World Cup Results for October

6-Oct-2004

North, Central American and Caribbean Zone
FT Mexico 7:0 St. Vincent / Grenadines



Group 1

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
USA 3 1 2 0 4 2 5
Jamaica 3 1 1 1 5 3 4
Panama 3 1 1 1 4 4 4
El Salvador 3 1 0 2 2 6 3

Group 2

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Guatemala 3 2 1 0 6 3 7
Honduras 3 1 2 0 8 5 5
Costa Rica 3 1 0 2 4 7 3
Canada 3 0 1 2 1 4 1

Group 3

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Mexico 2 2 0 10 1 6
Trinidad and Tobago 3 2 0 1 5 4 6
St. Vincent / Grenadines 3 1 0 1 1 9 3
St. Kitts and Nevis 2 0 0 2 1 3 0


Top Two from each group qualify for final phase

African Zone
FT Libya 2:1 Egypt

Group 3

MP W D L GF GA Pts
Libya 5 3 1 1 7 4 10
Côte d'Ivoire 4 3 0 1 9 3 9
Egypt 5 2 1 2 11 9 7
Cameroon 4 2 1 1 6 4 7
Benin 4 0 2 2 6 10 2
Sudan 4 0 1 3 1 10 1

Top nation qualifies for world cup finals

Asian Zone

Group 8
FT Sri Lanka 2:2 Turkmenistan

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Saudi Arabia 4 4 0 0 8 0 12
Turkmenistan 5 2 1 2 7 7 7
Indonesia 4 1 1 2 4 8 4
Sri Lanka 5 0 2 3 4 8 2


Group winner qualifies for next phase.

African Zone
FT Sudan 1:1 Cameroon
FT Malawi 2:2 Tunisia
FT Gabon 1:1 Nigeria
FT Rwanda 1:1 Algeria
FT Cape Verde Islands 1:0 Burkina Faso
FT Botswana 2:1 Kenya


Group 1

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Togo 4 2 1 1 5 2 7
Senegal 4 2 1 1 6 5 7
Zambia 4 2 1 1 3 2 7
Congo 4 2 0 2 4 4 6
Liberia 4 1 1 2 1 4 4
Mali 4 0 2 2 3 5 2

Group 2

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Ghana 4 2 1 1 6 2 7
Congo DR 4 2 1 1 5 4 7
Cape Verde Islands 5 2 1 2 4 5 7
Burkina Faso 5 2 0 3 5 6 6
South Africa 4 2 0 2 4 5 6
Uganda 4 1 1 2 2 4 4

Group 3

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Libya 5 3 1 1 7 4 10
Côte d'Ivoire 4 3 0 1 9 3 9
Cameroon 5 2 2 1 7 5 8
Egypt 5 2 1 2 11 9 7
Benin 4 0 2 2 6 10 2
Sudan 5 0 2 3 2 11 2

Group 4

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Nigeria 5 3 1 1 7 2 10
Angola 4 2 2 0 4 2 8
Gabon 5 1 3 1 8 7 6
Zimbabwe 4 1 2 1 4 5 5
Rwanda 5 1 1 3 4 7 4
Algeria 5 0 3 2 2 6 3

Group 5

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Guinea 3 2 1 0 7 2 7
Botswana 5 2 0 3 5 10 6
Tunisia 4 1 2 1 8 6 5
Morocco 3 1 2 0 3 2 5
Kenya 2 1 0 1 4 4 3
Malawi 5 0 3 2 6 9 3

Winner of each group qualifies for World Cup Finals

European Zone
FT Macedonia FYR 2:2 Netherlands
FT Croatia 2:2 Bulgaria
FT Israel 2:2 Switzerland
FT Bosnia-Herzegovina 0:0 Serbia and Montenegro
FT Austria 1:3 Poland
FT Albania 0:2 Denmark
FT Turkey 4:0 Kazakhstan
FT Spain 2:0 Belgium
FT Azerbaijan 0:0 Northern Ireland
FT Slovenia 1:0 Italy
FT France 0:0 Ireland Republic
FT Malta 0:0 Iceland
FT Cyprus 2:2 Faroe Islands
FT Sweden 3:0 Hungary
FT England 2:0 Wales
FT Scotland 0:1 Norway
FT Finland 3:1 Armenia
FT Luxembourg 0:4 Russia
FT Czech Republic 1:0 Romania
FT Liechtenstein 2:2 Portugal
FT Ukraine 1:1 Greece
FT Belarus 4:0 Moldova
FT Slovakia 4:1 Latvia

Group 1

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Finland 4 3 0 1 9 3 9
Romania 4 3 0 1 9 4 9
Macedonia FYR 3 1 1 1 6 4 4
Netherlands 2 1 1 0 4 2 4
Czech Republic 2 1 0 1 1 2 3
Andorra 2 0 0 2 1 8 0
Armenia 3 0 0 3 1 8 0

