BERLIN: Germany, England and Poland all took another step toward World Cup qualification but the Netherlands’ failure to do the same cost national coach Danny Blind his job on Sunday.
The Dutch football association fired Blind one day after his team’s humiliating 2-0 defeat to Bulgaria in Sofia — a result that leaves the 2014 World Cup semifinalist in danger of missing out on a second successive major tournament after watching Euro 2016 at home.
The Netherlands is fourth in Group A behind France, Sweden and Bulgaria. Only the top team in each group qualifies automatically for next year’s tournament in Russia.
On the field Sunday, defending champion Germany remained on course with its fifth win from five games despite conceding its first goal in Group C. It beat Azerbaijan 4-1.
England, now the only team not to have conceded so far in European qualifying, beat Lithuania 2-0 in Group F. On an emotional day, Jermain Defoe led England out onto the pitch with a terminally ill five-year-old mascot by his side and then scored in front of him.
In Group E, Poland captain Robert Lewandowski scored again as his first-placed team beat second-placed Montenegro 2-1.
Here is a look at World Cup qualifiers in Europe on Sunday:
GROUP C
Germany stayed perfect in qualifying despite conceding its first goal of the campaign in a 4-1 away win over Azerbaijan. Little-used forward Andre Schuerrle scored two and set up another.
“We absolutely fulfilled our duty,” Germany coach Joachim Loew said. “It was like a cup game against a team from a lower division. If you don’t go in at the top of your game, you make them stronger than they are.”
Germany has scored 20 goals so far in its group and next faces last-placed San Marino, which has conceded 23 goals already.
The world champion leads by five points from Northern Ireland, which defeated Norway 2-0 in Belfast thanks to first-half goals from Jamie Ward and Conor Washington.
The Czech Republic, which racked up a 6-0 win in San Marino, is two points further back, one ahead of Azerbaijan. Two each from Antonin Barak and Vladimir Darida, and goals from Theodor Gebre Selassie and Michal Krmencik, gave the Czechs their biggest ever away win.
GROUP E
Poland captain Robert Lewandowski scored for the 10th straight European qualifier to set his side on its way to a 2-1 win in Montenegro to consolidate top spot.
The home side equalized through Stefan Mugosa’s first international goal but Lukasz Piszczek claimed Poland’s winner late to open up a six-point lead and leave Montenegro in a four-way scrap with Denmark, Romania and Armenia for second place.
Montenegro is level with Denmark on seven points after the Danes’ goalless draw in Romania, which is level with Armenia a point further back.
Despite starting with three straight losses, Armenia revived its hopes of a playoff spot by defeating Kazakhstan 2-0 at home for a second consecutive victory under new coach Artur Petrosyan.
Bottom side Kazakhstan had Sergey Malyy sent off with his second yellow card with less than half an hour remaining, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan struck nine minutes later before Aras Ozbiliz sealed the win.
GROUP F
Jermain Defoe made an emotional return from exile to lead England to a 2-0 win over Lithuania at Wembley Stadium.
Though Joe Hart wore the captain’s armband, Defoe led the side out onto the pitch with a terminally ill five-year-old mascot, cancer-stricken Bradley Lowery, with whom the Sunderland striker has formed a bond.
With Lowery watching on, the 34-year-old Defoe then scored his first England goal for four years, striking 21 minutes into his 56th appearance. Raheem Sterling glided through the defense and provided a sweet cross for Defoe to net his 20th international goal.
“I had to keep my emotions in the beginning with little Brad with me,” Defoe said after his first England appearance since November 2013. “It was special just to be back.”
Defoe played almost an hour before being replaced by Jamie Vardy, who scored with his first touch to wrap up the win for England to extend its lead to four points following Slovenia’s first defeat.
It was neighboring Scotland that did England the favor, beating Slovenia 1-0 thanks to Chris Martin’s late goal.
Scotland climbed to fourth place and is only two points behind Slovakia, which moved into second by beating Malta 3-1 away.
Germany, England, Poland stay on course in World Cup qualifiers
Germany, England, Poland stay on course in World Cup qualifiers
Saudi cricketers hail learning experience during this year’s ILT20 season
- The tournament, which concluded on Jan. 4 with Desert Vipers lifting the title at Dubai International Stadium, saw Saudi players compete in high-performance environments
- Trained under renowned international coaches, experience they say will be taken back home to support the continued growth of cricket in the Kingdom
LONDON: Saudi Arabian cricketers have spoken of the invaluable learning and exposure gained during International League T20 this year, after featuring across six franchises alongside some of the world’s leading players.
The tournament, which concluded on Jan. 4 with Desert Vipers lifting the title at Dubai International Stadium, saw Saudi players compete in high-performance environments and train under renowned international coaches — experience they say will be taken back home to support the continued growth of cricket in the Kingdom.
Desert Vipers’ Faisal Khan, Saudi Arabia’s leading T20I run-scorer with 1,743 runs in 61 matches, said the experience had been a major step forward in his career.
“It is a great opportunity to be part of a franchise like Desert Vipers, and I consider myself lucky to be here. I am learning a lot from the coaches and senior players, and the experience at this level is very different,” he said.
“Playing alongside top players teaches you how to take the game to the next level and how to finish matches. I would also like to thank the Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation for this opportunity, and I will continue to work hard and improve.”
Gulf Giants bowler Ishtiaq Ahmed, Saudi Arabia’s leading T20I wicket-taker with 69 wickets in 51 matches, highlighted the impact of working with elite coaches.
“This has been a very good opportunity for me and for players from the region. We are learning a great deal from the coaches and from senior players,” he said.
“Shane Bond is our bowling coach, he has been a fantastic bowler for New Zealand, and I am getting a chance to learn from him, and he helps us in whatever way he can. I also get along very well with Rahmanullah Gurbaz. It has been a good step for us and for Saudi cricket, and a very good experience overall.”
Sharjah Warriorz all-rounder Abdul Salman Khan said the learning environment had delivered immediate results.
“I was very excited from the first day we joined the camp. Experienced figures like JP Duminy (head coach) and Adil Rashid made us feel welcome and helped us learn, and we are already seeing positive changes in our game,” he said.
“Training and competing with Sikandar Raza has been especially enjoyable and challenging. Battling with him pushes you to raise your level, and it’s an experience we hope to pass on to younger players in the future.”
Dubai Capitals’ Usman Najeeb also highlighted the importance of elite mentorship, adding: “I have learned a lot during my time here. I am proud to represent Saudi Arabia here. Training with experienced players has helped me improve, and I am grateful to Munaf Patel (team mentor) for his guidance on how I need to improve.”
He said: “I still have work to do, but I will keep pushing myself and implement everything I have learned to take Saudi Arabian cricket forward.”
MI Emirates’ Zain Abidin said the exposure would benefit domestic cricket back home.
“It has been a wonderful experience, and we are learning many new things that will help us when we return to Saudi Arabia and play our domestic cricket,” he said.
“Bowling to and interacting with the big players in the nets and in the dressing room has been very valuable. We constantly ask questions and take tips from them, and it is something we look forward to sharing with other players back home to help Saudi cricket grow,” he added.
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders wicketkeeper-batter Abdul Manan described working with head coach Dwayne Bravo as his standout moment of the season.
“I am grateful to the franchise and ILT20 for this opportunity, which has been an important step in my career. Training in different match situations has helped me gain valuable experience that will benefit me going forward,” he said.
“Working closely with head coach DJ Bravo has been special. Learning from someone I used to watch on television, and receiving guidance as a wicketkeeper-batter, has been both enjoyable and extremely valuable.”
