Brazil, Switzerland, and Serbia have been drawn into the same group for the second consecutive World Cup.
The three nations were put in Group G during the draw in Doha, four years after playing each other during the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Last time out, Brazil topped the group with seven points and progressed to the knockout rounds along with Switzerland, who finished on five points. Serbia only managed to get points in one of their fixtures as they beat Costa Rica, who finished bottom of the group with one point.
Here are how the games played out in 2018…
Brazil vs Switzerland
Going into the tournament, Brazil and Switzerland were the favourites to progress from the group. Marcelo was captaining the Brazilians, who were looking to revive themselves from their embarrassing exit from the 2014 World Cup to Germany.
The game was even in terms of possession but Brazil were more dangerous going forward and created more chances than their European counterparts.
Coutinho opened the scoring in typical Coutinho fashion as he cut inside onto his right foot and bent the ball around Yann Sommer from outside of the box. They led the game at half-time but were pegged back shortly after the break.
Xherdan Shaqiri delivered a corner and Steven Zuber rose above everyone to win the header and put it into the roof of the net. This was one of Switzerland’s two shots on target in the entire game, but it was enough for them to secure an important draw against the most successful side in the tournament’s history.
Switzerland vs Serbia
Serbia went into this game sitting top of the table, knowing a win over Switzerland would see them qualify for the knockout stages.
They started the game perfectly for Serbia as Aleksandar Mitrovic showed his superb aerial ability as he nodded home Dusan Tadic’s cross.
The first half consisted of 19 shots between the two sides but only Mitrovic managed to find the back of the net. The second half however was a very different story.
Switzerland carried on their attacking nature in the next half, but Serbia struggled to build on their lead.
Seven minutes into the second half, the ball rebounded to the edge of the box and Granit Xhaka was on hand to rifle the ball into the side netting and equalise the game. This fixture was an important one for Xhaka due to his family’s heritage from Albania and Kosovo, and the political struggles between those countries and Serbia. Another player with a similar story is the Swiss’ talisman Xherdan Shaqiri.
Mario Gavranovic, one of the Swiss heroes at Euro 2020, played Shaqiri in on goal in the 90th minute and the winger slotted the ball past Vladimir Stojkovic in goal. This sparked pandemonium amongst the Swiss fans as Shaqiri and Xhaka celebrated the goal together by performing a ‘double eagle’ gesture, a celebration they were later fined for.
Brazil vs Serbia
Serbia needed to beat Brazil in their final group game whereas a draw was enough for the South American side to progress.
It was an awkward start for Brazil after Marcelo picked up an injury in the tenth minute and had to be replaced by then Atletico Madrid player Filipe Luis.
Brazil grew into the half well and both Neymar and Gabriel Jesus came close to scoring before Paulinho eventually gave them the lead. The midfielder lobbed Stojkovic after Coutinho put him in behind.
After the hour mark, Serbia finally found some attacking momentum as Mitrovic had two opportunities to tie the game.
His first effort was blocked on the line by Thiago Silva and four minutes his header was brilliantly saved by Alisson in goal.
Just as they began growing into the game, Silva dealt a fatal blow to Aleksander Kolarov’s side after he scored a header of his own to give Brazil a 2-0 lead.
The game was comfortable from there on in for Brazil and as Switzerland drew 2-2 to Costa Rica in the final group game, the Brazilians topped Group E.
Cameroon have been drawn alongside these three nations for the Qatar World Cup which will be taking place in November and December.
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]]>There are now 232 days until the opening game of the World Cup and we learned on Friday who would face who as the group stage draw took place in the Qatari capital.
Delegates from around the world flew in as former players such as Cafu, Tim Cahill and Ali Daei took part in the draw ceremony that saw 29 confirmed nations discover their fate while three play-off contenders also discovered what could potentially be ahead for them.
The draw threw up plenty of exciting and intriguing groups and while there probably is not a ‘group of death’ as such, almost every country will fancy their chances of having some sort of success in November.
Group A
Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands
So we finally found out what the opening game will be and it is the hosts Qatar taking on Ecuador. It won’t look like a thriller on paper but it will give the debutants some belief that they can get off to a decent start.
African champions Senegal taking on the Netherlands looks like one of the group stage highlights and both will fancy their chances of reaching the knockout stages. A final game clash between Ecuador and Senegal could well decide qualification.
Group B
England, Iran, USA, Wales/Ukraine/Scotland
Well, this was certainly the group for lovers of narrative.
On paper, it appears to be quite a nice draw for England but without knowing who will come through the play-off in June, it is hard to draw too many conclusions.
The USA and England have played out some memorable World Cup games in the past while Iran famously saw off the States in 1998 for a first-ever World Cup victory.
The prospect however of a battle between two home nations on the biggest stage is mouth-watering and with it being the final group game, there could be a lot on the line.
Group C
Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland
A nice group appeared for Lionel Messi on what will probably be his last shot at winning the tournament. Argentina will be hopeful of topping the group with none of the other three sides having much success in recent editions.
Mexico and Poland will know their opening clash will go a long way to who will advance while Saudi Arabia would appear unlikely to get anything in what is quite a daunting group for the Middle Eastern side.
Mexico’s quest for a fifth match at a World Cup would most likely see them up against France in the last 16 in what would be an enormously difficult encounter for the North Americans.
Group D
France, UAE/Australia/Peru, Denmark, Tunisia
Should Peru or Australia make it through the intercontinental play-off in June, Group D will see three-quarters of the participants in Group C from 2018 in the same group once more.
France came through that group en route to winning the tournament back then and Les Bleus and Denmark will be feeling confident of a repeat result four years on.
Tunisia will be looking to cause an upset somewhere and build on their victory over Panama in 2018.
