Barbuda draw with Guatemala.

- Antigua and Barbuda will be eliminated if they lose to Guatemala AND the United States draw with Jamaica.

Group B
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Mexico 3 3 0 0 7 2 +5 9
Costa Rica 3 1 1 1 6 4 +2 4
El Salvador 3 0 2 1 5 6 −1 2
Guyana 3 0 1 2 3 9 −6 1


On the next matchday: (September 11)
- Mexico will advance to the next round and clinch first place if they defeat Costa Rica.

- Guyana will be eliminated if they lose to El Salvador AND Costa Rica defeat Mexico.

Group C
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Canada 3 2 1 0 2 0 +2 7
Panama 3 2 0 1 3 1 +2 6
Honduras 3 1 1 1 3 2 +1 4
Cuba 3 0 0 3 0 5 −5 0


On the next matchday: (September 11)
- Cuba will be eliminated if they lose to Honduras.

[BroadwayBomber55]

2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying - Europe (UEFA)

First Round

Round-Robin

Group Matchday 1 FT Scores: September 7, 2012

From FIFA.com

Group A
Belgium sent their message in Group A after blanking Wales 2-0.

Two Belgian and EPL defenders struck as Manchester City captain defender Vincent Kompany and former Ajax Amsterdam turned Tottenham Hotspur defender Jan Vertonghen were on target. PSV Eindhoven's Dries Mertens assisted on both goals.

James Collins saw dead red in the 26th minute after his harsh challenge on Guillaume Gillet.

Former Rangers and current Everton young striker Nikica Jelavic scored the only goal for his team in the 69th minute as Croatia defeated Macedonia 1-0.

Jelavic headed in a Ivan Perisic cross for the only goal of the game.

Martin Bogatinov was stellar in net for Macedonia with five saves.

07/09/12 19:45 Cardiff Wales 0:2 (0:1) Belgium
07/09/12 20:15 Zagreb Croatia 1:0 (0:0) FYR Macedonia

Group B
Bulgaria grabbed a point against four-time FIFA World Cup winners Italy in a 2-2 stalemate.

PSV Eindhoven defender Stanislav Manolev gave Bulgaria a shock 1-0 lead in the 30th minute before a brace from Pablo Daniel Osvaldo gave the Azzurri a 2-1 lead.

But Ilijan Micanski finds Georgi Milanov to make it 2-2 in the 66th minute.

Legendary Juventus and Italian captain Gianluigi Buffon stopped the Bulgarian juggernaut from further damage with seven saves.

Artur Sarkisov was Armenia's hero with 20 minutes to go in their 1-0 win over Malta.

Malta GK Andrew Hogg had 8 saves, but Armenia's Gevorg Kasparov recorded a clean sheet with 6 stops.

07/09/12 20:00 Ta'Qali Malta 0:1 (0:0) Armenia
07/09/12 21:45 Sofia Bulgaria 2:2 (1:2) Italy

Group C
Three-time FIFA World Cup winners Germany pasted three goals on the Faroe Islands in their 3-0 win.

Real Madrid playmaking ace Mesut Özil scored twice and Borussia Dortmund forward Mario Gotze scored Germany's third.

Meanwhile, it was a late show comeback by Ireland against a stunned Kazakhstan in a 2-1 victory for Giovanni Trapattoni's men in Astana.

Kairat Nurdauletov took advantage of Ireland's inept first-half performance giving the Kazakh's a 1-0 lead in the 37th minute.

But just when the Republic of Ireland was about to go down in defeat, L.A. Galaxy and Ireland skipper striker Robbie Keane won and scored a penalty with one minute to go after Mikhail Rozhkov bungled over Keane in the area.

One minute later, Ireland booted a free kick into the box and Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Kevin Doyle tucked home a volley with seconds to go to help Ireland escape Astana Arena with the three points.

07/09/12 20:45 Hanover Germany 3:0 (1:0) Faroe Islands
07/09/12 22:00 Astana Kazakhstan 1:2 (1:0) Republic of Ireland

Group D
Two-time FIFA World Cup runners-up Netherlands start their 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign shutting out Turkey 2-0.

Robin Van Persie continues his scoring barrage for both club and country after following up his hat-trick with Manchester United with a header goal off a Wesley Sneijder corner 16 minutes in to give the Oranje a 1-0 lead.

PSV Eindhoven midfielder Luciano Narsingh sealed the win in stoppage time.

Gabriel Torje and Ciprian Marica struck for Romania in Tallinn against Estonia 2-0.

