06/07/13 - Match Topic - Football - Basketball

Peru 1-0 Ecuador June 7, 2013

Pizarro marcó el primero a los 11 minutos. Perú ganó luego de 36 años a Ecuador por eliminatorias.
Claudio Pizarro marcó el primero y único gol para Perú e hizo explotar el Estadio Nacional y al país entero a los 11 minutos del primer tiempo.

El cuadro bicolor salió dispuesto a quedarse con el triunfo y hacer que todos los peruanos sigamos con la ilusión de ir al Mundial Brasil 2014.

En un vibrante partido, la escuadra nacional supo hacer respetar la casa y superó en fútbol a la selección de Ecuador.

Perú entró con mucha fuerza a la cancha y a los 2 minutos de empezado el encuentro Juan Manuel Vargas casi abre el marcador, minutos más tarde Pizarro ya mostraba que quería ser el héroe del encuentro y remató con todo al arco rival.

El capitán peruano no solo demostró porque merece la banda si no volvió a lucir su buen fútbol, su raza goleadora y pagó la deuda que tenía con la afición peruana, a los 11 minutos marcando un golazo.

Los ecuatorianos también tuvieron muchas oportunidades de anotar pero un atento Raúl Fernández mantuvo imbatible el arco peruano.

Con la ilusión del triunfo, Perú quería más y el "Bombardero" casi pone el segundo con un súper remate fuera del área.

Costa Rica vs Honduras June 7, 2013

Honduras will look to take over first place in the CONCACAF standings when it takes Costa Rica in the World Cup 2014 qualifiers.

Honduras currently sits in a three way tie for third place with Costa Rica and the United States. Mexico sits in first with six points while Panama's five points have the team in second place. The top three teams automatically qualify for the World Cup next summer while the fourth place team must place OFC champion New Zealand for a chance to be among the final 32 squads competing in Brazil.

"We're training very well," said Honduras star Jerry Bengtson during an interview with FIFA.com. "We're going to work very hard, knowing we have three difficult games but also a great group of players. We've got a good team that will go out to get as close to the maximum nine points as possible."

"We've got a great national team," he added. "Our unity is something that defines us, sets us apart and serves us. We've got youth and experience, and we're all pulling in the same direction. We're confident we've got everything it will take to reach Brazil 2014, and we're going to fight for it."

Honduras has won one game, drawn once, and lost once in its first three matches. The team defeated the United States 2-1 in the first match of the hexagonal stage and drew 2-2 with Mexico. In its most recent game, Honduras fell 2-0 against Panama.
"The qualifying tournament has been very hard-fought," added Bengtson. "I think all the teams are strong. Those who were seen as small teams have improved a great deal and are doing well. The games are very keenly contested, and nobody gives anything away. We all want to be at the World Cup."
Prediction: Honduras ties 1-1 with Costa Rica.

Start Time: 10 PM EST

Panama vs Mexico June 7, 2013

Mexico is looking to continue to improve their standing in the 2014 World Cup qualifying after a rally against Jamaica earlier in the week. Tonight, they travel to Panama for a tough challenge. Both Mexico and Panama sit atop their current hexagonal group, so the intensity will be high.

El Tri could move one step closer to a berth in the 2014 World Cup in Rio with another win, but Panama wants to reclaim the top spot in their group. You would have to view Mexico as the slight favorite in tonight’s game, but with the home crowd behind them and the added motivation for the top spot should make the Canaleros come out firing.

Which of the two desperate sides will come out on top in tonight’s CONCACAF World Cup qualifier? Here is all of the information you will need to make sure you don’t miss a second of the action:

Location: Panama City, Panama
Venue: Estadio Rommel Fernandez
Date: Friday, June 7
Start Time: 10:00 p.m. ET

Chile vs Paraguay June 7, 2013

Chile have won just one of their last four qualifiers -- including a loss to Peru -- and find themselves ahead of Venezuela for the final automatic qualification spot on just the goals scored tiebreaker. Chile look to have the weapons to be able to deal with a struggling Paraguay with Juventus' Arturo Vidal in midfield and Barcelona's Alexis Sanchez in the attack. Sanchez was strong at the end of the season for Barca scoring three goals in his final four games.

Paraguay have struggled in qualifying winning just twice in eleven matches so far. They're led by strikers Oscar Cardozo and Roque Santa Cruz, both of whom they'll need to have scoring if they have any hope of getting back into the qualification fight and attempt to make their fifth straight World Cup finals.