Look out for the matchday two clash between France and Denmark where a Danish win would throw everyone’s knockout predictions up in the air and open up the draw. It always happens somewhere and that could be the game that does it.
Group E
Spain, Costa Rica/New Zealand, Germany, Japan
Spain against Germany on November 27th is the standout fixture of the group stage draw but it has the look of a clash that will decide first place in the group, rather than knock a giant out.
Both sides will be confident of seeing off Japan and whichever of Costa Rica or New Zealand come through in June.
Japan may seek inspiration from neighbours South Korea however, who knocked the Germans out in 2018.
Group F
Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia
Two of the semi-finalists from Russia in 2018 will come together in the group stages as Belgium and Croatia lock horns in Group F.
The pair will face off in the final group game and should either slip up in advance of that, we could well see one of the more fancied European sides going home.
Morocco impressed in 2018 without winning while Canada will face Belgium in their first World Cup match since 1986. They may just believe their fairytale run could continue into the knockout stages.
Group G
Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon
Another group that is almost a carbon copy from 2018 only this time Cameroon will take the place of Costa Rica.
Brazil came out on top on that occasion while Serbia and Switzerland played out a controversial clash that saw the Swiss come from behind to win 2-1 thanks to a late winner from Xherdan Shaqiri.
They will meet in the final group game which could essentially be a winner-takes-all clash.
Cameroon are not going to make up the numbers though and will make for dangerous opponents after their dramatic late win over Algeria to qualify.
Group H
Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea
Uruguay will have the face up to the ghosts of World Cups past in Group H.
The South Americans knocked South Korea out in the last 16 in 2010 while they did the same to Portugal in Russia four years ago.
But the real battle for revenge will take place on matchday two when Ghana seek redemption after Luis Suarez and the handball controversy from the 2010 quarter-final.
This has the appearance of quite an open group and while Portugal will back themselves to win it, history has shown that they could just as easily finish bottom.
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Novak Djokovic has won an appeal in the Australian Court to have his entry visa reinstated.
The Judge took less than a day to conclude that Australian Border Force officials did not follow correct procedures when they cancelled the Serbian’s entry visa when he arrived in the country last Wednesday evening and ordered his immediate release.
The world’s number one male tennis player received a medical exemption from Tennis Australia to play in next week’s Australian Open on the grounds that he had contracted Covid-19 in December 2021 and therefore did not require to be vaccinated against the virus.
Australian Border officials, however, claimed last week that Djokovic’s visa was cancelled because insufficient evidence was provided from the Serbian upon arriving at Melbourne Airport to prove that he was not a threat to health and safety from being unvaccinated.
With that being said, during court proceedings, Judge Kelly asked why the Tennis Australia document was not accepted by the Border official.
“Here, a professor and an eminently qualified physician has produced and provided to the applicant a medical exemption. Further to that, the medical exemption and the basis on which it was given was separately given by a further independent expert specialist panel established by the Victorian state government and that document was in the hands of the delegate. What more could this man have done?”
Djokovic’s lawyers also provided evidence of an email the Serbian had received before travelling to Melbourne from the Australian Home Affairs Department confirming that his claim for a medical exemption to enter the country had been assessed and accepted.
Transcripts from the Border Officials interrogation of the 34-year-old tennis player in the early hours of last Thursday morning also highlighted those correct procedures were not followed and fair treatment was not applied when cancelling the entry visa.
Despite providing the evidence from Tennis Australia and the Australian Home Affairs Department, Border Officials requested further information and agreed with Djokovic that he could go to sleep at 4am and wait until 8:30 to speak to his lawyers and Tennis Australia.
However, following a shift change in the border officials, the Serbian was woken up at 6am and was urged not to get in touch with his lawyers and that it would be in his interests to complete his interview without them.
Shortly before the previously agreed time of 8:30 and without contact with outside parties to corroborate his story or provide additional evidence, Border Officials cancelled Djokovic’s entry visa at 7:40. They also failed to give any details as to why they did so, contrary to proper procedures.
Within hours of the Judge’s decision to reinstate his visa, the current Australian Open Champion was back practising on court at the Rod Laver Arena and posted a picture of himself with his coaching team on Twitter.
With less than a week to go until the 2022 Australian Open starts next Monday, it will be interesting to see if both the physical and mental disruption to the tennis star’s preparation over the past five days, spent in a very poor-conditioned immigration hotel without access to a tennis court or gym, will impact Djokovic’s chances of winning a record 21st Grand Slam title.
It will also be interesting to see how the Australian tennis crowds react to Djokovic next week given the level of local anger on social media as to why the mega-star has been allowed to bypass apparent strict vaccination requirements to enter the country.
Questions will be asked as to the mishandling of the Serbian’s entry visa by Australian Border Force officials, the Victoria State Government, Tennis Australia as well as the Federal Government.
Also, questions will now start to be raised over the cancellations of the visas of two others who were originally allowed entry into Australia to take part in the tennis competition next week. Czech doubles player Renata Voracova along with a currently unnamed official were suddenly forced to leave Australia after being granted similar medical exemptions to Djokovic’s on the grounds of recently contracting COVID-19.
There could also be another twist in the 34-year-old’s case as Australia’s Immigration Minister Alex Hawke says he has not ruled out invoking his ministerial power and re-cancelling the tennis star’s visa.
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Novak Djokovic awaits the result of an appeal after his entry visa was cancelled when he arrived in Australia on Wednesday due to not being vaccinated.
The men’s tennis world number one has been caught up in a social media, and now, political storm following the controversial exemption given to him by Tennis Australia at the start of the week to participate in the tournament without a COVID-19 vaccination.
