..::Football IV::..

[Wolverine GTR]

San Marino 0-8 Germany: Former Arsenal striker Gnabry hits hat-trick on debut

A hat-trick from debutant Serge Gnabry helped Germany breeze past minnows San Marino 8-0 to extend their lead at the top of World Cup qualification Group C.

Gnabry's trio, a brace from Jonas Hector, Sami Khedira and Kevin Volland strikes and a late own goal sealed victory for the world champions in a game which often resembled a training exercise against a country ranked 199 places below them.
The win means Joachim Low's men remain top of Group C with a perfect record from their opening four games.

The absence of key players and weak opposition allowed Low to hand international debuts to Gnabry and 19-year-old Bayer Leverkusen right-back Benjamin Henrichs.The 21-year-old Werder Bremen winger enjoyed a first appearance to remember and will cherish the hat-trick, despite the standard of Germany's opponents.

Germany inflicted San Marino's heaviest defeat when the two sides last met here in 2006, emerging 13-0 winners, but only a flurry of late goals saw them inflict a similarly emphatic victory. San Marino did their best to frustrate their visitors by sitting incredibly deep early on, but it took just seven minutes for Germany to carve them open.

Stand-in skipper Khedira rounded Aldo Simoncini to slide home, before Gnabry grabbed his first moments later with a neat finish after a poor clearance.San Marino could have pulled a surprise goal back when a corner bounced off Marco Berardi inside the Germany six-yard box.

It took until the 32nd minute for Germany's third despite a string of further chances, coming after a neat interchange between Hector and Mario Gotze on the edge of the box, with the Cologne full-back eventually slotting into the bottom corner.
Two Mario Gomez strikes on the stroke of half-time were chalked off for offside as San Marino strove to keep the deficit at three.

Gomez and Ilkay Gundogan blazed over the top as the second half began in much the same fashion, with San Marino camped in their own half leaving sole striker Mattia Stefanelli isolated and unable to influence play despite his best efforts. Gnabry swept home in the 58th minute when left unmarked in the box for his second and Germany's fourth, though he looked marginally offside when Joshua Kimmich crossed.

A toe poke through the legs of the unfortunate Simoncini at the near post gifted Hector his second of the night with 25 minutes to play to make it 5-0.Gnabry's hat-trick arrived as he met Thomas Muller's cross from the right on 76 minutes with a lovely cushioned volley beyond the diving Simoncini.

The unfortunate Stefanelli then diverted a cross into his own net as the hosts visibly tired for the seventh, and Volland twisted and fired home the eighth and final goal of a comfortable evening for the 2014 World Cup winners.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Mata hails influence of 'joker' Ibrahimovic at Manchester United

Juan Mata says Zlatan Ibrahimovic's dressing-room "banter" has been a huge benefit to Manchester United this season.

The former Sweden captain has been praised regularly by manager Jose Mourinho for his influence on the younger players at Old Trafford, even during his recent goal drought, when he went six games without scoring.And Mata says Ibrahimovic's attitude among his team-mates has been a breath of fresh air during an inconsistent campaign for the club.

"He has brought a lot of things to the team, not just his mentality, but his way of understanding football, his way of behaving with the players in the dressing room," Mata told talkSPORT.

"He is always pushing buttons in the right moment and in the right way trying to motivate everyone and he is a very funny guy so he is a very good addition for the team.

"He is always joking, always doing banter and pushing the buttons in the right moment in the right way to the right persons. It is good for the dressing room, this character."

Ibrahimovic is United's top scorer this term with eight goals in 17 games, and has only missed one match - the 4-1 Europa League win over Fenerbahce last month - despite having turned 35 on October 3.Mata believes the former Paris Saint-Germain star boasts attributes that make him unique in the modern game.

"It is very difficult to have all the things that he has," he said. "When people say this is the next [Lionel] Messi, or the next Cristiano [Ronaldo], or the next Ibrahimovic, or the next [Wayne] Rooney, or whoever it is, it is very difficult because they are one of a kind.