Zoltan Gera's penalty, header goals from Roland Juhasz and Adám Szalai and strikes from Vladimir Koman and Tamas Priskin, who had a goal and assist, lifted Hungary to a 5-0 crippling over Andorra.

07/09/12 20:30 Andorra La Vella Andorra 0:5 (0:2) Hungary
07/09/12 20:30 Amsterdam Netherlands 2:0 (1:0) Turkey
07/09/12 21:00 Tallinn Estonia 0:2 (0:0) Romania

Group E
Switzerland blanked Slovenia 2-0 behind goals from Napoli midfielder Gökhan Inler and Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Granit Xhaka.

Wolfsburg goalkeeper Diego Benaglio had a 5-save shutout.

The only sour note for the Swiss is Tranquillo Barnetta sent off for two yellow cards.

Second half goals from substitutes Edgar Cani and Erjon Bogdani lifted Albania to a 3-1 victory over Cyprus.

Iceland whitewashed Norway 2-0 thanks to goals from Kari Arnason and Alfred Finnbogason and a five-save clean sheet from Hannes Thor Halldorsson.

07/09/12 18:45 Reykjavik Iceland 2:0 (1:0) Norway
07/09/12 20:30 Ljubliana Slovenia 0:2 (0:1) Switzerland
07/09/12 20:30 Tirana Albania 3:1 (1:1) Cyprus

Group F
Russia blanked Northern Ireland 2-0.

Fabio Capello's men drew first blood in the half-hour mark when Zenit St. Petersburg forward Aleksandr Kerzhakov found his teammate Viktor Fayzulin to give Russia a 1-0 lead.

The heated moment came with 12 minutes to go. Craig Cathcart conceded a controversial penalty when he softly bundled Alexander Kokorin in the area. Spanish referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz awarded the spot kick and Catchcart was booked for dissent.

Roman Shirokov rolled in the penalty which left the North fuming at the bit.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 37th international goal in Portugal's 2-1 win over Luxembourg.

Daniel Da Mota Alves gave Luxembourg a 1-0 lead 13 minutes in.

But Ronaldo equalized in the 28th minute and Real Zaragoza forward Helder Postiga gave Portugal the lead in the 54th minute.

Jonathan Joubert made 9 stops for Luxembourg.

Azerbaijan and Israel shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw.

Bebars Natcho gave Israel a 1-0 lead in the 50th minute, but Ruslan Abbasov grabbed a point for Azerbaijan 15 minutes later.

Azerbaijan could've grabbed the three points if it wasn't for Israel goalkeeper Dudu Aouate's stellar performance with 7 saves.

07/09/12 19:00 Moscow Russia 2:0 (1:0) Northern Ireland
07/09/12 20:45 Luxembourg Luxembourg 1:2 (1:1) Portugal
07/09/12 21:00 Baku Azerbaijan 1:1 (0:0) Israel

Group G
Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko and Stuttgart forward Vedad Ibisevic each scored a hat-trick in Bosnia and Herzegovina's 8-1 blowout over Liechtenstein.

Ibisevic had a treble and assist.

Dinamo Moscow midfielder Zvjezdan Misimovic added two goals and assist.

Sejad Salihovic chipped in with two assists.

Asmir Begovic also had four saves for Bosnia.

Greece edged Latvia 2-1 in the second half.

Latvia struck first in the 43rd minute when Schalke 04 defender Kyriakos Papadopoulos had a terrible challenge on Aleksejs Visnjakovs in the area.
Aleksandrs Cauna scored from the spot to give Latvia a 1-0 halftime lead.

But Nikos Spyropoulos made it 1-1 for Fernando Santos's side in the 57th minute and Theofanis Gekas scored the three points for the Pirate Ship in the 70th minute.

Marek Sapara's 41st minute helps Slovakia in a 1-1 draw against Lithuania.

Marius Zaliukas gave Lithuania a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute before Sapara made it 1-1 before halftime.

Zydrunas Karcemarskas also had five saves for Lithuania.

07/09/12 19:00 Vaduz Liechtenstein 1:8 (0:4) Bosnia-Herzegovina
07/09/12 21:15 Vilnius Lithuania 1:1 (1:1) Slovakia
07/09/12 21:30 Riga Latvia 1:2 (1:0) Greece

Group H
England start their road to Brazil 2014 thrashing Moldova 5-0.

Chelsea veteran Frank Lampard scored twice including a fourth minute penalty.

Jermain Defoe, James Milner and Leighton Baines scored majors for the Three Lions.

Tom Cleverley was also active with 4 shots and an assist.

Poland had a 2-2 draw against Montenegro.

