World Cup qualifying resumed this past Thursday, and as always, there were some shocking results in Europe and South America.
In Europe, Italy secured a 1-1 draw at home with Spain on Thursday after Sergio Ramos gifted the Azzurri with a late penalty. The Italians were nearly upset by Macedonia the following Sunday, but Ciro Immobile struck twice in the final 15 minutes to give them the victory.
Elsewhere, Cristiano Ronaldo scored four goals in his Portugal return as the European champions crushed Andorra 6-0, while England won 2-0 against Malta on Gareth Southgate’s debut as manager.
Down in South America, a Lionel Messi-less Argentina settled for a 2-2 draw with Peru on Thursday night. Uruguay cruised past Venezuela 3-0 to stay on top of the table. Brazil moved to within a point of La Celeste after demolishing Bolivia 5-0 at home, while Chile is in deep trouble after falling 3-0 to Ecuador.
Here’s a closer look at UEFA and CONMEBOL European qualifying heading into the next round of games.
Italy salvages draw with Spain, then edges Macedonia
Thursday’s 1-1 draw against Spain appeared to be a wake-up call for Italy, but what followed was the real surprise.
Spain dominated possession and outshot Italy throughout the game, but luckily for the hosts, La Roja‘s only goal was created off a Gianluigi Buffon howler. The Azzurri had another close call against Macedonia on Sunday, but thanks to substitute Ciro Immobile’s brace, they won 3-2 and moved up to second place in Group G and are level on seven points with the Spanish.
Ronaldo scores four goals in Portugal return
Cristiano Ronaldo took little time to return to form with Portugal on Friday.
The Portuguese superstar opened the scoring for the European champions against Andorra after two minutes. He completed his brace shortly thereafter and added two more in a 6-0 rout for Portugal. Ronaldo has now scored an astonishing 65 goals in 134 caps as the Selecao lie in third place in Group B, three points adrift of Switzerland for the top spot.
Gareth Southgate wins first game as England manager
England’s new manager Gareth Southgate began his caretaker stint on a high as the Three Lions shut out Malta 2-0 on Saturday.
Daniel Sturridge and Dele Alli were on the scoresheet as the English earned their 14th straight qualifying win. England holds the top spot in Group E, but its next opponent, Slovenia, is two points adrift. The two teams face each other on Tuesday to close out the international break.
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Here are all of the European results from Thursday to Saturday (group leaders in bold, second-placed teams italicized).
Group A
France4-1 Bulgaria
Luxembourg 0-1 Sweden
Netherlands4-1 Belarus
Group B
Hungary 2-3Switzerland
Latvia 0-2Faroe Islands
Portugal 6-0 Andorra
Group C
Azerbaijan1-0 Norway
Germany3-0 Czech Republic
N.Ireland 4-0 San Marino
Group D
Austria 2-2 Wales
Ireland 1-0 Georgia
Moldova 0-3 Serbia
Wales 1-1 Georgia
Moldova 1-3 Ireland
Serbia 3-2 Austria
Group E
Armenia 0-5 Romania
Montenegro 5-0 Kazakhstan
Poland 3-2 Denmark
Group F
England 2-0 Malta
Scotland 1-1 Lithuania
Slovenia 1-0 Slovakia
Group G
Macedonia 1-2 Israel
Italy 1-1 Spain
Israel 2-1 Liechtenstein
Albania 0-2 Spain
Macedonia 2-3 Italy
Group H
“Argentina loses again”…maybe in the court of public opinion but 2-2 is still a point last I checked.