"He has great physical strength combined with great quality, great flexibility, great movement and reading of the game, so he has almost everything."He has as well a strong personality, which has helped him a lot through the years. He says all the time that he really feels it his mentality that sets him apart.

"I am very happy that he is here because I am always happy to play with great players during my career and obviously he is one of the best strikers in the game."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Sources: Bastian Schweinsteiger meets with Chicago Fire coach

Rumors of a Bastian Schweinsteiger arrival in MLS will pick up steam after the midfielder was seen in a multi-hour lunch meeting with a person Goal can confirm is Chicago Fire coach Veljko Paunovic.

The Express, a U.K. paper, has posted photos showing Schweinsteiger leaving after a four-hour meeting Wednesday. The paper just refers to an unidentified companion leaving just ahead of the midfielder, but sources tell Goal it is indeed the Fire head coach.

The 32-year-old Schweinsteiger remains on Manchester United’s books after joining the Red Devils in the summer of 2015. He has yet to feature with the first team under Jose Mourinho, who has resisted pressure to reintegrate the World Cup winner into the squad.

Meeting with Paunovic doesn’t guarantee a deal, but it certainly suggests the Fire, who finished with the fewest points in MLS in 2016 and have missed out on big stars like Didier Drogba before, are at least exploring bringing Schweinsteiger in.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

France 2-1 Sweden: Pogba and Payet inspire Les Bleus comeback

Paul Pogba and Dimitri Payet struck as France launched a second-half comeback to beat Sweden 2-1 in Friday's World Cup qualifier at the Stade de France.

Both sides shared top spot in Group A heading into the game with seven points from their opening three fixtures and although France dominated the opening 45 minutes, the visitors looked solid in defence.

A surprise seemed to be in store when Emil Forsberg opened the scoring early in the second period with a fine free kick, but Janne Andersson's men were unable to hold on.

Pogba levelled the scoring with a powerful header, before Payet sealed the win with a cool finish after some unconvincing goalkeeping from Robin Olsen.
France are now three points clear of Sweden and six ahead of third-placed Netherlands, who face Luxembourg in their game in hand on Sunday.

The opening chance of the match fell to Payet, with the West Ham star cutting inside from the left before unleashing a curling effort that was pushed away by Olsen in what proved to be the first half's only shot on target.The resulting corner eventually found Pogba on the right side of the box and the midfielder aimed a right-footed shot just over the crossbar.

After a strong start from the hosts, Sweden - who won their last competitive meeting with France 2-0 at Euro 2012 - slowly grew into the game with Jimmy Durmaz shooting wide after some unconvincing goalkeeping from Hugo Lloris.

France largely dominated play, but struggled to create any chances of note until Antoine Griezmann headed just wide in the dying minutes of the first half after a good cross from Djibril Sidibe.

Les Bleus had a fine opportunity to break the deadlock early in the second half when the referee awarded them a free kick on the edge of the box, only for Payet to curl his attempt well over the crossbar.

Sweden then grabbed the lead somewhat against the run of play when Forsberg found the net in the 54th minute with an opportunistic free kick from 35 yards out that completely caught out Lloris.

Didier Deschamps' men bounced back quickly, though, with Pogba levelling just three minutes later. Payet sent in an inviting cross from the left and the Manchester United star beat his marker to the ball before heading home off the underside of the bar.

Things got even worse for Sweden in the 65th minute when Payet struck after some poor goalkeeping from Olsen. The keeper failed to collect a cross from the right under pressure from Griezmann and Payet had little trouble finding the empty net.

Griezmann then missed a late chance to put the match to bed, before substitute Isaac Thelin could have salvaged a draw for Sweden, only to send his volley from 10 yards out wide as France held on for a win that was far from routine.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

United States 1-2 Mexico: Rafa Marquez the hero as El Tri break Hex curse

Rafael Marquez headed in a dramatic late winner to see Mexico to a 2-1 victory over the United States in their World Cup qualifier in Columbus on Friday.The Mexico captain headed in a Miguel Layun corner in the 89th minute at MAPFRE Stadium.Juan Carlos Osorio's visitors were dominant early and took the lead through a deflected Layun strike.