Group 2

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Turkey 3 1 2 0 5 1 5
Ukraine 3 1 2 0 4 3 5
Denmark 2 1 1 0 3 1 4
Georgia 2 1 1 0 3 1 4
Albania 3 1 0 2 2 5 3
Greece 3 0 2 1 2 3 2
Kazakhstan 2 0 0 2 1 6 0

Group 3

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Slovakia 4 3 1 0 15 3 10
Portugal 3 2 1 0 8 2 7
Estonia 3 2 0 1 6 5 6
Russia 2 1 1 0 5 1 4
Latvia 3 1 0 2 5 9 3
Liechtenstein 3 0 1 2 3 11 1
Luxembourg 4 0 0 4 4 15 0

Group 4

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Switzerland 3 1 2 0 9 3 5
Ireland Republic 3 1 2 0 4 1 5
France 3 1 2 0 2 0 5
Israel 3 1 2 0 4 3 5
Cyprus 3 0 1 2 3 7 1
Faroe Islands 3 0 1 2 2 10 1

Group 5
Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Slovenia 3 2 1 0 4 0 7
Italy 3 2 0 1 3 2 6
Belarus 2 1 1 0 5 1 4
Norway 3 1 1 1 3 3 4
Scotland 2 0 1 1 0 1 1
Moldova 3 0 0 3 0 8 0

Group 6

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
England 3 2 1 0 6 3 7
Poland 3 2 0 1 7 3 6
Austria 3 1 1 1 5 5 4
Wales 3 0 2 1 3 5 2
Azerbaijan 3 0 2 1 1 3 2
Northern Ireland 3 0 2 1 2 5 2

Group 7

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Lithuania 2 1 1 0 5 1 4
Serbia and Montenegro 2 1 1 0 3 0 4
Spain 2 1 1 0 3 1 4
Bosnia-Herzegovina 2 0 2 0 1 1 2
Belgium 2 0 1 1 1 3 1
San Marino 2 0 0 2 0 7 0

Group 8

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Croatia 3 2 1 0 6 2 7
Sweden 3 2 0 1 10 1 6
Bulgaria 2 1 1 0 5 3 4
Hungary 3 1 0 2 3 8 3
Iceland 3 0 1 2 3 6 1
Malta 2 0 1 1 0 7 1

Group 1 - Qualifying

Finland 3 - 1 Armenia

Czech Republic 1 - 0 Romania

Macedonia 2 - 2 Netherlands

Group 2 - Qualifying

Ukraine 1 - 1 Greece

Turkey 4 - 0 Kazakhstan

Albania 0 - 2 Denmark

Group 3 - Qualifying

Luxembourg 0 - 4 Russia

Slovakia 4 - 1 Latvia

Liechtenstein 2 - 2 Portugal

Group 4 - Qualifying

Cyprus 2 - 2 Faroe Islands

Israel 2 - 2 Switzerland

France 0 - 0 Rep. Ireland(as if you didnt know)

Group 5 - Qualifying

Scotland 0 - 1 Norway

Belarus 4 - 0 Moldova

Slovenia 1 - 0 Italy

Group 6 - Qualifying

England 2 - 0 Wales

Azerbaijan 0 - 0 Northern Ireland

Austria 1 - 3 Poland

Group 7 - Qualifying

Bosnia 0 - 0 Serbia Montenegro

Spain 2 - 0 Belgium

Group 8 - Qualifying

Sweden 3 - 0 Hungary

Malta 0 - 0 Iceland

Croatia 2 - 2 Bulgaria

North, Central American and Caribbean Zone
FT Costa Rica 5:0 Guatemala
FT Panama 1:1 Jamaica
FT Honduras 1:1 Canada
FT El Salvador 0:2 USA


Group 1

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
USA 4 2 2 0 6 2 8
Jamaica 4 1 2 1 6 4 5
Panama 4 1 2 1 5 5 5
El Salvador 4 1 0 3 2 8 3

Group 2

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Guatemala 4 2 1 1 6 8 7
Honduras 4 1 3 0 9 6 6
Costa Rica 4 2 0 2 9 7 6
Canada 4 0 2 2 2 5 2

Group 3

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Mexico 2 2 0 0 10 1 6
Trinidad and Tobago 3 2 0 1 5 4 6
St. Vincent / Grenadines 2 1 0 1 1 2 3
St. Kitts and Nevis 2 0 0 2 1 3 0

Top Two from each group adavance to third phase

South American Zone
FT Venezuela 2:5 Brazil
FT Colombia 1:1 Paraguay
FT Argentina 4:2 Uruguay
FT Bolivia 1:0 Peru