Paraguay injuries and suspensions

Chile injuries and suspensions

Out: Matías Fernández (muscle strain).

Chile's Matías Fernández did not make the trip to Paraguay after reportedly straining a muscle in training on Monday.

Match Date/Time: 8:10 p.m. ET

Venue: Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción, Paraguay

USA 2-1 Jamaica June 7, 2013

Jamaica vs USA 0-1 ( Jozy Altidore goal vs Jamaica 30′)
Jamaica United States 1-1 ( Jermaine Beckford goal v USMNT)
Jamaica vs USA 1-2 ( Brad Evans goal vs Jamaica 90+2′)
Final score and result:- Jamaica vs USA 1-2 ( Beckford/ Altidore, Evans)
Independence Park, Kingston- 7 June, 2013- CONCACAF World Cup qualifying- 7/6/13- Friday
Brad Evans’ dramatic stoppage time winner gives the MNT a crucial 2-1 win over Jamaica in Kingston in their Hexagonal clash

Jamaica: Donovan Ricketts; O'Brian Woodbine, Adrian Mariappa, Daniel Gordon, Alvas Powell; Marvin Elliot, Rodolph Austin; Garath McCleary, Jermaine Hue, Jermaine Johnson; Ryan Johnson

United States: Tim Howard; Brad Evans, Omar Gonzalez, Matt Besler, DaMarcus Beasley; Jermaine Jones, Michael Bradley; Graham Zusi, Clint Dempsey, Fabian Johnson; Jozy Altidore

United States men's national team fans will remember 2012's loss to Jamaica forever. Even if they take nine points from the next three matches and beat Mexico this September, putting them in position to easily qualify for the World Cup, no one will forget how difficult the road to the final qualifying round was.

Start Time: 9:20 p.m. ET
Location: Kingston, Jamaica
Venue: Independence Park

Independence Park doesn't sound like a particularly intimidating venue. For CONCACAF nerds, it sounds like a generic name for any Caribbean country's home ground. However, in this case USA fans know Jamaica's home ground by a nickname that says everything: The Office. It's not called that because Jim is going to pull a delightful prank on Dwight; rather, it's because that's where Jamaica goes to work.

Over the years, that work has been effective for the Reggae Boyz. The USMNT has never won in Kingston, even in qualifying cycles where Jamaica was nowhere near as strong as today (note: Jamaica's one and only World Cup appearance was in 1998). While the history isn't as daunting as a trip to the Azteca - lots of road draws, which still count as a successful trip in CONCACAF - the fact is that more than most teams, Jamaica is at their best at home.

The second half of that September 7 match marked the worst 45 minutes of soccer played by the USMNT under Jürgen Klinsmann. Not only did they give up a second half winner, but they never looked like challenging Jamaica. Despite the superior pedigree of their players, the United States was utterly dominated in midfield and appeared to have no capacity to build a coherent attack.

There's no shame in any away loss in the Hex, but the United States will be expected to put in a much more competent performance against Jamaica on Friday, in their second trip to the island during this qualifying cycle. The U.S. have two home games coming up and will be in good shape going forward no matter what if they win those games, but a draw or win in Kingston would go a long way towards helping them punch their ticket to Brazil.

In Jamaica's case, nothing less than a win constitutes a good result. In a vacuum, a draw against the United States isn't the end of the world, but they're coming off a draw against Panama and a loss to Mexico at home. Any more dropped points at home will all but put them out of the running to secure a World Cup place. They won't be mathematically finished if they fail to win on Friday, but they will be put into a position where they need road wins.

St. Louis Cardinals v Cincinnati Reds June 7, 2013

The Cincinnati Reds are set to take on the St. Louis Cardinals in a three-game series between the top two teams in what is shaping up to be, arguably, the best division in baseball this season starting Friday night at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.

The Reds enter the series second in the NL Central with a record of 36-24, three games behind the first place Cardinals, who own a Major League leading 39-21 record.

Cincinnati has lost two games in a row—on Tuesday and Wednesday to the Colorado Rockies—and is 5-5 in their last 10 games.

St. Louis won on Thursday against the Arizona Diamondbacks while the Reds had an off day, extending their NL Central lead over Cincinnati to three games. They are 6-4 in their last 10 games.

The Reds have lost their last four series against the Cardinals.

