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The World Cup Challenge

Started on 28 April 2014 by mpejkrm
Latest Reply on 17 May 2014 by mpejkrm
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Two Bulgarians Join New Clubs


Georgi Milanov (left) and Spas Delev (right) have signed with new clubs

Two members of the Bulgarian national team are on the move following agreements with new clubs.

26 year-old winger Spas Delev agreed to terms with La Liga side Granada C.F. on a five-year contract, worth £24.5K p/w. Granada agreed to a £3.9M fee with Delev's former club, Real Betis.

Last season for Real Betis, Delev scored eight goals in 29 league appearances. The full Bulgaria international has been capped 16 times and scored four goals for his country.

Also on the move was former CSKA Moscow winger Georgi Milanov. The 24 year-old central attacking midfielder has signed a five year contract with English Premier League club Chelsea. The three-time defending Barclays Premier League champions signed Milanov for a £19.25M fee. His contract is reportedly worth £54K p/w.

Milanov had a fantastic run for the Moscow club, making 64 league appearances, scoring 13 goals, and grabbing 20 assists. He had a 7.23 average rating as well over his time there. Milanov began his career with Bulgarian side Litex and moved to Moscow in 2013-14. A full Bulgarian international, he has been capped 33 times and scored six goals for his country.

Live Text Commentary - Bulgaria v FYR Macedonia

18:30: WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS UNDERWAY
Qualification for Russia 2018 begins now for UEFA teams, as almost all members of UEFA are playing in opening group stage qualification matches. Will the big boys continue to steamroll through easy opponents? Will some small nations emerge as challengers? All these questions will be answered as matches get underway in just under an hour.

18:45: PREPARATION IN SOFIA
Fans are pouring in to Vasil Levski as we are just under an hour away from the opening group stage match between Bulgaria and FYR Macedonia. Upwards of 35,000 fans are expected to be in attendance this evening. Tonight's referee Antony Gautier (France) has arrived as well. Gautier has handed our 35 yellow cards and 1 red cards in 16 matches refereed this season.

18:50: BETTING LINES FINALIZED
Sky Bet have finalized tonight's betting lines for the match. Bulgaria are heavy favorites at 4-7 odds, while Macedonia have been given 4-1 odds. A draw has been given 5-2 odds.

19:00: LINEUPS ANNOUNCED
Both Bulgaria and Macedonia have confirmed their lineups for tonight's match 30 minutes prior to kickoff.

BULGARIA (4-2-2-2): Iliev, Nedyalkov, Terziev (c), Milanov, Dimov, Slavchev, Gamakov, Despodov, Milanov, Angelov, Delev

FYR Macedonic (4-5-1): Iliev, Trajkov, Ristevski (c), Damcevski, Georgievski, Zlatovski, Bilali, Gocevski, Celevski, Jusufi, Hirovski

First Half


19:30: KICK OFF Bulgaria 0 - 0 FYR Macedonia
And we're off from Sofia! Macedonia take the ball first to open the match.

19:50 GOAL Bulgaria 1 - 0 FYR Macedonia
Kiril Despodov 20'

And Bulgaria strike first! Georgi Milanov passes through to Despodov who is just inside the box, and he rips one opposite the keeper to give Bulgaria an early brace.

20:03 BOOKING Bulgaria 1 - 0 FYR Macedonia
Ivan Bilali 33'

Gautier hands out his first card of the match as Bilali trips Georgi Milanov and take his down hard.

20:17 HALF TIME Bulgaria 1 - 0 FYR Macedonia
Bulgaria hold the advantage at the half thanks to Despodov's early brace, and have the better side all along.

20:20 SUBSTITUTION Bulgaria 1 - 0 FYR Macedonia
Macedonia make two changes before the second half kicks off; Marjan Jovanov and Zoran Baldovaliev are on for Zoran Zlatovski and Hristijan Kirovski.

Second Half


20:30 SECOND HALF KICK OFF Bulgaria 1 - 0 FYR Macedonia
And Bulgaria restart the game.

20:32 BOOKING Bulgaria 1 - 0 FYR Macedonia
Damcevski 48'

Damcevski comes down hard on Angelov with a slide tackle and goes into the book.

