Captain Manuel Neuer wants Germany to prove themselves in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers, but their plans were dealt a blow Tuesday as Toni Kroos withdrew with injury.

Their opening qualifier against Iceland in Duisburg on Thursday is Germany's first international since their humiliating 6-0 thrashing by Spain last November.

After nearly 15 years as coach, Loew will step down after the delayed Euro 2020 from June 11-July 11 and has "challenged" his team to find form.

Germany also face Romania away on Sunday, then North Macedonia again in Duisburg three days later.

"The national coach is right. We're all challenged -- we have big plans," said Neuer in a press conference on Tuesday.

"We want to get into the swing of things. We can't make any more mistakes."

However, Germany will be without Real Madrid star Kroos, who has a groin injury.

"I'm reluctant to be without him," Loew said in a statement, but the 31-year-old is not an option for the three qualifiers.

However, there was some good news as Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich joined the squad after recovering from a cold.

Neuer says Germany have extra motivation for the Euro finals, where they face World Cup winners France, reigning champions Portugal and Hungary in their group.

"We all have ambitious goals and want to crown (Loew's) successful era with a great finish," said Neuer.

"(Loew) is very motivated and ambitious. He wants it at all costs. He wants to quit as successfully as possible."

Loew has called up five Premier League players after Germany relaxed some of its Covid-19 travel restrictions.

However, Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, Chelsea trio Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and Antonio Ruediger plus Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno are in a 'working quarantine' within the Germany camp.

The five are kept separate apart from training, team meetings and matches.

"We are not in contact with the UK players, who have separate tables compared to the players who live in mainland Europe," said Neuer.

Borussia Moenchengladbach midfielder Florian Neuhaus said the squad are just happy to be able to play, with the rest of Germany still in lockdown.

"There are worse things than being in a bubble with the national team for 10 days," said the 24-year-old.

"In a certain way it has become everyday life in Germany."

Captain Manuel Neuer wants Germany to prove themselves in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers, but their plans were dealt a blow Tuesday as Toni Kroos withdrew with injury.

Captain Manuel Neuer wants Germany to prove themselves in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers, but their plans were dealt a blow Tuesday as Toni Kroos withdrew with injury. Their opening qualifier against Iceland in Duisburg on Thursday is Germany's first international since their humiliating 6-0 thrashing by Spain last November. After nearly 15 years as coach, Loew will step down after the delayed Euro 2020 from June 11-July 11 and has "challenged" his team to find form. Germany also face Romania away on Sunday, then North Macedonia again in Duisburg three days later. "The national coach is right. We're all challenged -- we have big plans," said Neuer in a press conference on Tuesday. "We want to get into the swing of things. We can't make any more mistakes." However, Germany will be without Real Madrid star Kroos, who has a groin injury. "I'm reluctant to be without him," Loew said in a statement, but the 31-year-old is not an option for the three qualifiers. However, there was some good news as Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich joined the squad after recovering from a cold. Neuer says Germany have extra motivation for the Euro finals, where they face World Cup winners France, reigning champions Portugal and Hungary in their group. "We all have ambitious goals and want to crown (Loew's) successful era with a great finish," said Neuer. "(Loew) is very motivated and ambitious. He wants it at all costs. He wants to quit as successfully as possible." Loew has called up five Premier League players after Germany relaxed some of its Covid-19 travel restrictions. However, Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, Chelsea trio Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and Antonio Ruediger plus Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno are in a 'working quarantine' within the Germany camp. The five are kept separate apart from training, team meetings and matches. "We are not in contact with the UK players, who have separate tables compared to the players who live in mainland Europe," said Neuer. Borussia Moenchengladbach midfielder Florian Neuhaus said the squad are just happy to be able to play, with the rest of Germany still in lockdown. "There are worse things than being in a bubble with the national team for 10 days," said the 24-year-old. "In a certain way it has become everyday life in Germany."

Neuer challenges Germany to throw down marker, Kroos drops out

Argentina had to come from behind to draw 1-1 with Paraguay in a World Cup qualifier at La Bombonera on Thursday, and Lionel Messi had what might have been a winning goal disallowed in the second half.

A Nicolas Gonzalez goal brought Argentina back level after Angel Romero's penalty put Paraguay in front at the home of Boca Juniors, where fans were absent because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The result ends Argentina's perfect start in their bid to qualify for the 2022 finals in Qatar, after Lionel Scaloni's team claimed narrow wins last month at home to Ecuador and away to Bolivia.

They thought they had gone in front in the 58th minute when Giovani Lo Celso pulled the ball back for captain Messi to sidefoot low into the net, but the goal was eventually disallowed by the Brazilian officials for a foul by Gonzalez at the beginning of the move.

At least Argentina recovered from falling behind midway through the first half, when Romero -- who plays in Argentina for San Lorenzo -- converted a penalty awarded for a foul by Lucas Martinez Quarta on Newcastle United's Miguel Almiron.

The home side lost midfielder Exequiel Palacios to injury soon after, but his replacement Lo Celso delivered the corner for VfB Stuttgart forward Gonzalez to head in the equaliser four minutes before half-time.

After his disallowed goal, a frustrated Messi also had a free-kick tipped onto the crossbar by Paraguay goalkeeper Anthony Silva.

Paraguay remain unbeaten having previously drawn with Peru and won in Venezuela.

The sides are in action again on Tuesday, when Argentina play Peru in Lima and Paraguay host Bolivia.

Thursday's other game in South American qualifying saw Ecuador claim a second win in three outings in the round-robin tournament as Carlos Gruezo's late penalty gave them a 3-2 victory over Bolivia in La Paz.

The action continues on Friday with Brazil notably hosting Venezuela in Sao Paulo as they chase a third straight win in qualifying.

They will be without Neymar, who has not recovered from an adductor injury suffered playing for Paris Saint-Germain recently.

Argentina had to come from behind to draw 1-1 with Paraguay in a World Cup qualifier at La Bombonera on Thursday, and Lionel Messi had what might have been a winning goal disallowed in the second half.

Argentina had to come from behind to draw 1-1 with Paraguay in a World Cup qualifier at La Bombonera on Thursday, and Lionel Messi had what might have been a winning goal disallowed in the second half. A Nicolas Gonzalez goal brought Argentina back level after Angel Romero's penalty put Paraguay in front at the home of Boca Juniors, where fans were absent because of the coronavirus pandemic. The result ends Argentina's perfect start in their bid to qualify for the 2022 finals in Qatar, after Lionel Scaloni's team claimed narrow wins last month at home to Ecuador and away to Bolivia. They thought they had gone in front in the 58th minute when Giovani Lo Celso pulled the ball back for captain Messi to sidefoot low into the net, but the goal was eventually disallowed by the Brazilian officials for a foul by Gonzalez at the beginning of the move. At least Argentina recovered from falling behind midway through the first half, when Romero -- who plays in Argentina for San Lorenzo -- converted a penalty awarded for a foul by Lucas Martinez Quarta on Newcastle United's Miguel Almiron. The home side lost midfielder Exequiel Palacios to injury soon after, but his replacement Lo Celso delivered the corner for VfB Stuttgart forward Gonzalez to head in the equaliser four minutes before half-time. After his disallowed goal, a frustrated Messi also had a free-kick tipped onto the crossbar by Paraguay goalkeeper Anthony Silva. Paraguay remain unbeaten having previously drawn with Peru and won in Venezuela. The sides are in action again on Tuesday, when Argentina play Peru in Lima and Paraguay host Bolivia. Thursday's other game in South American qualifying saw Ecuador claim a second win in three outings in the round-robin tournament as Carlos Gruezo's late penalty gave them a 3-2 victory over Bolivia in La Paz. The action continues on Friday with Brazil notably hosting Venezuela in Sao Paulo as they chase a third straight win in qualifying. They will be without Neymar, who has not recovered from an adductor injury suffered playing for Paris Saint-Germain recently.

Messi denied as Argentina held by Paraguay in World Cup qualifying

Brazil must confront a growing injury list that includes star forward Neymar as they resume World Cup qualifying this week, while Argentina are out to extend their perfect start at home to neighbours Paraguay.

Copa America champions Brazil host Venezuela in Sao Paulo on Friday chasing a third win in as many matches after launching their Qatar 2022 campaign with victories over Bolivia and Peru.

However, Brazil coach Tite will be without Neymar after the world's most expensive player injured his thigh while on Champions League duty with Paris Saint-Germain in Turkey last month.

Neymar, 28, bagged a hat-trick in a 4-2 win in Lima last time out to surpass Ronaldo as Brazil's second leading scorer in history. His tally of 64 goals leaves him 13 shy of Pele's record.

Despite his latest setback Neymar will still travel with the squad amid hopes that he may recover in time for the trip to Uruguay on November 17.

However, national team coordinator Juninho Paulista said Tite told PSG sporting director Leonardo that he "would never risk a player's health".

Defender Thiago Silva has tightened up the Chelsea defence since his arrival in England, but the 36-year-old has warned the crowded global fixture list is taking its toll on players.&nbsp;

"You have to keep endlessly reinventing yourself. We're losing players infected by Covid-19, or others who get hurt because we're playing too many matches. We're not machines," he said.