The tournament organisers made it clear months ago that all competitors, staff and fans would only be allowed to attend if they had appropriate vaccinations against the virus. Djokovic, however, has expressed his concerns about the vaccine saying he wanted to have “an option to choose what’s best for my body” and that he “wouldn’t want to be forced by someone to take a vaccine” to travel or compete in tournaments.
The strong expectation therefore was that the Serb would not be allowed to compete in the Australian Open, that he has won nine times, and to have the chance to win a record 21st Grand Slam title and overtake Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer who also both currently hold 20 titles.
Suddenly, with just two weeks to go until the start of the tournament, Tennis Australia surprisingly announced on Tuesday that “Djokovic applied for a medical exemption which was granted following a rigorous review process involving two separate independent panels of medical experts”.
This decision was met with anger across the tennis community as well as throughout Australia, where there have been strict COVID-19 restrictions on travel in and out of the country for the last two years.
Concerns were raised as to why the defending champion has apparently been given preferential treatment resulting in allegations that the organisers have broken their own strict rules in order to let Djokovic play.
Meanwhile, Australians have not been able to travel freely to see loved ones, even if they have been vaccinated, as the country continues to battle with the spread of COVID-19.
With mounting public outrage at the decision, events took a further twist when the Serb arrived in Melbourne the day after he was given the all-clear to travel.
Djokovic was questioned by Australian Borders Forces for five hours at Melbourne Airport, who then decided to cancel his entry visa, explaining that there was insufficient evidence to justify the exemption against not having a COVID-19 vaccination and that he would be deported the next day.
The Serbian’s lawyers then appealed the decision as he continues his stay in an immigration hotel until a ‘final’ decision is made on Monday.
It was announced back in mid-November 2021 that the Australian Open would become the first Grand Slam tennis tournament to require attendees to be vaccinated. Therefore, it was a surprise that a medical exemption was granted for Djokovic less than two weeks before the start of the tournament.
It is also incredible that despite being given a medical exemption by Tennis Australia to play, the 34-year-old apparently applied for and was approved a visa by Australian authorities that does not allow for medical exemptions for being unvaccinated.
Despite all the current attention, it is not just Djokovic who has sought an exemption. According to the tournament’s chief executive Craig Tiley, 26 staff and players had applied for medical exemptions and “a handful” had been granted under guidelines set by federal regulators.
Supporters of the Serbian tennis player have complained that he has been singled out and unfairly treated, especially given the particularly negative media and political attention he has received.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison explained during a press conference that ‘rules are rules’ and that Djokovic would not be an exception.
“On the issue of Mr [Novak] Djokovic, rules are rules and there are no special cases. It’s been our government’s strong border policies and particularly in relation to the pandemic, that has ensured that Australia has one of the lowest death rates from COVID-19 anywhere in the world.”
Meanwhile, the Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic added further political pressure to the issue advising that he had spoken to Djokovic and offered his full support.
“I told our Novak [Djokovic] that the whole of Serbia is with him and that our bodies are doing everything to see that the harassment of the world’s best tennis player is brought to an end immediately.”
Everyone now awaits the decision of Djokovic’s appeal which has created unnecessary media and political attention.
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Portugal initially slipped up last week when they could only manage a draw away to Ireland. The young Irish team played well and mainly restricted Fernando Santos’ side to shots from outside the box.
A Seleção’s frustration was evident with some wild tackles flying in which eventually saw Pepe sent off in the 80th minute for lashing out on Callum Robinson to earn his second yellow of the game.
At the final whistle, a young Irish fan ran onto the pitch and outran security to get to her hero Ronaldo who gave her a tight hug and his jersey.
Despite the disappointing away draw, Portugal were still odds-on favourites to get the point they needed at home to second-placed Serbia.
Their chances of qualification improved even further when Renato Sanches gave Portugal an early lead after just two minutes.
Serbia, who were keen to avoid the difficulties of qualifying through the play-offs again after they failed to qualify for EURO 2020 when they lost a penalty shootout to Scotland in Belgrade, hit back in the first half through an equaliser from Dusan Tadic on the half-hour mark.
This set up an exciting finish to the match with Mitrovic securing an unlikely away win with a header in the 90th minute.
Portugal now await the play-off draw before they seek to navigate their way to qualification for the World Cup in Qatar.
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Photo: Stephen Gormley (Red Eye Photo Agency)
Ireland doubled their points tally in World Cup qualifying with their second successive 1-1 home draw after a late own-goal from Nikola Milenkovic rescued a point for Stephen Kenny’s men against Serbia.
Even though they failed to end their 2-year winless competitive match run, under pressure Ireland manager Stephen Kenny will be happy with this performance and result against a strong Serbian side who are battling it out with Portugal for the top spot in Group A.
The hosts started slowly and couldn’t get the ball off Serbia in the first quarter of the match, which in turn, saw the visitors take a deserved lead in the 20th minute when Sergej Milinkovic-Savic scored at the near post with a thunderbolt of a header that Ireland’s young goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu couldn’t stop despite getting a hand to it.
Bazunu however went onto make a series of important saves throughout the match to keep Ireland in contention while Serbia tried hard to put the game to bed.
Ireland looked strong in the last 10 minutes of the game and got a major slice of luck in the 86th minute. A long ball crossed into the box was followed by a massive scramble with Shane Duffy putting pressure on Serbia’s goalscorer Milinkovic-Savic.
The midfielder kicked the ball against the unlucky Milenkovic as it rebounded into the Serbia net. The crowd went wild with Ireland manager Stephen Kenny running down the sideline screaming to his players to go for the most unlikely of wins.
They did go for it with Duffy coming close with a great header that floated just wide and a great shot from 20 yards out from Andrew Omobamidele that brought a great save from Predrag Rajkovic. Serbia also had a great chance to win the match when Nemanja Gudelj hit the crossbar from a long-range free-kick.