Pitchers

Friday, June 7 at 7:10 p.m. ET

Ireland vs Faroe Islands June 7, 2013

Date: 7 June 2013; Kick-off: 20:45. Venue: Aviva Stadium (Dublin)

Nothing but a victory will do against the Faroe Islands on Friday night if the Republic of Ireland are to qualify for next year's World Cup in Brazil.

Germany are running away with the group on 16 points, but locked on eight are Ireland, Austria and Sweden, with only one able to take the berth for the playoffs.

Giovanni Trapattoni's side go into the match at the Aviva Stadium in good form, having recently claimed a 1-1 draw against England at Wembley and a comfortable win over Georgia.

Captain Robbie Keane scored twice against Georgia and he should start, but his striker partner Shane Long is suspended, as is James McCarthy. Long's absence may hand a chance from the start for Simon Cox.

Meanwhile, Frodi Benjaminsen, who has the most goals in the current Faroe squad with five strikes to his name, will skipper the away side.

In the three previous meetings between the sides, Ireland have won all of them, conceding just one goal in the process.

Possible starting lineups

Ireland: Forde; Coleman, O'Shea, St Ledger, Kelly; Walters, Whelan, Hendrick, McGeady; Keane, Cox

Faroe Islands: Nielsen; Tor Naes, Davidsen, Frederiksberg, Gregersen; Olsen, Danielsen, Benjaminsen, Samuelsen; Edmundsson, Mouritsen

Belgium vs Serbia June 7, 2013

Belgium have opted for a strong lineup to face Serbia, with Kevin de Bruyne and Kevin Mirallas either side of Christian Benteke up front.

Axel Witsel and Marouane Fellaini make up a tough midfield, with Nacer Chadli deployed in a central role. Toby Alderweireld is selected at right-back, with another centre-back, Jan Vertonghen, operating at left-back.

Serbia, meanwhile, keep Aleksandar Mitrovic up front, and move Dusan Tadic into a central role just behind, supported by Dusan Basta and youngster Lazar Markovic. Milan Bisevac partners Dortmund stopper Neven Subotic in central defence, with Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic at right-back.

Belgium starting line-up (4-1-4-1): Thibaut Courtois; Jan Vertonghen, Vincent Kompany, Daniel Van Buyten, Toby Alderweireld; Alex Witsel; Kevin Mirallas, Nacer Chadli, Marouane Fellaini, Kevin de Bruyne; Christian Benteke.

Serbia starting line-up (4-2-3-1): Vladimir Stojkovic; Aleksandar Kolarov, Neven Subotic, Milan Bisevac, Branislav Ivanovic; Ljubomir Fejsa, Luka Milivojevic; Lazar Markovic, Dusan Tadic, Dusan Basta; Aleksandar Mitrovic.

Albania vs Norway June 7, 2013

Albania vs. Norway 2013 (live score results below) is unlike other World Cup qualifier today. These two teams are not currently ranked in qualification position to advance to the next round. But there aren’t too far behind either.

Albania vs. Norway 2013 (start time 11:30 AM PST) features the number three and number four ranked teams in the Group E table of the Group Stage in the UEFA division. Albania has nine points and Norway and has seven, while first place ranked team Switzerland has eleven. Albania has delivered three wins, no draws and two loses in its qualifiers, officials tell news. Norway has produced two wins, one draw and two losses in its qualifiers as well.

Albania is doing better this year, news analysts note. It beat Norway in a recent qualifier. But last fall, the team was beat by the Swiss and Iceland in qualifiers, only to come back and defeat Slovenia.

Norway, in turn, has gone from good to bad. Last fall, Norway beat Cyprus. This March, however, they were beat by Albania.

Today’s game is a rematch of the March game in which Norway vs. Albania ended in a 0-1 fine score. After today, Norway will face Cyprus and Switzerland this fall. Albania, in contrast, will battle Iceland the Swiss. For live score

Moldova vs Poland June 7, 2013

Poland will look to make up ground on second place England when it takes on Moldova in the UEFA World Cup 2014 Qualifiers on Friday.
The Polish currently sit in third place with eight points in five matches. England is in second place with 12 points in six matches played; the Three Lions are idle on Friday.

The first place team in the group automatically books passage to the World Cup Finals in Brazil next summer. The second place squad takes on another runner-up in a two-legged playoff; the winner moves on the Finals.

Poland started its tournament with a 2-2 draw against group leader Montenegro. In its second game, Poland took down Moldova 2-0 before drawing 1-1 with England. The team lost its first game on March 22 in a 3-1 defeat against Ukraine. Fortunately, the Poles bounced back with 5-0 win over San Marino. Borussia Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski was shutout for the first four games but managed to score a brace against San Marino. The team hopes that he will start scoring on a more consistent basis for the squad.