They also hit the woodwork through Jesus Corona and Carlos Vela in the first half, and the USA improved after the break.

The Americans were rewarded with a Bobby Wood equalizer and went close to finding a winner before Marquez's heroics in both teams' opening game of the fifth round in CONCACAF qualifying.

Mexico substitute Carlos Salcedo was shown a red card in additional time.Jurgen Klinsmann handed talented teenager Christian Pulisic a start, while he also opted for a back three.

Mexico started Javier Hernandez and Giovani dos Santos in their attack, with Vela also in the XI in his first international in 12 months.The visitors were dominant early and Corona struck the post from 20 yards in the 10th minute, with Tim Howard getting a fingertip on the effort.They would take a deserved lead through Layun.

After a battle in midfield fell to him, Layun's 25-yard effort took a deflection and found the bottom corner.Vela hit the crossbar with a header soon after as Osorio's men were unfortunate not to add to their opener.

The USA finally started to settle into the contest, only to lose goalkeeper Howard to injury before half-time.The hosts would equalize just four minutes into the second half.

Good work from Jozy Altidore led to the striker releasing Wood, who still had work to do before poking in a finish from inside the area.Wood stung the palms of Mexico goalkeeper Alfredo Talavera, who was then needed to tip over an Altidore free kick.

But Mexico would score a winner, with Marquez finding the corner with a near-post header from a Layun set-piece before Salcedo saw red.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

'Mourinho's not a has-been, it will take time!' Drogba backs former boss to succeed at Man Utd

Didier Drogba insists Jose Mourinho is no ‘has-been’ and will get things right at Manchester United if given time.

The Ivorian striker is a close ally of the Portuguese tactician, having spent many years working alongside him at Chelsea.Mourinho brought Drogba to England and helped to transform him into a global superstar, with countless major honours shared between the two.

United are yet to see the spark which burned so brightly at Stamford Bridge, despite collecting a first trophy of the season in the form of the Community Shield.Things have not gone entirely to plan since then, with inconsistency blighting the game of an expensively-assembled squad.Mourinho did spend big over the summer, but only brought in four players.

The Red Devils ranks cannot be considered to have been shaped in his image, with there further tweaking required before that becomes the case.

That is a view shared by Drogba, who remains convinced that better days lie ahead for United as they adjust to a third managerial regime since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson.He told RTL : “He’s not a has-been.“I think that it’s a very big challenge for him. I think he has to take some time to build a team.”

United entered the international break perched sixth in the Premier League standings, some eight points behind table-topping Liverpool.They are also six adrift of the top four and Champions League qualification, and bridging that gap will be considered a priority when domestic action resumes with a home date against Arsenal on November 19.

Mourinho has never finished a full season outside of the top three during spells at Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid, so will be confident that he can return the Red Devils to European football’s top table before the 2016-17 campaign comes to a close.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Low becomes Germany's most successful manager EVER

Joachim Low is now officially the most successful manager in the history of the German national team.There had been some confusion as to whether he already held that record outright, but there is now no doubt after he collected a 95th success on Friday night.

Low reached the notable landmark in some style, with his side running out convincing 8-0 winners over San Marino in their latest World Cup qualifier.Former Arsenal midfielder Serge Gnabry stole the show by netting a hat-trick on his senior debut, with Germany taking control of Group C.

They are, of course, looking to defend the trophy they lifted in Brazil two years ago, with Russia 2018 very much in their sights.

Low will expect to still be at the helm when they campaign begins in earnest, and he could be well past a century of victories by that point.For now, though, he can take considerable pride from having bettered the achievements of some illustrious predecessors.

