..::Football III::..

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Sweden 2 Vs 3 Portugal

CR7 ge goals 3nama patta

Portugal qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2014!

Congratzzzzzzzz
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france qualify wela

 

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Brazil 2-1 Chile: Selecao electric in Toronto

Brazil have continued their dominance of Chile with a 2-1 win over their South American rivals in Canada on Tuesday.

The 2014 World Cup hosts extended their unbeaten run against Chile to 12 matches, dating back to August 2000, thanks to Robinho's 79th-minute winner.
Eduardo Vargas had cancelled out Hulk's first-half opener with a tremendous strike at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.

But Robinho's header saw Brazil continue their fine form as they made it six matches without a loss.Neymar, who was targeted by Honduras in the 5-0 win on Saturday, fired the first shot at goal, putting his effort from an angle just outside the area well wide.

Chile made a slow start and were punished for an error on 14 minutes when Hulk opened the scoring.Marcos Gonzalez's sloppy pass out of defence went straight to Oscar and the Chelsea midfielder slipped Hulk through on the left side of the area.

The Zenit man unleashed a powerful left-footed strike into the bottom corner, with Claudio Bravo unable to keep it out.

Chile began to settle and put Brazil under pressure after going behind, but struggled to create clear-cut chances.Vargas threatened for Chile just four minutes into the second half, curling a 20-yard shot wide.

Brazil went close on 51 minutes when a Maxwell cross from the left was cleared by Gonzalez as Paulinho lurked at the back post.

The Confederations Cup champions looked most dangerous on the counter-attack and threatened again five minutes later when Neymar fed through Robinho, whose shot was saved.From the resultant corner, Hulk picked up the scraps at the edge of the area and hit the post with a powerful strike.Chile surprisingly hit back through Vargas on 71 minutes.

Substitute Jean Beausejour headed a Bravo goal kick to Vargas, who took a touch before finishing into the bottom corner from 20 yards.Just two minutes later and Brazil thought they were back in front.

Neymar flicked in a cross, but the Barcelona attacker had come back from an offside position and the goal was ruled out.

But they only had to wait until the 79th minute to score what proved to be the winner thanks to Robinho.Neymar concluded his dazzling run with a pass out right to Maicon, whose first-time cross picked out an unmarked Robinho to head in.

It could have been three through Neymar but he was unable to complete an excellent display with a goal as Bravo denied him.

 

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France 3-0 Ukraine (agg 3-2): Les Bleus produce stunning comeback

France produced a stunning comeback as they beat Ukraine 3-0 (3-2 on aggregate) to overturn a first-leg defeat and seal their place at World Cup 2014.

Didier Deschamps’ men trailed 2-0 after the first leg in Kiev, but first-half goals from Mamadou Sakho (2) and Karim Benzema levelled the tie on Tuesday before an own goal from Oleh Husyev - which came after Yevhen Khacheridi’s dismissal - booked their spot in Brazil.

The hosts controlled the early stages and took the lead when Sahko followed in Franck Ribery’s strike just after the 20-minute mark.

Benzema then doubled their advantage 12 minutes later with a close-range effort that sent the home fans into raptures.

Ukraine's Khacheridi received a red card for a second bookable offence in the 47th minute, before Sakho scored a second via a deflection off Husyev to complete the turnaround 18 minutes from time.

Laurent Koscielny was suspended after being sent off in the first leg and so Raphael Varane took his place at the heart of the French defence, while Ukraine’s Oleksandr Kucher also received his marching orders in Kiev and was replaced by Yaroslav Rakitskiy.

The home side started the game at a high tempo, and Andriy Pyatov had to be alert to parry Mathieu Valbuena's effort after three minutes.

But their early pressure paid off in 22 minutes in. Valbuena's whipped free-kick fell to Franck Ribery on the edge of the area and, although his low drive was saved well by Pyatov, Sakho slotted home the rebound.

France had the ball in the net again on the half-hour mark when Benzema tapped home only for the Real Madrid striker to be denied by the offside flag, with replays suggesting the assistant’s decision was incorrect.

Deschamps' men will feel justice was done shortly after, however, when the ball deflected into Benzema’s path and he applied the close-range finish to level the tie at 2-2, despite the fact he appeared to be in an offside position.