20:38 BOOKING Bulgaria 1 - 0 FYR Macedonia
Gocevski 54'

Macedonia with another hard foul as Gocevski takes down Gamakov hard from behind.

20:52 GOAL Bulgaria 1 - 1 FYR Macedonia
Baldovaliev 78'

Macedonia with a dramatic late equalizer! Jusufi crosses in for Baldovaliev who slots it past Iliev.

21:17 BOOKING Bulgaria 1 - 1 FYR Macedonia
Delev 90+2'

Delev with a harsh tackle on on Trajkov late in the game as both sides look for a late winner.

21:20 FULL TIME Bulgaria 1 - 1 FYR Macedonia
Bulgaria fail to capitalize on a dominating performance by allowing a late equalizer.

World Cup Qualifying 2018 Matchday 1 Recap


Group 1


Bulgaria 1 - 1 FYR Macedonia

Kiril Despodov opened the scoring for the home side but Zoran Baldovaliev equalized late to secure a point for Macedonia.

Belgium 8 - 1 Liechtesntein

Kevin De Bruyne and Maroaune Fellaini both netted two, and Christian Benteke scored a hattrick, while Thomas Vermaleen also added a goal as Belgium demolished Liechtenstien. Jürgen Marxer scored for Liechtenstein.

Croatia 0 - 1 Armenia

Armenia shocked Croatia in Split, with Sparktak Moscow forward Yura Movsisyan adding the decisive goal.

Group 2


Kazakhstan 1 - 1 Romania

Surprising Kazakhstan got an early equalizer from Alisher Galiev that proved to be the difference, offsetting Raul Rusescu's early penalty goal.

Serbia 4 - 0 Malta

Adem Ljajic netted a hattrick and Aleksandar Mitrovic added a fourth as Serbia cruised to a home win over Malta.

Spain 3 - 0 Israel

Cesar Azpilicueta, Fernando Llorente, and Martin Montoya all scored for Spain as they easily handled Israel in Granada.

Group 3


Italy 3 - 0 Poland

Lorenzo Insigne, Mattia De Sciglio, and Mario Balotelli added goals for Italy as the Italians took care of a pesky Poland side.

Luxembourg 0 - 5 Slovakia

Roman Prochazka scored two for Slovakia, and Marek Hamsik, Miroslav Lukac, and Milan Lalkovic all added goals as Slovakia handled Luxembourg.

Norway 3 - 2 Iceland

Gylfi Sigurdsson's own goal tied the game up at 2 before Mohammed Abdellaoue scored the game winner in the 86th minute. Kari Porfinnsson scored two for Iceland.

Group 4


Belarus 1 - 2 France

Franck Ribery put France up early and Yohan Cabaye netted the winning goal early in the second half as France picked up a crucial away win.

Germany 3 - 0 Faroe Islands

Julian Draxler and Timo Werner scored and an own goal from Ari Olavsson Petersen gave Germany an easy home win.

Northern Ireland 2 - 0 Finland

Steven Davis and Chris Brunt both scored in the first half to secure a home win for the Irish.

Group 5


Austria 0 - 2 Portugal

18 year-old midfielder Rui Pires scored on his international debut and Ruben Micael added a second as Portugal handled Austria.

Cyprus 0 - 0 Switzerland

Cyprus played tough and denied heavy favorites Switzerland a win in a hard-fought draw.

Latvia 1 - 0 Andorra

Rolands Kucens' 66th minute goal was the winner for Latvia as they picked up three points against Andorra.

Group 6


Czech Republic 1 - 0 Moldova

17 year old Jaroslav Vojacek scored his first international goal with a 16th minute brace that gave Czech Republic three points.

San Marino 0 - 1 Estonia

Defender Indrek Telling's late goal was the difference maker as Estonia picked up three points on the road.

Ukraine 0 - 0 Greece

Ukraine and Greece played to a boring 0 - 0 draw in Kiev.

Group 7


Denmark 3 - 0 Hungary

Christian Eriksen, Andreas Cornelius, and Nicklas Bendtner scored for the Danes as they cruised past a weak Hungary side.