He now sits above 1954 World Cup winner Sepp Herberger (94) and the iconic Helmut Schon (87), who guided West Germany to European Championship glory in 1972 and a World Cup triumph two years later.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Man Utd must break sacking habit and stick with Mourinho - Neville

Gary Neville has called on Manchester United to ‘live with’ Jose Mourinho and restore stability to a club that remains in the process of a ‘painful’ rebuild.

The Red Devils have been in an almost permanent state of flux since seeing the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson slip into retirement back in 2013.

He departed with another Premier League title placed in the trophy cabinet, the 13th of an unforgettable reign, but filling his shoes was always going to be an unenviable task.

As it happens, having gone 27 years with one figure at the helm, United have seen two men try and fail to recapture the glory days in the three years since Ferguson’s departure.

David Moyes, with the Red Devils on course for a seventh-place finish, lasted just 10 months, while FA Cup success was not enough to carry Louis van Gaal past the two-season mark.

The baton has now been passed to Jose Mourinho, and he too is enduring teething problems at the Theatre of Dreams – with United currently sat eight points off the pace in the Premier League title race in sixth place.

Questions are already being asked of the Portuguese coach, but Neville insists he must be given time in which to shape a successful squad if fortunes are to be reversed and recent trends snapped.

"It's going to take some time for United to get through this thing of sacking managers if they don't come in fourth," Neville said at the MEN Business of the Year Awards 2016."They have to really live with Mourinho now and hopefully it will work and he can get it right because we need some stability there.

"I thought United would settle down quicker than they have with the new signings, they haven't - it looks like it's still going to be a bit painful."Mourinho has always been about picking his best 11 and he will deliver the win.He has had to change it constantly and he doesn't know his best team yet."

United did head into the international break on the back of a 3-1 victory over Swansea City, in which the likes of Paul Pogba and Wayne Rooney looked more like their old selves, so there is a platform to build on when they return to domestic action against Arsenal on November 19.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Referee killed after being attacked by player he red carded

A footballer in Mexico is accused of inadvertently killing a referee after being sent off during an amateur fixture in Tulancingo.The Sunday league contest, taking place in the state of Hildalgo, was marred by an incident sparked by the brandishing of a red card.

Ruben Rivera Vazquez allegedly became so incensed with the decision that he head-butted the match official, Victor Trejo – as reported by local news outlet Criterion Hidalgo.

Paramedics on hand rushed to the scene, initially believing that the victim had fainted, but they were unable to revive him.

According to emergency services, the referee died of a ‘widespread subarachnoid hematoma’, which was caused by a significant blow to the head.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Griezmann to be assessed after suffering minor injury against Sweden

Antoine Griezmann will assess a minor foot injury on Saturday before deciding if he can feature for France against the Ivory Coast, Goal understands.The Atletico Madrid striker was able to play through the problem until his substitution in the 88th minute of the 2-1 victory over Sweden on Friday night.

Griezmann's foot has swollen, however, and he will decide with Les Bleus' doctor if he is able to feature in the friendly before returning to his club.

The 25-year-old is unlikely to take any risks given Atletico's next game, on November 19, is against title and city rivals Real Madrid.

Griezmann's potential absence could present an opportunity for Kevin Gameiro or Ousmane Dembele, who were unused subsitutes on Friday, while Paul Pogba and Dimitri Payet are also capable of operating in his role off the main striker.

Pogba set France on their way to victory by cancelling out Emil Forsberg's goal with a 57th-minute header. Payet sealed victory eight minutes later by finishing coolly after Griezmann had forced a goalkeeping error.

The win leaves France three points ahead of Sweden at the top of their World Cup qualification group. The Netherlands are six points behind Didier Deschamps' team but have a game in hand.