The 1-1 final result leaves Stephen Kenny still waiting for his first competitive win in charge. However, the majority of the Irish fans in the stadium were behind him and the team, evidenced by a sign behind the south stand, which read “IN KENNY WE TRUST”. The task now for Kenny is to build a team capable of securing a spot at the European Championships in 2024 in Germany.
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A bank holiday weekend with no football didn’t make for a quiet period for the black-and-white half of Belgrade. Partizan were rocked by the news that leading goalscorer and arguably best player in the league, Takuma Asano, had unilaterally terminated his contract on Sunday morning.
The Japanese winger released a statement in which he said the club owed him a ‘significant’ amount of money and that he’d regularly received his paycheck late. The club hit back saying that they’ll be taking the matter to FIFA and they consider his termination as a breach of contract. They were, it seems, hoping to cash in on his fantastic on-the-field performances in the summer.
Fans took to social media to berate the club for letting this happen. Many pointed to the number of other issues with payments in the recent past, while on-the-pitch results haven’t been up to scratch. The club’s former Vice-President has also taken a swipe in recent weeks, and it seems there will be protests calling for change very soon.
A number of players also waded into the debate with goalkeeper, Vladimir Stojković, saying Asano had ‘betrayed’ the players. Ex-Liverpool man Lazar Marković echoed his captain’s words suggesting he couldn’t have had the ‘season of his life’ without the rest of the team.
Manager Aleksandar Stanojević struck a more conciliatory tone, noting that he’d enjoyed working with the winger, and that he was disappointed that discussions weren’t held before it got to the point of no return. Despite his kind words, he couldn’t have been happy to have been left without his star player, and was forced to a change of style as his side took to the field just three days later.
Lazar Marković and Seydoubah Soumah were also missing for the visit of TSC Bačka Topola, so Stanojević had to conjure up a makeshift team with few options on the bench – two players over 35 and seven under 21 were among the 11 reserves.
TSC Bačka Topola: A rollercoaster ride
TSC made the trip south on the back of an indifferent run of form. However, they’ve stolen the headlines this season for all the wrong – and particularly upsetting – reasons.
During the winter break, their manager Zoltan Sabo unexpectedly passed away. He’d guided them to promotion to the Serbian top flight and to a spot in Europe during his three years in charge.
Former Serbia boss, Mladen Krstajić took the reins in difficult circumstances and guided them to five games without defeat in his opening spell. But they’ve been inconsistent since, and have far fallen away from the European places.
They have a new state-of-the-art stadium in the pipeline, scheduled to open later this year, and rumours have it that Hungarian President Viktor Orban has helped finance it – Bačka Topola being a Hungarian-majority town in northern Serbia.
Partizan v TSC: A game of two halves
Despite the off-the-field strife for Partizan in the last few days, they went into the match as favourites. The sun shone down on the Stadion JNA on a glorious Wednesday afternoon, and it had the feel of a pre-season friendly – especially knowing that both teams had nothing to play for.
The visitors survived an early scare as young Nemanja Jović fired wide from a one-on-one – created by the creative maestro, Bibras Natho in midfield. From then on, they dominated proceedings.
They pressed high into the Partizan half and forced several errors from the on-loan Olympiacos centre-half Svetozar Marković. Nenad Lukić fired wide in the eleventh minute and Djuro Zec had a call for a penalty waved away in the twenty-fourth.
TSC grew more and more confident and started really exploiting Partizan’s weaknesses. Mihajlo Banjac twice caught Partizan right-back Aleksandar Miljković sleeping and would have put the visitors ahead were it not for the toe of Vladimir Stojković defending the home goal.
It was all one-way traffic, with the hosts only managing one shot on target – and that from over 30 yards – in the thirty-seventh minute. They had Stojković to thank again just before half-time, as he blocked Lukić from point-blank range. Partizan would have been relieved to hear the whistle.
Managers love to say that issues beyond their control don’t influence the players, but it seemed to anyone watching that Partizan lacked the creativity that Asano brought so often this term. Who knows what Stanojević said during the break, but it seemed to work.
The black-and-whites came out of the blocks in the second half, and Natho was instrumental in pinging the ball over the top of the defence, creating space for the wingers and strikers. Filip Holender tested the ‘keeper within a few minutes and then the breakthrough came on 53.
Natho linked up well with left-back Slobodan Urošević in an attacking position before deftly chipping the ball through to Miloš Jojiç. The ex-Dortmund man cleverly backheeled it to the oncoming Urošević who was brought down before he could control the ball. Up stepped Natho to add to his series of penalties without a miss since joining two years ago.
Partizan went on to show that they had the quality to see off their opposition and just 15 minutes was enough to do the job in style. Jojić was denied by the ‘keeper before Vujačić headed wide from a corner.
Just a minute later and Natho expertly intercepted a pass on the half-way line before again sliding a perfect pass through. Holender was alone on goal and couldn’t miss. 2-0 to the hosts.
They only had to wait another four minutes before wrapping it up. Jović showed his potential as he closed in on goal from another sublime ball from midfield – this time from Saša Zdjelar. The youngster’s shot was parried into the path of Jojić who got his reward for following in eagerly.
Manager Stanojević’s smile was visible from the other side of the pitch and he quickly rang in the changes, bringing on four of his young subs along with experienced Milan Smiljanić.
They showed some hunger and almost got a fourth, however they were guilty of trying to walk it in, with each of the five attackers touching the ball but none shooting despite at one stage having just two defenders to contend with.
TSC showed ruthless efficiency as soon as they won the ball back from that chance. Two-touch football all the way up the pitch resulted in the ball ending up with Borko Duronjić. He took one touch to cut inside and fired his second straight into the corner of the net to reduce the deficit.