But after dominating the opening period, France were nearly caught out on the stroke of half-time as Andriy Yarmolenko had an effort blocked on the line by Mathieu Debuchy.

France’s chances improved soon after the restart when Khacheridi was shown a second yellow card for a late challenge on Ribery.

And they could have gone ahead on aggregate in the 58th minute when Benzema found space on the left-hand side of the box before blazing his effort over the crossbar.

But France did get the breakthrough they were looking for in the 72nd minute. Ribery’s miscued effort found its way to Sakho and the Liverpool defender’s bundled effort went in via Husyev.

Substitute Olivier Giroud almost added a fourth with a back-post header that was saved by Pyatov, but the miss made no difference as France reached their fifth consecutive World Cup finals.

 

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France lagen pattama comeback 1kakCongratulations France!​

 

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South Africa 1-0 Spain: La Roja stunned in Johannesburg

Spain left Johannesburg with their tails between their legs after falling to a stunning 1-0 loss to South Africa.

The home side were deserving winners at Soccer City, with Vicente del Bosque's side disjointed throughout.

After a first half of few chances, Bernard Parker struck the only goal of the game after latching on to a through ball and finishing well.

Goalkeeper Victor Valdes had entered the game at half-time, but was forced from the pitch with a painful looking knee injury that forced him from the field.

Del Bosque made 10 changes to the side that edged past Equatorial Guinea 2-1 on Saturday. Xabi Alonso was the only man retained, while four of South Africa's XI from their 3-0 triumph over Swaziland were again picked by Gordon Igesund.

Spain looked to exploit the hosts' high defensive line with David Villa finding the net twice in the opening seven minutes - only to see both efforts ruled out by the offside flag.

South Africa grew in confidence after their shaky start and almost took the lead through Oupa Manyisa in the 17th minute.

The Orlando Pirates midfielder picked the ball up 30 yards out and crashed an effort at goal, with his shot deflecting off Sergio Ramos and striking the crossbar.

After a promising start, the half fizzled out into a scrappy affair with Alonso whipping a low free-kick wide and Bongani Khumalo crashing a header past the near post with the last action of the opening period.

Tokelo Rantie blazed a gilt-edged chance over two minutes into the second period, while Andres Iniesta brought a smart save from Khune, but it was the hosts who took a shock lead in the 56th minute.

Thabo Matlaba burst up the left wing before neatly finding Parker, who dinked over substitute goalkeeper Valdes.

A raft of substitutions seemed to have only further dented Spain's fluidity and there was further cause for concern as Valdes was forced off with 15 minutes to go, as he appeared to injure his knee under no pressure from an opponent.

Pepe Reina became Spain's third keeper of the night, after a lengthy delay as South Africa fumed over the visitors' attempts to use a seventh change of the game - the most permitted for a friendly is six.

Del Bosque could only watch on as his side failed to draw level, with Khune denying Raul Albiol's toe-poked effort in the last minute of stoppage time as Spain slipped to their first loss since July's 3-0 Confederations Cup final defeat to Brazil.

 

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Poland 0-0 Republic of Ireland - Boys in Green held to scoreless draw in Poznan

The Republic of Ireland were held to a scoreless draw by Poland in Poznan, although neither goalkeeper was really tested in a game that had all the hallmarks of an end-of-year friendly.

Martin O'Neill's side looked to pick up where they left off against Latvia, and showed some urgency early on with Aiden McGeady the focal point of many Irish attacks. However, neither goalkeeper was really tested with Borussia Dortmund pairing Jakub Blaszczykowski and Robert Lewandowski trying to prise open a dogged Irish defence.

Both sides looked most likely to score from set-pieces as Stephen Kelly headed over from a corner and Krzysztof Maczynski went close from a free. John O'Shea was lucky to only be booked for a deliberate handball as Lewandowski looked to go through on goal, while both teams looked happy to go in level at the break.

The second-half was a much scrappier affair with substitutions breaking up momentum for each side. Polish substitute Tomasz Jodlowiec carved out a great shooting opportunity at the edge of the area, but Forde was happy to watch it go narrowly over. James McClean almost made an immediate impact off the bench, but his defence-splitting ball could not find a teammate in the six-yard area.

Despite six minutes of stoppage time, neither side could make a breakthrough, as Martin O'Neill's side ended the year unbeaten.

