2014 FIFA World Cup Football/Soccer Thread

[BroadwayBomber55]

2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying - Europe (UEFA)

UEFA First Round

Matchday 6 FT Scores: March 26, 2013

From FIFA.com

Group A
Belgium and Croatia maintained the top two spots in Group A.

Belgium still leads Group A after a 1-0 win over Macedonia.

Chelsea winger Eden Hazard scored his second goal in UEFA First Round play in the 63rd minute to help the 1986 FIFA World Cup fourth place finishers maintain their place in the summit.

Macedonia has no chance of qualifying automatically for the World Cup.

Meanwhile, Croatia edged Wales 2-1 in Swansea's Liberty Stadium.

The Welsh were in front 21 minutes in with a penalty after Dejan Lovren fouled Celtic's Joe Ledley in the box.

Tottenham Hotspur left winger Gareth Bale scored his fourth in WCQ after he successfully score the spot kick.

However, the 1998 FIFA World Cup third place finishers dominated the second half.

Mario Mandzukic finds Lovren who tied the game at 1-all in the 77th minute and former Arsenal striker Eduardo da Silva sealed the win with three minutes to go after Ivica Olic set him up.

Belgium and Croatia are tied for the lead in Group A with 16 points, but Belgium has a better goal differential of +10 to Croat's +7.

Finally, Serbia sent Scotland packing from World Cup qualification after a 2-0 win.

Former Cardiff City GK David Marshall had five saves for Scotland, but SC Heerenveen attacking midfielder Filip Djuricic burned him twice in the 59th and 65th minutes to take his WCQ goal tally to three.

26/03/13 19:45 Swansea Wales 1:2 (1:0) Croatia
26/03/13 20:30 Novi Sad Serbia 2:0 (0:0) Scotland
26/03/13 20:45 Brussels Belgium 1:0 (0:0) FYR Macedonia

Group B
Four-time FIFA World Cup winners Italy boosted their Group B lead to three points after a 2-0 shutout over Malta.

Former Inter Milan and Manchester City and current AC Milan striker Mario Balotelli scored twice in the contest to take his WCQ goal tally to three.

Luke Dimech fouled AC Milan striker Stephan El Shaarawy in the area giving the Azzurri a penalty eight minutes in where Balotelli successful converts.

Before halftime, Mattia De Sciglio finds Balotelli who scored his second and give Italy the three points.

1994 FIFA World Cup fourth-place finisher Bulgaria dropped points inside Copenhagen's Parken Stadium in a 1-1 draw against 1998 FIFA World Cup quarterfinalists Denmark.

Fulham, on-loan from PSV Eindhoven right back/right winger Stanislav Manolev scored his third WCQ goal in the 51st minute off a fast break with Lech Poznan midfielder Aleksandar Tonev.

Twente Enschede GK Nikolay Mihaylov had five saves, but didn't stop a Danish penalty in the 63rd minute when Iliya Milanov fouled Andreas Cornelius in the area. Liverpool defender Daniel Agger converted the penalty to give the Danes a point.

Czech Republic gained ground on Bulgaria trailing them by two points after a 3-0 thrashing over Armenia.

Watford midfielder Matej Vydra scored a brace and Viktoria Plzen midfielder Daniel Kolar came off the bench and scored the sealer in stoppage time.

Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech stopped five Armenian shots to record his third clean sheet in 2014 FIFA WCQ.

26/03/13 20:00 Yerevan Armenia 0:3 (0:0) Czech Republic
26/03/13 20:15 Copenhagen Denmark 1:1 (0:0) Bulgaria
26/03/13 20:45 Ta'Qali Malta 0:2 (0:2) Italy

Group C
Three-time FIFA World Cup champions Germany continue to be on top of Group C after dismantling Kazakhstan 4-1 in Nuremberg.

Real Madrid playmaker Mesut Ozil had two assists on the four Die Mannschaft goals scored by three Borussia Dortmund players midfielder. Marco Reus scored twice to take his tally to five, Mario Götze scored his third and Ilkay Gündogan added a goal and assist.