Despite having just seven minutes to get two goals the visitors showed some fight and looked to take advantage of Partizan’s relative inexperience on the pitch. The hosts looked scared but showed some professionalism as they fouled high up the pitch and kicked the ball long and into touch to break up TSC’s play.
Lukić fired wide from a good position, which proved to be the best chance of the closing stages. Partizan rode out the final minutes and duly celebrated at the final whistle. They didn’t look too threatened in the second half to need to breathe a sigh of relief but the weight of Asano’s departure has certainly shed a few pounds with that victory.
What next?
Rumours abound as to what Partizan’s real financial situation is. Many newspapers are saying that they’ll need to reduce their wage bill by 50% next term to keep their heads above water. That would surely mean losing Natho, who was so instrumental in this victory, as he has been so often this season.
Other reports suggest Partizan are close to bringing back joint top scorer from their last title-winning season, Leonardo Da Silva Souza.
One thing is for sure, if they want to compete next season and close the gap on bitter city rivals, Red Star, they can’t afford to scrimp and save.
The black-and-whites look set to compete in the new UEFA Conference League next season, which is unlikely to attract the same calibre of player as Champions League Red Star will be able to – even if Partizan had the money.
The two sides face off in the Serbian Cup Final later this month with Partizan hoping to stop it from being two trophyless seasons in a row. They may not be able to rely on 15 quality minutes against stronger opposition to do just that.
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]]>There was no shortage of action during the recent international break as the UEFA and CONCACAF qualifiers got underway while Asia resumed their qualification process.
Europe
Group A
While many of the groups look like they have the potential to go to the wire, Group A looks much more cut and dried with Portugal and Serbia set to do battle to determine who will qualify directly and who will go to the play-offs.
Aleksander Mitrovic was in fine form, scoring five goals as Serbia beat Azerbaijan and the Republic of Ireland while recovering from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Portugal.
Luxembourg were the other side to win, picking up a famous 1-0 win in Dublin. Stephen Kenny is still yet to win during his tenure as Ireland manager and the feeling among fans is that it will now become 20 years at least between World Cup appearances.
Group B
Spain may lead the way in Group B but it’s Sweden who hold a 100% record thanks to victories over Kosovo and Georgia. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is out of international retirement and will no doubt have the confidence that he can inspire his nation to overcome the Spanish.
Spain needed a last-gasp winner from Dani Olmo to overcome the ever-improving Georgia after stumbling to a 1-1 draw in their opener with Greece. This group already has the look of a two-horse race, similar to Group A.
Group C
Italy continued their impressive form under Roberto Mancini by recording a hat-trick of 2-0 wins to get their campaign off to the best possible start. Switzerland also have a 100% after wins against Bulgaria and Lithuania.
Northern Ireland suffered a disappointing start to qualifying. Defeat in Italy was no great surprise but a 0-0 draw at home to Bulgaria is two points dropped and Ian Baraclough’s men will now find it tough to bridge the gap to the top two, even at this early stage. Another group that looks set to be between the top two.
Group D
Now for the group of draws. France were the only team to pick up any victories over the period, beating Kazakhstan and Bosnia. It was stalemates galore for everyone else which means it’s pretty much as you were. France look like they’ll comfortably claim top spot but for now the play-off place is anyone’s.
Group E
Belgium started off as they always do in qualification these days with some resounding wins, although a draw with the Czech Republic was sandwiched in between. A 3-1 victory over Wales and an 8-0 mauling of Belarus has Roberto Martinez’s men atop of Group E where they will be difficult to shift.
Wales bounced back from their opening game defeat to the Belgians with a 1-0 win over the Czech Republic thanks to Daniel James. Belarus kept pace with a 4-2 win over Estonia.
Group F
Despite being the team from pot one that everyone wanted to draw, Denmark have got off to a flyer in Group F, claiming nine points, scoring 14 goals and not conceding any. This included two excellent away wins, beating Israel 2-0 and crushing Austria 4-0.
Scotland have made an unbeaten start and currently occupy the play-off spot. This group has the look of a three horse race for second even at this early stage with the games between Scotland, Israel and Austria appearing key.
Group G
This looked like an intriguing group when it was first drawn and it has proved to be the case. Turkey came roaring out of the blocks, beating the Netherlands and Norway before slipping up at home to Latvia.
The Norwegians and the Dutch have responded well and sit just behind Turkey on six points, level with Montenegro. It will be a while before we can work out what is going to happen here.
Group H
Another group that is looking difficult to call. Slovakia are the only unbeaten side but sit in third after an unexpected 2-2 draw at home to Malta.
Croatia and Russia lead the way with two wins from three. Cyprus and Slovenia are also well in the hunt after picking up a win each.
Group I
England have made a perfect start to their campaign, picking up three wins to sit on top of the group. The third win, a slender 2-1 win over Poland could prove crucial to the final standings.
Hungary are in second, picking up expected wins over Andorra and San Marino while drawing 3-3 with Poland.
This group is very much a four way battle with those sides expecting to take maximum points from their games with San Marino and Andorra. Albania are keeping in the hunt, currently third.
Group J
Armenia are the surprise leaders in Group J, picking up nine points from their three games.
This group contained one of the biggest shocks of the break as Germany lost at home to North Macedonia. It leaves the Germans in third at this stage and while they’ll still expect to win the group, it’s turning out to be much more difficult than many expected.
Asia
There were only a handful of games played in the Asian section of the qualifiers. In Group D, Saudi Arabia coasted to a 5-0 win over Palestine to move top of the group.
In Group F, Mongolia’s hopes of reaching the World Cup ended with a 1-0 defeat to Tajikistan. They then followed this up with a 14-0 home defeat to Japan with Werder Bremen forward Yuya Osako helping himself to a hat-trick.