England 2 - 0 Turkey

Ross Barkley had a 15-minute double for the Three Lions as they overcame Turkey at Wembley.

Georgia 5 - 1 Azerbaijan

David Targamadze and Jano both scored twice and Georgia picked up a big three points. Aslan Rustamli scored for Azerbaijan.

Group 8


Scotland 5 - 2 Bosnia and Herzegovina

Edin Dzeko opened the scoring, and James Morrison's own goal made it 2-0 Bosnia, but Scotland stormed back thanks to doubles from Matt Smith and Ryan Gauld and a brace from Jordan Rhodes.

Slovenia 0 - 0 Republic of Ireland

Gregor Ajdinovic was sent off in the 30th minute, but a ten man Slovenia kept it together and held up for a draw.

Group 9


Netherlands 1 - 1 Wales

Sam Vokes opened the scoring for Wales, but Kevin Strootman responded and the Netherlands rescued a draw.

Sweden 3 - 0 Montenegro

Sebastian Larsson had two and Johan Elmander had the third as Sweden easily took care of Montenegro.

Live Text Commentary - Armenia v Bulgaria


18:30: UEFA WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS CONTINUE
Matchday 2 in the road to finals starts now! After a thrilling matchday 1, which saw upsets from Armenia and Kazakhstan and good games all around, teams are preparing for an exciting second matchday about to get underway. We've got the live call here from Yerevan as Armenia, who shocked Croatia in their first match, take on Bulgaria.

18:40: WILL BULGARIA REBOUND?
Despite allowing a late equalizer and coming away disappointed from their last match with FYR Macedonia, Bulgaria boss Mitch Collins sounded upbeat in the postmatch press conference, claiming to be impressed with his team's performance. Was he fibbing in front of the press? Will Bulgaria be able to rebound from the disappointing draw?

18:45: REFEREE NEWS
Tonight's referee will be infamous Englishman Mark Clattenburg. Clattenburg is a regular referee for the English top flight division, the Barclays Premier League. Clattenburg has handed out 13 yellow cards and zero reds in 10 matches refereed.

18:50: BETTING LINES FINALIZED
Sky Bet have finalized tonight's betting lines. Bulgaria are easy favorites at 4-5 odds, while a draw has 2-1 odds and Armenia given 3-1 odds.

19:00: LINEUPS ANNOUNCED
Both teams have announced their starting lineups 30 minutes prior to tonight's kickoff.

ARMENIA (4-2-1-2-1): Gspeyan, Kapikyan, Karapetyan, Movsisyan, Yuspashyan, Petrosyan, Havhannisyan, Yepiskoposyan, Özbiliz, Papikyan, Movsisyan (c)

BULGARIA (4-1-1-3-1): Kitanov, Nedyalkov, Velkov, Terziev, Dimov, Chochev, Slavchev, Despodov, Nedelev, Popov (c), Hristov

First Half


19:30 KICK OFF Armenia 0 - 0 Bulgaria
And we're off from Yerevan! Bulgaria open the game with the ball.

19:40 BOOKING Armenia 0 - 0 Bulgaria
Nedyalkov 10'

Nedyalkov goes into the book with a hard slide tackle on Movsisyan. Clattenburg's first card of the game goes to the away side.

19:40 GOAL Armenia 1 - 0 Bulgaria
Özbiliz 10'

And the foul by Nedyalkov comes back to hurt the Bulgarians! Özbiliz slots in the free kick from just outside the box to give the home side an early lead!

19:55 GOAL Armenia 1 - 1 Bulgaria
Gspeyan 25'

Oh! A mistake for Armenia ties it back up at one! Nedelev's shot goes off the crossbar, bounces off of the keeper Gespeyan and goes in! It's an own goal from Armenia and we have a brand new game!

20:01 BOOKING Armenia 1 - 1 Bulgaria
Dimov 31'

A second booking for Bulgaria, as Dimov sticks out his leg and brings down Özbiliz. It's still 1 - 1 here in Yerevan.

20:02 CHANCE Armenia 1 - 1 Bulgaria
Bulgaria have a great chance as Popov gives a great through ball to Hristov but his strong shot is saved by Gspeyan. Great job by the goalkeeper, making up for his earlier mistake.