Moldova only has four points in six games and could see its chances of qualifying directing end if Montenegro defeats Ukraine. A loss would also put Moldova up against the wall in its final three contests.

The team opened the tournament with a 5-0 loss against England and a 2-0 defeat against Poland in September 2012. October proved to be a better month as Moldova drew 0-0 with Ukraine and defeated San Marino 2-0. However, the squad has lost its last two games against Ukraine and Montenegro.

Prediction: Poland is the heavy favorite in this match. Look for the team to win 3-0.

Start Time: 2:15 PM EST

Croatia vs Scotland June 7, 2013

Scotland travel to Croatia for their latest World Cup qualifier this evening, still looking for their first win in Group A.

Gordon Strachan's men can not qualify for next summer's tournament in Brazil, but will want to restore some pride ahead of qualifying for the European Championships in 2016.

The Scotland manager has already named his starting eleven, with James Morrison captaining the side and Leigh Griffiths earning his first start up front.

Croatia meanwhile, are level on points with Belgium at the top of the group, but will be without Real Madrid playmaker Luka Modric for tonight's game. Former Tottenham Hotspur defender Vedran Corluka is also missing.

Scotland boss Gordon Strachan has a host of key players missing for the clash as Darren Fletcher, Steven Fletcher, Kenny Miller, Scott Brown, James Forrest, Charlie Mulgrew, Danny Fox, Lee Wallace and Gary Caldwell are all ruled out.

West Brom midfielder James Morrison has been named as Scotland's captain for the tie.

"It's going to be hard. The squad is young. Some of our players don't even play European football, so it's imperative they get some kind of training for big games," Strachan said.

"But, for all our hard work, we know we are playing against world class players."

Croatia are missing two key players in Luka Modric and Vedran Corluka, who are both suspended.

Dinamo Zagreb's 16-year-old starlet Alen Halilovic, who has been linked with a number of top European clubs, is included in Croatia's squad.

Austria vs Sweden June 7, 2013

Austria and Sweden will battle it out in Vienna for a surprisingly important clash as both teams look to compete for second place in Group C.

Germany top the group by a distance, albeit having played six games, while Austria, Sweden and the Republic of Ireland all trail behind on eight points. The situation is further clouded by the fact that Sweden have an additional game in hand, having only played in four matches.

Nonetheless, that leaves second place wide open for all three teams, and while Ireland will be hoping for a draw, Austria will know that a win could be a huge result which will serve them very well in a remarkable qualification for the 2014 World Cup.

Austria coach Marcel Koller stated: "Sweden are ranked much higher in the world than us and are regarded as favourites for second place in the group. But when chances are offered to us, we want to use them and we want to defeat the Swedes - I can feel the positive energy of my team."

Sweden wiil swiftly follow up the encounter with another game on Tuesday which will bring them level on games played with Austria and Ireland - and almost certainly three points better off, since it is against minnows the Faroe Islands. That means they're not in serious trouble yet - but lose here and they may well be.

Match Date\Time: 20:45 p.m. local, 12:45 p.m. ET

Venue: Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna, Austria

Iceland vs Slovenia June 7, 2013

Iceland are in the verge of qualifying in FIFA World cup 2014 as they are currently second in the table below Switzerland. Iceland land 61 in the FIFA world cup while their opponents are higher ranking 55 but Slovenia lie beneath in the table. Slovenia has won just a single match and lost all remaining to lie last in the group E table.

Similarly Estonia will be playing Trinidad and Tobago on a friendly match. The 89th placed Estinia will be playing 81 ranked Trinidad and Tobago.

Start Time: Iceland vs Slovenia June 7, 2013

Liechtenstein vs Slovakia June 7, 2013

Slovakia will look to earn an important three points when it takes on Liechtenstein in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers on Friday.

Slovakia currently sits in third place with eight points in five games this campaign. The Repre (Slovakia's nickname) started its tournament with a 1-1 draw against Lithuania on September 7, 2012. Four days later, Slovakia managed a 2-0 win over Liechtenstein in Bratislava. A month later, the team utilized two goals in the first 10 minutes to coast to a 2-1 win over Latvia. However, the Slovakians lost 1-0 against Greece and drew 1-1 with Lithuania in their most recent games.