North/Central America/Caribbean
The first round of CONCACAF’s qualifiers got under way with a group stage where each team will play each other once, with the top team going through.
Group A
It’s all to play for in Group A at the halfway stage with everyone still in with even a slight chance. Antigua and Barbuda currently lead the way from El Salvador on goal difference.
Group B
Canada and Suriname made strong starts to Group B, taking maximum points. Canada’s victories included an 11-0 win over the Cayman Islands. The clash between the pair in June looks likely to decide the winner though Bermuda will be hoping to crash the party.
Aruba and the Cayman Islands cannot now qualify.
Group C
It’s a similar story in Group C as Curacao and Guatemala lead the way on six points. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines are hanging in there on three points while Cuba and the British Virgin Islands will not make it to Qatar.
Curacao are currently managed by Guus Hiddink and have Juninho and Leandro Bacuna among their ranks.
Group D
2018 participants Panama have begun their quest to make back to back World Cups with narrow wins over Barbados and Dominica. The Dominican Republic currently top the group on goal difference after beating now eliminated Dominica and Anguilla.
Group E
This is a four team group as Saint Lucia withdrew before qualifying began. Nicaragua, Belize and Haiti all lead on three points apiece while the Turks and Caicos Islands are out of contention. Belize are disadvantaged by having played a game more than their rivals.
Group F
2006 group stage participants Trinidad and Tobago face a fight to make the next stage as they sit two points behind leaders Saint Kitts and Nevis. It would be a remarkable achievement for the Sugar Boyz if they can clinch top spot although the games with the Soca Warriors and Guyana will be stiff tests.
The Bahamas are out having suffered 4-0 defeats to Saint Kitts and Nevis and Guyana.
The second round will conclude in the next international break in June, where Asian and African qualifiers will recommence.
Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt
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League leaders Red Star went into this weekend with 14 consecutive domestic wins (with four Europa League draws and two wins in between) while Partizan in second place, were looking to make it 15 in a row in all competitions.
Just as in Manchester, Partizan faced a city derby, but not against bitter rivals Red Star. They made the short trip up the road (literally) to take on Rad in the suburb of Banjica.
FK Rad: Form and Fortune
The Sky Blues of Belgrade’s third (or are they fourth or fifth, or even sixth?) team have been flirting with relegation for years, often miraculously escaping with a fine run towards the end of the season as the Relegation Play-Offs take hold.
But this season there are no play-offs. Due to COVID-19’s impact on last season’s final standings, the league has been extended to 20 teams and everyone plays each other twice. The catch, though, is that six teams will be relegated.
Prior to the Winter Break, Rad were surefire candidates for the drop. However, since the season’s resumption in February, they’d won three of their six games going into the tie against Partizan and a win against the Black and Whites would put them level on points with safety.
A win against their free-flowing and even freer-scoring opposition may have seemed far-fetched, but Partizan took them seriously. Visiting manager, Aleksandar Stanojevic, talked up the hosts’ chances and named a very strong starting 11 for the tie. Goalkeeper Aleksandar Popovic was the only real surprise, as he took experienced Vladimir Stojkovic’s place between the sticks to make up the quota of two under-21s in the starting lineup.
Stadion Kralj Petar Prvi
The game was to be my saving grace from Serbia’s weekend restrictions. On Friday, the government announced that all cafes, bars, and restaurants must shut from noon on Saturday until Monday morning. And with the sun shining on this March day, it looked like the perfect afternoon for football.
The ground is, to be honest, unimpressive. In fact, it’s a bit of a dive. It consists of two sides – one terrace of six rows behind the goal and a two-tiered stand alongside the pitch that’s yet to be finished.
With no fans allowed, there was none of the usual atmosphere that city derbies usually conjure up and I thought back wistfully to my last few visits when fans were allowed.
I came to the ground on my first weekend after moving to Belgrade in 2015. I stood behind the goal with the Rad ultras, the “United Force.” They were known as one of the hardest, most right-wing groups in the country. I duly kept my mouth shut, as their handful of fans put on a colourful display in a win (I think!) against Spartak Subotica.
The last time I visited, in 2017, I got to see why their fans earned their reputation. I stood with the Partizan fans in the upper corner of the unfinished stand. The Black and Whites came out on top and one fan even climbed up to the top of the scaffolding and found his way onto an outsticking slab of concrete atop the stand and lit two flares!
But it was the actions of the Rad fans that made the headlines. Then-Partizan midfielder, Everton, was jeered with monkey noises and racist abuse from the home fans throughout. Everton responded at the final whistle with a middle finger to the United Force lot, and players, fans and officials all joined in the melee afterwards.
Thankfully, the lack of fans meant that I was unlikely to witness such ugly scenes this time – although Rad’s Vice President not only condoned the actions of the United Force, she also criticised Everton with a comment I would consider to be racist. She was sure to be present.
As I made my way from the car park to the ground, I noticed a few young lads in the corner behind the UF’s favoured stand. They had found a spot from which they could see around 60% of the pitch.
I made my way into the press box and sat on a long metal bench with my notepad.
Rad v Partizan
The game kicked off with little fanfare, owing to the lack of fans. Partizan immediately looked uncomfortable on the poor pitch, with Bibras Natho, in particular, struggling to control the ball on numerous occasions. Usually the Black and Whites’ Mr. Reliable, even when he did find space in the opening stages, his cross hit a divot and spun away from the target.
But Stanojevic’s men are patient. During their incredible winning streak, they’ve been happy to wait and tire their opponents, finding the gaps, then the net and then opening the game. And that’s exactly what happened here.