"We saw recent studies showing it's more than likely you get injured after four or five matches come one after another (every three days). It's very worrying for us."

While goalkeeper Alisson Becker and forward Gabriel Jesus return after injury, Brazil will also be without Casemiro, Philippe Coutinho and Fabinho.

Argentina, who began qualifying with narrow wins over Ecuador and Bolivia, are hoping Lionel Messi will be fit for both their games against Paraguay and Peru.

<h2>- Messi dealing with ankle knock -</h2>

The Barcelona forward is said to be nursing a sore ankle, leaving Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni considering his options if his captain is unavailable.

Paulo Dybala is again missing from the squad along with Sergio Aguero, although Angel Di Maria has been recalled for the first time in over a year.

Lautaro Martinez will likely start up front while super-sub Joaquin Correa could be rewarded for his winning goal in the altitude of La Paz.

Lucas Alario has also forced his way into contention after scoring seven goals for Bayer Leverkusen in his past four Bundesliga appearances.

Uruguay meet Colombia in Barranquilla on Friday attempting to bounce back from last month's 4-2 loss in Ecuador.

Luis Suarez is the joint leading scorer in qualifying with three goals, all of them penalties, carrying over his form from club level with Atletico Madrid.

Real Madrid midfielder Fede Valverde is out with a fractured shin and Maxi Gomez is absent due to a knee problem for Uruguay.

Argentine coach Gustavo Alfaro has vowed to put his "heart and soul into getting Ecuador to Qatar" after they failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.

"Right now, Ecuador is more a handful of very good intentions than a (finished) team," Alfaro told FIFA.com.

"As I said before, the challenge is to convert hope into reality. I'm not here to manage a team but rather to win."

"I have to admit that it'll be a disappointment if we're not at the next World Cup," he added, with his team playing away to Bolivia on Thursday.

Last year's Copa America runners-up Peru on Friday play Chile -- the country that won the tournament in 2015 and 2016.

Both nations are looking to breathe life into their qualifying bids in Santiago after collecting just a point from the opening two rounds.

Brazil must confront a growing injury list that includes star forward Neymar as they resume World Cup qualifying this week, while Argentina are out to extend their perfect start at home to neighbours Paraguay.

Brazil must confront a growing injury list that includes star forward Neymar as they resume World Cup qualifying this week, while Argentina are out to extend their perfect start at home to neighbours Paraguay. Copa America champions Brazil host Venezuela in Sao Paulo on Friday chasing a third win in as many matches after launching their Qatar 2022 campaign with victories over Bolivia and Peru. However, Brazil coach Tite will be without Neymar after the world's most expensive player injured his thigh while on Champions League duty with Paris Saint-Germain in Turkey last month. Neymar, 28, bagged a hat-trick in a 4-2 win in Lima last time out to surpass Ronaldo as Brazil's second leading scorer in history. His tally of 64 goals leaves him 13 shy of Pele's record. Despite his latest setback Neymar will still travel with the squad amid hopes that he may recover in time for the trip to Uruguay on November 17. However, national team coordinator Juninho Paulista said Tite told PSG sporting director Leonardo that he "would never risk a player's health". Defender Thiago Silva has tightened up the Chelsea defence since his arrival in England, but the 36-year-old has warned the crowded global fixture list is taking its toll on players. "You have to keep endlessly reinventing yourself. We're losing players infected by Covid-19, or others who get hurt because we're playing too many matches. We're not machines," he said. "We saw recent studies showing it's more than likely you get injured after four or five matches come one after another (every three days). It's very worrying for us." While goalkeeper Alisson Becker and forward Gabriel Jesus return after injury, Brazil will also be without Casemiro, Philippe Coutinho and Fabinho. Argentina, who began qualifying with narrow wins over Ecuador and Bolivia, are hoping Lionel Messi will be fit for both their games against Paraguay and Peru. - Messi dealing with ankle knock - The Barcelona forward is said to be nursing a sore ankle, leaving Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni considering his options if his captain is unavailable. Paulo Dybala is again missing from the squad along with Sergio Aguero, although Angel Di Maria has been recalled for the first time in over a year. Lautaro Martinez will likely start up front while super-sub Joaquin Correa could be rewarded for his winning goal in the altitude of La Paz. Lucas Alario has also forced his way into contention after scoring seven goals for Bayer Leverkusen in his past four Bundesliga appearances. Uruguay meet Colombia in Barranquilla on Friday attempting to bounce back from last month's 4-2 loss in Ecuador. Luis Suarez is the joint leading scorer in qualifying with three goals, all of them penalties, carrying over his form from club level with Atletico Madrid. Real Madrid midfielder Fede Valverde is out with a fractured shin and Maxi Gomez is absent due to a knee problem for Uruguay. Argentine coach Gustavo Alfaro has vowed to put his "heart and soul into getting Ecuador to Qatar" after they failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. "Right now, Ecuador is more a handful of very good intentions than a (finished) team," Alfaro told FIFA.com. "As I said before, the challenge is to convert hope into reality. I'm not here to manage a team but rather to win." "I have to admit that it'll be a disappointment if we're not at the next World Cup," he added, with his team playing away to Bolivia on Thursday. Last year's Copa America runners-up Peru on Friday play Chile -- the country that won the tournament in 2015 and 2016. Both nations are looking to breathe life into their qualifying bids in Santiago after collecting just a point from the opening two rounds.

'We're not machines': Injury-hit Brazil, Argentina resume World Cup qualifying

Neymar scored a hat-trick to become the second highest scorer in Brazil's history as the Copa America champions won 4-2 away to 10-man Peru in a World Cup qualifier on Tuesday.

The goals took Neymar to 64 international strikes, two more than Ronaldo but still well behind Pele's record of 77.

Elsewhere, Joaquin Correa scored the winner 11 minutes from time as Argentina labored to a 2-1 victory over Bolivia to maintain their 100% record after two matches.

Peru twice took the lead through Andre Carrillo and a heavily deflected strike from Renato Tapia, but two controversial Neymar penalties, an injury time third and a close range strike from Richarlison maintained the Selecao's winning start to qualifying for Qatar 2022.

Carrillo opened the scoring on six minutes with a dipping volley from 20 yards after latching onto Marquinhos's weak clearance.

Peru Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese then denied Firmino from point blank range after he seemed certain to tap home from Richarlison's cushioned header.

Brazil dominated the ball but Peru's pacey forwards looked dangerous on the counter-attack and visiting goalkeeper Weverton had to be alert to keep out a shot from Christofer Gonzales.

But Neymar sent Gallese the wrong way from the spot after Yoshimar Yotun was penalised for tugging his shirt in the box.

Out of nowhere, Tapia's speculative long-range strike took a wicked deflection off Rodrigo Caio and wrong-footed Weverton on 59 minutes.

The lead lasted only a few minutes before Richarlison touched a Firmino header from a corner over the line to restore parity.

The winner came seven minutes from time as Carlos Zambrano was harshly adjudged to have fouled Neymar.

Worse was still to come for Zambrano as he was sent off minutes later for a stray elbow that caught Richarlison and Neymar drilled home the final nail in Peru's coffin after Gallese spilled a shot from Everton Ribeiro.

<h2>- Farcical equaliser -</h2>

Lionel Scaloni's Argentina earned a second narrow victory in a row following Thursday's 1-0 win over Ecuador.

Marcelo Moreno Martins had given hosts Bolivia a deserved lead but Argentina scored a fortuitous equaliser through Lautaro Martinez.

Bolivia should have been ahead on six minutes when Argentina goalkeeper Franco Armani was caught off his line but Moreno Martins sent his header from an angle onto the roof of the net.

Moreno Martins made amends on 24 minutes as he rose between Argentina's center-backs to power home a header from eight yards after Alejandro Chumacero was allowed to run from halfway into the visitors' box before crossing from the left.

Argentina's equaliser came in comical fashion as Jose Carrasco tried to clear the ball out of his six yard box after cutting out Martinez's cross, but he shanked the ball off the forward's shin and past goalkeeper Carlos Lampe.

Lionel Messi, who had an otherwise quiet game, and Martinez then combined to tee up Correa to thrash home the winner.

<h2>- Ecuador work of art -</h2>

Ecuador totally dominated Uruguay in a 4-2 victory in Quito.

They took the lead on 15 minutes as Moises Caicedo flicked home a header from an Angel Mena cross.

Both sides had a goal ruled out following a VAR review before Michael Estrada doubled the advantage on the stroke of half-time, rifling home from inside the box after a mistake by veteran Uruguay center-back Diego Godin.

Uruguay were denied again by VAR before Ecuador went straight up the other end where Estrada cracked home Valencia's backheel from 20 yards.&nbsp;

Ecuador's final goal was a work of art as Alan Franco's reverse pass bemused Uruguay's defence and Gonzalo Plata rolled his foot over the ball to commit both sliding defender Ronald Araujo and goalkeeper Martin Campana before stroking the ball into the far corner.

Luis Suarez scored his record-extending 61st and 62nd goals for Uruguay with a pair of late penalties that were no more than a consolation.