Standings

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Brazil 8 4 4 0 14 8 16
Argentina 8 4 3 1 14 7 15
Paraguay 8 4 2 2 10 8 14
Chile 8 3 3 2 9 7 12
Ecuador 8 3 1 4 8 8 10
Venezuela 8 3 1 4 6 8 10
Uruguay 8 3 1 4 13 19 10
Peru 8 2 3 3 10 10 9
Colombia 8 2 2 4 10 10 8
Bolivia 8 2 0 6 10 19 6

Top 4 qualify for finals. Fifth placed team meets winner of Oceania Section for a place in the World Cup Finals

African Zone
FT Ghana 0:0 Congo DR
FT Uganda 0:1 South Africa
FT Guinea 1:1 Morocco
FT Liberia 0:3 Senegal
FT Benin 0:1 Cote d'Ivoire
FT Togo 1:0 Mali
FT Congo 2:3 Zambia
FT Angola 1:0 Zimbabwe


Group 1

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Senegal 5 3 1 1 9 5 10
Togo 5 3 1 1 6 2 10
Zambia 5 3 1 1 6 4 10
Congo 5 2 0 3 6 7 6
Liberia 5 1 1 3 1 7 4
Mali 5 0 2 3 3 6 2

Group 2

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
South Africa 5 3 0 2 5 5 9
Ghana 5 2 2 1 6 2 8
Congo DR 5 2 2 1 5 4 8
Cape Verde Islands 5 2 1 2 4 5 7
Burkina Faso 5 2 0 3 5 6 6
Uganda 5 1 1 3 2 5 4

Group 3

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Côte d'Ivoire 5 4 0 1 10 3 12
Libya 5 3 1 1 7 4 10
Cameroon 5 2 2 1 7 5 8
Egypt 5 2 1 2 11 9 7
Benin 5 0 2 3 6 11 2
Sudan 5 0 2 3 2 11 2

Group 4

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Angola 5 3 2 0 5 2 11
Nigeria 5 3 1 1 7 2 10
Gabon 5 1 3 1 8 7 6
Zimbabwe 5 1 2 2 4 6 5
Rwanda 5 1 1 3 4 7 4
Algeria 5 0 3 2 2 6 3

Group 5

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Guinea 4 2 2 0 8 3 8
Morocco 4 1 3 0 4 3 6
Botswana 5 2 0 3 5 10 6
Tunisia 4 1 2 1 8 6 5
Kenya 2 1 0 1 4 4 3
Malawi 5 0 3 2 6 9 3

Top Team from each group qualifies for world cup finals.

Some interesting looking tables in this section. Guinea are leading Group 5. Angola topping Group 4 ahead of Nigeria. The Ivory coast are topping Group 3 - 4 points ahead of Cameroon. Ghana are just 1 point behind South Africa in Group 2. And in group 1 we have a three way tussle between Senegal, Togo and Zambia. New countries from Africa may end up qualifying for the World Cup in Germany.

Biggest shocks could be Cameroon and Nigeria not qualifying with Cameroon especially looking in trouble.

North, Central American and Caribbean Zone
FT St. Vincent / Grenadines 0:1 Mexico
FT Trinidad and Tobago 5:1 St. Kitts and Nevis


Group 1

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
USA 4 2 2 0 6 2 8
Jamaica 4 1 2 1 6 4 5
Panama 4 1 2 1 5 5 5
El Salvador 4 1 0 3 2 8 3

Group 2

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Guatemala 4 2 1 1 6 8 7
Honduras 4 1 3 0 9 6 6
Costa Rica 4 2 0 2 9 7 6
Canada 4 0 2 2 2 5 2

Group 3

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Mexico 3 3 0 0 11 1 9
Trinidad and Tobago 4 3 0 1 10 5 9
St. Vincent / Grenadines 4 1 0 3 1 10 3
St. Kitts and Nevis 3 0 0 3 2 8 0


Top Two teams from each group advance to next phase

It's interesting that noone has a 100% winning record in the European qualifying this early.

From the BBC website


Deaths mar World Cup weekend


Benin's fans reacted angrily to their side's 1-0 loss to the Ivory Coast
The weekend's 2006 World Cup qualifiers have been overshadowed by deaths in Liberia, Guinea and Togo.
There was also crowd trouble at a number of other matches around the continent.

In Conakry, three people died in a crush to get tickets for Guinea's game with Morocco.

The match was so keenly anticipated that some 35,000 fans had gathered at the stadium six hours before kick-off trying to get to see the Group Five game.

Another three were killed and eight more injured when fans panicked and stampeded in Lome after the lights in the stadium went out just minutes after the final whistle in Togo's 1-0 win over Mali.