 

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England 0-1 Germany: Three Lions suffer back-to-back defeats

England were consigned to back-to-back Wembley losses for the first time since 1977 as they slipped to a 1-0 defeat to Germany on Tuesday.

Less than a minute after Joe Hart denied Per Mertesacker, the Arsenal centre-back - Germany's only Premier League representative on the night - exposed aerial frailties in the home defence by powering home.

A pair of second-half stops from Hart prevented Germany from enjoying an easier assignment on a night when leading lights such as Mesut Ozil were rested, while Tottenham winger Andros Townsend struck the post having been England's most vibrant attacking option for most of the evening.

On the back of Friday's 2-0 reverse to Chile, England manager Roy Hodgson has plenty about which to think, especially as an unseeded place in the World Cup 2014 draw leaves the prospect of similarly formidable opposition.

Hodgson opted for the XI at which he had hinted pre-match as Hart started for the first time since Manchester City's defeat at Chelsea in October and Adam Lallana retained his spot following an enterprising debut against Chile.

At 33, Roman Weidenfeller became the oldest goalkeeper to make his international debut for Germany and was one of five Borussia Dortmund players in Joachim Low's side, including the Bender twins, Dortmund's Sven and Bayer Leverkusen's Lars, in midfield.

England started brightly but failed to test Weidenfeller - Wayne Rooney's looping 20th-minute header that nestled on top of the net the closest that they came.

Germany were far more clinical and, after Hart magnificently denied Mertesacker and diverted the follow-up behind, the Arsenal centre-back rose above Chris Smalling cross to finish Toni Kroos's cross as the resulting corner was only partially cleared.

England captain Steven Gerrard was inches away from levelling on the stroke of half-time with a vicious 30-yarder that dipped over.

Hart impressed once more four minutes into the second half, out quickly to block Marco Reus's shot after Mario Gotze picked his way through a host of England challenges.

England responded well and two last-ditch tackles were required to deny Lallana before Townsend - whose searing run brought about the former opportunity - clipped the base of Weidenfeller's post with a left-footed drive.

Recalling his recent wobbles, Hart made an ill-advised dash from his area and clattered Smalling in trying to deal with a lofted pass but 26-year-old offered another demonstration of his quality with a superb reaction stop from Gotze.

England's back line was breached once again as substitute Sidney Sam lofted over but Sturridge spurned a chance at the other end with 70 minutes played, failing to take Rooney's sharp pass into his stride.

Smalling almost atoned for his earlier mistake when his 80th-minute header was deflected behind by Julian Draxler before Germany repelled an enthusiastic late push from their hosts.

 

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Belgium 2-3 Japan: Wilmots' men defeated again

Belgium fell to their second defeat inside a week as they were beaten 3-2 by Japan in an entertaining friendly in Brussels.

Having lost 2-0 to Colombia last week, Marc Wilmots' side were again beaten at the Stade Roi Baudouin, despite taking the lead.

Kevin Mirallas put Belgium ahead after 15 minutes, thanks to an impressive assist from Everton team-mate Romelu Lukaku, but Japan were soon level.

After 37 minutes, Yoichiro Kakitani was perfectly placed to head home a Hiroshi Kiyotaki cross from the right, before Keisuke Honda was on target early in the second half.

Substitute Shinji Okazaki rounded off the visitors' scoring, applying a delightful finish to some impressive build-up play with Honda, before Toby Alderweireld headed home 11 minutes from time.

Belgium got off to the ideal start, going ahead through Mirallas after Lukaku had expertly evaded the tackle of Eiji Kawashima before calmly rolling across for Mirallas to finish, with the goalkeeper way out of his box.

Honda almost levelled 10 minutes later, but he failed to connect with a corner after Simon Mignolet was unable to clear, as Japan looked to show some of the powers of recovery that saw them draw 2-2 against the Netherlands on Saturday.

And they were rewarded for their bright response when Kakitani headed home the equaliser for Alberto Zaccheroni's men after good work on the right wing from Kiyotaki.

Japan even came close to going in ahead at the break, with Makoto Hasebe's fierce drive tipped over by Mignolet two minutes before the interval.

