Netherlands beat Finland to keep WC qualifier on track
BARCELONA: England kept their World Cup qualifying on track with an ugly 1-0 win while Austria and the Netherlands made belated starts to their campaigns with victories on Saturday.
Harry Kane's 72nd international goal ensured England avoided the ultimate embarrassment of failing to beat Andorra. Even so, Thomas Tuchel's side were booed off in Barcelona after struggling to impress against a team ranked 173rd in the world. Tuchel is the first England manager to win his first three competitive games without conceding a goal.
But given the paucity of opposition provided by Andorra, Latvia and Albania in the Group K qualifiers, that achievement rings a little hollow after this miserable display.
"I'm not happy with the performance. We completely lost the momentum and couldn't get it back. We ended up in a place that was not good enough in terms of urgency," Tuchel said.
"We can just admit it that it's not what we expect from us. I was most worried in the last 20 minutes because I didn't like the attitude we ended the game with.
"I didn't like the lack of urgency. It did not match the occasion. It is still a World Cup qualifier."
England pulled five points clear after three matches in Group K as second-placed Albania drew 0-0 at home with Serbia. Rey Manaj of Albania wasted a penalty in first-half added time.
Serbia was one of three teams playing their first qualifying match on Saturday after they had been involved in Nations League playoffs.
Netherlands made their debut with a crisp 2-0 win over Finland in Helsinki.
Memphis Depay scored after six minutes. Denzil Dumfries, one week after his unhappy experience playing for Inter Milan in the Champions League final, added the second after 23 minutes.
Netherlands jumped to third in Group G, overtaking Lithuania and Malta who drew 0-0. The Dutch are one point behind Finland and three behind leaders Poland who did not play.
Marcel Sabitzer and Michael Gregoritsch scored as Austria beat Romania 2-1 in Vienna. Florin Tanase headed an added-time reply for the visitors who had squandered several chances in the closing stages.
Bosnia-Herzegovina lead Group H on nine points after Edin Dzeko scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory home over San Marino. Romania, Cyprus and Austria all have three points.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Observer
4 hours ago
- Observer
Red Warriors resume final trainings ahead of Palestine clash
MUSCAT: Oman national football team resumed training in Amman city in Jordan ahead of their decisive Group B encounter against Palestine on Tuesday in the AFC Asian Qualifiers — Road to 26. The match will determine the final team from the group to reach the playoff stage, keeping hopes alive for a place at the Fifa World Cup 2026. Following their arrival in the Jordanian capital on Friday, the Red Warriors returned to the training pitch on Saturday night, beginning their recovery and tactical preparations. The team is scheduled to hold its final official training session on Monday at King Abdullah II Stadium, the venue of Tuesday's high-stakes clash. Currently sitting one point ahead of Palestine, Oman will enter the match with two possible paths to progression including victory or a draw that will secure their place in the playoff phase. For Palestine, however, only a victory will be enough to leapfrog Oman and continue their remarkable qualifying journey. Oman will enter the match with two possible paths to progression including victory or a draw that will secure their place in the playoff phase The last two days training in Amman saw Oman's coaching staff emphasise recovery drills, physical conditioning, and tactical formations tailored for Tuesday's encounter. Coach Rasheed has called for full focus and discipline from his players, underlining the importance of capitalising on their position and experience. Also, the coaching staff are working to find the best alternative player to cover the place of experienced Ali al Busaidy who will miss this essential match due to two yellow cards in the previous match while Bangkok United forward player Mohsin al Ghassani will be available in Palestine's critical match after an absence in the last game against Jordan. His availability will provide more strength in the attacking side as Oman's suffered to score in the previous encounter. Oman players during the last training session Oman's automatic qualification hopes came to an end following a 3-0 home defeat to Jordan on Thursday night in Muscat in a match where Jordan's striker Ali Olwan scored a memorable hat-trick to send his nation to the World Cup for the first time in history. Now, Rasheed Jaber's men must regroup quickly and deliver a result that keeps their dream alive through the playoff route. Palestine, making their debut at this stage of the AFC Qualifiers, impressed with back-to-back victories, including a 2-0 win over Kuwait in the latter's home and will approach the clash with confidence and high momentum. The Iranian referee Mooud Bonyadifard will officiate the match between Oman and Palestine beside an assistant of Iranian umpiring team comprised from Redha Idroom and Farhad Marooji as assistant referrers and Bayam Haydri as fourth umpire.