In Monrovia, there were two deaths as angry fans rioted after Liberia's 3-0 loss to Senegal.

The problems came after the game itself had to be halted for 30 minutes in the second half as police sought to quell fans, who began throwing stones onto the pitch after Senegal scored their third goal.


Ticket booths were ransacked as Liberian fans rampaged

The fans also targeted the private residences and other property belonging to Liberian Football Association (LFA) officials, causing severe damage.

LFA president Izetta Wesley's car was overturned and burned while her entertainment centre in a northern suburb of Monrovia was ransacked.

Coach Kadala Kromah's home was also attacked and looted while one of his vehicles was damaged.

There were also violent scenes in Benin after the home side lost 1-0 to the Ivory Coast and in Brazzaville, it was a similar scenario as Congo lost 3-2 to Zambia.

In Malawi, police fired teargas to dispel stone-throwing crowds after they drew 2-2 with Tunisia.

In the last five years, more than 200 people have lost their lives at football stadiums across the continent.

Violence has regularly blighted major football encounters including the last two African Champions League finals, for example.

While the Confederation of African Football has threatened to close some venues because of poor pitch conditions, it has never sought to stop the use of stadia which are no longer suitable for matches in important competitions like the World Cup.

Caf has the power to close down stadiums it feels are inappropriate for international football and can use the threat of such sanction to force the hand of government and municipal authorities.

Suketu Patel, a Caf executive committee member, says African football's governing body will be discussing the incidents at their meeting in Cairo that starts on 18 October.

"There are several courses of action we can take including imposing fines and banning stadia, as we have done in the past," he told BBC Sport.

South American Zone
FT Ecuador 2:0 Chile


Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Brazil 9 5 4 0 19 10 19
Argentina 9 5 3 1 18 9 18
Paraguay 9 4 3 2 11 9 15
Ecuador 9 4 1 4 10 8 13
Chile 9 3 3 3 9 9 12
Venezuela 9 3 1 5 8 13 10
Uruguay 9 3 1 5 15 23 10
Colombia 9 2 3 4 11 11 9
Peru 9 2 3 4 10 11 9
Bolivia 9 3 0 6 11 19 9


Top 4 qualify automatically. Fifth placed team meets Oceanian play-off winner for a place in the World Cup Finals.

Portugal dubbed "laughing stock"
October 12, 2004 - 10:44AM


A searing headline in a Lisbon daily called Portugal's soccer team "Europe's Laughing Stock."

Italy, France and the Netherlands also came in for stinging criticism after embarrassing weekend results in 2006 World Cup qualifiers.

All four teams will be looking for answers on Wednesday when qualifying resumes with 21 games across Europe.

Runners-up just three months ago at the European Championship on home soil, the Portuguese were humiliated in a 2-2 draw against tiny Liechtenstein - the world's 151st-ranked soccer nation.

"It's true the result was somewhat scandalous," Portuguese soccer federation president Gilberto Madail said.

"But I'd like the fans to keep supporting us."

He'll find out on Wednesday when Portugal hosts Russia.

"I think the Portuguese players will be embarrassed and will be very motivated so that they can erase the memory," Russia midfielder Dmitry Alenichev said.

Italy, coming off a 1-0 loss to Slovenia, is home against Belarus.


"It seems that some other big teams in Europe are suffering also, which is a signal that maybe soccer is difficult for everyone," Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro said.

The Dutch, ranked No.5 in the world, needed an own-goal to draw 2-2 at Macedonia, ranked No.92. They host Finland on Wednesday.

Former World Cup and European champion France, which managed only a 0-0 draw against Ireland, travels to Cyprus.

Granted, it's early with the final round of qualifying games still a year away. But the pressure is building on three new coaches: France's Raymond Domenech, Italy's Marcelo Lippi and Dutchman Marco van Basten. All three teams fizzled at Euro 2004.

"Things are progressing slowly," acknowledged Domenech, whose team has yet to look settled in his first four games.

Striker Thierry Henry, who is unstoppable at London club Arsenal, has scored only two goals in his last 12 games for France.

Winger Robert Pires, who forms the core of the French team with Arsenal team-mates Henry and Patrick Vieira, pleads for patience.

"Leave us alone. Let us work in peace," Pires said in Monday's sports daily L'Equipe.

"We will never have the same fluidity in the French team that we have at Arsenal. We need to find a style which suits us."

"Worrisome result" is the way the Dutch paper De Telegraaf summed up the draw with Macedonia. Coach Dragan Kanatlarovski called it a "great day for Macedonian soccer. We were equal with the mighty Holland."

Dubbed "San Marco," the popular Van Basten has made a dozen changes since this summer's European Championship.

Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy will be back for the Dutch side this week after a two-game suspension. Romania and Finland lead Group 1 with nine points, followed by Macedonia and the Netherlands with four. The Czechs have three.

In Group 3, Slovakia is on top with 10 points. Portugal has seven and Estonia six.

In Group 4, France, Ireland and Switzerland each have five points. Ireland seems sure to pick up three points in Dublin against the Faeroe Islands.

In Group 5, Slovenia, which leads with seven points, plays at Norway. Slovenia is followed by Italy with six points and Belarus and Norway with four each.

England and Spain, two other European teams in FIFA's top 10, are in better shape.

England goes to Azerbaijan seeking its third straight Group 6 victory. England leads with seven points, followed by Poland with six. But captain David Beckham won't make the long trip.

It was a mixed weekend for the Real Madrid midfielder. After scoring a sensational 25-metre shot in Saturday's 2-0 victory over Wales, Beckman cracked a rib in a collision with Wales defender Ben Thatcher. He then made a reckless tackle on Thatcher and picked up a yellow card that would have ruled him out of the Azerbaijan game anyway.

Beckham also made the tabloid front pages over another alleged extramarital affair - this time with an English beautician. He and his wife, Victoria, issued a statement denying the allegations as "totally untrue."

Six months ago, Beckham's alleged affair with Rebecca Loos, a former personal aide, also made headlines.

Spain, which defeated nine-man Belgium 2-0 on Saturday, goes to Lithuania tied atop Group 7 with Lithuania and Serbia-Montenegro. Spain coach Luis Aragones is worried about the conditions in the Baltic country.

"I'm not bothered about the cold because I've played matches in 20 degrees (Celsius) below zero and it doesn't affect you," Aragones said.

"But I'm concerned about the field, which isn't good."

© 2004 AP

Asian Zone
FT Indonesia 1:3 Saudi Arabia

Group 8

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Saudi Arabia 5 5 0 0 11 1 15
Turkmenistan 5 2 1 2 7 7 7
Indonesia 5 1 1 3 5 11 4
Sri Lanka 5 0 2 3 4 8 2

Todays result guarantees Saudi Arabias progression to the final qualifying round. Top team qualifies.

South American Zone
FT Bolivia 0:0 Uruguay

Standings
Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Brazil 9 5 4 0 19 10 19
Argentina 9 5 3 1 18 9 18
Paraguay 9 4 3 2 11 9 15
Ecuador 9 4 1 4 10 8 13
Chile 9 3 3 3 9 9 12
Uruguay 10 3 2 5 15 23 11
Venezuela 9 3 1 5 8 13 10
Bolivia 10 3 1 6 11 19 10
Colombia 9 2 3 4 11 11 9
Peru 9 2 3 4 10 11 9

Top four qualify automatically for world cup finals. Fifth place team meets oceanian winner in a play-off for the world cup finals.

Asian Zone
FT Qatar 2:3 Iran
FT Thailand 3:0 United Arab Emirates
FT Singapore 2:0 India
FT Hong Kong 2:0 Malaysia
FT Tajikistan 2:1 Kyrgyzstan
FT Kuwait 1:0 China PR
FT Oman 0:1 Japan
FT Maldives 3:0 Vietnam
FT Korea DPR 2:1 Yemen
FT Iraq 1:2 Uzbekistan
FT Laos 2:3 Jordan
FT Syria 2:2 Bahrain
FT Lebanon 1:1 Korea Republic


Group 1

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Iran 5 4 0 1 15 4 12
Jordan 5 4 0 1 10 4 12
Qatar 5 2 0 3 14 8 6
Laos 5 0 0 5 3 26 0

Group 2

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Uzbekistan 5 4 1 0 10 2 13
Iraq 5 2 2 1 13 6 8
Palestine 4 1 1 2 9 7 4
Chinese Taipei 4 0 0 4 2 19 0

Group 3

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Japan 5 5 0 0 15 1 15
Oman 5 3 0 2 14 3 9
Singapore 5 1 0 4 3 12 3
India 5 1 0 4 2 18 3

Group 4

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Kuwait 5 4 0 1 9 1 12
China PR 5 4 0 1 7 1 12
Hong Kong 5 2 0 3 5 8 6
Malaysia 5 0 0 5 1 12 0

Group 5

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Korea DPR 5 3 2 0 11 4 11
United Arab Emirates 5 2 1 2 5 6 7
Thailand 5 2 0 3 8 9 6
Yemen 5 1 1 3 5 10 4

Group 6

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Bahrain 5 3 2 0 11 4 11
Syria 5 2 2 1 7 6 8
Tajikistan 5 2 1 2 5 5 7
Kyrgyzstan 5 0 1 4 4 12 1

Group 7

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Korea Republic 5 3 2 0 7 2 11
Lebanon 5 3 1 1 11 5 10
Maldives 5 1 1 3 5 12 4
Vietnam SR 5 1 0 4 5 9 3

Group 8

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Saudi Arabia 5 5 0 0 11 1 15
Turkmenistan 5 2 1 2 7 7 7
Indonesia 5 1 1 3 5 11 4
Sri Lanka 5 0 2 3 4 8 2


Top team in each group qualifies for next phase. So far Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, North Korea, Japan and Uzbekistan are through.