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jakub Blaszczykowski drilled his penalty in after six minutes after his Dortmund teammate Robert Lewandowski was fouled in the box by Milan Jovanovic.

But Montenegro scored the next two goals of the game with Mirko Vucinic finding Nikola Drincic in the 27th minute to make it 1-1.

The Juventus forward scored before halftime to give Montenegro a 2-1 lead.

The Poles came right back in the second half after Adrian Mierzejewski headed in a Ludovic Obraniak free kick set piece in the 54th minute.

Things started to get chippy later in the match.

After two bookable offenses, Montenegro defender Savo Pavicevic was sent off in the 69th minute.

Three minutes later, Poland was reduced to 10 men after Obraniak was ejected for violent conduct.

07/09/12 20:30 Podgorica Montenegro 2:2 (2:1) Poland
07/09/12 21:45 Chisinau Moldova 0:5 (0:3) England

Group I
Abou Diaby's 20th minute strike was good enough for 1998 winners France in their 1-0 win over Finland as Didier Deschamps earned his first competitive win as Les Bleus boss.

Georgia also had a 1-0 victory over Belarus thanks to Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Tornike Okriashvili's 51st minute goal and George Loria's 10-save clean sheet.

07/09/12 21:00 Tbilisi Georgia 1:0 (0:0) Belarus
07/09/12 21:30 Helsinki Finland 0:1 (0:1) France

[BroadwayBomber55]

2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying - Europe (UEFA)

First Round

Round-Robin

Group Matchday 1 FT Scores: September 8, 2012

From FIFA.com

Group A
Scotland were wasteful in their goalless draw against Serbia.

Serbian GK Vladimir Stojkovic had a 7-save shutout that frustrated the Scots inside Glasgow's Hampden Park.

08/09/12 15:00 Glasgow Scotland 0:0 Serbia

Group B
Denmark and the Czech Republic ended in a 0-0 stalemate in a boring game.

08/09/12 20:15 Copenhagen Denmark 0:0 Czech Republic

[EvanJ]

CONCACAF:

USA 1:0 Jamaica in Columbus, OH (Herculez Gomez scored on a free kick in the 55th minute)
The USA (+2 goal differential), Guatemala (+2), and Jamaica (+1) have 7 points each so Jamaica is in third on goal differential.

Mexico is the first country to advance to the Hexagonal.

Cuba is the first Semifinalist to be eliminated. 128 countries (127 in qualifying and host Brazil) could still qualify for the World Cup and exactly 25% of them will.

[BroadwayBomber55]

CONCACAF:

USA 1:0 Jamaica in Columbus, OH (Herculez Gomez scored on a free kick in the 55th minute)
The USA (+2 goal differential), Guatemala (+2), and Jamaica (+1) have 7 points each so Jamaica is in third on goal differential.

Mexico is the first country to advance to the Hexagonal.

Cuba is the first Semifinalist to be eliminated. 128 countries (127 in qualifying and host Brazil) could still qualify for the World Cup and exactly 25% of them will.

That was a superb free kick from Herculez Gomez. A big win for the U.S. Hopefully, Jurgen Klinsmann has Landon Donovan and Michael Bradley ready to go in the October set.

Mexico is not a surprise for me. El Salvador is one win away against Costa Rica from advancing to the hexagon round.

Panama is one win away against Honduras to reaching the Final 6.

[BroadwayBomber55]

2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying - Oceania (OFC)

OFC Third Round

Group Matchday 2 FT Scores: September 11, 2012

From FIFA.com

The All Whites from New Zealand crippled the Solomon Islands 6-1 to go 2-0 in Oceania Third Round Qualifying.

Shane Smeltz, Kosta Barbarouses, Chris Killen, Tony Lochhead, Chris Wood and Marco Rojas struck for the Kiwis.

Henry Fa'arodo scored Solomon Islands' only major.

Bertrand Kai netted a brace in New Caledonia's 4-0 whitewash on Tahiti.

11/09/12 20:00 Papeete Tahiti 0:4 (0:0) New Caledonia
11/09/12 19:35 Auckland New Zealand 6:1 (2:0) Solomon Islands

[BroadwayBomber55]

2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying - Oceania (OFC)

OFC Third Round

Standings after Group Matchday 2

From FIFA.com

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
New Zealand 2 2 0 0 8 1 +7 6
New Caledonia 2 1 0 1 4 2 +2 3
Solomon Islands 2 1 0 1 3 6 −3 3
Tahiti 2 0 0 2 0 6 −6 0

[BroadwayBomber55]

2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying - Asia (AFC)

AFC Fourth Round

Group Matchday 4 FT Scores: September 11, 2012

From FIFA.com

Group A
2002 Top 4 finishers South Korea had to settle for a 2-2 draw on the road against Uzbekistan.