Heinrich Schmidtgal scored in the 46th minute to get the Kazakhs on the board and Kazakh GK Andrey Sidelnikov had eight saves, but the Kazakhs can't qualify automatically for the World Cup.

Giovanni Trapattoni's Republic of Ireland blew a golden opportunity to leapfrog Sweden for second place in Group C after a heartbreaking 2-2 draw inside Dublin's Aviva Stadium against 1954 FIFA World Cup third-place finisher Austria.

Stuttgart forward Martin Harnik scored his second goal in WCQ in the 11th minute to give the Austrians a 1-0 lead.

But the 1990 FIFA World Cup quarterfinalists had a penalty in the 25th minute.

West Ham United, on-loan from Wolfsburg, defender Emanuel Pogatetz topped West Bromwich Albion striker Shane Long in the area. Stoke City striker Jonathan Walters scored the penalty to tie the game at 1-all.

Walters scored his second before halftime with a header off fellow Stoke teammate Glenn Whelan's corner to give the Boys in Green a 2-1 lead.

However, Bayern Munich wingback David Alaba scored his third WCQ goal in stoppage time to give Austria a point and create a three-way tie for second with Sweden and Ireland.

26/03/13 19:45 Dublin Republic of Ireland 2:2 (2:1) Austria
26/03/13 20:45 Nuremberg Germany 4:1 (3:0) Kazakhstan

Group D
Two-time FIFA World Cup runners-up Netherlands maintained their 100% record in WCQ play with a 4-0 rout over 1994 FIFA World Cup quarterfinalists Romania.

Hamburg midfielder Rafael Van der Vaart scored his fourth goal in WCQ in the 11th minute to give the Oranje a 1-0 lead.

Manchester United striker Robin van Persie scored the next two goals for Louis van Gaal's men in a 10-minute span to make it 3-0 Holland.

Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben set up van Persie's header in the 55th minute and scored a penalty after Florin Gardos toppled PSV Eindhoven striker Jeremain Lens in the area.

Lens scored his fourth WCQ goal in stoppage time help the Oranje go 6 for 6 moving closer towards an automatic World Cup place.

Estonia blanked Andorra 2-0.

Henri Anier gave Estonia a 1-0 lead before halftime before former New York Red Bulls and current Chicago Fire midfielder Joel Lindpere headed in a Andres Oper corner to seal the win for Estonia.

Two-time FIFA World Cup runners-up Hungary grab second place, one point ahead of Romania, after a 1-1 draw against 2002 FIFA World Cup third place finishers Turkey.

Galatarasay striker Burak Yilmaz scored his second WCQ goal in the 63rd minute with a header off Atletico Madrid midfielder Arda Turan's delivery to give the Turks a 1-0 lead.

Trabzonspor GK Onur Kivrak made five saves, but Daniel Bode came off the bench and beat him in the 71st minute to give Hungary a point.

26/03/13 19:00 Tallinn Estonia 2:0 (1:0) Andorra
26/03/13 20:30 Istanbul Turkey 1:1 (0:0) Hungary
26/03/13 20:30 Amsterdam Netherlands 4:0 (1:0) Romania

Group F
1966 FIFA World Cup third place finishers Portugal and Israel both gain ground on Russia for top spot in Group with both clubs one point behind them.

Portugal blanked Azerbaijan 2-0 without Real Madrid superstar winger Cristiano Ronaldo.

Azerbaijan were stubborn against the Portuguese with Kamran Arhayev having seven saves, but the match turned in the 55th minute when Rauf Aliyev was sent off after two bookings.

Porto midfielder João Moutinho whipped in a delivery and Zenit St. Petersburg central defender Bruno Alves headed in his third WCQ goal in the 63rd minute.

Besiktas central forward Hugo Almeida headed in a Fábio Coentrão delivery in the 79th minute to seal the win for A Seleção das Quinas.

But Israel maintained second spot after a 2-0 whitewash over Northern Ireland in Belfast's Windsor Park.

Swansea City forward Itey Shechter assisted on both Israeli goals scored by Club Brugge attacking midfielder Lior Refaelov in the 77th minute and Toulouse striker Eden Ben Basat scored his fourth in the 84th minute.