 

[Alucard_SxE]

Depay kochhcara hodata play karapu player kenekda PSV & Netherlands team walaEPL move 1ken passe out giyane

Ayeth form 1kata enawanam kiyala wadak naha

talented player kenek​

expectations wadi. number 7 dunna. henata hype kara. minihage oluwath sahenna wadi. ithin fail una.
you can't expect everyone to be cristiano ronaldo

 

[Wolverine GTR]

expectations wadi. number 7 dunna. henata hype kara. minihage oluwath sahenna wadi. ithin fail una.
you can't expect everyone to be cristiano ronaldo

Ow bro ekanam attha​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Suspended Marcelo allowed to return Real Madrid

Brazil have allowed suspended full-back Marcelo to return early from international duty to Real Madrid.

Marcelo was booked during Thursday's resounding 3-0 win over bitter rivals Argentina and is now unavailable to face Peru, having also collected a caution against Colombia in September.

Head coach Tite has called up Atletico Mineiro left-back Fabio Santos as Marcelo's replacement.All three of the 31-year-old's previous caps for Brazil came in 2012.

Marcelo will now begin preparations for the Madrid derby next Saturday.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Wales 1-1 Serbia: Bale goal not enough for Coleman's side

Aleksandar Mitrovic netted a late equaliser as Wales were held to a third consecutive stalemate in World Cup qualifying as Serbia drew 1-1 in Cardiff.

Having previously seen Austria and Georgia fight back to claim a point apiece, Chris Coleman's side thought they had secured victory in Saturday's Group D encounter as they led with five minutes remaining.However, Newcastle United forward Mitrovic, previously marshalled well by James Chester and Ashley Williams, rose to head in a leveller that had rarely looked like coming.

For all Serbia's dominance, Wales had looked the more threatening throughout and scored through Gareth Bale after half an hour.The Real Madrid forward then struck a post just moments before Mitrovic nodded Serbia back on terms.

With the Republic of Ireland beating Austria earlier in the day, they are now two points clear of Serbia, with Wales a further two points back.Bale flashed the game's first attempt over the top from around 25 yards, but chances were few and far between at both ends in a cagey opening period.

Filip Kostic sliced wide after Nemanja Matic had stolen possession from Joe Allen, while Williams stood tall to block Dusan Tadic's rasping drive.

Serbia winger Kostic then blazed over, but the hosts, who had struggled to find a foothold in the contest, soon led.

Hal Robson-Kanu took the ball from Matija Nastasic on the right and turned inside to find Bale, whose firm, low shot flew past the poorly positioned Vladimir Stojkovic into the net.

The two players involved in the opener then reversed their roles, but Robson-Kanu could not steer his header from Bale's cross on target.

Although Matic belatedly mustered a maiden effort on target for the visitors shortly before half-time, Wayne Hennessey was equal to his thump with a fine parry.

Wales immediately sought a second after the restart, with Stojkovic required to save a dipping Bale free-kick, before Serbia again took control.However, with Mitrovic starved of service, the away side's dominance counted for little, and, for all their hard work, no serious chances appeared forthcoming.

Wales instead almost secured the three points as Bale ran through and poked against the upright from Aaron Ramsey's pass, before Mitrovic struck.
Climbing to meet Antonio Rukavina's cross, his header clipped the post to deceive Hennessey and frustrate Wales.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

I won't be like Terry as Belgium captain - Hazard

Belgium captain Eden Hazard insists his leadership style is different to that of Chelsea skipper John Terry's.

Hazard was given the armband ahead of Euro 2016 due to Vincent Kompany's injury absence and the Chelsea star will remain in that role for the foreseeable future.Kompany has been back in contention this season, but he has continued to pick up niggling injuries that have forced him back into the treatment room.

Coach Roberto Martinez confirmed on Wednesday that Hazard will continue as captain even when Kompany is present in the squad, though the 25-year-old will not be looking to develop similar characteristics to his skipper at club level."It's good for me to be the captain," he told reporters ahead of Sunday's World Cup qualifier against Estonia. "I enjoy it.

"But I can't be like John Terry. As captain, I don't talk too much. I try to talk with my feet on the pitch."My ambition is to lead Belgium to the World Cup, to win something for the country. I hope we can do it but it's still far away."