Former Celtic and current Swansea City playmaker Ki Sung-Yueng scored an own goal for Uzbekistan in the 13th minute. The South Koreans took the lead with the next two goals from Kwak Tae-Hwi and Lee Dong-Gook.

Uzbekistan tied the game at 2 near the hour mark through Sanjar Tursunov who stole a point for his team.

Roda Antar's 27th minute goal was good enough for Lebanon in their 1-0 win over Iran.

11/09/12 18:00 Tashkent Uzbekistan 2:2 (1:1) Korea Republic
11/09/12 17:00 Beirut Lebanon 1:0 (1:0) Iran

Group B
Australia was rocked in a 2-1 road loss to Jordan.

The Socceroos trailed 1-0 50 minutes in after Hasan Abdel Mahmoud scored a penalty and 2-0 down after Amer Deeb doubled the lead in the 73rd minute.

Aussie veteran striker Archie Thompson scored his 23rd career international goal with four minutes to go as Australia is winless in their first three AFC Fourth Round games.

Meanwhile, Ryoichi Maeda's 25th minute goal was good enough for the defending AFC Asian Cup titleholders Japan 1-0 over Iraq.

Japan leads Group B with 10 points.

11/09/12 19:34 Saitama Japan 1:0 (1:0) Iraq
11/09/12 19:00 Amman Jordan 2:1 (0:0) Australia

[BroadwayBomber55]

2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying - Asia (AFC)

AFC Fourth Round

Group Standings after Group Matchday 4

From FIFA.com

Group A
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
South Korea 3 2 1 0 9 3 +6 7
Iran 3 1 1 1 1 1 0 4
Qatar 3 1 1 1 2 4 −2 4
Lebanon 4 1 1 2 2 5 −3 4
Uzbekistan 3 0 2 1 3 4 −1 2

Group B
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Japan 4 3 1 0 11 1 +10 10
Jordan 3 1 1 1 3 8 −5 4
Australia 3 0 2 1 2 3 −1 2
Iraq 3 0 2 1 2 3 −1 2
Oman 3 0 2 1 1 4 −3 2

[BroadwayBomber55]

2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying - Europe (UEFA)

First Round

Round-Robin

Group Matchday 2 FT Scores: September 11, 2012

From FIFA.com

Group A
Serbia pulled into a three-way tie for first in Group A with Belgium and Croatia.

Serbia destroyed Wales 6-1.

Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic led the barrage with a goal and two assists.

Manchester City defender Aleksandar Kolarov and Twente midfielder Dusan Tadic added a goal and assist.

Meanwhile, Belgium were held 1-1 against Croatia.

Former Club Brugge midfielder Ivan Perisic gave the Croats a 1-0 lead six minutes in before Anderlecht midfielder Guillaume Gillet made it 1-1 before halftime to salvage a point for the Belgians.

Former Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa was a hero for Croatia with five saves.

Former Rangers and Celtic striker Kenny Miller spared Scotland's blushes after his national side had a disappointing 1-1 draw against Macedonia as the Tartan Army booed the Scots off the pitch inside Glasgow's Hampden Park.

Nikolce Noveski gave Macedonia a 1-0 lead in the 11th minute before Miller equalized before halftime to save Scotland.

Former Rangers goalkeeper Allan McGregor and Macedonia shotstopper Martin Bogatinov each had five saves.

11/09/12 20:30 Novi Sad Serbia 6:1 (3:1) Wales
11/09/12 20:45 Brussels Belgium 1:1 (1:1) Croatia
11/09/12 20:00 Glasgow Scotland 1:1 (1:1) FYR Macedonia

Group B
4-time FIFA World Cup winners Italy earned their first victory in their road to Brazil 2014 with a 2-0 blanking on Malta.

Juventus young gun Claudio Marchisio finds young Roma striker Mattia Destro five minutes in to give the Azzurri a 1-0 lead.

Cesare Prandelli's men battered Malta all game long, but Malta goalkeeper Andrew Hogg held down the fort with seven saves.

But Malta was breached again in stoppage time when Juventus and Italian veteran Andrea Pirlo found Atalanta defender Federico Peluso who nodded home the sealer.

PSV Eindhoven defender Stanislav Manolev scored the only goal of the game for his national side before halftime as Bulgaria continue their impressive start for Brazil 2014 with a 1-0 victory over Armenia.