Observer
4 hours ago
- Observer
Italy sack Spalletti after Norway defeat
MILAN: Luciano Spalletti has been sacked from his role as Italy's coach, the manager said on Sunday, following their heavy loss to Norway, but will take charge of Monday's game against Moldova. Spalletti made the announcement at a press conference after Norway stunned Italy with a 3-0 win on Friday, handing the visitors a humiliating start to their World Cup qualifying campaign. "Last night we were together with (Italian football federation) president (Gabriele) Gravina. He told me that I will be relieved of my position as coach of the national team," Spalletti said. "I had no intention of giving up. I would have preferred to stay in my place and continue doing my job. I'll be there tomorrow evening against Moldova, then we'll resolve the contract." Spalletti's dismissal comes after less than two years in the role, having replaced Roberto Mancini and taking charge in September 2023. While Spalletti took Italy to Euro 2024, their disappointing performance there had already put the manager under pressure. Italy went into the Euros last year in Germany as defending champions but after winning their opening game against Albania, they lost to Spain and snatched a late draw with Croatia to make the last 16 where they were beaten 2-0 by Switzerland. Spalletti's side seemed to have recovered as they put in an impressive Nations League campaign, beating France 3-1 away and losing just once. They lost at home to the French in the final group game to finish behind France on goal difference. Italy began this year with a 2-1 loss at the San Siro in their Nations League quarter-final first leg with Germany and found themselves 3-0 down at halftime in the return game in Dortmund. Spalletti's side came back to salvage a draw but missed out on a semi-final place and when they fell 3-0 behind at the break against Norway, this time Italy had no reply. The loss left Spalletti's side already facing an uphill battle to secure automatic qualification for next year's World Cup, and after Italy missed out on the last two finals, the Italian football federation (FIGC) decided to act. — Reuters
Observer
4 hours ago
- Observer
Netherlands beat Finland to keep WC qualifier on track
BARCELONA: England kept their World Cup qualifying on track with an ugly 1-0 win while Austria and the Netherlands made belated starts to their campaigns with victories on Saturday. Harry Kane's 72nd international goal ensured England avoided the ultimate embarrassment of failing to beat Andorra. Even so, Thomas Tuchel's side were booed off in Barcelona after struggling to impress against a team ranked 173rd in the world. Tuchel is the first England manager to win his first three competitive games without conceding a goal. But given the paucity of opposition provided by Andorra, Latvia and Albania in the Group K qualifiers, that achievement rings a little hollow after this miserable display. "I'm not happy with the performance. We completely lost the momentum and couldn't get it back. We ended up in a place that was not good enough in terms of urgency," Tuchel said. "We can just admit it that it's not what we expect from us. I was most worried in the last 20 minutes because I didn't like the attitude we ended the game with. "I didn't like the lack of urgency. It did not match the occasion. It is still a World Cup qualifier." England pulled five points clear after three matches in Group K as second-placed Albania drew 0-0 at home with Serbia. Rey Manaj of Albania wasted a penalty in first-half added time. Serbia was one of three teams playing their first qualifying match on Saturday after they had been involved in Nations League playoffs. Netherlands made their debut with a crisp 2-0 win over Finland in Helsinki. Memphis Depay scored after six minutes. Denzil Dumfries, one week after his unhappy experience playing for Inter Milan in the Champions League final, added the second after 23 minutes. Netherlands jumped to third in Group G, overtaking Lithuania and Malta who drew 0-0. The Dutch are one point behind Finland and three behind leaders Poland who did not play. Marcel Sabitzer and Michael Gregoritsch scored as Austria beat Romania 2-1 in Vienna. Florin Tanase headed an added-time reply for the visitors who had squandered several chances in the closing stages. Bosnia-Herzegovina lead Group H on nine points after Edin Dzeko scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory home over San Marino. Romania, Cyprus and Austria all have three points.