Israel and Portugal are tied for second place with 11 points, but Israel has a better goal difference with +7 while Portugal has a +5.

26/03/13 19:45 Belfast Northern Ireland 0:2 (0:0) Israel
26/03/13 21:00 Baku Azerbaijan 0:2 (0:0) Portugal

Group H
Montenegro denied 1966 FIFA World Cup champions England from getting top spot in Group H in a 1-1 draw.

Manchester United Wayne Rooney striker Wayne Rooney returned to the scene of his red card against Miodrag Dzudovic during UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying against Montenegro inside Podgorica City Stadium and scored off a corner from Liverpool and England captain midfielder Steven Gerrard six minutes in to give the Three Lions a 1-0 lead.

Roy Hodgson's men bossed the first half as they led 1-0 due to Rooney's fifth goal in WCQ.

However, Montenegro bullied England in the second half.

Montenegro wanted a penalty after Manchester City defender Stefan Savic was toppled in the area by Liverpool wingback Glen Johnson, but no penalty was given by Swedish referee Jonas Eriksson.

But Montenegro did equalize with 14 minutes to go when FC Seoul forward Dejan Damjanovic poked home a rebound after a wild scramble to tie the game at 1 a piece.

It is the second goal

Hodgson made only one substitution in the match as Manchester United winger Ashley Young replaced Red Devil teammate midfielder Tom Cleverley, but England was gassed.

With England dropping points, it opened up for 2006 FIFA World Cup quarterfinalists Ukraine and two-time FIFA World Cup third place finishers Poland getting wins and being four points behind England for second spot.

Ukraine edged Moldova 2-1 in Odessa.

Moldova GK Stanislav Namasco had six saves in the match.

However, Dynamo Kiev forward Andriy Yarmolenko scored his second in WCQ in the 61st minute to give Ukraine a 1-0 lead.

Fellow Dynamo Kiev teammate, defender Yevhen Khacheridi headed in a Oleg Gusev's corner with 20 minutes to go to double Ukraine's lead.

Moldova pulled one back with 10 minutes left through Aleandru Suvorov, but Ukraine hanged on for the points.

Meanwhile, Poland thrashed San Marino 5-0.

Borussia Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski scored two penalties and assisted on Michael Devlin's stoppage time tally.

The first penalty came in the 21st minute when Alessandro Della Valle had a terrible challenge on Adrian Mierzejewski in the area and the second penalty came in the 50th minute when Alex Della Valle conceded it with a handball in the box.

Lewandowski's teammate defender Lukasz Piszczek scored his second WCQ goal in the 28th minute and Lukasz Teodorczyk rounded out the scoring for the Poles in the 61st minute.

San Marino GK Aldo Junior Simoncini had seven saves in a losing effort as San Marino gave up 13 goals in this international break set after England throttled them with eight.

26/03/13 20:45 Warsaw Poland 5:0 (2:0) San Marino
26/03/13 21:00 Podgorica Montenegro 1:1 (0:1) England
26/03/13 21:00 Odessa Ukraine 2:1 (0:0) Moldova

Group I
Defending FIFA World Cup champions Spain bounced back from their disappointing 1-1 draw against Finland in Gijon with a 1-0 win over 1998 FIFA World Cup winners France inside Saint-Denis' Stade de France.

Barcelona forward Pedro scored his fourth WCQ goal in the 58th minute as Vicente del Bosque's La Roja Furia reclaim top spot in Group I.

Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba was sent off after two bookable offenses as Les Bleus slide to second place, one point behind Spain.

26/03/13 21:00 Saint-Denis France 0:1 (0:0) Spain

[BroadwayBomber55]

2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying - Europe (UEFA)

UEFA First Round

Standings and Scenarios after Matchday 6: March 26, 2013

From FIFA.com

Group A
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Belgium 6 5 1 0 11 1 +10 16
Croatia 6 5 1 0 10 3 +7 16
Serbia 6 2 1 3 8 7 +1 7
Wales 6 2 0 4 6 14 −8 6
Macedonia 6 1 1 4 3 7 −4 4
Scotland 6 0 2 4 3 9 −6 2

Notes:
- Scotland is eliminated.