20:06 BOOKING Armenia 1 - 1 Bulgaria
Petrosyan 36'

Armenia go into the book for the first time tonight as Petrosyan takes down Nedelev with a hard tackle.

20:10 Armenia 1 - 1 Bulgaria
Armenia are taking the game to Bulgaria right now! The home side leads 52-48 in possession but that doesn't show the whole story! Mitch Collins' men are being worked and overpowered out the moment. Can they find an answer?

20:10 GOAL Armenia 1 - 2 Bulgaria
Hristov 40'

And the answer has been found by the name of Ventsislav Hristov! Nedelev cuts through the defense, into the box, and sends a perfect cross to Hristov, who fakes out the goalkeeper in front of the net before slotting in into the top right corner. Bulgaria take a crucial lead.

20:15 HALF TIME Armenia 1 - 2 Bulgaria
It's half time here from Yerevan, Armenia, and Bulgaria hold a 2 - 1 advantage over the home side thanks to Hristov's 40th minute goal. Bulgaria have been applying the pressure over the last ten minutes and go into halftime with lots of momentum.

Second Half


20:30 KICK OFF Armenia 1 - 2 Bulgaria
And the second half is underway here from Yerevan, Bulgaria hold a 2 - 1 lead.

20:45 SCORE UPDATE Armenia 1 - 2 Bulgaria
A quick look at scores from around Group 1 and elsewhere:

Belgium has another hattrick from Christian Benteke as they lead FYR Macedonia 3 - 0 ... Mario Mandzukic has two as Croatia leads Liechtenstein 3 - 1 ... Thomas Muller scored a penalty and Marcel Schmelzer was sent off as Germany leads France 1 - 0 ... Danny Welbeck has scored two as England leads Azerbaijan 3 - 0.

20:54 PENALTY Armenia 1 - 2 Bulgaria
Nedelev whips in his cross and Hristov picks up the ball and is fouled in the six-yard box! Clattenburg points to the spot and it's a penalty! However Armenia are furious as they feel it was not a foul!

Hristov will take the penalty. He begins his run-up ... and it's in! Into the bottom left corner! Hristov scores the penalty! It's his second goal of the game and Bulgaria extend their lead!

Hristov 64' (pen)

21:10 Armenia 1 - 3 Bulgaria
Five minutes remain from Yerevan and Bulgaria appear close to securing a huge victory here. They have fallen behind in possession (53/47) but still managed to dominate this game on both ends.

21:15 FULL TIME Armenia 1 - 3 Bulgaria
Full time. Bulgaria pick up a big three points on the road with a 3 - 1 victory.

World Cup Qualifying 2018 Matchday 2 Recap


Group 1


Armenia 1 - 3 Bulgaria

Ventsislav Hristov scored twice in his return to the Bulgarian first team and Armenia conceded an own goal to make it three for the Bulgarians.

Macedonia 0 - 3 Belgium

Christian Benteke scored his second hattrick of the qualifiers as Belgium rolled to an easy win over Macedonia.

Liechtenstein 2 - 3 Croatia

Croatia avoided a scare from the last-place side as Fabian Burkhard scored two. Mario Mandzukic scored twice for Croatia.

Group 2


Israel 1 - 2 Serbia

Aleksandar Kolarov's late goal proved the winner for Serbia. Omri Ben-Brauch's own goal gave Serbia their lead early.

Malta 0 - 3 Kazakhstan

The Kazakhs continued their stellar form with a big win over Malta. Three different forwards scored for Kazakhstan.

Romania 0 - 2 Spain

Cristian Tello and Juan Mata both scored for the Spainards as they picked up their second win of the qualifiers.

Group 3


Iceland 5 - 1 Luxembourg

Gylfi Sigurdsson scored a hattrick and Iceland added two more as they smashed a weak Luxembourg side.

Poland 2 - 1 Norway

Robert Lewandowski scored early, and Rafal Wolski followed him up, offsetting Mohammed Abdellaoue's early goal.