These three points are vital for Slovakia as they will play two of their final four games against Group leader Bosnia and Herzegovina; Slovakia will also play one match against Greece in its final four. Marek Sapara and Martin Jakubko have combined for five of the team's six goals in the tournament.

Liechtenstein only has one point in five matches. The squad opened the tournament with an 8-1 loss against Bosnia and Herzegovina and dropped its second match 2-0 against Slovakia. After another two losses against Lithuania and Latvia, the team finally earned its first and only qualifying point in a 1-1 draw with Latvia.
Prediction: Liechtenstein has been the group's perennial punching bag. Slovakia is a team desperate for points with time winding down. Look for the latter squad to dominate this match in a 3-0 victory.

Start Time: 2:00 PM EST

Czech Republic vs Italy June 7, 2013

The Azzurri currently lead Bulgaria by three points at the top of Group B with a game in hand and are protecting an unbeaten record. Meanwhile, the Czechs lie five points adrift of the Italians back in third place. Both sides will have two games remaining after Friday's match.

Cesare Prandelli's side warmed up for this game with a 4-0 win over neighbouring minnows San Marino last Friday. Since that match, the squad has been reduced from 30 down to 23, with young defenders Angelo Ogbonna and Andrea Ranocchia amongst those missing the cut. Andrea Poli — who netted the opening goal in the rout, also misses out. Genoa's Luca Antonelli pulled out of the squad with an ankle injury at the beginning of the week, while disciplinary problems have put paid to Pablo Osvaldo's place in the squad.

Czech coach Michal Bilek has no major injury concerns and could keep faith with the same side that saw off Armenia 3-0 back in March. Chelsea's Petr Cech, Arsenal's Tomas Rosicky and on-loan Watford forward Matej Vydra are the key Premiership trio to look out for in the Czech side.

Stephan El Shaarawy (sprained ankle) and Andrea Barzagli (Achilles tendon) have shaken off injuries to get a few days training in ahead of the game. El Shaarawy and Alessio Cerci could flank Mario Balotelli up front, who has scored three goals in Italy's last two qualifiers.

It will be the first meeting in seven years for the both sides, with Italy winning the last game 2-0 back at the 2006 World Cup. Prior to that, the Czechs have had the upper hand, earning a 2-2 draw in a 2004 friendly and a 1-0 victory in a similar 2002 outing. The Czechs also famously upset the Italians 2-1 way back at Euro 96, which contributed to the Azzurri's early exit from the competition at the group stage.

Match Date/Time: Friday 7th June 2013 8:45 p.m. local, 2:45 p.m. ET

Venue: Generali Arena, Prague, Czech Republic

Portugal vs Russia June 7, 2013

Portugal will face Russia in Lisbon on Friday night knowing they will need to defeat an as-yet undefeated side in order to keep their qualification campaign on track.

Russia are top of their group despite only having played four games, due to Fabio Capello's side having a 100 percent win record in their campaign so far. That leaves Portugal competing with Israel for second place, and a defeat or even a draw here would be a huge boost to the Israelis.

Paulo Bento will have to make do without Pepe due to the center-back's suspension, but will have Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Nani available for selection.

Capello seemed confident about his chances when asked, saying: "We already proved that we're able to overcome Portugal. On Friday we expect an even more difficult match than we played in Moscow but our desire to win is even stronger.

"We have a great chance to solve all the problems and we are set to convert this chance into reality."

With Russia having two games in hand on Portugal, they have little to fear from a defeat here, even though it could temporarily move them out of the qualification places.

Match Date\Time: 8:45 p.m. local, 3:45 p.m. ET

Bolivia vs Venezuela June 7, 2013

Venezuela will look to re-establish itself among the top four in the CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifiers when it takes on Bolivia Friday.

The Venezuelans currently sit in fifth place with 15 points in 11 matches. The top four sides earn automatic berths to the World Cup in Brazil next summer. However, the fifth place squad must take on the fifth place side from the AFC. Venezuela is currently in a precarious situation. The 15 points have placed them in a tie with Chile for fourth place. However, Uruguay is behind them with 13 points and Peru has 11 points in the qualifiers; The Peruvians have only played 10 matches while Uruguay and Venezuela have already contested 11 games.

Venezuela has been unable to build any consistency over its last five matches. The team lost to Peru last September but managed to win against Paraguay a few days later. In October the Venezuelans earned a 1-1 draw with Ecuador but fell against Argentina 3-0 in their first match of the March qualifiers. However, the team pulled off a huge 1-0 win over Colombia in their latest game. Salomon Rondon leads the Venezuelans with four goals in the tournament.