Radamel Falcao scored an injury time equaliser as Colombia salvaged a point in a 2-2 draw in Chile.

Jefferson Lerma gave Colombia an early lead but Chile turned the match in Quito around by half-time with strikes from Arturo Vidal and Alexis Sanchez.

Gaston Gimenez scored a late winner before goalkeeper Anthony Silva saved a penalty from Yangel Herrera as Paraguay won 1-0 in Venezuela.

Neymar scored a hat-trick to become the second highest scorer in Brazil's history as the Copa America champions won 4-2 away to 10-man Peru in a World Cup qualifier on Tuesday.

Neymar scored a hat-trick to become the second highest scorer in Brazil's history as the Copa America champions won 4-2 away to 10-man Peru in a World Cup qualifier on Tuesday. The goals took Neymar to 64 international strikes, two more than Ronaldo but still well behind Pele's record of 77. Elsewhere, Joaquin Correa scored the winner 11 minutes from time as Argentina labored to a 2-1 victory over Bolivia to maintain their 100% record after two matches. Peru twice took the lead through Andre Carrillo and a heavily deflected strike from Renato Tapia, but two controversial Neymar penalties, an injury time third and a close range strike from Richarlison maintained the Selecao's winning start to qualifying for Qatar 2022. Carrillo opened the scoring on six minutes with a dipping volley from 20 yards after latching onto Marquinhos's weak clearance. Peru Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese then denied Firmino from point blank range after he seemed certain to tap home from Richarlison's cushioned header. Brazil dominated the ball but Peru's pacey forwards looked dangerous on the counter-attack and visiting goalkeeper Weverton had to be alert to keep out a shot from Christofer Gonzales. But Neymar sent Gallese the wrong way from the spot after Yoshimar Yotun was penalised for tugging his shirt in the box. Out of nowhere, Tapia's speculative long-range strike took a wicked deflection off Rodrigo Caio and wrong-footed Weverton on 59 minutes. The lead lasted only a few minutes before Richarlison touched a Firmino header from a corner over the line to restore parity. The winner came seven minutes from time as Carlos Zambrano was harshly adjudged to have fouled Neymar. Worse was still to come for Zambrano as he was sent off minutes later for a stray elbow that caught Richarlison and Neymar drilled home the final nail in Peru's coffin after Gallese spilled a shot from Everton Ribeiro. - Farcical equaliser - Lionel Scaloni's Argentina earned a second narrow victory in a row following Thursday's 1-0 win over Ecuador. Marcelo Moreno Martins had given hosts Bolivia a deserved lead but Argentina scored a fortuitous equaliser through Lautaro Martinez. Bolivia should have been ahead on six minutes when Argentina goalkeeper Franco Armani was caught off his line but Moreno Martins sent his header from an angle onto the roof of the net. Moreno Martins made amends on 24 minutes as he rose between Argentina's center-backs to power home a header from eight yards after Alejandro Chumacero was allowed to run from halfway into the visitors' box before crossing from the left. Argentina's equaliser came in comical fashion as Jose Carrasco tried to clear the ball out of his six yard box after cutting out Martinez's cross, but he shanked the ball off the forward's shin and past goalkeeper Carlos Lampe. Lionel Messi, who had an otherwise quiet game, and Martinez then combined to tee up Correa to thrash home the winner. - Ecuador work of art - Ecuador totally dominated Uruguay in a 4-2 victory in Quito. They took the lead on 15 minutes as Moises Caicedo flicked home a header from an Angel Mena cross. Both sides had a goal ruled out following a VAR review before Michael Estrada doubled the advantage on the stroke of half-time, rifling home from inside the box after a mistake by veteran Uruguay center-back Diego Godin. Uruguay were denied again by VAR before Ecuador went straight up the other end where Estrada cracked home Valencia's backheel from 20 yards. Ecuador's final goal was a work of art as Alan Franco's reverse pass bemused Uruguay's defence and Gonzalo Plata rolled his foot over the ball to commit both sliding defender Ronald Araujo and goalkeeper Martin Campana before stroking the ball into the far corner. Luis Suarez scored his record-extending 61st and 62nd goals for Uruguay with a pair of late penalties that were no more than a consolation. Radamel Falcao scored an injury time equaliser as Colombia salvaged a point in a 2-2 draw in Chile. Jefferson Lerma gave Colombia an early lead but Chile turned the match in Quito around by half-time with strikes from Arturo Vidal and Alexis Sanchez. Gaston Gimenez scored a late winner before goalkeeper Anthony Silva saved a penalty from Yangel Herrera as Paraguay won 1-0 in Venezuela.

Neymar hat-trick fires Brazil past Peru, Argentina labor

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/uefa-tells-teams-not-to-play-where-women-cant-watch-251956">UEFA</a> is to introduce a new-look playoff system for its 2022 World Cup qualifying competition which will avoid the need to compare results of teams in different groups.

UEFA said the 55 teams, who will be battling for 13 places at the tournament in Qatar, will be divided into 10 groups.

The 10 group winners will qualify directly for the World Cup while the runners-up will go into the playoffs along with two more teams from the 2020-21 <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/us-forward-altidore-ruled-out-of-nations-league-matches-254642">Nations League</a>.

Those 12 teams will then be divided into three paths, with a one-leg semi-final and a one-leg final in each path to decide the remaining three European finalists.

In the qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup, there were nine groups where the winners qualified directly and the eight best runners-up went into four two-leg playoffs.

UEFA is to introduce a new-look playoff system for its 2022 World Cup qualifying competition which will avoid the need to compare results of teams in different groups.

UEFA is to introduce a new-look playoff system for its 2022 World Cup qualifying competition which will avoid the need to compare results of teams in different groups. UEFA said the 55 teams, who will be battling for 13 places at the tournament in Qatar, will be divided into 10 groups. The 10 group winners will qualify directly for the World Cup while the runners-up will go into the playoffs along with two more teams from the 2020-21 Nations League. Those 12 teams will then be divided into three paths, with a one-leg semi-final and a one-leg final in each path to decide the remaining three European finalists. In the qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup, there were nine groups where the winners qualified directly and the eight best runners-up went into four two-leg playoffs.

Football: UEFA announces new playoff system for 2022 World Cup qualifiers

Argentina struggled to get past Venezuela despite Barcelona star Messi&#39;s presence in the<a href="http://www.wionews.com/football/football-germany-thrash-norway-england-survive-slovakia-scare-19889"> 2018 World Cup qualification match</a> in Buenos Aires.

The home team was stuck down in the match by Jhon Murillo goal, the hosts were lucky to get away after a Venezuela own goal by defender Rolf Feltscher ensured a 1-1 draw.

Argentina are now placed in fifth position in the South American standings with top four finishers allowed to qualify automatically for the finals in Russia.&nbsp;

Venezuela who are at the bottom of the table have already been eliminated but on Tuesday night they were able to embarrass the star studded Argentian side which came up with a lackluster performance despite home support.

In the European qualifiers, Spain thrashed Liechtenstein 8-0 to take another step towards booking their place in Russia for the World Cup finals next year.&nbsp;

Spain top&nbsp;their group&nbsp;now and have a huge 17-goal lead over Italy.

Spain will play Albania next month with an eye towards sealing a European berth in the World Cup finals.

Argentina struggled to get past Venezuela despite Barcelona star Messi's presence

Argentina struggled to get past Venezuela despite Barcelona star Messi's presence in the 2018 World Cup qualification match in Buenos Aires. The home team was stuck down in the match by Jhon Murillo goal, the hosts were lucky to get away after a Venezuela own goal by defender Rolf Feltscher ensured a 1-1 draw. Argentina are now placed in fifth position in the South American standings with top four finishers allowed to qualify automatically for the finals in Russia. Venezuela who are at the bottom of the table have already been eliminated but on Tuesday night they were able to embarrass the star studded Argentian side which came up with a lackluster performance despite home support. In the European qualifiers, Spain thrashed Liechtenstein 8-0 to take another step towards booking their place in Russia for the World Cup finals next year. Spain top their group now and have a huge 17-goal lead over Italy. Spain will play Albania next month with an eye towards sealing a European berth in the World Cup finals.

World Cup qualifiers: Venezuela hold Argentina, Spain thrash Liechtenstein

Shortly after the Lok Sabha elections in 2014, three-time chief minister of a Congress state told me that the Gandhis have become a liability for the Congress. What sounded shocking to me then seems like a cold reality today. Post 2012, every election where Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi campaigned intensively has been lost by the party. The Congress has only been able to retain or regain those states where the state leadership has been strong. This development has been co-terminus with the rise of Modi&rsquo;s brand of politics and Rahul&rsquo;s elevation in the Congress Party. The rise of the BJP also became the rise of Narendra Modi which not only electorally marginalised the Congress but also damaged the Gandhi brand. His campaign model ran down Rahul Gandhi hence his capacity to attract and electrify the voters.

This happened when Narendra Modi had more political baggage than the young Rahul Gandhi. Despite the disadvantage he faced, Modi managed to turn it around. He did this through opportunities inadvertently handed down to him by the Opposition and by projecting himself as an outsider to the corrupt world of the Delhi Durbar. In the process, Rahul Gandhi was successfully projected as a lazy leader who was a product of power and pelf in front of an aspirational India which he has not been able to shake off till date.