- Macedonia is unable to qualify directly.

On the next match day (7 June 2013):
- Belgium will secure a place in the top 2 if they win against Serbia.

- Croatia will secure a place in the top 2 if they win against Scotland AND Belgium do not lose to Serbia.

- Serbia will be eliminated if they lose to Belgium AND Croatia do not lose to Scotland.

- Serbia will be unable to qualify directly if they do not defeat Belgium.

- Wales will be eliminated if Belgium defeat Serbia AND Croatia defeat Scotland.

- Wales will be unable to qualify directly if:
Belgium defeat Serbia, OR
Croatia defeat Scotland.

- Macedonia will be eliminated if Belgium do not lose to Serbia AND Croatia do not lose to Scotland.

Group B
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Italy 5 4 1 0 12 4 +8 13
Bulgaria 6 2 4 0 11 4 +7 10
Czech Republic 5 2 2 1 6 4 +2 8
Denmark 5 1 3 1 6 5 +1 6
Armenia 4 1 0 3 2 7 −5 3
Malta 5 0 0 5 1 14 −13 0

On the next match day (7 June 2013):
- Malta will be unable to qualify directly if they lose to Armenia OR Italy defeats Czech Republic.

Group C
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Germany 6 5 1 0 22 7 +15 16
Austria 5 2 2 1 13 4 +9 8
Sweden 4 2 2 0 8 5 +3 8
Republic of Ireland 5 2 2 1 9 10 −1 8
Kazakhstan 6 0 1 5 2 15 −13 1
Faroe Islands 4 0 0 4 2 15 −13 0

Notes:
- Kazakhstan can't qualify directly.

On the next match day (7 June 2013):
Faroe Islands won't be able to qualify directly if they lose to Republic of Ireland.

Group D
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Netherlands 6 6 0 0 20 2 +18 18
Hungary 6 3 2 1 13 8 +5 11
Romania 6 3 1 2 10 10 0 10
Turkey 6 2 1 3 7 7 0 7
Estonia 6 2 0 4 3 9 −6 6
Andorra 6 0 0 6 0 17 −17 0

Notes:
- Andorra can't qualify directly.

On the next match day (6 September 2013):
- Netherlands will secure a place in the top 2 if they defeat Estonia AND Hungary ties to Romania.

- Andorra will be eliminated if they lose to Turkey.

Group E
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Switzerland 5 3 2 0 7 1 +6 11
Albania 5 3 0 2 6 5 +1 9
Iceland 5 3 0 2 6 5 +1 9
Norway 5 2 1 2 6 6 0 7
Cyprus 5 1 1 3 4 8 −4 4
Slovenia 5 1 0 4 4 8 −4 3

Group F
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Russia 4 4 0 0 8 0 +8 12
Israel 6 3 2 1 15 8 +7 11
Portugal 6 3 2 1 11 6 +5 11
Northern Ireland 5 0 3 2 3 7 −4 3
Azerbaijan 6 0 3 3 2 8 −6 3
Luxembourg 5 0 2 3 2 12 −10 2

On the next match day (7 June 2013):
- Luxembourg won't be able to qualify directly if they lose to Azerbaijan AND Russia defeats Portugal.

Group G
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Bosnia and Herzegovina 5 4 1 0 18 3 +15 13
Greece 5 3 1 1 6 4 +2 10
Slovakia 5 2 2 1 6 4 +2 8
Lithuania 5 1 2 2 4 7 −3 5
Latvia 5 1 1 3 6 9 −3 4
Liechtenstein 5 0 1 4 2 15 −13 1

On the next match day (07 June 2013)
- Liechtenstein will be eliminated if:
they lose to Slovakia AND Bosnia and Herzegovina don't lose to Latvia AND Greece wins against Lithuania

- Liechtenstein won't be able to qualify directly if:
they lose to Slovakia AND Bosnia and Herzegovina don't lose to Latvia, OR
they draw to Slovakia AND Bosnia and Herzegovina wins against Latvia

Group H
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Montenegro 6 4 2 0 14 3 +11 14
England 6 3 3 0 21 3 +18 12
Poland 5 2 2 1 11 6 +5 8
Ukraine 5 2 2 1 6 4 +2 8
Moldova 6 1 1 4 3 10 −7 4
San Marino 6 0 0 6 0 29 −29 0

Notes:
- San Marino can't qualify directly.