Just as the hosts looked as though they were able to exploit the space left by Partizan’s attacking full-backs, a misfired crossfield pass was expertly intercepted by Takuma Asano. The Japanese international linked up well with striker Filip Holender and they were away. A perfect pass into the striker’s pass was powefully finished and it was 1-0 to the visitors.
Holender went close again before Rad mustered up their best chance of the first half. A free-kick from deep was perfectly weighted with the attacker timing his run to perfection to glance it towards goal. It looked as though young Popovic reacted late to claw it from behind the line and the home bench were determined that it had crossed the line. No goal was given, and replays showed that it was the correct decision.
Rad were made to rue that missed chance right away, as Lazar Markovic battled hard to win the ball in the corner before picking out Natho with a precise cross. All the Israeli captain needed to do was get some kind of contact and he made it 2-0 with ease.
It was a familiar story, as Partizan reaped the rewards of opening up the game like so often before during this impressive run. On balance, they were fortunate to go in two to the good but it felt like part of the plan.
The second half started much as the first had finished. Partizan patiently waited for the ball and broke quickly. A lovely move from a quick throw-in saw Natho at the byline in the box. Lazar Markovic called out his name, received the ball, and passed the ball through Holender’s legs to the back of the net to make it three.
With the game seemingly dead and buried, Rad’s manager tried to breathe some life into it by introducing three attacking changes. It almost paid off with a good move down the right ending in a fierce shot across the face of goal.
It was Stanojevic’s wealth of options on the bench, however, that delivered. Partizan’s one-time most expensive signing, Seydoubah Soumah, entered the fray along with young attacker Nemanja Jovic.
Just minutes after coming on, the diminutive Guinean picked up the ball beyond the half-way line and played a lovely one-two with Jovic. Soumah found himself in the box and turned quickly past two players before firing low from a tight angle. The ‘keeper got a hand to the ball, but there was no way he was stopping it.
Partizan had already lined up three other youngsters to take to the field before the fourth. With the freedom of an additional goal’s cushion, they kept the momentum up, hungry for the ball and more goals for their team.
They were queuing up on the edge of the box at times and that’s how the fifth came about. Lazar Pavlovic won the ball around 30 yards out and deftly knocked it on to Soumah. He feigned a shot and offloaded wide to Filip Stevanovic who was inside the box. The future Manchester City player could barely miss and fired past the hapless ‘keeper.
Rad had given up and now Partizan were showboating. They should have made it six on 88 minutes. Jovic was away behind the back four and the outstretched arm of a defender brought him down. The ref was left with no option but to send the defender off, despite the vociferous protests of the home bench.
Soumah hit the bar with the resulting free-kick and the ref drew time on what seemed like another masterclass from Aleksandar Stanojevic and his men. With the memories of 2017 still fresh in my memory, at least, it would have been nice for Soumah to get another one – but the job was already done.
The Record and Next Steps
With Manchester City’s winning streak coming to an end just after the full-time whistle in Banjica, Partizan may now claim to be the form team of Europe. However, they still sit six points behind their Red Star who have a game in hand too. And that’s all that matters.
The Black and Whites take a break from league action this week, with a cup Quarter Final against another Belgrade outfit, Vozdovac, taking centre stage. With Red Star so far in front it could be their only chance of silverware. The way they’re going, you wouldn’t bet against them.
As for Rad, they looked well off the pace after conceding the first and still sit three points from safety. They face the team directly above them in the table away next week – Javor Ivanjica who only lost 1-0 at home to Partizan a few weeks ago. With the needless red card in the dying moments making things worse, the Belgrade side may be facing an uphill battle for survival this season.
Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt
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]]>Stadion Shopping Centar, I kid you not, hosted the evening’s Super Liga match between Voždovac and Partizan Belgrade.
Sounds strange? Well, FK Voždovac represent the eponymous suburb just across the dual carriageway from Red Star’s “Marakana” stadium and play on top of a shopping centre, literally.
Belgrade loves its shopping centres – or at least it has seemed so during my time living here. In November, the biggest mall on the whole Balkan peninsula opened up in the upmarket Waterfront district. This behemoth adds to the ten or so other temples to consumerism dotted around the city, on top of a long pedestrian street in the centre where all the top brands can be found.
So, when FK Voždovac looked to cash in on their ground in the mid 2000s, a shopping centre was a natural choice, right?
Around 150,000 people live in this municipality that’s sandwiched between a dual carriageway and a motorway. Traffic is a nightmare if you’re coming from the centre, so yes, maybe a shopping centre in the ‘hood did make sense. But what to do with FK Voždovac?
From Regional League to National Powerhouse
Formed in 1912, the club had always played second (or third or fourth) fiddle to bigger sides in the Serbian capital. While Yugoslavia was still intact it spent most of its days battling it out in the Belgrade league before rising up to the second tier in 2004.
A merger in 2005 saw the “Dragons” acquire a spot in the First League. They managed to place in the European spots in 2006 but were still plagued by the financial mismanagement of their predecessors and were denied a spot in the UEFA Cup.
The new club bounced between the leagues for a few years, before the saving grace arrived.
The prospect of groundsharing is a nightmare for most fans but sharing with a shopping centre is pretty much unheard of. Voždovac’s president used his business nous and teamed up with a German company to redevelop the site of the old, dilapidated, multi-purpose ground.
They would build a shopping centre, put a ground on top and the club would flourish from the sponsorship of the financial success beneath.
Far fetched? Well, it seems to be working. Vozdovac have now been in the Serbian top flight for eight successive seasons and seem in no danger of relegation. They’ve attracted a couple of foreign players, their youth system looks strong, and they went into their penultimate match before the winter break in seventh place out of 20 in Serbia’s top flight.