Eight minutes into the second half, Honda put Japan on top with his second goal in as many international games. The CSKA Moscow midfielder put his side ahead with a well-taken drive from the edge of the area that left Mignolet with no chance.

Substitute Okazaki gave Japan a two-goal cushion with a well-worked move, playing a neat one-two with Honda before firing past Mignolet in the Belgium goal.

Alderweireld scored a second for Belgium late on but it was too little too late as Japan held on to record their first win in four matches.

 

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Austria 1-0 USA: Janko the difference in Vienna

Marc Janko's 33rd minute strike was enough for Austria to see off USA 1-0 at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion.

Marcel Koller's men narrowly missed out on qualification for the World Cup after they finished third in Group C of the European section.

But the hosts went a little way to putting that disappointment behind them in Vienna, edging to a slender friendly victory in a game of few chances.

Jurgen Klinsmann's USA - who will be making their seventh straight appearance at the World Cup next year - dictated much of the encounter, but it was Janko's close-range strike after 33 minutes that proved the difference between the two sides.

The visitors had the better of the opening exchanges, with Jozy Altidore and Aron Johannson both going close, before Geoff Cameron's header appeared to strike the hand of forward Marko Arnautovic before being clawed off the line by goalkeeper Robert Almer.

The Americans claimed that the ball had crossed the line, but the referee failed to award either a goal or handball.

And Klinsmann's men were made to pay for their missed opportunities as Austria scored with their first real chance of the game, as Janko emphatically converted from Gyorgy Garics right-wing cross.

Altidore turned Mark Bradley's corner narrowly wide just before the interval, but the United States almost fell further behind three minutes after the break, as Martin Harnik missed the target with a superb curling effort.

Despite that scare, Klinsmann's side continued to push for a leveller, although they struggled to create too many clear cut chances as Austria produced a determined defensive display.

Substitute Terrence Boyd went closest to netting the equaliser on 71 minutes when the 22-year-old Rapid Vienna striker fired just over the crossbar following a smart turn.

That proved to be the visitors last real opportunity as they ended 2013 with just their second defeat in their last 18 games.

 

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Sweden 2-3 Portugal (agg 2-4): Ronaldo hat-trick puts Ibrahimovic in the shade

Cristiano Ronaldo struck a sensational hat-trick as Portugal beat Sweden 3-2 (2-4 on agg) and booked their place at World Cup 2014.

The Real Madrid man had scored the only goal of the first leg in Lisbon on Friday night and it looked to be plain sailing for Portugal when he opened the scoring in the second leg just after half-time.

However, this had been billed as duel between Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Ronaldo and the Sweden skipper stepped up to the plate with a double to level the tie on aggregate at 2-2.

But Portugal were still in front on away goals and Ronaldo made sure as he first levelled on the night and then scored his hat-trick to take his tally to 13 goals in his last six games and become his country's joint-leading scorer in the 4-2 aggregate win.

Such was Ronaldo's brilliance that Ibrahimovic applauded the Real Madrid striker when he scored his second goal as Portugal qualified for a fourth consecutive World Cup finals, while Sweden miss out for a second successive finals.

The Seleccao lost striker Helder Postiga to injury in the warm-up and so Hugo Almeida replaced the Valencia striker, while Sweden coach Erik Hamren kept faith with the same side that was beaten in Lisbon on Friday night.

After a frantic start it was Portugal who came close to the opening goal after 15 minutes, when Bruno Alves rose to meet Jose Moutinho's inviting free-kick and his downward header was palmed away by Andreas Isaksson.

Ronaldo tried his luck with his left foot from 25 yards, 10 minutes before the break, but Isaksson got down to make the save. And the Real Madrid forward should have done better less than a minute later when he blazed over the crossbar from around 12 yards out after Joao Pereira picked him out.

Sweden were struggling to live with the Portugal captain's movement and seven minutes before half-time he found space then stood up a cross to the back post for Almeida, but the Besiktas striker headed wastefully wide of the near post from close range.Ronaldo had yet another chance two minutes before the break when he got on the end of Nani's cross but once again failed to test Isaksson.

Sebastian Larsson had a golden opportunity to level the tie three minutes into the second half when Rui Patricio denied him from 10 yards out after Ibrahimovic had pulled the ball back.