European Zone
FT Italy 4:3 Belarus
FT Netherlands 3:1 Finland
FT Luxembourg 0:4 Liechtenstein
FT Armenia 0:3 Czech Republic
FT Moldova 1:1 Scotland
FT Lithuania 0:0 Spain
FT Serbia and Montenegro 5:0 San Marino
FT Cyprus 0:2 France
FT Azerbaijan 0:1 England
FT Portugal 7:1 Russia
FT Latvia 2:2 Estonia
FT Kazakhstan 0:1 Albania
FT Iceland 1:4 Sweden
FT Bulgaria 4:1 Malta
FT Andorra 1:0 Macedonia FYR
FT Ukraine 2:0 Georgia
FT Norway 3:0 Slovenia
FT Ireland Republic 2:0 Faroe Islands
FT Denmark 1:1 Turkey
FT Wales 2:3 Poland
FT Northern Ireland 3:3 Austria


Group 1

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Romania 4 3 0 1 9 4 9
Finland 5 3 0 2 10 6 9
Netherlands 3 2 1 0 7 3 7
Czech Republic 3 2 0 1 4 2 6
Macedonia FYR 4 1 1 2 6 5 4
Andorra 3 1 0 2 2 8 3
Armenia 4 0 0 4 1 11 0

Group 2

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Ukraine 4 2 2 0 6 3 8
Turkey 4 1 3 0 6 2 6
Albania 4 2 0 2 3 5 6
Denmark 3 1 2 0 4 2 5
Georgia 3 1 1 1 3 3 4
Greece 3 0 2 1 2 3 2
Kazakhstan 3 0 0 3 1 7 0

Group 3

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Portugal 4 3 1 0 15 3 10
Slovakia 4 3 1 0 15 3 10
Estonia 4 2 1 1 8 7 7
Russia 3 1 1 1 6 8 4
Latvia 4 1 1 2 7 11 4
Liechtenstein 4 1 1 2 7 11 4
Luxembourg 5 0 0 5 4 19 0

Group 4

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Ireland Republic 4 2 2 0 6 1 8
France 4 2 2 0 4 0 8
Switzerland 3 1 2 0 9 3 5
Israel 3 1 2 0 4 3 5
Cyprus 4 0 1 3 3 9 1
Faroe Islands 4 0 1 3 2 12 1

Group 5

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Italy 4 3 0 1 7 5 9
Norway 4 2 1 1 6 3 7
Slovenia 4 2 1 1 4 3 7
Belarus 3 1 1 1 8 5 4
Scotland 3 0 2 1 1 2 2
Moldova 4 0 1 3 1 9 1

Group 6

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
England 4 3 1 0 7 3 10
Poland 4 3 0 1 10 5 9
Austria 4 1 2 1 8 8 5
Northern Ireland 4 0 3 1 5 8 3
Wales 4 0 2 2 5 8 2
Azerbaijan 4 0 2 2 1 4 2

Group 7

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Serbia and Montenegro 3 2 1 0 8 0 7
Lithuania 3 1 2 0 5 1 5
Spain 3 1 2 0 3 1 5
Bosnia-Herzegovina 2 0 2 0 1 1 2
Belgium 2 0 1 1 1 3 1
San Marino 3 0 0 3 0 12 0

Group 8

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Sweden 4 3 0 1 14 2 9
Bulgaria 3 2 1 0 9 4 7
Croatia 3 2 1 0 6 2 7
Hungary 3 1 0 2 3 8 3
Iceland 4 0 1 3 4 10 1
Malta 3 0 1 2 1 11 1

South American Zone
FT Brazil 0:0 Colombia
FT Paraguay 1:1 Peru
FT Chile 0:0 Argentina


Standings
Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Brazil 10 5 5 0 19 10 20
Argentina 10 5 4 1 18 9 19
Paraguay 10 4 4 2 12 10 16
Ecuador 9 4 1 4 10 8 13
Chile 10 3 4 3 9 9 13
Uruguay 10 3 2 5 15 23 11
Colombia 10 2 4 4 11 11 10
Peru 10 2 4 4 11 12 10
Venezuela 9 3 1 5 8 13 10
Bolivia 10 3 1 6 11 19 10

South America - Top four qualift automatically. Fifth placed nation meets the Oceanian winner for a place in the finals.



