BALTIMORE, Maryland November 17, 2014 - When do you not win, fall from first place to second place, and still consider that results were good? When you are the Welsh National Team and you came away with a critical point in qualifying play for the Euro 2016 championship. Israel took over first place in the group by routing Bosnia and Herzogovina, 3-0, in the first match played at Haifa's new Itztadion Sammy Ofer. Gil Vermouth, Omer Damari and Eran Zahavi get the goals for the home team, which won its third match in as many outings. In Belgium, a strong Wales team led by Gareth Bale battled the World Cup Quarterfinalists at every turn in securing the critical point. At year's end, Israel leads Group A with 9 points in three matches. Wales is in a solid second position, just one point behind after their fourth match. Surprising Cyprus is in third place with 6 points in four matches, while Belgium is in fourth place with only five points in three matches. Bosnia and Herzogovina is in fifth place and in big trouble. They have only two draws and two losses to show after four matches, good for only two points. Andorra is last with 0 points in four games.
A bit of the lustre fell off of Iceland's early burst of points when the islanders came up empty in their showdown with the Czech Republic. An own goal did Iceland in after the teams went to the half tied at 1-1. Hannes Halldórsson's own goal was the only score of the second half in the match at Pizen. The Czech's, now with four wins in four attempts, lead Group A with 12 points. Iceland holds on to second with 9 points, but just behind them now are the Netherlands, which humbled Latvia, 6-0, and now has two wins and two losses, good for six points. Turkey, which beat back Kazakhstan, 3-1, in Istanbul, is in fourth place with four points. Latvia and Kazakhstan bring up the rear.
Slovakia, at 4-0-0, leads Group C with 12 points after their 2-0 win over Macedonia. Spain and Ukraine are tied for second with 3 wins and 1 loss. Spain beat Belarus, and Ukraine stopped Luxembourg by identical 3-0 scores.
Poland continued its successful run with a solid 4-0 win at Georgia. The White Eagles lead Group D with 10 points on three wins and one draw in four matches. Scotland, which beat Ireland, 1-0, in Glasgow, is now tied with Ireland and Germany for second place with 7 points apiece. Germany defeated Gibralter, 4-0 in Germany. Georgia, with one win in four matches, is in fifth place with 3 points. England is having its way in Group E. The English have four wins in four matches, good for 12 points. Three nations are tied for second with 6 points each: Switzerland, Slovenia and Lithuania.
Romania moved into the lead in Group F with a 2-0 win over visiting Northern Island. Paul Papp scored twice for the homestanding Romanians, who lead the group with 10 points (three wins and one draw in four matches). Northern Island, which was 3-0-0 coming into the match, hangs on to second with 9 points. Hungary has 7 points in third place after their 1-0 win over Finland in Budapest. Finland is in fourth place with 4 points. The Faroe Islands are alone in fifth place after their stunning 1-0 win before an unbelieving crowd in Piraeus. Jóan Edmundsson's 61st-minute goal were all the visitors needed. Wikipedia said the victory for the andsliðið, as they are called in the Faroe Islands, was a "major international football upset." The islanders are now in fifth place, ahead of Greece. They have 3 points while the Hellenics have but 1.
Austria is the surprise leader of Group G. The Austrians have three wins and a draw in four matches, good for ten points. Over the past weekend, they beat Russia in Vienna, 1-0. Sweden, with one win and three draws in four matches, is in second place with 6 points. They drew with Montenegro, 1-1. Montenegro is tied for third with Russia at five points apiece. Liechtenstein is directly (and closely) behind those two with four points. The Alpine Nation stunned Moldova, 1-0, on a goal by their Captain Franz Burgmeier. The score came on a free kick in the 74th minute in a match otherwise dominated by the homestanding Moldovans. Liechtenstein will have an opportunity to build on their momentum when they open 2015 play on March 28th against Austria, with the match taking place in the Liechtenstein Capital of Vaduz. For those who do not know, Liechtenstein is located in the Alps between Switzerland and Austria. It is the last surviving member of the Holy Roman Empire.
Hotly contested Group H has Italy and Croatia in the lead with ten points each, while Norway is hot on their heels with 9 points. This past weekend, Croatia went to Milan and stole a point from the Italians by earning a 1-1 tie, while Norway edged Azerbaijan, 1-0. One cannot put much credence in the Group I standings since only one nation - the Group Leader, Denmark - has played four matches, while two nations, Serbia and Albania, have played but two. Denmark has only 7 points in its four matches (two wins, one draw and one loss), but that is good enough, for now, to lead the group. Portugal, with two wins and one loss in three matches, is in second place with 6 points. Albania has a win and a draw in its two matches, good for four points and third place. Servia has a draw and a loss for one point, while Armenia has a draw and two losses, also good for one point. Over the weekend, Denmark beat Servia, 3-1, while Portugal edged Armenia, 1-0.
The next qualifying matches are at the end of March.
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