And that miss proved costly, as just a minute later Moutinho set Ronaldo away with a delightful through ball and this time he made no mistake with a deadly left-foot finish to stun the home crowd.

Sweden looked devoid of ideas, but they were given a lifeline after 67 minutes when Ibrahimovic headed home a corner from the right.

The Swedes then thought they had a penalty soon after when Kim Kallstrom tumbled in the area, but referee Howard Webb booked the midfielder for diving.
Ibrahimovic took matters into his own hands once again, however, when he rifled a free-kick through the wall 18 minutes from time to level the tie on aggregate.

But Ronaldo was not finished yet and he levelled with a fine left foot finish as Sweden were hit on the break 13 minutes from time and then completed his hat-trick a minute later by rounding the keeper and netting once again.

There was still time for Ronaldo to almost become Portugal's leading scorer, but this time he was narrowly off target. However, that was never going to take the gloss off his outstanding display.

 

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Zlatan 2 Vs 3 CR7​

 

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Netherlands 0-0 Colombia: Ten-man Oranje extend unbeaten run to 17 games

Netherlands extended their unbeaten run to 17 games despite playing most of an ill-tempered encounter with 10 men in a stalemate with Colombia on Tuesday.

In a game of few chances, the main talking point came 10 minutes before half-time when the hosts saw Jeremain Lens given a straight red card for an altercation with Colombia defender Pablo Armero.

The Dynamo Kiev forward was dismissed for raising his hands to Armero, who was fortunate not to see red himself for the stamp that brought about Lens' reaction.

Louis van Gaal made four changes from the side that drew 2-2 with Japan on Saturday with Arjen Robben among those to be rested, while Colombia coach Jose Pekerman brought in three new faces from Thursday's 2-0 win over Belgium.

The hosts started the brighter and went close to taking the lead in the seventh minute when Rafael van der Vaart struck the post with a dipping effort from 25 yards, with Siem de Jong stabbing the rebound wide from six yards with the goal gaping.

Nine minutes later, Netherlands were almost gifted the advantage, Lens stretching to reach a weak defensive header ahead of goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon, but his poked attempt went just wide of the post.

However, Lens' evening then turned sour when he saw red following the confrontation with Armero.

After the pair challenged for a ball in the box, the defender appeared to stamp on Lens, who reacted by pushing Armero to the ground, earning a straight red card while the Colombian went unpunished.

Four minutes later, Santiago Arias was lucky to only receive a yellow card after leading with his forearm in an aerial duel with Daley Blind, and a minute before half-time Abel Aguilar was cautioned for a cynical scythe on Van der Vaart - a challenge that saw the Hamburg midfielder leave the field injured.

Colombia tested Jasper Cillessen for the first time a minute into the second period, the goalkeeper parrying Radamel Falcao's effort from a tight angle.

Dutch substitute Leroy Fer's goalbound volley was then blocked by the legs of Cristian Zapata in the 63rd minute as the home side looked to record their fourth home win on the spin.

The last chance of the game fell to the visitors, though, as Falcao crossed for James Rodriguez 12 minutes from time, but his header from 10 yards was well held by Cillessen as the first ever meeting between the sides ended goalless.

 

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Croatia 2-0 Iceland (agg 2-0): Vatreni confirm World Cup progress

Goals from Mario Mandzukic and Darijo Srna saw 10-man Croatia return to the World Cup with a 2-0 play-off win over Iceland in Zagreb.

After a goalless draw in Friday's first leg in Reykjavik, Croatia claimed the ascendancy when Mandzukic produced a composed back-post finish in the 27th minute.

The striker was given a straight red card before the break though, for a crude challenge on Johann Gudmundsson, as Iceland entered half-time with hope.

However, those dreams were dashed just two minutes after the resumption as Srna's first-time strike from just inside the penalty area beat Iceland goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson from an acute angle.

Iceland, who were hoping to become the nation with the smallest population ever to reach a FIFA World Cup, tired after the second goal and they were only kept in the game by Halldorsson, as their stunning run through qualification came to an end.

Both sides made two changes, as Ivica Olic and Mateo Kovacic came in for Croatia, while for the visitors, Birkir Saevarsson and Eidur Gudjohnsen replaced the suspended Olafur Skulason and the injured Kolbeinn Sigthorsson.

