Key events
Georgia 0-0 Spain
Zubimendi has a shot on goal for the Spanish but it’s way wide, with Georgia back in numbers.
Goal! Bulgaria 1-1 Turkey (Kirilov, 13)
Goal! Bulgaria 0-1 Turkey (Guler, 11)
Georgia 0-0 Spain
It’s 83% possession to Spain so far, though no goals. Pedro Porro has just been booked.
Portugal 0-0 Ireland
In Lisbon, Ireland have actually been enjoying quite a lot of possession but Portugal have just enjoyed a spell on the ball. Bruno Fernandes turns inside and shoots wide from a Nuno Mendes pass.
Goal! Estonia 0-1 Italy (Kean, 4)
What a goal, a fine finish from the Fiorentina player, set up by Federico Dimarco.
In England’s group, Serbia are taking on Albania, and fighting for second place.
Away we go in the Uefa qualifiers
There’s a big game between Bulgaria and Turkey, too in Group E. They’re in a group with Spain and Georgia.
Tom Hopkins gets in touch: “Just following on from Russell Yong’s observation, I’d note that since not running up a massive score against Andorra, England have lost to Senegal (good side, sweeping aside the African champions in Qatar never got the credit it deserved) and had two good wins against teams that did not have great nights.
”On the basis of those two wins, the narrative seems to be that we’ve found the way and anyone not currently playing is looking at missing the World Cup entirely? I think maybe we could be a little more circumspect.”
Across Europe, the teams are out. Amhrán na bhFiann is being played in Lisbon in Sporting Club’s stadium. It’s a chilly night in Tallinn, too.
Russell Yong gets in touch: “That Andorra/Latvia result seems worth bearing mention. The Andorran status as a minnow team is, of course, deserved, having only won one other point in a competitive fixture in the past two years, but disguises the fact that they’ve actually been improving over time. For a team of their stature, they rarely get thrashed, losing by four or more goals just twice in the last 20 fixtures going back over two years (against Spain and Romania), and not once this year.
“ They’ve shown they can pretty consistently beat or take points off the other minnows (Gibraltar, San Marino and Liechtenstein), which is not nothing for a team of their level. At club level, two teams came closer than ever to making the group stages of a Uefa competition this season and did not disgrace themselves at any point, going down in high-scoring aggregates. It arguably speaks to how the Conference League has enfranchised teams of lowlier leagues and countries like these, and puts into perspective the moaning of fans who felt their teams were somehow entitled to run up a massive score against them and harangued the Andorrans for being defensive when they couldn’t.”
Estonia v Italy teams
Estonia: Hein, Peetson, Paskotsi, Kuusk, Saliste, Shein, Palumets, Kait, Soomets, Saarma, Alex Matthias Tamm. Subs: Igonen, Sinyavskiy, Vetkal, Schjonning-Larsen, Mets, Miller, Joonas Tamm, Sappinen, Kristal, Mustmaa, Yakovlev, Perk.
Italy: Donnarumma, Di Lorenzo, Bastoni, Calafiori, Orsolini, Barella, Tonali, Dimarco, Raspadori, Kean, Retegui. Subs: Carnesecchi, Vicario, Gabbia, Spinazzola, Locatelli, Udogie, Esposito, Cristante, Frattesi, Cambiaghi, Cambiaso, Mancini.
Spain v Georgia teams – Kvaratskhelia starts
Spain: Simon, Porro, Le Normand, Cubarsi, Cucurella, Merino, Zubimendi, Gonzalez, Oyarzabal, Ferran Torres, Pino. Subs: Raya, Remiro, de Frutos, Vivian, Garcia, Iglesias, Rodriguez, Llorente, Barrios, Baena, Grimaldo, Aghehowa.
Georgia: Mamardashvili, Kakabadze, Goglichidze, Kashia, Dvali, Gocholeishvili, Kochorashvili, Mekvabishvili, Kiteishvili, Mikautadze, Kvaratskhelia. Subs: Kereselidze, Gugeshashvili, Zivzivadze, Guliashvili, Davitashvili, Lobjanidze, Kvernadze,
Azarovi, Mamuchashvili, Tsitaishvili, Gagnidze, Gelashvili.
Snap report per Reuters:
Norway ran riot with a 5-0 win at home to Israel in a World Cup qualifier on Saturday, as Erling Haaland struck a hat-trick to celebrate his 50th international goal and help move his side to the brink of a place at next year’s tournament.
Norway have now won all six of their Group I matches, boasting a goal difference of plus 26 ahead of their remaining two fixtures against Estonia and second-placed Italy, who sit nine points behind with two games in hand.