North, Central American and Caribbean Zone
FT Guatemala 1:0 Honduras
FT Mexico 3:0 Trinidad and Tobago
FT St. Kitts and Nevis 0:3 St. Vincent / Grenadines
FT Canada 1:3 Costa Rica
FT Jamaica 0:0 El Salvador
FT USA 6:0 Panama

Group 1

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
USA 5 3 2 0 12 2 11
Jamaica 5 1 3 1 6 4 6
Panama 5 1 2 2 5 11 5
El Salvador 5 1 1 3 2 8 4

Group 2

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Guatemala 5 3 1 1 7 8 10
Costa Rica 5 3 0 2 12 8 9
Honduras 5 1 3 1 9 7 6
Canada 5 0 2 3 3 8 2

Group 3

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Mexico 4 4 0 0 14 1 12
Trinidad and Tobago 5 3 0 2 10 8 9
St. Vincent / Grenadines 5 2 0 3 4 10 6
St. Kitts and Nevis 4 0 0 4 2 11 0

Top two teams from each group qualify for the third phase



This means so far the USA, Guatemala and Mexico are assured to progress.

Asian Zone
FT Chinese Taipei 0:1 Palestine


Group 2

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Uzbekistan 5 4 1 0 10 2 13
Iraq 5 2 2 1 13 6 8
Palestine 5 2 1 2 10 7 7
Chinese Taipei 5 0 0 5 2 20 0

Top team from each group qualifies. Uzbekistan have qualified from this group.

South American Zone
FT Venezuela 3:1 Ecuador


Standings
Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Brazil 10 5 5 0 19 10 20
Argentina 10 5 4 1 18 9 19
Paraguay 10 4 4 2 12 10 16
Ecuador 10 4 1 5 11 11 13
Chile 10 3 4 3 9 9 13
Venezuela 10 4 1 5 11 14 13
Uruguay 10 3 2 5 15 23 11
Colombia 10 2 4 4 11 11 10
Peru 10 2 4 4 11 12 10
Bolivia 10 3 1 6 11 19 10

Top 4 nations qualify automatically. Fifth placed nation meets Oceanian winner.

Sports Sports Archives
Canada Turfed From Cup Tilt but Still Upbeat
By jeff paterson

Publish Date: 21-Oct-2004

To the casual observer, it probably looks like a whole lot more of the same from our men's national soccer program: few goals, no wins, and no hope in hell of ever making our mark in the world's most popular sport. But ask the guys who know best and they claim Canada is making significant strides as a soccer-playing nation. It's just hard to see right now.

And, obviously, it's going to require a lot more time to prove to the world that progress is being made here. After a 3-1 loss to Costa Rica on October 13 at Swangard Stadium, Canada can forget about punching its ticket to World Cup 2006 and, instead, can start looking down the road to the 2010 tournament. That second-round loss left Canada with two ties and three losses in the first five games of this six-game regional qualifying round with Costa Rica, Honduras, and Guatemala. It also means it'll be at least 24 years since Canada last played a World Cup game.

The tough part for former national team member Frank Yallop, who knew exactly what he was getting himself into when he accepted the Team Canada head coaching job 10 months ago, is convincing people that, despite the poor results, he is seeing reasons to believe.

"I think you've seen us beginning to grow as a team and competing in every game we've been in," Yallop says. "You can't just all of a sudden have a magic wand and everything will get better. I think we're starting to play well, we're starting to play complete games--not quite complete enough--but I'm happy enough with the performances, just not with the results.

"Realistically, we're in the toughest [qualifying] group. We're ranked 95th in the world; we're the worst team in this group--supposedly--so I don't think anyone's surprised where we're at," the coach continues. "But I know we're better than we're showing. Given a little more time, I think we could be really forceful, but this is a six-game series and we don't have more time. If we had 30 games, I feel this team would be good, but we don't. We've got to make sure we peak at the right times and I don't think we've had enough time to really get to the point where we feel confident and assured that we can get results. I've got to get to know these guys inside and out, and I'm not there yet."

Yallop faces all the same challenges of all the guys who've gone before him: lack of funding, lack of preparation time, and to some degree a lack of skill to compete at the highest level of the sport. But one thing the new coach seems to have gained already is the respect of the players.

"He's a tremendous coach but most importantly he's an honest individual," veteran goalkeeper Pat Onstad says. "Guys know their roles on this team, and it's not a question of trying to figure out what's happening. He makes it an enjoyable atmosphere to be involved in. We have a lot of fun; you can see a lot of laughs even though we're at the bottom of the group. Frank tries to keep things very positive and I think that helps, especially with the young guys in the group."

