Iniesta strike sinks England

Wednesday, 7 February 2007
by Mark Pettit

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England 0-1 Spain
Andrés Iniesta's second-half strike was enough to give Spain a narrow victory against England at Old Trafford and relieve the pressure on coach Luis Aragonés.

Qualifying problems
Both sides were looking for a morale-boosting result prior to the resumption of their faltering UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying campaigns. England sit third in Group E after drawing at home to F.Y.R. Macedonia and losing in Croatia, while Spain are fifth in Group F after consecutive defeats in Northern Ireland and Sweden.

Valencia influence
England were quick to test the Spain defence with Kieron Dyer, making his first international appearance since March 2005, almost providing Peter Crouch with a tap-in following a surging run and Iker Casillas parrying a 18-metre drive from Michael Carrick. Spain's starting lineup contained five players from Valencia CF and a move involving three of those should have yielded the opening goal on 17 minutes. David Villa and Miguel Ángel Angulo combined to set up Fernando Morientes only for the striker to blast wildly over with just debutant Ben Foster to beat.

Iniesta winner
England's best chance of a tepid first half came on 38 minutes when Steven Gerrard floated a pass into the path of Crouch but the target man dragged his shot wide. Villa continued to look the most threatening player for the visitors after the interval, with the forward forcing Foster to push away his effort. Spain finally made the breakthrough on 63 minutes when substitute Iniesta scored his first goal for his country, hammering in from just inside the penalty area after England had failed to clear Villa's cross.

Lacking creativity
England attempted to assert pressure on the Spain back line in the closing stages of the game but Steve McClaren's side could not create any clear opportunities. Both teams' attention will now turn to UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying with England away to Israel and Spain hosting Denmark on 24 March.

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France upset by Saviola in Paris

Wednesday, 7 February 2007
by Christian Châtelet

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France 0-1 Argentina
A goal from former AS Monaco FC striker Javier Saviola was enough for Argentina to claim a notable friendly victory in Paris and send the majority of a record Stade de France crowd home disappointed.

Early winner
Saviola, who spent the 2004/05 season on loan in the principality but managed only seven goals in 27 Ligue 1 outings, had better fortune in Argentina's colours, providing what proved to be the game's decisive moment on the quarter-hour. In front of 79,862 fans, Les Bleus strove to get back into the match but were unable to find an equaliser against a well-drilled opposition defence and will hope for better when their UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying campaign resumes next month.

Ayala record
The two countries were meeting for the tenth time - and the first since 1986 - with the match being particularly memorable for Valencia CF centre-back Roberto Ayala, who was making his 107th international appearance to overtake Diego Simeone as Argentina's most-capped player. There was more good news for the Albiceleste in the 15th minute as FC Internazionale Milano's Javier Zanetti combined with Saviola down the Argentina right to give Hernán Crespo a shooting chance and, although Grégory Coupet parried the striker's shot, Saviola was on hand to sweep in the rebound.

Coupet save
France subsequently gained the upper hand yet were unable to create clear opportunities, Franck Ribéry slicing an effort wide and David Trezeguet – who was raised in Argentina – being denied by visiting goalkeeper Roberto Abbondanzieri four minutes before half-time. Instead it was Argentina who came closest to a second goal, Crespo forcing Coupet into a fine stop just before the hour, leaving coach Raymond Domenech with food for thought ahead of France's Group B trip to Lithuania on 24 March.

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Ireland dashes San Marino dream

Wednesday, 7 February 2007
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Stephen Ireland spared the Republic of Ireland's blushes with a last-gasp winner as Steve Staunton's men denied San Marino a first-ever point in UEFA European Championship qualifying and kept alive their hopes of progressing from Group D.

Dramatic finale
Manuel Marani looked to have earned the home team a famous draw in Serravalle when he cancelled out Kevin Kilbane's 49th-minute opener with a rasping low shot four minutes from time. It seemed enough to secure a first point in 38 matches in this competition, but with just eight seconds of stoppage time remaining, Ireland tapped in a simple chance from close range to spoil the celebrations.

