In Thursday’s match of the 7th round of the European Championship 2024 qualifiers, the players of Spain won 2:0 over Scotland and deprived the islanders of the first points in the A-group. Albania came close to progressing from Group E after a 3:0 home triumph over the Czech Republic, while the Croatians lost to the Turks 0:1 at home.
You could watch the match Albania – Czech Republic ONLINE at Šport.sk >>
Czech footballers lost in Tirana after just nine minutes. The Albanians won the ball on the line, launched a quick counter-attack and Jasir Asani scored with a shot from distance and angle. In the 40th minute, a questionable situation arose, the Czechs won three headers in the penalty area after a long cross, and at the end of the action, Mojmír Chytil got the ball into the net. However, he managed to do it with his arm or hand. The referees assessed the situation as deliberate handplay and the Czech attacker had to leave the field instead of enjoying the equalizing goal. It was already his second yellow card. In the second half, the home team took advantage of the numerical advantage and Taulant Seferi added two more goals. The Albanians lead the group with 13 points, and only Moldova and the Faroe Islands await them in the remaining two matches. They are so very close to progressing. The Czechs were a little further behind, who dropped to 3rd place with eight points. They were overtaken by Poland thanks to a 2-0 win in the Faroe Islands.
You could watch the match Spain – Scotland ONLINE at Šport.sk >>
The first half in Seville was directed by the home players, who had the opening chance in the 2nd minute. Ferran Torres got to the finish, but just missed. The Spaniards held the ball and did not let the opponent do anything. Mikel Merino could have opened the scoring after half an hour, but his shot bounced off the far post and crossed the goal line. Moments later, Alvaro Morata got the ball into the net, but from an offside position. The guests were unable to assert themselves and at the end of the half they lost captain Andrew Robertson, who was injured. In the second act, the Scots were already pushing forward and in the 60th minute they got the ball into the net. Scott McTominay took care of it, curling a direct kick into the goal from a very wide angle. However, VAR came into play and referee Gözübüyük disallowed the goal.
Thirteen minutes later, the score changed, but on the other side. Jesus Navas crossed into the box, where Alvaro Morata ran and sent the ball to the far post with his head – 1:0. In the 86th minute, Oihan Sancet secured the home team’s triumph. Despite the loss, Scotland leads the table with 15 points, three more than the Spaniards, but they have a game to play. The third is ten-point Norway, which, as expected, won 4-0 in Cyprus. Star striker Erling Haaland scored two goals. The home team is still without a point.
In Group D, the Croatians welcomed the Turks in Osijek and lost 0:1 to them after the first half. In the 30th minute, Salih Ozcan found Baris Yilmaz behind the defense, and he overcame the running goalkeeper from outside the penalty area. The goal was subsequently approved by VAR. The home football players had a hard time finding a way to the opponent’s goal, the Turkish defense played very organized. The guests kept their narrow lead until the end and took first place in the table, three points ahead of their opponents. However, the Croats played one match less.
The players of home country Latvia won over Armenia 2:0 and scored the first ever points in the D-group table. At the same time, they ended a six-game losing streak. The Latvians succeeded even though they played over 40 minutes in a weakened state. At the end of the first half, captain Janis Ikaunieks sent them into the lead, but in the 53rd minute he had to go to the showers early after Marcis Oss received a second yellow card. The Armenians did not use the power play, on the contrary, in the 68th minute they conceded the second goal from Daniels Balodis’ kick. Slovan Bratislava’s winger Tigran Barsejgan played the 70th minutes in the guests’ jersey. With an unexpected loss, the Armenians significantly reduced their chances of advancement.
In Group I, Kosovo won 3:0 in Andorra and claimed its first triumph in the qualification. The match between Belarus and visiting Romania ended in a goalless draw. The meeting between Israel and Switzerland (October 12) was postponed to November 15. The reason is the military conflict between Israel and the militant Palestinian movement Hamas, which broke out last Saturday morning.
2023-10-12 20:43:27
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