Kovacic blasted over from the edge of the area in the first minute, and although Iceland had the ball in the back of the net, Alfred Finnbogason was flagged for offside well before finishing.

A Luka Modric effort – which deflected wide – began a sustained spell of pressure from the hosts, as they had penalty claims for handball against Ari Skulason denied and Srna forced Halldorsson into an excellent save from a free-kick.

Mandzukic then gave Croatia the lead, as Ivan Rakitic's ball in from the left was flicked towards goal by Ivan Perisic, with the Bayern Munich forward well placed to stab in from close range.

Olic then wasted a free header, nodding Srna's cross over the crossbar, before Halldorsson had to be alert to keep out an effort that deflected off Skulason and was creeping into the bottom corner.

Mandzukic's red card threatened to turn the match on its head, but Srna eased those fears with his goal just after half-time, as he benefited from a mazy Kovacic run before thrashing an effort home.

Kovacic then embarked on another excellent run but saw his effort saved by the outstretched foot of Halldorsson, before Olic saw his volley from a corner smack the underside of the crossbar.

Perisic was the next to be thwarted by the Iceland goalkeeper when presented with a one-on-one opportunity.

Halldorsson was on top form, and he came to the rescue again to deny Daniel Pranjic with 15 minutes to go, but two goals were enough as Croatia sealed their place in Brazil.

 

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Romania 1-1 Greece (agg 2-4): Ethniki seal Brazil berth

Greece sealed their place at World Cup 2014 with a 4-2 aggregate victory over Romania after drawing 1-1 on Tuesday.

After arriving in Bucharest with a 3-1 lead from the first leg, Greece were able to stretch their advantage as Konstantinos Mitroglou netted in the 23rd minute on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old timed his run perfectly to reach a Vasilis Torosidis pass and finish low into the bottom corner from 15 yards for his third goal in the tie and fifth goal in qualifying overall.

Alexandros Tziolis' unfortunate own goal 10 minutes into the second half gave the hosts hope, but Fernando Santos' side were able to hold on and secure their passage to Brazil 2014.

The draw extends Greece's unbeaten run to eight matches and sees them qualify for consecutive World Cup finals for the first time.

Victor Piturca made four changes to his side in an attempt to claw back the two-goal deficit from the first leg, with captain Vlad Chiriches one of those brought in despite suffering with a broken nose.

Greece made just one alteration from the clash in Athens, and that was an enforced one as Giorgos Karagounis replaced the suspended Kostas Katsouranis.

Romania started at a high tempo to try and get themselves an early goal but their finishing lacked accuracy.

Gabriel Torje went closest with a long-range effort in the sixth minute, as the Espanyol midfielder skipped in from the right before sending his left-foot shot wide.

Ciprian Tatarusanu - starting in the hosts’ goal in place of Bogdan Lobont - was called into action to deny Jose Holebas in the 17th minute but he could nothing about Mitroglou's opener five minutes later.

The Olympiacos forward broke the offside trap to collect a pass from Torosidis, and calmly fired home to extend Greece's aggregate lead.

After wasting chances towards the end of the first half, Romania were soon back into the tie after the break, although it took a huge slice of luck to give them a glimmer of hope.

Some neat build-up play ended with Ovidiu Hoban rolling a ball inside from the edge of the penalty area, and Torosidis' clearance struck Tziolis and looped into the top corner.

Alexandru Maxim threatened to narrow the deficit even further in the closing 20 minutes, but resilient defending from Greece ensured their progression.

 

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Norway 0-1 Scotland: Scott Brown strikes for friendly win

A captain's contribution from Scott Brown saw Scotland to a 1-0 win over Norway at the Aker Stadion in Molde on Tuesday.

Having seen his side soak up plenty of pressure, the Scotland skipper got the crucial goal a minute after the hour mark. After a series of short passes appeared to have to led to nothing, Brown seized on a loose ball and struck home a fierce low effort to secure the win.

Scotland's unbeaten run now stands at four matches and they have won three of their last four away games.

Norway made three changes from their 2-1 defeat to Denmark on Friday, handing goalkeeper Orjan Nyland his international debut while Magnus Wolff Eikrem and Morten Gamst Pedersen also started.