Worlds Apart from Other Clubs
Off the pitch, things are impressive too. I’d first visited the ground in the autumn of 2015 – not long after I’d moved to Belgrade. For the life of me I couldn’t tell you who Voždovac were playing, but I had to get a peek at one of the few rooftop grounds in the world.
I was impressed then, as I have been every time I’ve visited. It’s a compact ground, where you feel right on top of the action. The pitch seems narrow, but you can hear everything on the pitch and almost smell the sweat and wintergreen.
However, there is one issue. I’m not sure anywhere in the ground where you can see the whole pitch. Pillars block the view from the fifth or sixth row, while the closer you get to the pitch, the touchline disappears. Maybe it was one for the novelty checklist, after all.
Anyway, I’d been to the ground a few times since, twice to see Partizan scrape a rooftop victory, and once to catch the second half of a match after my old man came to town and stubbornly insisted on heading there instead of coming to Partizan’s JNA, where I had a season ticket.
This time however, there were no fans. Despite the fact that all games at the Shopping Centar Stadion have a limited capacity due to security reasons – Serbia’s supposed hooliganism problem probably means that we’ll never see a full 5,000 capacity crowd here – this game was to be played behind closed doors.
Sensing an article may be worth writing, and wanting to see Partizan play for the last time in 2020, I decided to apply for a press pass.
Unlike with other clubs in Serbia, I received a reply by email within a day. They asked me to call if I needed anything and they were very friendly, instructing me to go to Parking level minus two and get the lift up. Frankly, I was glad to not have to hike all the way up on foot again, but I was also intrigued to see what was what behind the scenes.
I waited patiently behind the Partizan directors as the steward checked everyone’s name before ushering us into the lift up to the fifth floor. When I got out it felt like I was walking into a hotel lobby. A spiral staircase led downwards from the marble floor to what I later found out was the players’ entrance. A porter waited behind the desk for another check of my name and I was ushered into the press box.
It was a pristine, enclosed area with tables laid out and my name waiting for me along with the team sheets. I’d come prepared for the December weather, but the heating was turned on to the max, so I quickly took my coat off, and tried to look the part.
I plugged my laptop in, logged into the wifi , which worked, and settled down to watch the game (or at least the 95% of the pitch I could see). It was a definite upgrade on most, if not all the grounds, I’ve been to in Serbia.
At half time, they’d even laid on soft drinks and water for us, along with a bowl of snacks to dip our hands into. So much for the COVID restrictions!
FK Voždovac v Partizan Belgrade
Voždovac headed into the game after just one win in five, and fielded a young side including four players under the age of 21. The visitors meanwhile, had won six in a row and despite relying on late goals more than once, looked unstoppable as they hoped to catch up with runaway leaders and big rivals, Red Star.
Over the years the shopping centre has hardly been a happy hunting ground for the black-and-whites. The narrow pitch hampers their free-flowing, expressive game and my last two visits saw narrow 1-0 and 2-1 wins. And since they’d restricted the number of fans allowed in, it had been two defeats in three since my last trip.
Young Nikola Štulić who scored the late winner last time out against Čukarički, still had to look on from the bench from the outset but Seydoubah Soumah, the architect of that goal, made his first start in a while. All the pre-match talk had surrounded the diminutive Guinean with manager Aleksandar Stanojević insisting that he needed to see more consistency from his attacking midfielder.
The hosts edged a poor first half hour and should have taken the lead with a chance early on. Partizan failed to clear a good cross from the right but despite being in acres of space, attacker Pantović could just find the outside of the post.
Voždovac’s Lithuanian winger, Justas Lasickas, was a constant thorn in the side of Partizan’s makeshift full-back, Macky Bagnack, but the strikers rarely tested young Aleksandar Popović between the sticks for the black and whites. That is until the last action of the first half.
Young winger Luka Cvetićanin broke down the right and took advantage of the short space until the edge of the box and drew a smart save from the young goalkeeper.
The second half started much as the first with Bagnack immediately giving the ball away twice on the half-way line, opening the door for a couple of Voždovac attacks. Just a minute later he resorted to a last-ditch foul and took a yellow card for his trouble.
But just one minute later Partizan showed that they needed just one chance to take control of the game. Aleksandar Šćekić expertly won the ball in midfield and threaded an inch-perfect pass through to Takuma Asano, who controlled with ease and slid the shot past the helpless goalkeeper for his eleventh of the season.
That didn’t alter the balance of play though. The hosts continued to dominate possession and played some nice football. Partizan were sloppy and failed to clear their lines on multiple occasions and it felt as though they were riding their luck a little.
Bibras Natho’s introduction for Soumah was a controversial one. The Guinean trundled slowly off the pitch and after a brief word with manager, Stanojević, walked down the tunnel. But the change definitely paid off.
On 78 minutes a quick free-kick in the centre circle saw the Israeli captain in acres of space. He waited for the run of fellow substitute Lazar Marković and played an expert pass into his path which the former Liverpool man cooly put away.
Both sides made the most of the new five substitutions rule and the game became a real stop-start affair. Partizan saw the game out with relative ease and made it seven wins in a row. Again, they closed the gap on Red Star to six points but that would only last for 24 hours.
Into the New Year
It’s difficult to assess what this match means for either side. Despite their European exploits, it seems that nothing will stop Red Star on their march towards a third successive title, as they too made it seven from seven in domestic competitions. Therefore, Partizan look like they’ll need to settle for second place again this term.
As for Voždovac, they showed some promise but always lacked that cutting edge. The benefit of playing on the only artificial pitch in the league and on such a narrow one will only carry them so far. However, it seems that the club is run well from top to bottom, so there’s definitely plenty to be hopeful for.
Me? I just hope that I can get back to the stands and away from the press box when football returns in February. I miss my mates, I miss singing and I miss not having to hide who I support. But I guess this was better than spending the day shopping.
Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt
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