Slovakia 1 - 2 Italy

Martin Skrtel's own goal proved the difference after Mario Balotelli's goal put Italy ahead for good.

Group 4


Faroe Islands 0 - 3 Northern Ireland

Three seperate players all scored for Northern Ireland as they picked up an away win at the Faroe Islands.

Finland 2 - 0 Belarus

18-year old Southampton fullback Jani Laine scored his first international goal in the first minute and Kirill Mamedov's own goal gave Finland the 2-0 win.

France 0 - 1 Germany

Thomas Muller's penalty goal sent Germany to a win over a tough France squad.

Group 5


Andorra 1 - 0 Cyrpus

Andorra pulled off the shocker over a ten-man Cyprus side after Oscar Pinas scored a screamer right out of halftime.

Portugal 5 - 0 Latvia

Nelson Oliveira scored twice, including a penalty goal, and three others added singles as Portugal had no trouble with Latvia.

Switzerland 0 - 0 Austria

There was no scoring in Zurich as both sides fought to a tough nil-nil draw.

Group 6


Estonia 0 - 1 Ukraine

Mykyta Desyatkov's early goal proved to be the difference as Estonia failed to capitalize on chances against Ukraine.

Greece 3 - 3 Czech Republic

Both sides scored three, including one penalty each, in a high-scoring affair.

Moldova 2 - 0 San Marino

Nicolae Muntean scored twice as Moldova had an easy win over bottom side San Marino.

Group 7


Azerbaijan 1 - 3 England

Danny Welbeck had two and Leighton Baines scored off a penalty as England had no trouble with Azerbaijan.

Hungary 2 - 5 Georgia

A nine-man Hungary side struggled and only managed two goals over the last five minutes - five players scored for Georgia.

Turkey 0 - 1 Denmark

Christian Eriksen's 65th minute screamer proved the winner from Istanbul as Turkey stole three points from the home side.

Group 8


Albania 0 - 1 Slovenia

Valter Bisra scored a free kick in the 42nd minute that went on to be the winner for Slovenia.

Ireland 1 - 0 Scotland

Aiden McGeady scored a dramatic stoppage time goal to give Ireland a crucial three points at home against Scotland.

Group 9


Montenegro 2 - 0 Lithuania

Montenegro played hard and physical and picked up three points against Lithuania.

Wales 2 - 1 Sweden

A ten-man Sweden, despite an effort from Zlatan Ibrahimovic, couldn't escape Wales and Gareth Bale, who scored two.

Top 4 Remain Stable in September 2016 Men's World Ranking


There were no changes at the top of the September 2016 FIFA/Coca-Cola men's world ranking, as the top four nations, Argentina, England, Italy, and Spain all stayed stable. Brazil moved up three spots to fifth.

The USA (17th, up 5), Colombia (19th, up 2) and Denmark (20th, up 7) were the three new entries to the top 20. France (21st, down 4), the Czech Republic (23rd, down 5), and Bosnia-Herzegovina (27th, down 7) all dropped out.

San Marino (157th, down 45) made by far the biggest drop after dropping two winnable UEFA World Cup Qualifiers against Estonia and Moldova. Vietnam (136th, down 27), Canada (104th, down 24), and Antigua and Barbuda (159th, down 21) all fell more than 20 spots.

Kazakhstan (101st, up 55) made the biggest jump this month after drawing Romania and beating Malta in World Cup Qualifying matches. Sudan (77th, up 40) and Andorra (142nd, up 33) also moved up more than 30 spots.

Bulgaria rank: 43rd, up 16

The top 20:

1. Argentina
2. England
3. Italy
4. Spain
5. Brazil
6. Germany
7. Uruguay
8. Belgium
9. Croatia
10. Portugal
11. Chile
12. Switzerland
13. Mexico
14. Netherlands
15. Russia
16. Ecuador
17. United States
18. Japan
19. Colombia
20. Denmark

No Changes in Latest Bulgaria Squad


Bulgaria manager Mitch Collins has made no changes to his previous squad as his side prepare to face Liechtenstein and Croatia and Vasil Levski next week. The full squad is listed below.