Meanwhile Bolivia will look to salvage its tournament hopes. La Verde has nine points in 11 games and must essentially win the rest of its game if it has any hopes of clinching a World Cup berth. The team has a record of two wins, three draws, and six losses; however the team has achieved a record of two wins, two draws, and two losses at home. Marcelo Moreno Martins and Carlos Saucedo lead the team with three goals in the qualifiers.

Prediction: The altitude of La Paz stifles Venezuela. Look for these sides to battle to a 1-1 draw.

Start Time: 4 PM EST

Azerbaijan vs Luxembourg June 7, 2013

Group F is one of the most exciting groups in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers as three teams are in a dead heat for the top two spots. However, the bottom of the group looks less promising with three teams essentially out of the running. Two of those sides are Azerbaijan and Luxembourg; the two squads will face off on Friday in group play.

Azerbaijan sits in a tie with Northern Ireland for fourth place in the group. The team only has three points in six points and has yet to win a single match in the tournament. Azerbaijan opened its tournament with a 1-1 draw against Israel. In the second game on September 11, 2012, Azerbaijan lost 3-0 against Portugal. Fortunately, the team did not allow a single goal against Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. After a 1-0 loss against Russia, the squad bounced back with a 1-1 draw against Northern Ireland and a 0-0 tie against Luxembourg. Ruslan Abisov and Rauf Aliyev are the only two players to score for the team.

Luxembourg sits at the bottom of Group F with two points. The squad opened its tournament with a 2-1 loss against Portugal. After a 1-1 draw with Northern Ireland, Luxembourg imploded in two straight losses against Israel; the Israelis outscored the team 9-0 through two games. Fortunately, Luxembourg managed a 0-0 draw with Azerbaijan in its most recent match to salvage one point. Daniel da Mota has scored two goals for the team.

Prediction: The two sides have yet to prove themselves capable of putting up clutch performances. Expect a slow game that ends in a 0-0 draw.

Start Time: 12:00 PM EST

Finland vs Belarus June 7, 2013

Finland vs. Belarus 2013 (en vivo live score results below) heads to Helsinki for a critical soccer game today. Friday’s soccer match is a World Cup qualification match. As reps remind news, this game is for the UEFA Division’s Group stage, group I table. But only the top two teams in Group I advance. Yet neither of these two squads are currently ranked in the top two.

Finland vs. Belarus 2013 (start time 9 am PST) features two teams with overall decent records. But in qualifiers, they have struggled. In fact, both squads are facing elimination. Spain and France are in first place in group I with eleven and ten points respectively. But Finland is in last place with two points while Belarus is in fourth place with just three points.

Belarus has one win, no draws and three losses in qualifiers. Finland, however, has no wins, two draws and one loss. Belarus has not had any qualifiers this year, however, reps remind news. They will face Finland not just today but again three days later. Then in the fall, in September, they will battle France and Spain. Finland after today and next week’s Belarus matches faces Georgia and Spain in September, officials tell news.

Armenia vs Malta June 7, 2013

Malta will look to pick up its first points of the group stage when it takes on Armenia in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers on Friday.

The Maltese lost all five of their matches and only scored once; Roderick Briffa is the lone scorer. Despite the poor effort thus far, Malta can still qualify if it manages to win its final five matches. The top team in the group earns an automatic berth to the World Cup Finals in Brazil next summer while the runner-up must engage in one more playoff to earn passage. Malta started its tournament with a 1-0 loss against Armenia.

The team then lost 2-0 against Italy; one of the goals came in the 92nd minute of play. Malta finally scored its first goal of the campaign in a 3-1 loss to the Czech Republic before imploding against Bulgaria in a 6-0 blowout loss. In their most recent match, the Maltese lost 2-0 against Italy.

Armenia currently sits in fifth place but has a huge advantage over Malta; the club has only competed in four qualifying matches this campaign. The team earned its only points in its first game against Malta. After that 1-0 victory Armenia lost 1-0 against Bulgaria and 3-1 against the Czech Republic. In their more recent game, the Armenians lost 3-0 against the Czechs. The squad has only scored twice in the entire tournament; Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Artur Sarkisov were the lone goal scorers.
Prediction: Malta has one goal in the entire tournament and has yet to show any indications of making a deep run. Look for Armenia to put on a show for its fans in a 3-0 win.

Start Time: 12:00 PM EST

Subscribe to: Posts ( Atom )