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Georgia 1 Republic of Ireland 2: Reid thrives on new partnership with Whelan

Sun, 07 Sep 2008 23:00:01 GMT

Steven Reid put two years of injury misery behind him to remind the Republic of Ireland just what they had been missing on Saturday. The 26-year-old Blackburn midfielder anchored Giovanni Trapattoni's side as they launched their World Cup qualifying campaign with a 2-1 victory over Georgia in Mainz and, in the process, confirmed his long-awaited return to fitness.

Slovakia 2 Northern Ireland 1: Worthington undone by set-piece mistakes

Sun, 07 Sep 2008 23:00:01 GMT

Nigel Worthington is hoping for a touch of home comforts on Wednesday when Northern Ireland aim to get their World Cup qualifying campaign up and running. The province face the highly rated Czech Republic on the back of a 2-1 defeat by Slovakia in Bratislava.

Wales 1 Azerbaijan 0: Toshack left in the dark by frustrating Koumas

Sun, 07 Sep 2008 23:00:01 GMT

Jason Koumas missed a penalty on Saturday and for all John Toshack knows, he may do the same with the plane to Russia this afternoon. Said the Wales manager: "When we get to the boarding gate, they'll announce, 'Gate No 26, flight boarding for Moscow' and I'll have a look around. We'll know then whether Jason's coming or not."

Andorra 0 England 2: It's now or never for Capello to conjure up Rooney's real spirit

Sun, 07 Sep 2008 23:00:01 GMT

There are only so many times you can ask Wayne Rooney whether he thinks his lack of goals for England are a problem. And, judging by his response to the question on Saturday night, only so many times that Rooney is prepared to answer it before the kind of incident which ends with someone having to call security. Nevertheless, the Rooney conundrum is one of the biggest facing Fabio Capello as he decides the best way to take on Croatia on Wednesday in the game that will define his reign.

Ferdinand hopeful of winning fitness battle for crucial Croatia match

Sun, 07 Sep 2008 23:00:01 GMT

Rio Ferdinand is hoping to train with the rest of the England squad today for the first time in almost a week. The 29-year-old defender told Fabio Capello his back and neck feels better after physiotherapy and rehabilitation work in the swimming pool and gym at the team hotel in Barcelona yesterday.

Cracks show in Burley's logic after Scotland's stumbling start

Sun, 07 Sep 2008 23:00:01 GMT

And on the bright side, Scotland have lost the opening game of a World Cup campaign before and still reached the finals. That was in the race for places at the 1978 junta-fest in Argentina. Their opening qualifier ended in a 2-0 defeat in Czechoslovakia but Ally MacLeod's men still managed to top their section and progress.

Tevez sent off and dressed down

Sun, 07 Sep 2008 23:00:01 GMT

The Argentina and Manchester United forward Carlos Tevez faces a private lecture from the national coach Alfio Basile after being sent off for the second time in three international matches on Saturday.

Mexicans show the white stuff

Sun, 07 Sep 2008 23:00:01 GMT

Tens of thousands of Mexican fans used their team's game at home to Jamaica to protest against rising crime and a brutal drug war that has killed more than 2,700 people this year.

Vienna humiliation leaves Domenech feeling the heat

Sun, 07 Sep 2008 23:00:01 GMT

Raymond Domenech held on to his job by his fingertips after leading France through a diabolical Euro 2008. They were hammered by the Dutch, drew with Romania and lost to Italy, scoring just one goal in the process before heading home. It was a surprise the French federation stuck with their coach and it may be regretting that decision today after France were humbled 3-1 in Austria in their opening World Cup qualification match on Saturday.

US enjoy belated return to Cuba

Sun, 07 Sep 2008 23:00:01 GMT

The United States beat Cuba 1-0 in Havana, their first visit to the Caribbean island for 61 years, with a first-half Clint Dempsey goal. The third-round Group A match took place against the backdrop of a 46-year-old US trade embargo against Cuba.

Modric hits the mark as Croatia cruise on

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 23:00:01 GMT

While England made hard work of overcoming the minnows, Croatia showed why they are the favourites to win Group Six with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Kazakhstan in Zagreb.

Positive vibes are scarce with a team this out of tune

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 23:00:01 GMT

John Terry asked for positive vibes so here goes. England did what they had to do by getting their World Cup qualifying campaign off to a winning start, kept a clean sheet and, er, that's it. I'm sorry John, this is difficult.

Andorra 0 England 2: Cool Cole steps in to awaken England from their slumbers

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 23:00:01 GMT

Against the pot-pourri from the Pyrenees England, eventually, came up smelling of roses. For a while there was a slightly more unpleasant smell as they were dragged into the ordure by their modest but obdurately chippy opponents, a rag-bag of part-timers and obscure but in-your-face journeymen. It was Joe Cole who scented success with two rapid goals after coming on as a substitute just as he had done in his last appearance. Ten goals for his country now for Cole and the last three of those have come inside 10 minutes of play.