Rahul Gandhi not only squandered away the opportunity to understand the humbling process of government work but also proved organisationally inept. Not only did his Youth Congress programme come under tremendous criticism but his transition, forced by his mother Sonia Gandhi, created deep fissures in the party. Married to the defeat of 2014 and 2017, one can safely say that Rahul Gandhi today is turning into a brand liability for the Congress as he fails to draw the voters out on his own account. The truth is that the dynasty is in decline. The truth is that majority of Indians aren&rsquo;t taking Rahul Gandhi seriously. It is failing to connect to a new India on its own accord. It is a difficult truth but stares the Congress in its face and it should worry everyone in the Congress a lot.

The sum and total of five polls is that Narendra Modi today stands as the only pan Indian leader who possesses the ability to move and mobilise multiple social constituencies. Even if concession is given to Rahul Gandhi that the Congress wrested a couple of states, its overall vote share continues to decline. Rahul&#39;s victories never gave him the legitimacy of a mass leader as people gave credit to the state leaders. This time, the family bastion in Uttar Pradesh (UP) was again swept away despite the alliance whereas all seats in Varanasi went into the BJP&rsquo;s pocket indicating that even the home turf of the Gandhis is in tatters.

To top it up is the issue of perception that no leader comes close to Modi. This image has been buffeted further by the economically-contested demonetisation which he used to the party&rsquo;s political advantage in Uttar Pradesh. This not only enhanced his stature but also made all adversaries look small, limited and regional in nature.

The UP results also made Rahul Gandhi fall into the trap of sectional politics. In the 2012 elections, &nbsp;he spoke about the issue of backward Muslims which failed miserably. This time also the same mistake was repeated, but in a different avatar.

Despite appealing to the developmental issues, the dog whisper campaign of the SP-Congress was that with the Muslim Yadav combine with the Congress, the upper-caste vote would do well. This was politically countered by the majority discrimination campaign by BJP which was spearheaded by the prime minister himself. Not only did it derail the alliance, but it also created a united Hindu vote which should worry Congress a lot.

Bluntly putting it, PM Modi has become the biggest Hindu mascot who makes his intention of not running after the minority votes very clear to the electorate. To say that the post-Godhra baggage of the PM has been forgotten by India as he speaks more on development would be to fool oneself. Modi represents a skillful combination of Hindutva and the right-of-center economy of the world. So, to say that the UP results showcase booth-management skills or caste management would be to fool oneself. The vote represents a majority vote against a minority veto which has resurfaced in a much more powerful manner after the 1990s. This is the reason why not a single Muslim candidate was fielded by the BJP in UP and similarly in Assam, where the Muslim population touches 30 per cent of the total votes. This is not limited to India. Through the world, a churn exists where the majority not only asserts itself but also wears its cultural and religious symbols dynamically in the political field.

It is in this contrast that Rahul Gandhi comes across as a perpetually struggling leader who has neither defined his idea nor politics. It is this reality that Rahul Gandhi needs to deal with. It will not resolve itself by visiting temples or talking about Saivism in public because it doesn&rsquo;t look organic.

Congress under Rahul Gandhi can either continue to fight the BJP to preserve its past and the family or can call for internal elections to embrace fresh leadership. Who knows that a tough fight to take over the party might reinvent Rahul Gandhi himself. It did wonders to Sonia Gandhi when she was challenged by Jitendra Prasad. It gave her the legitimacy in front of workers and from there she went on to challenge the BJP. She challenged them state by state and in the process rebuilt a broken party.

The Congress will have to walk the same road again but will have to start the process by addressing the issue of the family first. There is not much of a choice. Fix it or replace it with an outsider. 
 
(WION)

&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Meanwhile, five-time world champions Brazil have virtually booked a place for the next edition to be held in Russia

Shortly after the Lok Sabha elections in 2014, three-time chief minister of a Congress state told me that the Gandhis have become a liability for the Congress. What sounded shocking to me then seems like a cold reality today. Post 2012, every election where Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi campaigned intensively has been lost by the party. The Congress has only been able to retain or regain those states where the state leadership has been strong. This development has been co-terminus with the rise of Modi’s brand of politics and Rahul’s elevation in the Congress Party. The rise of the BJP also became the rise of Narendra Modi which not only electorally marginalised the Congress but also damaged the Gandhi brand. His campaign model ran down Rahul Gandhi hence his capacity to attract and electrify the voters. This happened when Narendra Modi had more political baggage than the young Rahul Gandhi. Despite the disadvantage he faced, Modi managed to turn it around. He did this through opportunities inadvertently handed down to him by the Opposition and by projecting himself as an outsider to the corrupt world of the Delhi Durbar. In the process, Rahul Gandhi was successfully projected as a lazy leader who was a product of power and pelf in front of an aspirational India which he has not been able to shake off till date. Rahul Gandhi not only squandered away the opportunity to understand the humbling process of government work but also proved organisationally inept. Not only did his Youth Congress programme come under tremendous criticism but his transition, forced by his mother Sonia Gandhi, created deep fissures in the party. Married to the defeat of 2014 and 2017, one can safely say that Rahul Gandhi today is turning into a brand liability for the Congress as he fails to draw the voters out on his own account. The truth is that the dynasty is in decline. The truth is that majority of Indians aren’t taking Rahul Gandhi seriously. It is failing to connect to a new India on its own accord. It is a difficult truth but stares the Congress in its face and it should worry everyone in the Congress a lot. The sum and total of five polls is that Narendra Modi today stands as the only pan Indian leader who possesses the ability to move and mobilise multiple social constituencies. Even if concession is given to Rahul Gandhi that the Congress wrested a couple of states, its overall vote share continues to decline. Rahul's victories never gave him the legitimacy of a mass leader as people gave credit to the state leaders. This time, the family bastion in Uttar Pradesh (UP) was again swept away despite the alliance whereas all seats in Varanasi went into the BJP’s pocket indicating that even the home turf of the Gandhis is in tatters. To top it up is the issue of perception that no leader comes close to Modi. This image has been buffeted further by the economically-contested demonetisation which he used to the party’s political advantage in Uttar Pradesh. This not only enhanced his stature but also made all adversaries look small, limited and regional in nature. The UP results also made Rahul Gandhi fall into the trap of sectional politics. In the 2012 elections, he spoke about the issue of backward Muslims which failed miserably. This time also the same mistake was repeated, but in a different avatar. Despite appealing to the developmental issues, the dog whisper campaign of the SP-Congress was that with the Muslim Yadav combine with the Congress, the upper-caste vote would do well. This was politically countered by the majority discrimination campaign by BJP which was spearheaded by the prime minister himself. Not only did it derail the alliance, but it also created a united Hindu vote which should worry Congress a lot. Bluntly putting it, PM Modi has become the biggest Hindu mascot who makes his intention of not running after the minority votes very clear to the electorate. To say that the post-Godhra baggage of the PM has been forgotten by India as he speaks more on development would be to fool oneself. Modi represents a skillful combination of Hindutva and the right-of-center economy of the world. So, to say that the UP results showcase booth-management skills or caste management would be to fool oneself. The vote represents a majority vote against a minority veto which has resurfaced in a much more powerful manner after the 1990s. This is the reason why not a single Muslim candidate was fielded by the BJP in UP and similarly in Assam, where the Muslim population touches 30 per cent of the total votes. This is not limited to India. Through the world, a churn exists where the majority not only asserts itself but also wears its cultural and religious symbols dynamically in the political field. It is in this contrast that Rahul Gandhi comes across as a perpetually struggling leader who has neither defined his idea nor politics. It is this reality that Rahul Gandhi needs to deal with. It will not resolve itself by visiting temples or talking about Saivism in public because it doesn’t look organic. Congress under Rahul Gandhi can either continue to fight the BJP to preserve its past and the family or can call for internal elections to embrace fresh leadership. Who knows that a tough fight to take over the party might reinvent Rahul Gandhi himself. It did wonders to Sonia Gandhi when she was challenged by Jitendra Prasad. It gave her the legitimacy in front of workers and from there she went on to challenge the BJP. She challenged them state by state and in the process rebuilt a broken party. The Congress will have to walk the same road again but will have to start the process by addressing the issue of the family first. There is not much of a choice. Fix it or replace it with an outsider. (WION)

World Cup qualifiers: Messi-led Argentina beat Chile to exorcise Copa ghosts

England&#39;s caretaker manager Gareth Southgate faces a man he aspires to emulate in terms of style and status in Tuesday&#39;s friendly against Julen Lopetegui&#39;s Spain.

The match at Wembley will be the fourth and final assignment of Southgate&#39;s interim stint and following Friday&#39;s 3-0 win over Scotland in World Cup qualifying he is expected to be handed the role full-time.

Like Southgate, Lopetegui earned the faith of his country&#39;s football association by excelling as under-21s coach, while Spain&#39;s confident passing game is something Southgate wants England to replicate.