Irish dominance
In truth, the visitors dominated large swathes of the match, but were constantly let down by poor finishing. Damien Duff served an early indication of things to come when he scuffed a fourth-minute strike wide, although Lee Carsley came close to breaking the deadlock when he shaved the crossbar with a rising effort soon after. San Marino goalkeeper Aldo Simoncini was eventually called upon, making good saves to deny Ian Harte then Duff, before Robbie Keane contrived to drill wide when well placed – there were still only 15 minutes gone and a repeat of Ireland's 5-0 victory in November appeared on the cards.

Keane miss
Keane and Kilbane continued to drive the Republic forward, before the latter finally broke the deadlock after half-time, heading in at the far post after debutant Shane Long had flicked Steve Finnan's cross into his path. Keane then squandered a fine opportunity to seal the win after a mazy run from Duff and the missed chances came back to haunt the visitors when Marani capitalised on a mix-up between Paul McShane and goalkeeper Wayne Henderson. Ireland's last-gasp goal rescued the Irish, however, to lift the side third in Group D. San Marino remain bottom.

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Austria recover from Agius blow

Wednesday, 7 February 2007
by Domenic Aquilina
from National Stadium

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Malta 1-1 Austria
Malta earned an impressive draw against UEFA EURO 2008™ co-hosts Austria in Ta' Qali, as they marked the 50th anniversary of their international debut in style.

Historic game
Austria were also the opponents in 1957 when Malta made their bow, winning 3-2 after a strong start to the match, but it was the hosts who began in determined mood here. Gilbert Agius quickly gave the home crowd reason to cheer when he crashed in a volley after just eight minutes, driving beyond Jürgen Macho in the Austria goal. It was Coventry City FC striker Michael Misfud who was to prove a thorn in the side of the visiting defence, however, going close again before Austria emerged for the second half with renewed vigour.

Late chances
Within three minutes, captain Andreas Ivanschitz had levelled with a deflected free-kick that somehow found its way through a crowded box and left Justin Haber wrong-footed. The Malta team of old might have folded, but having beaten Hungary 2-1 in October, Dušan Fitzel's side are full of confidence. Mifsud tested Austria's substitute goalkeeper Alex Manninger with a fine effort, and almost stole the win late on before his solo run was ended by stout defending. It could not dampen the enthusiasm of the locals, but for Austria coach Josef Hickersberger it is back to the drawing board.

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Georgia joy as Turkey lose

Wednesday, 7 February 2007
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It was a bad night for Turkey and Sweden as they were unable to continue the form that has produced 100 per cent starts to UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying, slipping to disappointing defeats. Slaven Bilić's Croatia continued to impress, however, and there was a rare win for Luxembourg. uefa.com rounds up the action from Wednesday's late friendlies.

Georgia 1-0 Turkey
A second-half header from David Siradze earned Georgia a first-ever victory against their Black Sea neighbours in a fiery contest. The midfielder scored 15 minutes from time following a corner and, despite numerous chances to find the net, Turkey were denied by some fine goalkeeping from Georgi Lomaia.

Egypt 2-0 Sweden
The African champions eased past a below-par Sweden in Cairo in a match that marked the 50th anniversary of the founding of the African Football Confederation. The visitors struggled to test Egypt goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary and Amr Zaki's headed goal a minute before half-time was no more than the hosts deserved. A fine run and finish by Sheffield United FC's Ahmed Fathi wrapped up the victory late on.

Croatia 2-1 Norway
Despite a long injury list, Croatia coach Bilić maintained his unbeaten record as the hosts dominated against Norway in Rijeka. Mladen Petrić (26) opened the scoring from Marko Babić's right-wing cross before Luka Modrić doubled the advantage from the edge of the box 12 minutes later. Petter Vaagan Moen (86) struck Norway's consolation after beating the Croatia offside trap.