Hazard has rediscovered his best form this season after struggling at Chelsea last term, and he has already scored seven Premier League goals under Antonio Conte, three more than he managed during the 2015-16 campaign.

And Hazard has suggested that Conte's tactical tinkering is why he is finding the net again."Maybe the system has helped me to find my form,' he added. "We tried it in Belgium, now we do it with Chelsea.

"I said after the 5-0 win against Everton, it means I just need to focus offensively as the wing-back is there to defend. My fortunes have changed since the system changed."It's very good to play with my brother as well. I hope there will be lot of games together."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Ibrahimovic's winning mentality already rubbing off on me - Lingard

Jesse Lingard says Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s winning mentality has already had an influence on his own attitude.

The former Sweden star arrived at Old Trafford for free this summer, boasting a career which includes a plethora of league titles with each of Ajax, Juventus, Inter, Barcelona, AC Milan, and Paris Saint-Germain.

The 35-year-old has consistently been seen as one of the most devastating attackers in the world, and has scored eight goals in 17 appearances for United in all competitions this season.

England international Lingard has been impressed by Ibrahimovic’s focus and desire to win and hopes to learn from him."The mentality of wanting to win has come into my game more,” the 23-year-old told the club’s official website.

"Before games, my first thought was to play well but often if you get the win, the performance will come with it.“When Zlatan came in, the first thing he said was he wants to win. Obviously that mentality rubs off on all the team.”

While Ibrahimovic’s goalscoring record is positive, he has been criticised for some poor performances, as he was unable to prevent his side from suffering a decline in form. Jose Mourinho’s men have won just one of their last five league matches, leaving them eight points off leaders Liverpool.The ex-Malmo man may have brought a more determined mentality to the dressing room, but Lingard is also happy that his former United academy team-mate Paul Pogba is back at the club.

The French midfielder left United for free to join Juventus in 2012 before returning to the club for a world record fee ahead of the current season and Lingard was quick to highlight his sense of humour as well as his talent.

"He's a joker in the changing room," he said. "Always dancing and trying to make you laugh. We have a good bunch of lads, with good team spirit, and I think that can take us to the top this season."

Lingard himself has been a key player for United, having scored twice in 10 appearances in all competitions after missing the opening weeks of the campaign due to injury. The 23-year-old is contracted to the club until June 2018.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Arsenal scout highly-rated Olympiakos teenager

Arsenal are scouting highly-rated Olympiakos defender Panagiotis Retsos.The 18-year-old has broken into the Greek side’s first-team this term, having played in nine matches in all competitions.

Retsos featured in Greece U19s’ 2-0 win over Wales in their European Championship qualifier on Thursday and an Arsenal scout was present to keep an eye on him as he played the full 90 minutes as captain.

Retsos can play in all positions along the back line, though he has been used mainly at left-back because of Alberto de la Bella’s absence through injury.

Retsos is not the only young player the Gunners have been linked to. The Premier League side have invited 16-year-old attacking midfielder Peter Gwargis from Sweden to train with them, but the player dubbed ‘the new Ozil’ is currently working with Feyenoord’s youth system and has also been contacted by PSV.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Spain 4-0 Macedonia: Monreal scores first international goal in comfortable win

Nacho Monreal scored his first international goal as Spain maintained their place at the top of UEFA Group G with an easy 4-0 victory over Macedonia.

A 1-1 draw with Italy represented La Roja's only slip-up going into Saturday's contest in Granada and, despite a spirited effort from Macedonia, an upset rarely looked on the cards.

Spain had nearly 85 per cent of possession in the first half, but their only goal in the opening 45 minutes came when Darko Velkoski headed into his own net.The game was then effectively put beyond Macedonia's reach just after the hour mark through Sevilla forward Vitolo, who turned home from point-blank range.