&quot;It&#39;s one of the biggest challenges that we can face,&quot; Southgate said ahead of the encounter.&nbsp;

&quot;It looks as though they&#39;ll have a couple of players missing, but they have strength in depth and a clear identity of how they play through all of their age groups.

&quot;Obviously Julen has been the under-21 manager so he knows how the system is there. He&#39;s worked with so many of the players and the style, so it&#39;s going to be a huge test for us.

&quot;But that&#39;s a good challenge, a different type of challenge for us to prepare for.&quot;

While England are unbeaten on Southgate&#39;s watch, they are yet to produce a performance that has got fans off their seats.

After a laboured 2-0 win over Malta, they were fortunate not to lose in a 0-0 draw away to Slovenia.

Against Scotland, they struggled to create chances and might have found themselves level early in the second half had the Scots taken their opportunities at 1-0.

England&#39;s efforts to build play up from the back were unconvincing, but Southgate, 46, will task his players to press on with the tactic against a Spain team who are masters of the art.

&quot;It&#39;s a good means of gauging progress because they&#39;ve been one of the best for such a long time,&quot; says Tottenham Hotspur&#39;s Eric Dier, who made his England debut in a 2-0 loss away to Spain a year ago.

&quot;You always want to measure yourselves against sides like that, both personally and as a team. Obviously, results are what count in senior football but performing the right way as well is important.

&quot;If we defend for 90 minutes and score a last-minute winner on Tuesday then probably everyone goes home happy. But that&#39;s not my way of assessing whether we&#39;ve done well or not.&quot;

Herrera debut

Like England, Spain go into the game on the back of a slightly flattering victory that kept them top of their World Cup qualifying pool: in their case a 4-0 win over Macedonia on Saturday.

Lopetegui, 50, is unbeaten in five games since taking charge after Vicente del Bosque stepped down following their last-16 exit at the hands of Italy at Euro 2016.

Both coaches are expected to shuffle their starting XIs, but for Lopetegui necessity will be the mother of invention as he is without several first-team players.

Sergio Ramos, Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba, Andres Iniesta and Diego Costa are all absent and Alvaro Morata is a doubt after being forced off half an hour from full-time against Macedonia.

Sergi Roberto, Cesar Azpilicueta, Isco, Nolito, Juan Mata and Jose Callejon could all start, while Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera is in line to make a belated senior debut aged 27.

&quot;It is clear that the three points at stake were (against Macedonia) and now we have a fantastic game against a great national team like England,&quot; said Lopetegui.

&quot;We want to be competitive and play well, so whoever plays it will be a good 11.&quot;

With Ramos and Pique sidelined, Lopetegui has been obliged to rely on an unconvincing centre-back pairing of Nacho and Marc Bartra, which will give hope to England&#39;s forwards.

Dier&#39;s Tottenham team-mate Harry Kane will not take part after he returned to his club to build up match fitness following a lay-off with an ankle injury.

(AFP)

The match at Wembley will be the fourth and final assignment of Southgate's interim stint

England's caretaker manager Gareth Southgate faces a man he aspires to emulate in terms of style and status in Tuesday's friendly against Julen Lopetegui's Spain. The match at Wembley will be the fourth and final assignment of Southgate's interim stint and following Friday's 3-0 win over Scotland in World Cup qualifying he is expected to be handed the role full-time. Like Southgate, Lopetegui earned the faith of his country's football association by excelling as under-21s coach, while Spain's confident passing game is something Southgate wants England to replicate. "It's one of the biggest challenges that we can face," Southgate said ahead of the encounter. "It looks as though they'll have a couple of players missing, but they have strength in depth and a clear identity of how they play through all of their age groups. "Obviously Julen has been the under-21 manager so he knows how the system is there. He's worked with so many of the players and the style, so it's going to be a huge test for us. "But that's a good challenge, a different type of challenge for us to prepare for." While England are unbeaten on Southgate's watch, they are yet to produce a performance that has got fans off their seats. After a laboured 2-0 win over Malta, they were fortunate not to lose in a 0-0 draw away to Slovenia. Against Scotland, they struggled to create chances and might have found themselves level early in the second half had the Scots taken their opportunities at 1-0. England's efforts to build play up from the back were unconvincing, but Southgate, 46, will task his players to press on with the tactic against a Spain team who are masters of the art. "It's a good means of gauging progress because they've been one of the best for such a long time," says Tottenham Hotspur's Eric Dier, who made his England debut in a 2-0 loss away to Spain a year ago. "You always want to measure yourselves against sides like that, both personally and as a team. Obviously, results are what count in senior football but performing the right way as well is important. "If we defend for 90 minutes and score a last-minute winner on Tuesday then probably everyone goes home happy. But that's not my way of assessing whether we've done well or not." Herrera debut Like England, Spain go into the game on the back of a slightly flattering victory that kept them top of their World Cup qualifying pool: in their case a 4-0 win over Macedonia on Saturday. Lopetegui, 50, is unbeaten in five games since taking charge after Vicente del Bosque stepped down following their last-16 exit at the hands of Italy at Euro 2016. Both coaches are expected to shuffle their starting XIs, but for Lopetegui necessity will be the mother of invention as he is without several first-team players. Sergio Ramos, Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba, Andres Iniesta and Diego Costa are all absent and Alvaro Morata is a doubt after being forced off half an hour from full-time against Macedonia. Sergi Roberto, Cesar Azpilicueta, Isco, Nolito, Juan Mata and Jose Callejon could all start, while Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera is in line to make a belated senior debut aged 27. "It is clear that the three points at stake were (against Macedonia) and now we have a fantastic game against a great national team like England," said Lopetegui. "We want to be competitive and play well, so whoever plays it will be a good 11." With Ramos and Pique sidelined, Lopetegui has been obliged to rely on an unconvincing centre-back pairing of Nacho and Marc Bartra, which will give hope to England's forwards. Dier's Tottenham team-mate Harry Kane will not take part after he returned to his club to build up match fitness following a lay-off with an ankle injury. (AFP)

Football: Gareth Southgate ends England audition with Spain test

Paul Pogba and Dimitri Payet scored as France fought back to beat Sweden 2-1 in a World Cup qualifier on Friday that was marked by tributes to the victims of last year&#39;s Paris terror attacks.&nbsp;

Emil Forsberg had put Sweden in front from a free-kick early in the second half at the Stade de France in a meeting of the top two teams in Group A in European qualifying for the 2018 World Cup.&nbsp;

But Pogba headed in the equaliser in the 58th minute and Payet profited from a goalkeeping error to score the winner and allow Les Bleus to move three points clear of Sweden at the top of the section.&nbsp;

&quot;Decisive no, but important yes,&quot; was how France coach Didier Deschamps summed up the significance of the result.

&quot;It was a difficult game but the result is all that counts. Sweden made things complicated for us.&quot;

The result came on a poignant evening that saw a minute&#39;s silence held in memory of the victims of the terror attacks that struck the French capital, and the Stade de France, almost exactly a year ago.&nbsp;

France were playing Germany in a friendly on Friday November 13, 2015 when three suicide bombers blew themselves up immediately outside the ground.&nbsp;

A 63-year-old man, Manuel Dias, was killed by one of the explosions at the beginning of a night of terror around Paris that killed 130 people and injured many more.

French president Francois Hollande was there to pay tribute in a capacity crowd of 80,000 at Friday&#39;s match, which was played on a national holiday to mark the day that ended the First World War in 1918.

The French team featured many of those who had played in that game against Germany, including Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud, recalled in attack in place of Kevin Gameiro.

They had numerous chances in a bright start to the game, with Swedish goalkeeper Robin Olsen saving well from a curling shot from the edge of the box by Payet.

Pogba and Moussa Sissoko also sent efforts just over the bar, but Sweden -- fielding a rejuvenated side as they rebuild following the international retirement of Zlatan Ibrahimovic -- were an occasional threat too.

Forsberg stunner

Indeed, they should have taken a 10th-minute lead, but John Guidetti, inside the six-yard box, was unable to convert a Ludwig Augustinsson free-kick from the left.

And they stunned the Stade de France when they went in front in the 54th minute, the impressive RB Leipzig winger Forsberg sending in a free-kick from fully 30 yards that left Hugo Lloris rooted as it swerved through the air and in.

However, France were level just four minutes later when Payet delivered a free-kick from the left and the world&#39;s most expensive player Pogba just beat team-mate Raphael Varane to the ball to head in his eighth international goal.

The relief was palpable and France, who have needed play-offs to qualify for each of the last two World Cups, went in front on 65 minutes.

Olsen failed to hold a cross under pressure from Antoine Griezmann, who was just offside when the ball came in, and Payet pounced to roll the ball in.

Griezmann almost got a third but Sweden made it a nervy finish with substitute Isaac Kiese Thelin missing the target with a great chance to equalise.

Their coach Janne Andersson was left to bemoan the lack of an offside call at the second goal.

&quot;We deserved a better result. It is a bit of a shame because the second goal was offside, but these things happen in sport,&quot; he said.

The Netherlands can join Sweden and also close to within three points of France with a win away to minnows Luxembourg on Sunday.&nbsp;

France are next in qualifying action in Luxembourg in late March, although they play the Ivory Coast in a friendly in Lens next Tuesday.