11/09/12 20:45 Modena Italy 2:0 (1:0) Malta
11/09/12 21:00 Sofia Bulgaria 1:0 (1:0) Armenia

Group C
Three-time FIFA World Cup winners Germany defeated Austria 2-1 despite some nervy moments for Joachim Loew's side.

Real Madrid playmaker Mesut Ozil finds Borussia Dortmund forward Marco Reus in the 44th minute to give the Die Mannschaft a 1-0 lead.

7 minutes into the second half, Veli Kavlak fouled Thomas Muller in the area giving Germany a penalty. Ozil scored from the spot to give Germany a 2-0 lead.

Austria made Loew sweat five minutes later when Zlatko Junuzovic pulled one back for the Austrians.

But Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer didn't let anymore goals in as he made six saves.

Sweden blanked Kazakhstan 2-0.

CSKA Moscow midfielder Rasmus Elm and Hamburg striker Marcus Berg struck for Blagult.

11/09/12 20:30 Malmö Sweden 2:0 (1:0) Kazakhstan
11/09/12 20:35 Vienna Austria 1:2 (0:1) Germany

Group D
PSV Eindhoven forward Jeremain Lens had two goals and assist as two-time FIFA World Cup runners-up, the Netherlands destroyed Hungary 4-1.

Feyenoord Rotterdam defender Bruno Martins Indi and Schalke 04 striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar also scored for Louis van Gaal's Oranje.

Romania tied with the Dutch for top spot in Group D crippling Andorra 4-0 as Valerica Gaman, Costin Lazar, Gabriel Torje and Alexandru Maxim were on target for the Tricolorii.

Burak Yilmaz's two assists propel Turkey to a 3-0 whitewash on Estonia.

Belozoglu Emre, Umut Bulut and Selcuk Inan were on target for the Turks.

Estonia had to play with 10 men for 70 minutes when Enar Jaager fouled Yilmaz and received a red card.

11/09/12 20:30 Budapest Hungary 1:4 (1:2) Netherlands
11/09/12 20:30 Bucharest Romania 4:0 (2:0) Andorra
11/09/12 21:00 Istanbul Turkey 3:0 (1:0) Estonia

Group E
Switzerland continue their winning ways as Bayern Munich midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri and a penalty from Napoli midfielder Gokhan Inler propelled the Swiss to a 2-0 victory over Albania.

Diego Benaglio earned his second straight clean sheet with five saves.

Norway edged Slovenia 2-1 at the death thanks to John Arne Riise.

Slovenia drew first blood in the 17th minute through Marko Suler, but Norway made it 1-1 in the 27th minute as Markus Henriksen equalized.

Slovenia GK Jan Oblak had five saves, but didn't stop Riise's spot kick in the dying seconds of stoppage time.

Dejan Kelhar fouled Alexander Soderlund in the Slovenian box giving the Norwegians a penalty.

The former Liverpool and Roma and current Fulham defender Riise stepped up and scored the winning spot kick as Norway grabbed the three points.

Konstantinos Makridis lifted Cyprus to a 1-0 victory over Iceland with his goal in the 57th minute and frustrated the Icelanders with four minutes to go as Solvi Ottesen was sent off for his harsh challenge on Makridis.

11/09/12 20:00 Larnaca Cyprus 1:0 (0:0) Iceland
11/09/12 20:00 Oslo Norway 2:1 (1:1) Slovenia
11/09/12 20:30 Lucerne Switzerland 2:0 (1:0) Albania

Group F
Russia and Portugal continue to dominate Group F.

Fabio Capello's Russian side thrashed Israel 4-0 on the road.

Zenit St. Petersburg striker Alexander Kerzhakov scored a brace. In the sixth minute, Kerzhakov struck a beautiful free kick strike and scored his second in the 64th minute.

Fellow Zenit teammate Viktor Fayzulin came off the bench to chip in with a goal and assist.

Young Dynamo Moscow forward Aleksandr Kokorin complete the scoring.

The only low point was Vladimir Bystrov leaving the game with an injury.

Meanwhile, Portugal whitewashed Azerbaijan 3-0.

Portugal outshot Azerbaijan 30-2 in the match, but Kamran Arhayev kept the Portuguese at bay with 12 saves including surviving a first-half barrage.

But Silvestre Varela, Hélder Postiga and Bruno Alves breached him in the second half to tie Russia for top spot.

Northern Ireland had a 1-1 draw against Luxembourg.

Dean Shiels gave the North a 1-0 lead in the 14th minute before Daniel Da Mota Alves scored off deflections to steal a point for Luxembourg.