Wales 1 Azerbaijan 0: Vokes arrives just in time to kick Welsh campaign into life

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 23:00:01 GMT

It is half a century since the only time Wales qualified for a major tournament, and South Africa in 2010 was looking a long away for John Toshack's young side until Azerbaijan were reduced to 10 men and the Wolvesstriker Sam Vokes scrambled a late winning goal.

FYR Macedonia 1 Scotland 0: Scotland face uphill struggle after lock-out in Macedonia

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 23:00:01 GMT

The temperature was in the nineties and the policing was from the Seventies, but it was the result here yesterday that will have the most distressing legacy. It came straight from the early Noughties, a depressing era that Scottish football had hoped was ancient history, and it leaves a sizeable dent in a nation's dreams of being in South Africa in two years' time.

Georgia 1 Republic of Ireland 2: Whelan gets Irish off and running

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 23:00:01 GMT

Glenn Whelan's rise to prominence gathered pace in Germany as his first senior international goal helped to get the Republic of Ireland's World Cup qualifying campaign off to the perfect start. The 24-year-old Stoke midfielder, winning just his fourth cap after being thrust into the limelight by the Republic's new coach, Giovanni Trapattoni, fired a 70th-minute shot past the Georgia goalkeeper, Giorgi Loria, to seal a vital victory.

Slovakia 2 Northern Ireland 1: 'Indiscipline' key to defeat, says Worthington

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 23:00:01 GMT

Nigel Worthington saw his men give a lung-bursting display in the Slovakian sun but they had nothing to show for their efforts. Instead Northern Ireland were again left to reflect on an opening-day defeat in a qualifying campaign.

Pearce builds a bridge for player promotion

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 23:00:01 GMT

One of the buzz words of the summer for those following the Olympics was "transition". It was, we learnt, the part of the triathlon in which swimmers become cyclists and, later, runners; and apparently applies too in the 200 metres to the change from running round the bend to straightening up. Now Stuart Pearce, coach to the successful England Under-21 team, is talking about the importance of wanting "the transition to the senior team to be as smooth as possible" for his young hopefuls.

Former Soviet states bring new intrigue to England's campaign

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 23:00:01 GMT

In the hills above Yerevan stands Tsakhadzor, the old Soviet Olympic training complex. Five years ago it was an eerie place, the crumbling accommodation blocks and moss-covered swimming pools standing like a ruined Inca city, abandoned in haste after some long-forgotten catastrophe.

Croatia v England preview: Capello counts down to World Cup: 4-3-2-1...

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 23:00:01 GMT

As preparation for Wednesday's World Cup qualifier in Croatia, which Fabio Capello rightly regards as the toughest game in the group, last night's fixture with Andorra could hardly have been less relevant.

The view from Zagreb: For Klasnic, just being on the pitch is a victory

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 23:00:01 GMT

When Slaven Bilic, as is becoming his wont, named his starting XI for yesterday's World Cup qualifier against Kazakhstan a day early, one name stood out. Most of the Croatian media had expected Ivica Olic to be partnered up front by Mladen Petric, but instead the coach opted for Ivan Klasnic.

The road to the World Cup

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 13:34:03 GMT

They are still counting the medals in Bejing, which is just as well as China does not have much to look forward to when it comes to the next sporting jamboree. The British and Irish nations are yet to even kick off their 2010 World Cup qualifying campaigns but the globe’s most populous nation is already out. So are India, which means, 642 days before the opening ceremony, a third of the world is out of the World Cup.

Andorra 0 England 2: Cole spares Capello's blushes

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 23:00:01 GMT

Joe Cole - the player Fabio Capello is reluctant to include in his starting line-up - again spared his blushes as England finally overcame the minnows of Andorra in their opening World Cup qualifier in Barcelona's Olympic Stadium.

Depleted Scotland feel the heat in Macedonia

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 23:00:01 GMT

Macedonia's capital is notable for its Roman origins, its 15th century Stone Bridge and for surviving, just about, a massive earthquake in 1963. It was the birthplace of Mother Teresa, is twinned with Bradford and has a bazaar that is 1,000 years old. Yet the only gob-smacking thing that the Scotland squad cared a jot about here yesterday as they touched down at the Alexander the Great airport was the temperature.

Burley quietly going about his business

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 23:00:01 GMT

George Burley's teams have done his talking for him over the years, which is just as well. Because among the qualities he hopes to show as Scotland's manager, explaining himself effectively in public will not be among them.