Despite missing a twice-taken penalty early on, Haaland found his rhythm, scoring once in the first half and twice after the break to reach his 50-goal milestone and finishing the night with an incredible 51 in 46 internationals.
Israel added to their own misery with two own goals in the first half from Anan Khalaili and Idan Nachmias.
And via Associated Press:
Pro-Palestinian protesters lit flares and waved flags as they marched to the stadium ahead of the World Cup qualifier.
Public broadcaster NRK said around 1,000 protesters arrived from Oslo‘s city center to Ullevaal Stadion, where they were reportedly planning to stay until the start of the game at 6 p.m. local time.
A banner about the war in Gaza was carried by the protesters in what appeared to be a peaceful march.
Only 3,000 spectators were being allowed into the game amid tight security checks.
Hungary climb to second in the table, above Armenia, with Ireland bottom of the group and set to play Portugal this evening.
Full-time: Hungary 2-0 Armenia
Goal! Hungary 2-0 Armenia (Gruber, 90+4)
Final score: Norway 5-0 Israel
That puts Norway on 18 points, and if Italy fail to beat Estonia or Israel in their next two matches then Norway will be in their first World Cup since 1998. Erling Haaland, by the way, has scored 21 goals this season, and in his 10th consecutive match. There is simply nobody better in the game right now.
Some League One news, yes, Luton are in League One, with a roundup of action from the two lower divisions EFL today.
Goal! Norway 5-0 Israel (Haaland, 72 hat-trick)
Portugal v Ireland starting teams
Portugal: Diogo Costa; Dalot, Rúben Dias, Inácio, Nuno Mendes; Bernardo Silva, Vitinha, Bruno Fernandes; Rubén Neves, Cristiano Ronaldo, Pedro Neto.
Ireland: Kelleher; O’Brien, O’Shea, Collins; Ogbene, Cullen, Knight, Manning; Ebosele, Molumby; Ferguson.
Goal! Norway 4-0 Israel (Haaland, 63)
Goal! Hungary 1-0 Armenia: (Daniel Lukacs, 56)
From last night.
Your team booking its place at the World Cup is one thing. Paying for tickets is another….
When the first tickets for the 2026 World Cup went on sale last week, millions of fans joined online queues only to discover what Gianni Infantino’s assurance that “the world will be welcome” really means. The cheapest face-value seat for next summer’s final, somewhere in the gods of New Jersey’s 82,500-seat MetLife Stadium where the players are specks and the football’s a rumor, comes at a cost of $2,030 (oxygen tank not included). Most upper-deck seats range from $2,790 to $4,210, according to customers who finally glimpsed the prices that had been closely guarded. The much-touted $60 tickets for group-stage games, propped up by Fifa as evidence of affordability, exist only as comically tiny green smudges on the edge of digital seating maps, little more than mirages of inclusivity.
Huge game for Scotland on Sunday, as they welcome Belarus to Glasgow.
Uefa half-time scores:
England news: Quansah ruled out
Andy Martin
Jarell Quansah will miss England’s World Cup qualifier against Latvia due to injury and the defender – who did not play a part in England’s 3-0 friendly win over Wales at Wembley – will return to his club Bayer Leverkusen. England did not reveal the nature of his injury but the 22-year-old has returned to the Bundesliga club as a precaution.
The former Liverpool defender has been a mainstay in Leverkusen’s defence this season but England said no further squad additions were planned for the qualifier in Riga on Tuesday. Thomas Tuchel’s side top their World Cup qualifying group with a perfect record from five games while Latvia are fourth in the standings.
England could qualify for next year’s World Cup with two matches to spare if they beat Latvia on Tuesday and results elsewhere in Group K go their way.
Preamble
It’s do or die for Ireland, though their chances of reaching North America may already be dead. A familiar face in Cristiano Ronaldo awaits them, and Portugal are top of Group F. At Sporting Club’s stadium, Ireland face a huge task. Our other main focus will be European champion Spain, who have won every game so far in Group E, against Georgia, who have never qualified for a finals and are aiming for the playoffs. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has been a doubt and Liverpool fans will get a chance to see Giorgi Mamardashvili.
European Qualifying matches – (7.45pm UK time unless stated)
Group K
Latvia 2-2 Andorra FT
Serbia v. Albania
Group E
Bulgaria v. Turkey
Spain v. Georgia
Group F
Hungary v. Armenia (5.00pm)
Portugal v. Rep of Ireland
Group I
Estonia v. Italy
Norway v. Israel (5.00pm)