Macedonia were not deterred after going two down, but the hosts piled misery on the Balkan team late on through late goals from Monreal and Aritz Aduriz.

A sterner test of Spain's credentials will come on Tuesday when they play England - also unbeaten in qualification for the 2018 finals in Russia - at Wembley, with their next qualifier not taking place until March against Israel.

Macedonia were denied a draw with Italy by a last-gasp Ciro Immobile goal in their previous qualifier and made a bright start to proceedings in Granada, Velkoski heading straight at David de Gea from point-blank range.Alvaro Morata then carved some space for himself in the box at the other end, but could only drag his shot off target.

Goran Pandev headed narrowly wide of the left-hand post as Macedonia continued to cause Spain problems, but Stole Dimitrievski was the busier of the two goalkeepers.

Dimitrievski denied Morata with one-on-one saves twice in the space of four minutes, although he could do little to prevent his team-mate heading Spain into the lead.

Dani Carvajal's cross from the right looked to be an innocuous one, only for Velkoski to inexplicably steer it beyond Dimitrievski 11 minutes before half-time.
The floodgates threatened to open early in the second half as Spain continued to get forward in numbers, David Silva drifting an effort wide after good work from Vitolo.

And that pair combined again as Spain did double their lead in the 63rd minute, Vitolo nodding in the simplest of headers from Silva's deflected pull back at the end of a well-crafted attacking move.

Macedonia refused to buckle, though, and Enis Bardhi drew a fine diving save from De Gea with a vicious long-range drive.

But they could not muster a consolation and Spain finished with a flourish, Monreal meeting Carvajal's looping delivery from the right with a composed first-time finish before Silva teed up Aduriz to slot home a fourth 65 seconds later and make the scoreline ever more flattering.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Congratulations Spain!

VAMOS ESPANA​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Liechtenstein 0-4 Italy: Belotti brace inspires Azzurri to comfortable victory

Italy remain level on points with Spain at the top of World Cup qualifying Group G after cruising to a 4-0 victory in Liechtenstein.

Strikers Andrea Belotti and Ciro Immobile scored within 75 seconds of each other in the first half as Italy raced in front.Antonio Candreva added a third before Belotti grabbed his second prior to half-time.

A quiet second half saw the hosts - who failed to register a shot on target - avoid any further damage after they leaked eight goals to Spain earlier in the campaign, with Belotti missing chances for his hat-trick.

The away win puts Italy on to 10 points and Giampiero Ventura's men only trail Spain on goal difference, with Israel one point behind in third. Liechtenstein are bottom having lost all four of their qualifiers.

Giacomo Bonaventura forced Peter Jehle into a fine early save, while debutant Davide Zappacosta – in as one of two Italy changes - also tested the home goalkeeper early on.

The breakthrough arrived after only 11 minutes when Candreva's corner was headed on by Alessio Romagnoli and turned in from two yards by Belotti.

And it was two on Italy's next attack when Bonaventura's chip forward was flicked on by Belotti, allowing Immobile to calmly finish for his fourth goal in as many qualifiers.

Leonardo Bonucci thought he had a rare goal when another Candreva corner caused chaos in the home defence, but Franz Burgmeier got back to make an impressive clearance off the line with Jehle beaten.

However, it was three after 32 minutes when Mattia De Sciglio's cross from the left deflected into the path of Candreva to sweep home a simple finish.

Belotti had the ball in the net with a clever flick only to be denied by an offside flag, but he did get his second a minute before the break, controlling impressively before firing in left-footed from Bonaventura's pass forward.Substitute Lorenzo Insigne gave Belotti a chance to seal a hat-trick in the second half, but the Torino forward scuffed his finish.

Belotti then had an even better opportunity from inside the six-yard box, but he somehow guided his header off-target after more impressive work from Insigne down the left.

The 22-year-old looked to be offside when he headed inches over from another chance to reach his first international treble following Zappacosta's delivery into the box in the closing stages, as Italy were unable to add to their lead on a comfortable evening.