11/09/12 19:45 Belfast Northern Ireland 1:1 (1:0) Luxembourg
11/09/12 20:00 Tel Aviv Israel 0:4 (0:2) Russia
11/09/12 20:15 Braga Portugal 3:0 (0:0) Azerbaijan

Group G
Bosnia and Herzegovina and Greece are tied for first in Group G with six points.

Bosnia and Herzegovina picked apart Latvia 4-1.

Dynamo Moscow playmaker Zvjezdan Misimovic scored a double.

Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko and AS Roma attacking midfielder Miralem Pjanic added a goal and assist.

Greece blanked Lithuania 2-0.

Zydrunas Karcemarskas kept the UEFA Euro 2004 champions at bay with five saves.

But Parma playmaker Sotiris Ninis struck in the 56th minute and assisted on Olympiacos center forward Konstantinos Mitroglou's sealer in the 72nd minute.

Slovakia is two points behind the Top 2 with four points after blanking Liechtenstein 2-0.

Marek Sapara and Martin Jakubko were on target for Slovakia.

Liechtenstein goalkeeper Peter Jehle prevented a blowout with 8 saves.

11/09/12 21:45 Piraeus Greece 2:0 (0:0) Lithuania
11/09/12 20:00 Zenica Bosnia-Herzegovina 4:1 (2:1) Latvia
11/09/12 20:15 Bratislava Slovakia 2:0 (1:0) Liechtenstein

Group H
England had a 1-1 draw against Ukraine at home.

Evgeni Konoplienka gave Ukraine a 1-0 lead in the 39th minute and Ukraine kept the 1966 FIFA World Cup champions frustrated.

With three minutes to go, Yevhen Khacherdi conceded a penalty for England when he held Danny Welbeck's flick in the area.

Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard slams home the spot kick in to save a point for the Three Lions.

However, Roy Hodgson lost Steven Gerrard for England's next WCQ match after two bookable offenses.

Montenegro and Poland pulled into a first place tie with four points with their wins.

Montenegro vaporized San Marino 6-0.

San Marino GK Aldo Simoncini made 10 saves, but Montenegro destroyed them with six goals.

Dynamo Moscow forward Fatos Beqiraj led the way with two goals and assist.

Andrija Delibasic added two goals with Elsad Zverotic and Luka Djordjevic completed the scoring.

Poland blanked Moldova 2-0.

Borussia Dortmund winger Jakub Blaszczykowski scored a 33rd penalty and assisted on Jakub Wawrzyniak's 81st minute header.

11/09/12 20:00 London England 1:1 (0:1) Ukraine
11/09/12 20:30 Serravalle San Marino 0:6 (0:2) Montenegro
11/09/12 20:45 Wroclaw Poland 2:0 (1:0) Moldova

Group I
Defending three major tournament champions Spain start off their Brazil 2014 qualifying campaign with a 1-0 win over Georgia.

Georgia GK George Loria kept La Roja Furia with six saves, but Valencia striker Roberto Soldado finally scored the late winner for the defending FIFA World Cup champions with four minutes.

Meanwhile, 1998 winners France defeat Belarus 3-1.

Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribéry had a goal and assist.

Toulouse defensive midfielder Christophe Jallet and Paris Saint-Germain defender Etienne Capoue also scored majors for Les Bleus.

11/09/12 21:00 Saint-Denis France 3:1 (0:0) Belarus
11/09/12 21:30 Tbilisi Georgia 0:1 (0:0) Spain

[BroadwayBomber55]

2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying - Europe (UEFA)

First Round

Round-Robin

Group Standings after Matchday 2

From FIFA.com

Group A
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Serbia 2 1 1 0 6 1 +5 4
Belgium 2 1 1 0 3 1 +2 4
Croatia 2 1 1 0 2 1 +1 4
Scotland 2 0 2 0 1 1 0 2
Macedonia 2 0 1 1 1 2 −1 1
Wales 2 0 0 2 1 8 −7 0

Group B
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Italy 2 1 1 0 4 2 +2 4
Bulgaria 2 1 1 0 3 2 +1 4
Armenia 2 1 0 1 1 1 0 3
Czech Republic 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
Denmark 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
Malta 2 0 0 2 0 3 −3 0

Group C
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Germany 2 2 0 0 5 1 +4 6
Sweden 1 1 0 0 2 0 +2 3
Republic of Ireland 1 1 0 0 2 1 +1 3
Austria 1 0 0 1 1 2 −1 0
Kazakhstan 2 0 0 2 1 4 −3 0
Faroe Islands 1 0 0 1 0 3 −3 0