Slovakia 2-2 Poland
Two first-half goals were not enough for Slovakia as Poland fought back in the Spanish town of Jerez de la Frontera. Ján Kocian's outfit got the perfect start with Martin Jakubko nodding in after 34 seconds before Martin Škrtel doubled up on the cusp of half-time. Poland were back in the game three minutes after the restart when Michał Żewłakow converted a penalty and Radoslaw Matusiak (78) completed the comeback, capitalising on a mistake by Slovakia goalkeeper Kamil Čontofalský.

Luxembourg 2-1 Gambia
A late winner by Chris Sagramola gave Luxembourg their first victory in 12 years, despite the hosts falling behind to an early goal from Mustapha Jarjue (15). Aurelien Joachim pulled Guy Hellers' side level before Sagramola's clinching strike seven minutes from time.

Slovenia 1-0 Estonia
A penalty from Klemen Lavrič eleven minutes before half-time earned Slovenia victory in Domzale. The result came as a timely boost for Matjaž Kek's men ahead of their UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying Group G meeting with Albania on 24 March.

Andorra 0-0 Armenia
Nothing could separate the sides at the Estadi Comunal in Andorra La Vella. Both teams are struggling in qualifying for UEFA EURO 2008™, with Andorra without a point at the bottom of Group E, and Armenia only slightly better off with one point in Group A.

©uefa.com 1998-2007. All rights reserved.

Boosts for Romania and Bulgaria

Wednesday, 7 February 2007
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Bulgaria won the Cyprus Football Association International Tournament with victory against the hosts, while there were also successes for Romania, Hungary and F.Y.R. Macedonia and Israel and Ukraine drew in Tel-Aviv. uefa.com rounds up Wednesday's early action.

Israel 1-1 Ukraine
Israel mixed the old and new as Arik Benado won a record 90th cap alongside debutants Yuval Shpungin and 17-year-old Ben Sahar, yet they were denied victory by Maxym Kalynychenko. Walid Badir had fired the hosts ahead in the 38th minute, but the Ukraine midfielder had the final say 16 minutes from time, levelling after his penalty had been saved by Dudu Awat.

Romania 2-0 Moldova
Ionut Mazilu (76) scored on his first international appearance in over a year, before an Adrian Mutu header (89) sealed victory in Bucharest. Victor Piturca's side had found it difficult to break down a strong Moldova rearguard before the second-half introduction of Mazilu, in what was the final game to be played at the National-Lia Manoliu Stadium before it is demolished for reconstruction.

Cyprus 0-3 Bulgaria
Dimitar Berbatov struck twice as Bulgaria defeated hosts Cyprus to win the CFA International Tournament. The Tottenham Hotspur FC forward put Hristo Stoichkov's side in front on the stroke of half-time from the penalty spot, following Marios Elia's handball, and rounded off the night by converting from close range with three miutes remaining. Substitute Blagoy Georgiev (67) got Bulgaria's second.

Hungary 2-0 Latvia
Two Tamás Priskin goals earned Hungary third place in that tournament. Aleksejs Višnakovs had gone close for Latvia early on, yet it was Hungary that broke the deadlock on 31 minutes when Priskin capitalised on a fumble by goalkeeper Aleksandrs Kolinko. The 20-year-old made the game safe seven minutes into the second half, finishing off a counterattack.

Albania 0-1 F.Y.R. Macedonia
Otto Barić's Albania fell to defeat in their first match at the Loro Borici Stadium since a famous 3-1 victory against Russia four years ago. There were to be no scenes of joy as Stevica Ristic claimed the only goal on 33 minutes. Armend Dallku, when one-on-one with visiting goalkeeper Jane Nikoloski, wasted Albania's best chance shortly after the hour.

Uzbekistan 0-0 Azerbaijan
The hosts dominated the first half but saw Azerbaijan goalkeeper Farkhad Veliyev repel two dangerous Jafar Irismetov efforts. The away team upped the tempo after the break and might have taken the spoils had Brazilian-born striker Leandro Gomes not failed to make the most of a presentable opening.