Scotland manager Strachan had seen a host of players withdraw from the squad, with Steven Fletcher, Charlie Mulgrew, Grant Hanley, Ross McCormack and Matt Gilks all absent.

Derby County's Craig Bryson was handed his second cap and there were also starting berths for Russell Martin, Charlie Adam, Ikechi Anya and Steven Naismith. Kris Boyd, whose most recent appearance for Scotland came in 2010, had to be content with a place on the bench.

Nyland was nearly caught out early on when his poor clearance from outside the area found Anya, who controlled neatly before volleying just wide of an open goal.

Despite Scotland posing the first threat, the hosts were generally the brighter and David Marshall was forced into a sliding clearance with Morten Gamst Pedersen through on goal before saving an Ola Kamara header.

Norway continued to apply the pressure and Marcus Pedersen came close to turning home his namesake's delivery from the left.

A resolute Scottish back line held firm, although Eikrem angled an effort just wide of Marshall's right-hand post two minutes before the break.

Eikrem was first to threaten in the second period, shooting straight at Marshall from the edge of the area.

Marcus Pedersen should have put Norway ahead two minutes later but the Scottish No.1 saved well with his legs from close range as the hosts' domination continued.

Substitute Mohammed Abdellaoue was the next to waste a presentable opportunity, heading into the ground and wide from a left-wing delivery.

Brown then punished the opposition for their profligacy, firing into the far corner of Nyland's net and extending Norway's run of matches without a clean sheet to five.

The home side went in search of an equaliser, with Anders Konradsen having the pick of the chances only to put his effort wide from close range as Scotland held on.

 

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Egypt 2-1 Ghana (Agg 3-7): Zaki and Gedo strike but Black Stars win through

Ghana qualified for the World Cup finals on Tuesday evening, despite losing 2-1 away to Egypt in the second leg of their CAF play-off.

The Black Stars boasted a 6-1 advantage from their meeting in October and were never in serious danger of being upset. Amr Zaki gave the home side slight hope with a first-half goal but no further inroads were made until the closing stages, when Gedo struck. With seconds of the game left, the visitors pulled one back through Kevin-Prince Boateng.

The comprehensive 7-3 aggregate win means Ghana have qualified for their third consecutive World Cup, while Egypt have not made the finals since 1990.

Egypt played in front of their home fans for the first time in almost two years following the Port Said riots and ousting of President Mohammed Morsi. Supporters had been banned from attending effectively all club and international games since the riots, which saw more than 70 fans killed in a match between Al Ahly and Al Masry in February 2012.

Bob Bradley made five changes to the side that crumbled to a 6-1 defeat in the first leg, with Zaki, Kahraba and Ramy Rabia among those to come in, while Harrison Afful replaced Samuel Inkoom in the only Ghanaian alteration from the opening encounter.

Zaki let fly from the edge of the penalty area in the opening minutes, but fired his effort straight at Ghana goalkeeper Fatau Dauda.

Rashid Sumaila then went close to dashing the visitors' slim qualification hopes after six minutes when he drilled a low effort narrowly wide of the target from 18 yards.

But it was Egypt who took the lead in the 25th minute when Zaki bundled over the line from close range after Dauda failed to deal with a Mohamed Aboutrika free-kick from the right.

Ghana's players were subjected to a barrage of distracting laser pens as the home fans tried to play their part in influencing an unlikely comeback, and Egypt continued to have the better of the chances - an inspired Zaki forcing Dauda to tip over from distance 10 minutes prior to the break.

The hosts maintained a high tempo for the remainder of the opening period, but were unable to breach the Ghanaian defence, leaving them in need of five second-half goals.

Mohamed Salah tried to curl in an effort from the edge of the penalty area shortly after the interval, but sent the ball high and wide of the target.

As time ticked away, Egypt looked decreasingly likely to reduce the deficit as Ghana became content to defend their aggregate advantage.

Sulley Muntari went close to levelling the encounter on the night in the 63rd minute, but his low strike whistled beyond the post and was one of few chances in second period.

With the result already beyond doubt, Jerry Akaminko was forced to clear off the line for the visitors after a penalty-area scramble in the 75th minute.

Gedo drilled home a second for the hosts from close range in the 83rd minute only for Ghana's qualification party to start among their fans one minute from time as Boateng tapped home from an Asamoah Gyan cross.