Group D
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Romania 2 2 0 0 6 0 +6 6
Netherlands 2 2 0 0 6 1 +5 6
Hungary 2 1 0 1 6 4 +2 3
Turkey 2 1 0 1 3 2 +1 3
Estonia 2 0 0 2 0 5 −5 0
Andorra 2 0 0 2 0 9 −9 0

Group E
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Switzerland 2 2 0 0 4 0 +4 6
Iceland 2 1 0 1 2 1 +1 3
Albania 2 1 0 1 3 3 0 3
Cyprus 2 1 0 1 2 3 −1 3
Norway 2 1 0 1 2 3 −1 3
Slovenia 2 0 0 2 1 4 −3 0

Group F
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Russia 2 2 0 0 6 0 +6 6
Portugal 2 2 0 0 5 1 +4 6
Luxembourg 2 0 1 1 2 3 −1 1
Northern Ireland 2 0 1 1 1 3 −2 1
Azerbaijan 2 0 1 1 1 4 −3 1
Israel 2 0 1 1 1 5 −4 1

Group G
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Bosnia and Herzegovina 2 2 0 0 12 2 +10 6
Greece 2 2 0 0 4 1 +3 6
Slovakia 2 1 1 0 3 1 +2 4
Lithuania 2 0 1 1 1 3 −2 1
Latvia 2 0 0 2 2 6 −4 0
Liechtenstein 2 0 0 2 1 10 −9 0

Group H
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Montenegro 2 1 1 0 8 2 +6 4
England 2 1 1 0 6 1 +5 4
Poland 2 1 1 0 4 2 +2 4
Ukraine 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1
San Marino 1 0 0 1 0 6 −6 0
Moldova 2 0 0 2 0 7 −7 0

Group I
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
France 2 2 0 0 4 1 +3 6
Spain 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 3
Georgia 2 1 0 1 1 1 0 3
Finland 1 0 0 1 0 1 −1 0
Belarus 2 0 0 2 1 4 −3 0

[BroadwayBomber55]

2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying - South America (CONMEBOL)

CONMEBOL Round-Robin

Matchday 8 FT Scores: September 11, 2012

From FIFA.com

Radamel Falcao set the tone again for Colombia.

The livewire Atletico Madrid forward had a goal and assist as Colombia dismantled 1962 Top 4 finisher Chile 3-1.

It started badly for Chile when Sevilla midfielder Gary Medel was sent off in the 34th minute slapping the face of Luis Perea, who flopped to the ground after receiving it.

Fiorentina attacking midfielder Matías Fernández still gave Chile a 1-0 lead before halftime.

But James Rodriguez got Colombia on the board with a free kick strike in the 58th minute.

Falcao gave Colombia a 2-1 lead 15 minutes later and assisted on Teófilo Antonio Gutiérrez 's sealer three minutes later.

The struggles for Paraguay continue when Venezuela pitched a 2-0 shutout.

Salomon Rondon scored two free kick goals to lift Venezuela to sixth, three points behind top dog Argentina.

Argentina had to settle for a 1-1 draw against pesky Peru.

Peru had an early chance to take the lead two minutes in after Angel di Maria fouled Jefferson Farfan in the area.

But Claudio Pizarro missed his penalty.

Still Peru managed to draw first blood when Carlos Augusto Zambrano struck in the 21st minute.

Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higauin rescued the two-time FIFA World Cup winners with his equalizer in the 36th minute to help Argentina stay on top of CONMEBOL qualifying.

Finally, two-time FIFA World Cup winners Uruguay had to settle for a point in a 1-1 draw against Ecuador.

Felipe Caicedo won and scored a penalty seven minutes in after Diego Lugano fouled him in the area.

Napoli star Edison Cavani helped Uruguay get a point with his equalizer in the 66th minute.

Things got worse for Ecuador as Manchester United winger Antonio Valencia was sent off after receiving two yellow cards.

11/09/12 16:30 Santiago De Chile Chile 1:3 (1:0) Colombia
11/09/12 18:30 Montevideo Uruguay 1:1 (0:1) Ecuador
11/09/12 19:25 Asuncion Paraguay 0:2 (0:1) Venezuela
11/09/12 20:25 Lima Peru 1:1 (1:1) Argentina

[BroadwayBomber55]

2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying - South America (CONMEBOL)

CONMEBOL Round-Robin

Group Standings after Matchday 8

From FIFA.com

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Argentina 7 4 2 1 15 6 +9 14
Colombia 7 4 1 2 12 6 +6 13
Ecuador 7 4 1 2 8 7 +1 13
Uruguay 7 3 3 1 15 11 +4 12
Chile 7 4 0 3 12 13 −1 12
Venezuela 8 3 2 3 7 8 −1 11
Peru 7 2 1 4 9 13 −4 7
Bolivia 7 1 1 5 7 12 −5 4
Paraguay 7 1 1 5 5 14 −9 4

[BroadwayBomber55]

2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying - North, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF)

CONCACAF Third Round

Group Matchday 4 FT Scores: September 11, 2012

From FIFA.com

Group A
The United States earned a key 1-0 win over Jamaica in their 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign.