China 2-1 Kazakhstan
Han Peng (34) and Lee Ching Yu (73) turned the game for China after falling behind to Murat Suyumagambetov's opener. The European side's goal came in the 19th minute when the forward turned in a rebound after an Anton Chichulin shot had been saved.

Iran 2-2 Belarus
A weakened Belarus, missing Aleksandr Hleb, Maksim Romashchenko, Sergei Gurenko and Valentin Belkevich, performed impressively to hold the 2006 FIFA World Cup finalists in Tehran. The hosts gained the initiative six minutes in through Rasoul Khatibi's overhead kick before Belarus, fielding an experimental 3-4-1-2 system, struck twice through substitute Vyacheslav Hleb. Mehdo Radjabzade netted a late equaliser.

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Koller returns to haunt Belgium

Wednesday, 7 February 2007
by Berend Scholten

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Belgium 0-2 Czech Republic
Jan Koller returned to his former stamping ground in Brussels to inspire the Czech Republic to victory against struggling Belgium.

Early goal
The giant AS Monaco FC forward scored 42 goals in 64 Belgian league matches between 1999 and 2001 for RSC Anderlecht, and took just six minutes tonight to make his mark by heading in a Marek Jankulovski cross. It was exactly the start the Belgium coach René Vandereycken had hoped to avoid, having made six changes from the team that lost their last UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifier to Poland on 15 November.

Simons dropped
The most drastic of those saw captain Timmy Simons dropped to the bench, while Marouane Fellaini of R. Standard de Liège and fellow midfielder Maarten Martens of AZ Alkmaar made debuts. The Red Devils had a chance to draw level soon after as Luigi Pieroni charged in on the Czech Republic goal, where Petr Čech, wearing now-familiar head protection, came out smartly to deny the forward. The Chelsea FC player's opposite number Stijn Stijnen was also alert in the 35th minute when palming away another Koller header.

Vanden Borre dismissed
With both coaches making numerous substitutions, the tempo dropped in the second half. Yet Koller remained the most dangerous player on the pitch, fizzing a header just wide of the post on the hour before setting up substitute Marek Kulič for the second in the 74th minute. Belgium's miserable night was completed moments later when Anderlecht defender Anthony Vanden Borre was sent off for pulling back the goal-bound Kulič.

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Austria aim for quarter-finals

Wednesday, 7 February 2007
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As Austria prepare for tonight's friendly against Malta, coach Josef Hickersberger told uefa.com the co-hosts are targeting a last-eight place at UEFA EURO 2008™.

Second spell
Capped 39 times by the country between 1968 and 1978, Hickersberger started his second spell as Austria coach in January 2006 with the national team in sluggish form. However, following friendly wins against Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Trinidad and Tobago at the end of last year, he feels confidence is up. "We're currently ranked about 60th in the world by FIFA and our goal is to make it through to be among the best eight teams in Europe," the coach told uefa.com. "That's a lofty goal, and we know it is ambitious, but we definitely want to make it through to the quarter-finals at UEFA EURO 2008™."

Key victories
The former FK Austria Wien favourite could not overemphasise how important those victories last year were, admitting that he felt his second spell as national team coach could have easily come to a premature end had results not gone in his favour. "The team really needed to experience success again," he said. "The matches were important not only for the players' self-confidence but for the overall mood for Austrian football. For me personally, the victories were vital for my survival because without them the situation would have become extremely tenuous for me."

Changing generations
The coach maintains that previous disappointing results were a symptom of a change of generations in his squad. "Austria missed out in qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup with a very experienced team, so we had to make a transition to younger players and this process was obviously rather difficult." A 2-1 win against Switzerland in Innsbruck in October finally gave Austria hope that the worst days were now behind them. As Hickersberger said: "That gave the team a huge lift and it helped release a lot of pent-up energy." Now he hopes Austria can build upon their strengths as the finals approach.