Goalkeepers


Plamen Iliev ( Werder Bremen, Age 24, 5 caps)
Georgi Kitanov ( Borussia Dortmund, 21, 13)
Vladislav Stoyanov ( Ludogrets, 29, 7)

Defenders


Ivan Dimov ( Werder Bremen, 19, 3)
Plamen Galabov ( Dynamo Kyiv, 20, 0)
Ivan Ivanov ( Basel, 28, 43)
Iliya Milanov ( Dinamo Moscow, 24, 20)
Anton Nedyalkov ( Metalist, 23, 12)
Georgi Terziev ( Wolfsburg, 24, 15)
Stefan Velkov ( Paris Saint-Germain, 19, 7)
Petar Zanev ( Cherno more, 30, 42)

Midfielders


Ivaylo Chochev ( Hamburger SV, 23, 10)
Spas Delev ( Granada, 27, 17)
Svetoslav Dyakov ( Olympiacos, 32, 17)
Milen Gamakov ( Olympiacos, 22, 9)
Georgi Milanov ( Chelsea, 24, 34)
Todor Nedelev ( Hamburger SV, 23, 24)
Ivelin Popov ( Newcastle, 28, 57)
Simeon Slavchev ( Barcelona, 23, 26)
Radoslav Tsonev ( Spartak Moscow, 21, 4)

Forwards


Milcho Angelov ( Olympiacos, 21, 4)
Kiril Despodov ( Ludogrets, 19, 6)
Ventsislav Hristov ( Rubin, 27, 5)
Cannot believe I have overlooked this story. Phenomenal detail and sensational layout mate, one of the best I've seen. Will certainly follow from now on. Congratulations, you have a new reader :D
1
Amazing story! Love the graphics, and the layout is awesome! Looking forward to more! :D
1
Thank you both very much, I'm glad you're enjoying the story. More updates on the way.

Popov's Hat Trick Leads Bulgaria to Victory


The Newcastle midfielder netted three, including a penalty, to lead Bulgaria to a 5 - 0 Group 1 victory over Liechtenstein

Bulgaria captain Ivelin Popov scored a hat trick to lead Bulgaria to a victory over Liechtenstein from Vasil Levski, moving the Bulgarians up to second in the Group 1 table.

Pre-game lineups:

Bulgaria (4-2-2-2): Iliev, Nedyalkov, Velkov, Terziev, Zanev, Slavchev, Gamakov, Popov (c), Nedelev, Hristov, Milanov

Liechtenstein (4-1-2-2-1): Buchel, Weirather, Hassler, Buhler, Schadler, Oehri, Oehri, Vogt, Burkhard, Weirather, Marxer (c)

Popov scored his first off a throw in the fifth minute, with a strong shot from just inside the six yard box. Bulgaria kept attacking from the get-go after the first goal, attacking along the wings as usual and getting forward with the ball, with full backs Petar Zanev and Anton Nedyalkov getting especially active.

Bulgaria got their second at the 26th minute after a Todor Nedelev in-swinging corner kick met the head of Ventsislav Hristov, who got it past a diving Liechtenstein keeper. Bulgaria continued to attack along the wings but couldn't get any more chances before the end of the first half.

Bulgaria kept attacking and taking pressure to Liechtenstein, and were getting chances with free kicks as Liechtenstein picked up 16 fouls throughout the game. Popov got a fantastic chance in the 67th minute when he got into the six-yard box but Liechtenstein keeper Benjamin Buchel made a fantastic diving save to rob Popov of a goal.

However, less than a minute later off the rebound of Buchel's save, Georgi Milanov was fouled inside the six-yard box and a penalty was awarded to Bulgaria. Popov, Bulgaria's penalty specialist, stepped up to the spot and netted it to the top right.

Less than five minutes later, Milanov added Bulgaria's fourth with off header off of a sky-high cross from Popov. And then with under two minutes to go, Popov had his third with a beautiful shot across the goal off a through ball by Despodov.

Bulgaria's three points puts then just behind Belgium, who picked up maximum points in their match, ahead of Thursday's clash with Croatia, who have disappointed with three points from three matches.
Do you guys prefer the text commentary (I could start adding images) or the game recap format?