Herculez Gomez scored the only goal of the game in the 55th minute with his free kick that sent the Columbus Crew Stadium crowd into a frenzy.

Meanwhile, former Los Angeles Galaxy and FC Dallas forward Carlos Ruiz scored his third goal in CONCACAF Third Round play in the 25th minute as Guatemala pulled into a three-way tie for first with seven points with a narrow 1-0 win over Antigua and Barbuda.

It is Ruiz's 53rd career goal for Guatemala.

11/09/12 19:00 St. John's Antigua and Barbuda 0:1 (0:1) Guatemala
11/09/12 20:11 Columbus USA 1:0 (0:0) Jamaica

Group B
Manchester United striker Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez helped Mexico punched their ticket to the CONCACAF Fourth Round after blanking Costa Rica 1-0.

It is Chicharito's 26th goal in his Mexico career.

El Salvador moved another step closer towards the Hexagon round with a 3-2 victory over Guyana.

Gregory Richardson gave Guyana a 1-0 lead 1 minute in, but El Salvador scored the next two goals when Osael Romero scored his sixth of CONCACAF qualifying overall in the 12th minute.

Jaime Alas made it 2-1 for El Salvador in the 51st minute.

Guyana made it 2-2 in the 62nd minute through Chris Nurse.

Rafael Burgos won it for El Salvador in the 76th minute as El Salvador leapfrogged Costa Rica for second place with five points.

11/09/12 20:00 Mexico City Mexico 1:0 (0:0) Costa Rica
11/09/12 20:00 Georgetown Guyana 2:3 (1:1) El Salvador

Group C
Jerry Bengtson's 32nd minute goal was good enough for Honduras as they eliminated Cuba from World Cup qualification with a 1-0 victory in San Pedro Sula.

Panama hit top spot with a 2-0 win over Canada.

Ronaldo Blackburn and Blas Perez struck for Panama as they hit the summit of Group C with nine points.

11/09/12 19:30 San Pedro Sula Honduras 1:0 (1:0) Cuba
11/09/12 20:05 Panama City Panama 2:0 (1:0) Canada

[BroadwayBomber55]

2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying - North, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF)

CONCACAF Third Round

Group Standings after Matchday 4

From FIFA.com

Group A
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
United States 4 2 1 1 6 4 +2 7
Guatemala 4 2 1 1 6 4 +2 7
Jamaica 4 2 1 1 4 3 +1 7
Antigua and Barbuda 4 0 1 3 2 7 −5 1

On the next matchday: (12 October)
-Jamaica will advance if they defeat Guatemala AND the United States do not defeat Antigua and Barbuda.

- Antigua and Barbuda will be eliminated if:
they do not defeat the United States, OR
Guatemala does not defeat Jamaica.

Group B
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Mexico 4 4 0 0 8 2 +6 12
El Salvador 4 1 2 1 8 8 0 5
Costa Rica 4 1 1 2 6 5 +1 4
Guyana 4 0 1 3 5 12 −7 1

Note:
- Mexico advanced to CONCACAF Fourth Round.

On the next matchday: (12 October)
- El Salvador will advance to the next round if they defeat Costa Rica.
- Costa Rica will be eliminated if they lose to El Salvador.
- Guyana will be eliminated if they do not defeat Mexico OR El Salvador defeat Costa Rica.

Group C
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Panama 4 3 0 1 5 1 +4 9
Honduras 4 2 1 1 4 2 +2 7
Canada 4 2 1 1 2 2 0 7
Cuba 4 0 0 4 0 6 −6 0

Note:
- Cuba is eliminated from FIFA World Cup qualifying.

On the next matchday: (12 October)
- Panama will advance to the next round if:
they defeat Honduras, OR
they draw with Honduras AND Canada do not defeat Cuba.

[BroadwayBomber55]

Kickoff-times released
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/ne...606/index.html

[BroadwayBomber55]

Match Schedule for 2014 FIFA World Cup
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/ne...755/index.html