Group I
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Spain 5 3 2 0 8 2 +6 11
France 5 3 1 1 8 4 +4 10
Georgia 5 1 1 3 3 7 −4 4
Belarus 4 1 0 3 3 8 −5 3
Finland 3 0 2 1 2 3 −1 2

Rankings of second-place teams
Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Notes Sixth-placed team
A Croatia 6 5 1 0 10 3 +7 16 1,3,6 Scotland
I France 5 3 1 1 8 4 +4 10 1,3 —
G Greece 5 3 1 1 6 4 +2 10 1,3,6 Liechtenstein
D Hungary 5 2 2 1 8 8 0 8 1,3,6 Andorra
B Bulgaria 5 1 4 0 5 4 +1 7 1,3,6 Malta
H England 4 1 3 0 8 3 +5 6 1,3,6 San Marino
E Iceland 4 2 0 2 4 4 0 6 1,3,6 Slovenia
C Austria 4 1 2 1 7 4 +3 5 1,3,6 Faroe Islands
F Israel 4 1 2 1 6 8 –2 5 1,3,6

Note:
Because one group has one team fewer than the others, matches against the Last-placed team in each of the six-team groups are not included in this ranking. As a result, eight matches played by each team will count for the purposes of the second-placed table.

The eight best runners-up will be determined by the following parameters in this order:
- Highest number of points
- Goal difference
- Highest number of goals scored

1 – Team may potentially finish first in its group
3 – Team may potentially finish third or worse in its group
6 – Sixth-placed team in group may change (so ranking of second-placed team may improve or worsen even if it does not play)

[BroadwayBomber55]

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

CONCACAF Fourth Round

Matchday 3 FT Scores: March 26, 2013

From FIFA.com

It's a constant juggle in the Hexagon round in the CONCACAF qualifying section.

Border war rivals Mexico and the United States played to a goalless draw inside Mexico City's Estadio Azteca.

Aston Villa GK Brad Guzan, filling in for Everton GK Tim Howard due to injury, had two clean sheets this week after he turned away three shots on goal from El Tri.

Manchester United striker Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez and the two-time FIFA World Cup quarterfinalists have yet to score a single goal in their own building in the CONCACAF Fourth Round.

As for Jurgen Klinsmann and the 1930 FIFA World Cup semifinalists, they grabbed four points as they are currently in third place in CONCACAF Hexagon play.

With Mexico and the United States failing to score a single goal, Panama and Costa Rica took advantage and occupy the top two spots.

Panama blanked Honduras 2-0.

FC Dallas forward Luis Tejada scored his first goal in the Hexagonal round and his fourth WCQ goal overall two minutes in to give Los Canaleros a 1-0 lead.

Toluca striker Luis Tejada scored his first Hexagonal round goal and his ninth WCQ strike overall with 15 minutes to go to seal the win for Panama as they top the CONCACAF Fourth Round group with five points.

Luis Mejia was another hero for Panama with six stops.

Meanwhile, after having FIFA reject their protest to have their 1-0 loss against the United States in a Denver-area blizzard replayed, Costa Rica took their frustrations out of Jamaica in a 2-0 win to grab second place over the United States based on better goal difference.

Michael Umaña gave the Ticos a 1-0 lead 22 minutes in before Diego Calvo came off the bench for the sealer with eight minutes to go.