One problem Canada has always faced and--judging by these recent games--continues to face is an absolutely staggering inability to score. Our guys have just three goals in the five games of this round of qualifying, which concludes with one now meaningless game for Canada in Guatemala next month. Aside from a pair of 4-0 wins over Belize in June during the first round of World Cup qualifying, Canada has scored more than one goal in international competition just one other time the last 16 occasions the team has taken the pitch.

Some would point to our inability to generate offence, but, again, those in the know would disagree. It's not so much the lack of opportunities created for Canadian soccer; it's far more about finish. Our guys just don't convert the chances they get.

"I think we dominate games now, where I look back in the summer the way we played Wales [a 1-0 exhibition loss] and we were just beginning to play as a team," striker Tomasz Radzinski says. "Now we do dominate games if we want. We can take control of games, and Frank makes it easy to progress. We have a great coaching team, and hopefully we can continue with that team until the next World Cup or beyond that. If we can build on that, then that will be the answer to the future."

As hard as it may be for some to believe, Canada seems to be grooming the type of talent that one day may surface in the ability to score some goals. Olivier Occean, Iain Hume, Atiba Hutchinson, and Josh Simpson are all under 23 and just coming into their own. They are the guys Yallop is excited about moving forward with.

"I've got a good group of young men who want to do well and who want to get to the World Cup," Yallop says. "Are we talented enough? Maybe. But we need to make sure that we're fully prepared and know what it takes to get there. We're learning as we go and we're trying to build the program so that if it doesn't happen this time, we'll be ready the next time."

The key is to progress enough so that in four years everyone involved with our men's national soccer program doesn't have to say the same things. And at least there seems to be evidence that the program is moving in the right direction.



From Straight.com

From Iran Kicks

Thursday, October, 21

(IranKicks.com) The final phase of Asian qualifiers for World Cup 2006 will be drawn in Malaysia on December 9, 2004. Eight teams will participate in the third phase in two groups of four, the top two teams from each group will advance to Germany 2006. The fifth team will have the right to play a concacaf team in a play-off, the winner will also play in Germany 2006.

Five teams; Japan, Saudi Arabia, North Korea, Uzbekistan and Bahrain have already booked their places in the next round of Asian qualifiers. Iran and South Korea have a 99% chance to advance. Kuwait or China will be the eighth team with Kuwait having the upper hand 60% Vs 40% on China.

Lebanon and Jordon have an extremely remote chance to advancing if Iran and South Korea fail to win their final matches in November against Laos and Maldives respectively, Jordon and Lebanon would need to win against Qatar and Vietnam respectively

From Fifa


Few observers would have expected to see Togo among the frontrunners at the half-way stage of 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™ qualifying. Inspired by their star striker Emmanuel Sheyi Adebayor, the Sparrowhawks have soared into position as the principal threat to Senegal and Zambia in African Zone Group 1.
That Senegal have failed to stroll through qualifying owes less to their own standard of football than to the calibre of their opponents, and in particular Togo. Placed 91st in the most recent FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking, the Sparrowhawks are in full flight. Aside from a dip in performances from 2001 to 2003, the unfancied Togolese have been making steady progress over the years. They followed up a winless qualifying campaign for USA 94 with a solitary victory in the preliminaries for France 98, and then two successes in the Korea/Japan 2002 qualifiers.

The outstanding players of the current crop are Kossi Agassa, Junior Senaya, Thomas Dossevi, Adekamni Olufade and most notably Emmanuel Sheyi Adebayor. After spending last season in the shadow of Fernando Morientes, the lanky AS Monaco striker is currently holding his own alongside such star forwards as Javier Saviola, Ernesto Javier Chevanton and Mohamed Kallon.


The best defence in Africa
With six goals – all of them decisive – in fourteen matches for the Principality, Adebayor is currently at the peak of his powers. His country is reaping the benefit too, as Adebayor threatens to re-write the record books in a Togo shirt. He has struck five goals in seven qualifying games (before the five matches played thus far by all teams in the group, Togo overcame Equatorial Guinea in a home-and-away preliminary round). Thanks to their star striker, the team coached by Nigerian Stephen Keshi currently own a share of the top spot in Group 1, level on points with Senegal and Zambia.
However, it is not Togo’s attack that has most impressed observers of African football. With just two goals conceded, Togo boast the meanest back line in the African Zone along with Ghana, Angola and Nigeria. And such defensive economy is often the difference between African teams.

The question now is just how high the Sparrowhawks can fly. After facing Zambia at home, they travel to Senegal for what already appears to be a 2006 FIFA World Cup™ qualification decider. With three away matches and just two at home, the run-in will be tricky for Togo, but nothing is impossible for a team that is improving with every game.