(AFP)

France beat Sweden 2-1 in Friday's Group A European qualifying for the 2018 World Cup

Paul Pogba and Dimitri Payet scored as France fought back to beat Sweden 2-1 in a World Cup qualifier on Friday that was marked by tributes to the victims of last year's Paris terror attacks. Emil Forsberg had put Sweden in front from a free-kick early in the second half at the Stade de France in a meeting of the top two teams in Group A in European qualifying for the 2018 World Cup. But Pogba headed in the equaliser in the 58th minute and Payet profited from a goalkeeping error to score the winner and allow Les Bleus to move three points clear of Sweden at the top of the section. "Decisive no, but important yes," was how France coach Didier Deschamps summed up the significance of the result. "It was a difficult game but the result is all that counts. Sweden made things complicated for us." The result came on a poignant evening that saw a minute's silence held in memory of the victims of the terror attacks that struck the French capital, and the Stade de France, almost exactly a year ago. France were playing Germany in a friendly on Friday November 13, 2015 when three suicide bombers blew themselves up immediately outside the ground. A 63-year-old man, Manuel Dias, was killed by one of the explosions at the beginning of a night of terror around Paris that killed 130 people and injured many more. French president Francois Hollande was there to pay tribute in a capacity crowd of 80,000 at Friday's match, which was played on a national holiday to mark the day that ended the First World War in 1918. The French team featured many of those who had played in that game against Germany, including Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud, recalled in attack in place of Kevin Gameiro. They had numerous chances in a bright start to the game, with Swedish goalkeeper Robin Olsen saving well from a curling shot from the edge of the box by Payet. Pogba and Moussa Sissoko also sent efforts just over the bar, but Sweden -- fielding a rejuvenated side as they rebuild following the international retirement of Zlatan Ibrahimovic -- were an occasional threat too. Forsberg stunner Indeed, they should have taken a 10th-minute lead, but John Guidetti, inside the six-yard box, was unable to convert a Ludwig Augustinsson free-kick from the left. And they stunned the Stade de France when they went in front in the 54th minute, the impressive RB Leipzig winger Forsberg sending in a free-kick from fully 30 yards that left Hugo Lloris rooted as it swerved through the air and in. However, France were level just four minutes later when Payet delivered a free-kick from the left and the world's most expensive player Pogba just beat team-mate Raphael Varane to the ball to head in his eighth international goal. The relief was palpable and France, who have needed play-offs to qualify for each of the last two World Cups, went in front on 65 minutes. Olsen failed to hold a cross under pressure from Antoine Griezmann, who was just offside when the ball came in, and Payet pounced to roll the ball in. Griezmann almost got a third but Sweden made it a nervy finish with substitute Isaac Kiese Thelin missing the target with a great chance to equalise. Their coach Janne Andersson was left to bemoan the lack of an offside call at the second goal. "We deserved a better result. It is a bit of a shame because the second goal was offside, but these things happen in sport," he said. The Netherlands can join Sweden and also close to within three points of France with a win away to minnows Luxembourg on Sunday. France are next in qualifying action in Luxembourg in late March, although they play the Ivory Coast in a friendly in Lens next Tuesday. (AFP)

Dimitri Payet nets winning goal as France mark anniversary of attacks

A trio of thundering headers gave England a thumping victory over their oldest foes as Scotland put up a fight before being swept aside 3-0 in Friday&#39;s World Cup qualifier at Wembley.

Daniel Sturridge&#39;s bullet header in the first half and equally impressive efforts after the break from Adam Lallana and Gary Cahill ensured England emerged from international football&#39;s oldest fixture having consolidated their lead at the top of Group F.

While it was not the one-sided romp the scoreline suggests and England only pulled clear in the second half having survived some nervy moments, the result will have strengthened interim boss Gareth Southgate&#39;s chances of claiming the role on a permanent basis.

With his side having moved onto 10 points from four matches, two clear of nearest rivals Slovenia, Southgate now looks almost certain to be appointed the permanent replacement to Sam Allardyce.

&quot;Tonight is down to the players they have shown what they are capable of,&quot; he told reporters -- although he was equally keen to stress his side had almost been the architects of their own downfall when Scotland put them under pressure in the second half.

For his counterpart Gordon Strachan, though, the future looks increasingly bleak, his side sitting second bottom in the standings with four points.

However, he was adamant, that he would not be rushed into decisions about his role.

&quot;If you think I&#39;m thinking about myself now, or worrying about myself, you don&#39;t know me,&quot; was his response to questions about his future.

Strachan had made sweeping changes to the side that lost to Slovakia in their previous qualifier and had clearly set his team up to make England uncomfortable and it was a game plan that worked to perfection until 24th minute.

A sprawling Scottish defender blocked Raheem Sterling&#39;s shot, but the ball fell kindly for Kyle Walker whose driven cross was angled superbly into the net by a stooping Sturridge.

Having broken the visitors&#39; resistance, England conspired to hand them a route back into the match two minutes later and would have been pegged back had Scotland defender Grant Hanley not headed hopelessly over the bar when completely unmarked.

That was the first of a series of let-offs for England, who survived two heart-in-mouth moments at the start of the second half when James Forrest pulled a shot hideously wide from 10 metres and Robert Snodgrass had one blocked from a similar range.

Within moments, however, England put the encounter to bed showing the sort of quality in front of goal Scotland had lacked, as Danny Rose&#39;s cross from the left found Lallana on the penalty spot to head powerfully past Craig Gordon.

England&#39;s third arrived on 60 minutes as Wayne Rooney&#39;s corner found Cahill, who flashed his near-post header past Gordon and into the far corner.

The defeat was already ensured, but England should have rubbed further salt into Scotland&#39;s wounds but Sterling somehow scooped his finish over from almost under the cross bar.

(Reuters)

Sturridge's bullet header in the first half and equally impressive headers from Lallana and Cahill handed England a 3-0 win

A trio of thundering headers gave England a thumping victory over their oldest foes as Scotland put up a fight before being swept aside 3-0 in Friday's World Cup qualifier at Wembley. Daniel Sturridge's bullet header in the first half and equally impressive efforts after the break from Adam Lallana and Gary Cahill ensured England emerged from international football's oldest fixture having consolidated their lead at the top of Group F. While it was not the one-sided romp the scoreline suggests and England only pulled clear in the second half having survived some nervy moments, the result will have strengthened interim boss Gareth Southgate's chances of claiming the role on a permanent basis. With his side having moved onto 10 points from four matches, two clear of nearest rivals Slovenia, Southgate now looks almost certain to be appointed the permanent replacement to Sam Allardyce. "Tonight is down to the players they have shown what they are capable of," he told reporters -- although he was equally keen to stress his side had almost been the architects of their own downfall when Scotland put them under pressure in the second half. For his counterpart Gordon Strachan, though, the future looks increasingly bleak, his side sitting second bottom in the standings with four points. However, he was adamant, that he would not be rushed into decisions about his role. "If you think I'm thinking about myself now, or worrying about myself, you don't know me," was his response to questions about his future. Strachan had made sweeping changes to the side that lost to Slovakia in their previous qualifier and had clearly set his team up to make England uncomfortable and it was a game plan that worked to perfection until 24th minute. A sprawling Scottish defender blocked Raheem Sterling's shot, but the ball fell kindly for Kyle Walker whose driven cross was angled superbly into the net by a stooping Sturridge. Having broken the visitors' resistance, England conspired to hand them a route back into the match two minutes later and would have been pegged back had Scotland defender Grant Hanley not headed hopelessly over the bar when completely unmarked. That was the first of a series of let-offs for England, who survived two heart-in-mouth moments at the start of the second half when James Forrest pulled a shot hideously wide from 10 metres and Robert Snodgrass had one blocked from a similar range. Within moments, however, England put the encounter to bed showing the sort of quality in front of goal Scotland had lacked, as Danny Rose's cross from the left found Lallana on the penalty spot to head powerfully past Craig Gordon. England's third arrived on 60 minutes as Wayne Rooney's corner found Cahill, who flashed his near-post header past Gordon and into the far corner. The defeat was already ensured, but England should have rubbed further salt into Scotland's wounds but Sterling somehow scooped his finish over from almost under the cross bar. (Reuters)

World Cup qualifier: England record a heady win against Scotland

Brazil dealt Argentina&#39;s hopes of reaching the 2018 World Cup finals a serious blow on Thursday with a resounding 3-0 win that dropped the world&#39;s top ranked side into sixth place in the 10-team South American qualifying group.

First half goals from Philippe Coutinho and Neymar were followed by a third from Paulinho after 58 minutes to sink the Argentines and extend their winless run to four games.

The result means Brazil remain top of the group with 24 points from 11 games.

Argentina are sixth on 16 points, with the top four teams qualifying automatically for the finals in Russia and the fifth-placed side going into a play-off with the Oceania winners.

&quot;Today we imposed ourselves, the fans helped from the first minute and we leave here very happy,&quot; Coutinho said in a pitchside interview.

Argentina&#39;s Lionel Messi, who returned to the side after three games out injured, was anonymous in a match lit up by brilliant moments from the home side.