World Cup Qualifying 2018 Matchday 3 Recap


Group 1


Bulgaria 5 - 0 Liechtenstein

Ivelin Popov scored a hat trick, including a penalty, while Georgi Milanov and Ventsislav Hristov added singles as Bulgaria took three points.

Armenia 4 - 0 FYR Macedonia

Aras Özbiliz scored four goals but ended up injuring himself late in the second half, however he got three points for Armenia against Macedonia.

Croatia 0 - 1 Belgium

Christian Benteke scored his 7th qualifying goal, leading all competitors, as Belgium squeaked out the win.

Group 2


Israel 0 - 5 Romania

Israel was just match for Romania, going down to ten men early and never recovering. Nicusor Stanciu scored two for Romania.

Serbia 3 - 0 Kazakhstan

Aleksandar Mirtovic scored two and Adem Ljajic added a third as Serbia ended Kazakhstan's impressive run of form.

Spain 3 - 0 Malta

Thiago Alcantara scored twice and Javi Martinez added a brace and Spain rolled to a win over Malta.

Group 3


Iceland 2 - 1 Slovakia

Aron Gunnarsson scored twice and denied an early goal from Miroslav Lukac and Iceland picked up their second win of the qualifiers.

Luxembourg 1 - 3 Poland

Poland's impressive attack pulled away from a tricky Luxembourg side late thanks to two late goals.

Norway 0 - 2 Italy

Alessandro Florenzi and Mattia Destro both scored as Italy pulled out a win over Norway.

Group 4


Faroe Islands 0 - 0 France

The Faroe Islands pulled out the biggest shocker yet of the qualifiers, stunningly holding France to a draw at home.

Germany 2 - 0 Finland

Mario Gotze's double led Germany to three points against a tricky Finland side.

Northern Ireland 4 - 0 Belarus

Northern Ireland pulled out an impressive 4 - 0 win over Belarus thanks to two goals from 19 year-old Manchetser United striker Ruairi Croskery.

Group 5


Andorra 0 - 3 Switzerland

Goals from Stephan Liechsteiner and Xherdan Shaqiri led Switzerland to victory against Andorra.

Cyprus 0 - 4 Portugal

Hugo Almeida scored twice and Nelson Oliveira added another and Portugal had no trouble getting by Cyprus.

Latvia 0 - 4 Austria

Sinan Bytyqi scored two goals as Austria easily handled Latvia.

Group 6


Estonia 2 - 1 Moldova

Viktor Henn and Greeg Ilves both scored for Estonia, who canceled out Vitaly Bondarciuc's early goal.

San Marino 0 - 4 Greece

Kostas Mitroglou scored in the first minute and the 69th minute and two own goals contributed to Greece's big victory.

Ukraine 3 - 0 Czech Republic

Andriy Yarmolenko scored and 18 year old Shakhtar striker Valery Krokhin scored two as Ukraine handled the Czech Republic.

Group 7


Azerbaijan 2 - 4 Turkey

Hakan Calhanoglu scored twice for Turkey as they offset two own goals and managed to defeat Azerbaijan.

England 3 - 1 Hungary

Danny Welbeck, Ross Barkley, and Jermain Defoe all scored for England, helping the cause in their 3 - 1 win.

Georgia 2 - 0 Denmark

Georgia picked up an impressive win over Denmark, with Jano adding his fourth and fifth goals of the qualification campaign.

Group 8


Bosnia and Herzegovina 0 - 0 Ireland

Both sides played hard, but no one could find the net as Bosnia and Ireland played to a nil-nil draw.

Scotland 1 - 2 Albania

Albania picked up a surprising win over Scotland, with two players getting on the scoresheet in the win.

Group 9


Lithuania 0 - 3 Wales

Neal Eardly scored one and Sam Vokes had two as Wales defeated Lithuania on the road.

Sweden 1 - 0 Netherlands

Zlatan Ibrahimovic's brace helped Sweden pick up a surprising win over the Netherlands.
Hey guys, I'm actually going to stop this and start a club story. I can't really find the right way to update this and would really get through this challenge much quicker if I didn't do updates. Sorry guys. Thanks for following this and look out for my new, club story.

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