26/03/13 21:00 Panama City Panama 2:0 (1:0) Honduras
26/03/13 20:30 Mexico City Mexico 0:0 USA
26/03/13 20:00 San Jose Costa Rica 2:0 (1:0) Jamaica

[BroadwayBomber55]

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

CONCACAF Fourth Round

Standings and Scenarios after Matchday 3: March 26, 2013

From FIFA.com

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Panama 3 1 2 0 5 3 +2 5
Costa Rica 3 1 1 1 4 3 +1 4
United States 3 1 1 1 2 2 0 4
Honduras 3 1 1 1 4 5 −1 4
Mexico 3 0 3 0 2 2 0 3
Jamaica 3 0 2 1 1 3 −2 2

[BroadwayBomber55]

2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying - South America (CONMEBOL)

CONMEBOL Round 1

Round-Robin

Matchday 12 FT Scores: March 26, 2013

From FIFA.com

1962 FIFA World Cup third place finishers Chile get a big win in Santiago against two-time FIFA World Cup champions Uruguay 2-0.

Jorge Sampaoli's men took the lead 11 minutes in as Atlante striker Esteban Paredes scored his first WCQ goal.

Gremio, on loan from Napoli, forward Eduardo Vargas sealed the win as he scored his second WCQ goal with 13 minutes to go as Chile jumped to fourth.

2006 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 finishers Ecuador jumped to second with a 4-1 win over last place and 2010 FIFA World Cup quarterfinalists Paraguay.

Luis Caballero gave Los Guaraníes a 1-0 lead in the 15th minute, but it was all Ecuador since.

Lokomotiv Moscow striker Felipe Caicedo scored his fifth WCQ goal to tie the game at 1 in the 38th minute.

Former Villarreal winger Jefferson Montero had a second-half brace and assisted on Club America striker Christian Benitez's 54th minute header as Ecuador routed Paraguay.

Venezuela moved to fifth after a 1-0 win over 1990 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 finishers Colombia.

Rubin Kazan striker Salomón Rondón scored his fourth WCQ goal in the 13th minute for the only score of the game.

Venezuela is tied with Chile for fourth with 15 points, but Chile has more goals scored.

Finally, two-time FIFA World Cup champions Argentina grabbed a point in the very high altitudes of Bolivia in a 1-1 draw.

Former Shakhtar Donetsk and current Gremio striker Marcelo Moreno scored his second WCQ goal after heading in a Alejandro Chumacero free-kick cross in the 25th minute to give Bolivia a 1-0 lead.

Valencia central defender Ever Banega scored his first ever international goal for Argentina one minute before halftime when he headed in a Clemente Rodríguez cross to tie the game at 1 and that's how the scoreline was read after the game.

Argentina leads CONMEBOL qualifying with 24 points after 12 matches.

26/03/13 20:30 Santiago De Chile Chile 2:0 (1:0) Uruguay
26/03/13 19:30 Puerto Ordaz Venezuela 1:0 (1:0) Colombia
26/03/13 16:00 Quito Ecuador 4:1 (1:1) Paraguay
26/03/13 16:00 La Paz Bolivia 1:1 (1:1) Argentina

[BroadwayBomber55]

2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying - South America (CONMEBOL)

CONMEBOL Round 1

Round-Robin

Standings and Scenarios after Matchday 12: March 26, 2013

From FIFA.com

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Argentina 11 7 3 1 24 8 +16 24
Ecuador 10 6 2 2 16 10 +6 20
Colombia 10 6 1 3 19 7 +12 19
Chile 11 5 0 6 16 19 −3 15
Venezuela 11 4 3 4 9 12 −3 15
Uruguay 11 3 4 4 17 21 −4 13
Peru 10 3 2 5 11 15 −4 11
Bolivia 11 2 3 6 13 20 −7 9
Paraguay 11 2 2 7 8 21 −13 8

[BroadwayBomber55]

Pretty much a must win for the US tonight. A loss next week in Azteca is pretty much guaranteed, so they cannot lose on their soil to Costa Rica.

You got the Costa Rica at home part right Mike. The game at Azteca against Mexico? EEEE!

1 out of 2 ain't bad.

[BroadwayBomber55]

Back off: Costa Rican fans turned their backs on FIFA's fair play hymn before kicking off against Jamaica; FIFA upheld Costa Rica's 1-0 loss to the U.S.
http://espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/13...erdict?cc=5901

[theDurk]

Suggestion: Mute the useless techno background noise--no info in the audio.

Here is the NYT article on what a waste some of the stadiums are going to be. I could not agree more.

http://goal.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/0...ef=global-home