Brazil took the lead after 24 minutes when Neymar slipped the ball to Philippe Coutinho on the left with the deftest of touches and the Liverpool midfielder hammered an unstoppable drive into the top corner of the net.

The Barcelona striker was lucky not to concede a penalty after he handled in the box 12 minutes later but he was always dangerous at the other end and he doubled Brazil&#39;s lead just seconds before half time when he coolly slotted home after taking a defence-splitting pass from Gabriel Jesus.

Paulinho sealed it 13 minutes into the second period when the midfielder charged into the box between defenders and poked home a cross from Renato Augusto.

Brazil were dominant in a rampant second half and could have scored more with Neymar and substitute Robero Firmino both coming close.

In the evening&#39;s other games, Peru got four goals in the second half to beat Paraguay 4-1 away in Asuncion, while Josef Martinez became the first Venezuelan to score a hat trick in World Cup qualifiers in the 5-0 win over Bolivia.

Earlier, Colombia drew 0-0 at home to Chile and stay in third, while Uruguay beat Ecuador 2-1 to remain second, a point behind Brazil.&nbsp;

(Reuters)

Argentina are now winless in four games and sixth in the 10-team South American qualifying group

Brazil dealt Argentina's hopes of reaching the 2018 World Cup finals a serious blow on Thursday with a resounding 3-0 win that dropped the world's top ranked side into sixth place in the 10-team South American qualifying group. First half goals from Philippe Coutinho and Neymar were followed by a third from Paulinho after 58 minutes to sink the Argentines and extend their winless run to four games. The result means Brazil remain top of the group with 24 points from 11 games. Argentina are sixth on 16 points, with the top four teams qualifying automatically for the finals in Russia and the fifth-placed side going into a play-off with the Oceania winners. "Today we imposed ourselves, the fans helped from the first minute and we leave here very happy," Coutinho said in a pitchside interview. Argentina's Lionel Messi, who returned to the side after three games out injured, was anonymous in a match lit up by brilliant moments from the home side. Brazil took the lead after 24 minutes when Neymar slipped the ball to Philippe Coutinho on the left with the deftest of touches and the Liverpool midfielder hammered an unstoppable drive into the top corner of the net. The Barcelona striker was lucky not to concede a penalty after he handled in the box 12 minutes later but he was always dangerous at the other end and he doubled Brazil's lead just seconds before half time when he coolly slotted home after taking a defence-splitting pass from Gabriel Jesus. Paulinho sealed it 13 minutes into the second period when the midfielder charged into the box between defenders and poked home a cross from Renato Augusto. Brazil were dominant in a rampant second half and could have scored more with Neymar and substitute Robero Firmino both coming close. In the evening's other games, Peru got four goals in the second half to beat Paraguay 4-1 away in Asuncion, while Josef Martinez became the first Venezuelan to score a hat trick in World Cup qualifiers in the 5-0 win over Bolivia. Earlier, Colombia drew 0-0 at home to Chile and stay in third, while Uruguay beat Ecuador 2-1 to remain second, a point behind Brazil. (Reuters)

Football: Brazil blitz Argentina 3-0 in World Cup qualifier

Arsenal midfielder Alexis Sanchez has been ruled out of Chile&#39;s World Cup qualifier against Colombia after he suffered a muscle injury, the Chilean Football Federation said on Tuesday.&nbsp;

The federation said in a short statement that the player will remain in Santiago for treatment and is under evaluation for Chile&#39;s match against Uruguay.

Chile, who sit fifth in the 10-team South American qualifying competition for Russia 2018, are scheduled to play Colombia - the team directly above them in the standings - in Barranquilla on Thursday.

Chile have won the last two Copa Americas but have struggled in the World Cup qualifying campaign, winning four of their 10 games on the pitch.&nbsp;

They were awarded a fifth victory when FIFA ruled that opponents Bolivia had fielded an ineligible player during their 0-0 draw last month.

(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

The midfielder was ruled out of the qualifier against Colombia and will remain in Santiago to undergo treatment for his muscle injury

Arsenal midfielder Alexis Sanchez has been ruled out of Chile's World Cup qualifier against Colombia after he suffered a muscle injury, the Chilean Football Federation said on Tuesday. The federation said in a short statement that the player will remain in Santiago for treatment and is under evaluation for Chile's match against Uruguay. Chile, who sit fifth in the 10-team South American qualifying competition for Russia 2018, are scheduled to play Colombia - the team directly above them in the standings - in Barranquilla on Thursday. Chile have won the last two Copa Americas but have struggled in the World Cup qualifying campaign, winning four of their 10 games on the pitch. They were awarded a fifth victory when FIFA ruled that opponents Bolivia had fielded an ineligible player during their 0-0 draw last month. (Reuters)

Arsenal's Sanchez out of Chile qualifier with muscle strain

Argentina sorely missed its injured captain and star player Lionel Messi as it suffered a humiliating defeat at&nbsp;hands of Paraguay in their World Cup qualifier on home turf.&nbsp;

Paraguay stunned the two-time world champions with a fast break from deep in their own half, Angel Romero playing the ball into the path of Derlis Gonzalez who beat Sergio Romero with a shot inside the near post in the 18th minute.&nbsp;

Argentina missed an opportunity just two minutes into the second half to get back on level, but Paraguay captain Justo Villar saved Sergio Aguero&#39;s weak penalty.

The defeat left the side five points behind new leaders Brazil in the South American group, who won 2-0 in Venezuela. The Argentine side will be desperate to have Messi back in shape for their next qualifier away to Brazil in Belo Horizonte on November 10.

Brazil leads the standings with 21 points from 10 matches, Uruguay is second with 20 points while Ecuador and Colombia are third and fourth respectively with 17 points apiece.&nbsp;

Brazil&#39;s striker Gabriel Jesus opened the scoring at Estadio Metropolitano in Merida on Tuesday by chipping over goalkeeper Hernandez Santos after some poor defending by Venezuela. Willian later made it 2-0 just after halftime with a slick first-time finish following a Renato Augusto cross.

The top four will go through to the 2018 World Cup finals in Russia, while the fifth-placed side go into an intercontinental playoff for another berth. &nbsp;&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

Lacking inspiration from captain Lionel Messi, Argentina suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to Paraguay

Argentina sorely missed its injured captain and star player Lionel Messi as it suffered a humiliating defeat at hands of Paraguay in their World Cup qualifier on home turf. Paraguay stunned the two-time world champions with a fast break from deep in their own half, Angel Romero playing the ball into the path of Derlis Gonzalez who beat Sergio Romero with a shot inside the near post in the 18th minute. Argentina missed an opportunity just two minutes into the second half to get back on level, but Paraguay captain Justo Villar saved Sergio Aguero's weak penalty. The defeat left the side five points behind new leaders Brazil in the South American group, who won 2-0 in Venezuela. The Argentine side will be desperate to have Messi back in shape for their next qualifier away to Brazil in Belo Horizonte on November 10. Brazil leads the standings with 21 points from 10 matches, Uruguay is second with 20 points while Ecuador and Colombia are third and fourth respectively with 17 points apiece. Brazil's striker Gabriel Jesus opened the scoring at Estadio Metropolitano in Merida on Tuesday by chipping over goalkeeper Hernandez Santos after some poor defending by Venezuela. Willian later made it 2-0 just after halftime with a slick first-time finish following a Renato Augusto cross. The top four will go through to the 2018 World Cup finals in Russia, while the fifth-placed side go into an intercontinental playoff for another berth. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Argentina suffers defeat in WC qualifiers, Brazil tops South American group

Italy&#39;s Ciro Immobile scored twice in the last 15 minutes to earn a 3-2 win in Macedonia in Sunday&#39;s World Cup qualifier, after the four-time&nbsp;champions appeared on the brink of a humiliating defeat.

Macedonia led 2-1 after Ilija Nestorovski and Ferhan Hasani scored in a three-minute second-half spell and threatened&nbsp;a third goal, when Immobile struck the equaliser in the 75th minute.

The 26-year-old then headed the winner in the second minute of stoppage time&nbsp;as Giampiero Ventura&#39;s team breathed a huge sigh of relief, although critics will still want to know why they struggled for long periods.

Andrea Belotti had given Italy a first-half lead with his first international goal but, even at that point, Italy looked wobbly.&nbsp;Italy, second on goal difference behind Spain in Group G with seven points from three games, extended their 10-year unbeaten record in European and World Cup qualifiers to 53 matches.

Hapless Macedonia were left still without a point.

&quot;These things happen when you have so many young players on the pitch, but I am still convinced about their quality,&quot; said Ventura.&nbsp;&quot;We showed great character to turn the game around.&quot;

Italy made five changes from the team, which drew 1-1 with Spain on Thursday, with Marco Verratti brought in to pull the strings in midfield.

Macedonia started brightly, and nearly went ahead when Nestorovski thumped a dipping shot against the underside of Gianluigi Buffon&#39;s crossbar.