Key strength
"Our strength is, more than anything else, our team's cohesion," he said. "There's an extraordinary team spirit. What we want to improve upon in the future is our speed. We want to play at a much faster pace and we have to be able to do that at EURO 2008™ if we want to be successful." In order to sharpen their competitive instincts, Hickersberger has scheduled friendly games against the likes of France, Scotland, Germany and the Netherlands in the run-up to the finals, something which he believes will force his side to hone their style.

Added incentive
He said: "We don't have any qualifiers so we have to work to ensure that the players approach the international matches not as just any ordinary scheduling obligation but rather that they go into each match with the same enthusiasm and passion that they displayed in the last few international matches. We have made a conscious effort to pick strong opponents for our friendly matches. As we get closer to the finals, the opponents will get even stronger. We will have to play against the strongest teams in Europe at the tournament and we will be wanting to win those matches."

©uefa.com 1998-2007. All rights reserved.

Russia rocked by Dutch charge

Wednesday, 7 February 2007
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Netherlands 4-1 Russia
A double substitution proved the perfect tonic for the Netherlands, as they scored four goals in the final 22 minutes to record an overwhelming victory against Russia in Amsterdam.

Sneijder endeavour
With the game goalless at the interval, it took the second-half introduction of Wesley Sneijder and Ryan Babel to spark the below-par Dutch into life – and they did so with aplomb. Tested just once in the first period, Russia goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev was much busier after the restart as Sneijder twice warmed his hands with long-range efforts before Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink came close to recording his first international goal with a header from significantly nearer. Babel finally broke the deadlock midway through the half with a well-executed finish, and Sneijder wasted no time in doubling the lead with a fierce strike.

Mathijsen header
An attacking Russia lineup had offered little in response, although midfielder Vladimir Bystrov provided hope of salvaging something from the match with a fine volley. The Netherlands continued to surge forward, however, and Joris Mathijsen quickly restored the two-goal advantage when he rose, unmarked, to nod in from close range before Rafael van der Vaart rounded off a compelling final quarter of the game from the penalty spot, rifling in his eighth international goal.

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Stand-in strikers inspire Germany

Wednesday, 7 February 2007
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Germany 3-1 Switzerland
Stand-in strikers Kevin Kuranyi and Mario Gomez fired Germany to a friendly international win against the UEFA EURO 2008™ co-hosts in Dusseldorf.

Debut goal
Kuranyi celebrated his recall following a 15-month exile by opening the scoring in the eighth minute, before Gomez marked his Germany debut with a goal on the half-hour, heading a Clemens Fritz cross beyond Diego Benaglio. Torsten Frings made it 3-0 in the 66th minute with a free-kick that drifted in at the far post, and although Switzerland pulled one back five minutes later through VfB Stuttgart's Marco Streller, a German victory in this 49th meeting between the old rivals was never in doubt.

Encouraging
With Miroslav Klose injured and Lukas Podolski suspended, home coach Joachim Löw was forced to name a new strike partnership and the combination of Kuranyi and Gomez did not disappoint. That will be encouraging with a view to the UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifier in Prague in March, when Klose will be suspended. "The two strikers did very well," Löw said. "We're very happy with the performance but now the big game is coming up against the Czech Republic, when we'll have the chance to take a big step towards the finals."

Fizzed cross
Kuranyi opportunistically nodded in the opener after a Michael Ballack header had been saved, and the second came when Fritz collected a pass from Philipp Lahm and fizzed a cross low into the box for Gomez to convert with a perfect flicked header. Switzerland should have reduced the deficit just before half-time when Alexander Frei, played in by Hakan Yakin, chose to shoot rather than return the ball to his fellow forward.

'Cold shower'
The visiting defence were left blaming each other when a Frings free-kick from wide on the left sailed past everyone and into the net for Germany's third, although Switzerland did save some face when Streller was allowed space to reach a Lahm pass ahead of Christoph Metzelder and beat Jens Lehmann on the turn. "That was something of a cold shower for us," said Switzerland coach Jakob Kuhn.

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