Macedonia goalkeeper Martin Bogatinov made his first save to block an Immobile shot in the 23rd minute and Italy went ahead from the resulting corner, Belotti volleying home after he was left unmarked at the far post.&nbsp;But the visitors fell to pieces midway through the second half.&nbsp;

A dreadful Verratti pass went straight to Nestorovski who advanced, made room and beat Buffon with a low drive from the edge of the area.&nbsp;Almost immediately, another mistake sent Macedonia onto the attack again.&nbsp;This time, Nestorovsky&#39;s shot was blocked but the ball ran loose to Hasani who fired a low shot past Buffon, again from the edge of the area.

With Italy rocking, Buffon fumbled a long-range Besart Ibraimi shot, but the ball was cleared, then made a good reflex save to stop Daniel Mojsov&#39;s close-range header.&nbsp;Italy&#39;s equaliser came out of the blue, when Immobile turned in Antonio Candreva&#39;s low cross.

As Italy&#39;s confidence flooded back, Marco Parolo had a goal disallowed and Immobile won the game when Candreva chipped over another cross and he stole in at the far post to head the ball past Bogatinov.

(Reuters)

Immobile scored twice in the last 15 minutes to earn a 3-2 win in Macedonia in Sunday's World Cup qualifier

Italy's Ciro Immobile scored twice in the last 15 minutes to earn a 3-2 win in Macedonia in Sunday's World Cup qualifier, after the four-time champions appeared on the brink of a humiliating defeat. Macedonia led 2-1 after Ilija Nestorovski and Ferhan Hasani scored in a three-minute second-half spell and threatened a third goal, when Immobile struck the equaliser in the 75th minute. The 26-year-old then headed the winner in the second minute of stoppage time as Giampiero Ventura's team breathed a huge sigh of relief, although critics will still want to know why they struggled for long periods. Andrea Belotti had given Italy a first-half lead with his first international goal but, even at that point, Italy looked wobbly. Italy, second on goal difference behind Spain in Group G with seven points from three games, extended their 10-year unbeaten record in European and World Cup qualifiers to 53 matches. Hapless Macedonia were left still without a point. "These things happen when you have so many young players on the pitch, but I am still convinced about their quality," said Ventura. "We showed great character to turn the game around." Italy made five changes from the team, which drew 1-1 with Spain on Thursday, with Marco Verratti brought in to pull the strings in midfield. Macedonia started brightly, and nearly went ahead when Nestorovski thumped a dipping shot against the underside of Gianluigi Buffon's crossbar. Macedonia goalkeeper Martin Bogatinov made his first save to block an Immobile shot in the 23rd minute and Italy went ahead from the resulting corner, Belotti volleying home after he was left unmarked at the far post. But the visitors fell to pieces midway through the second half. A dreadful Verratti pass went straight to Nestorovski who advanced, made room and beat Buffon with a low drive from the edge of the area. Almost immediately, another mistake sent Macedonia onto the attack again. This time, Nestorovsky's shot was blocked but the ball ran loose to Hasani who fired a low shot past Buffon, again from the edge of the area. With Italy rocking, Buffon fumbled a long-range Besart Ibraimi shot, but the ball was cleared, then made a good reflex save to stop Daniel Mojsov's close-range header. Italy's equaliser came out of the blue, when Immobile turned in Antonio Candreva's low cross. As Italy's confidence flooded back, Marco Parolo had a goal disallowed and Immobile won the game when Candreva chipped over another cross and he stole in at the far post to head the ball past Bogatinov. (Reuters)

Immobile brings Italy back from brink against Macedonia

Netherlands captain Wesley Sneijder has been ruled out of Monday&#39;s World Cup qualifier against France after the midfielder aggravated a hamstring injury on Saturday.&nbsp;

Coach Danny Blind said he had anticipated Sneijder&#39;s absence and called up Feyenoord&#39;s Tonny Vilhenna as cover, immediately after the game with Belarus.

Sneijder hobbled off at halftime in Friday&rsquo;s 4-1 Group A win over Belarus in Rotterdam but had hoped to recover in time for the meeting with the European Championship runners-up at the Amsterdam Arena.

&ldquo;France will be a difficult opponent. Their players are used to being involved in top matches every weekend, they are physically strong, which means we need to take them head-on,&rdquo; Blind told a news conference in Alkmaar on Sunday.

The Dutch football federation said on Saturday that Feyenoord&#39;s Tonny Vilhena will be filling in for Sneijder.&nbsp;

The coach kept his line-up and tactics close to his chest but did hint at strengthening the defence or midfield for Monday&rsquo;s match.

The Netherlands are top of the competitive Group A with four points after two games.

France, who came from behind to thrash Bulgaria in Paris, are second and Sweden third, also on four points.

(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

Midfielder and captain Wesley Sneijder will miss the qualifier against France after he aggravated a hamstring injury in the win over Belarus

Netherlands captain Wesley Sneijder has been ruled out of Monday's World Cup qualifier against France after the midfielder aggravated a hamstring injury on Saturday. Coach Danny Blind said he had anticipated Sneijder's absence and called up Feyenoord's Tonny Vilhenna as cover, immediately after the game with Belarus. Sneijder hobbled off at halftime in Friday’s 4-1 Group A win over Belarus in Rotterdam but had hoped to recover in time for the meeting with the European Championship runners-up at the Amsterdam Arena. “France will be a difficult opponent. Their players are used to being involved in top matches every weekend, they are physically strong, which means we need to take them head-on,” Blind told a news conference in Alkmaar on Sunday. The Dutch football federation said on Saturday that Feyenoord's Tonny Vilhena will be filling in for Sneijder. The coach kept his line-up and tactics close to his chest but did hint at strengthening the defence or midfield for Monday’s match. The Netherlands are top of the competitive Group A with four points after two games. France, who came from behind to thrash Bulgaria in Paris, are second and Sweden third, also on four points. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Injured Dutch captain Sneijder ruled out of World Cup qualifier against France

Cristiano Ronaldo marked his international return with four goals in a 6-0 mauling of hapless Andorra on Friday and then demanded eight more wins to guarantee Portugal a place in the 2018 World Cup.

The Real Madrid superstar took his Portugal career tally to 65 goals in 134 games but his team, the European champions, are only third in Group B, a point behind minnows Faroe Islands and three back from leaders Switzerland.

Only the group winners are certain of making the finals in Russia.

On Friday, the Swiss followed their opening 2-0 win over the Portuguese with a last-gasp 3-2 triumph at Hungary while the Faroes beat Latvia 2-0 in Riga.

&quot;We know that Switzerland and the Faroes won tonight and it will be necessary for us to beat them during qualification,&quot; said Ronaldo.

&quot;There are eight games left and we want to win them all to reach the World Cup finals.&quot;

Ronaldo, 31, was making his first appearance for Portugal since he was stretchered off injured and in tears from the final of Euro 2016, where his country beat France.

He wasted no time in making up for his three-month absence from international football, getting off the mark after just 73 seconds.

He was on target again two minutes later while adding two more after the interval.

&quot;I know that I am an important player and I have always done my best since I started my international career. I scored four goals tonight and obviously I am very happy to have come back after my serious injury in the Euros final,&quot; he said.

&quot;We knew that the first goal tonight would be very important because they are a team who defend with 11 players.

&quot;Things went well. We scored twice in the first five minutes and the match became a lot easier.&quot;

Portugal will be in action again on Monday when they travel to the Faroes.

(AFP)

Portugal now have three points from two games. The Euro 2016 champions had lost their first match to Switzerland

Cristiano Ronaldo marked his international return with four goals in a 6-0 mauling of hapless Andorra on Friday and then demanded eight more wins to guarantee Portugal a place in the 2018 World Cup. The Real Madrid superstar took his Portugal career tally to 65 goals in 134 games but his team, the European champions, are only third in Group B, a point behind minnows Faroe Islands and three back from leaders Switzerland. Only the group winners are certain of making the finals in Russia. On Friday, the Swiss followed their opening 2-0 win over the Portuguese with a last-gasp 3-2 triumph at Hungary while the Faroes beat Latvia 2-0 in Riga. "We know that Switzerland and the Faroes won tonight and it will be necessary for us to beat them during qualification," said Ronaldo. "There are eight games left and we want to win them all to reach the World Cup finals." Ronaldo, 31, was making his first appearance for Portugal since he was stretchered off injured and in tears from the final of Euro 2016, where his country beat France. He wasted no time in making up for his three-month absence from international football, getting off the mark after just 73 seconds. He was on target again two minutes later while adding two more after the interval. "I know that I am an important player and I have always done my best since I started my international career. I scored four goals tonight and obviously I am very happy to have come back after my serious injury in the Euros final," he said. "We knew that the first goal tonight would be very important because they are a team who defend with 11 players. "Things went well. We scored twice in the first five minutes and the match became a lot easier." Portugal will be in action again on Monday when they travel to the Faroes. (AFP)

World Cup qualifiers: Ronaldo nets four in 6-0 mauling of Andorra

world-cup-qualifiers

World Cup Qualifiers, News on World Cup Qualifiers, stories on World Cup Qualifiers, articles on World Cup Qualifiers, World Cup Qualifiers stories at Wion, World Cup Qualifiers news, World Cup Qualifiers latest news

world cup-qualifiers