"Played 21st World Championship qualifying matches"

2005-03-31 18:24 © EuroFootball.com

On Wednesday, there were 21 more matches in the European zone qualifiers for the World Championship. There were some surprises in the third, fourth, and fifth groups, while favorites won in other matches.

The top three leaders in Group 1 had no major problems: the Netherlands defeated Armenia, the Czech Republic crushed Andorra away, and Romania won a hard-fought battle against Macedonia. In Group 2, Ukraine continues to lead after narrowly beating Denmark at home and pushing them to fourth place, while Greece, who defeated Albania, remains in second place and Turkey achieved a dominant victory against Georgia in third place.

In Group 3, Russia failed to beat Estonia but managed to draw with the two leaders, Slovakia and Portugal. Latvia rose to fourth place, leaving no hope for Luxembourg. Group 4 is currently the most competitive, with France unable to defeat Israel, resulting in both teams having 10 points each. Meanwhile, Switzerland defeated Cyprus, and Ireland have 9 points, but have played fewer matches.

In Group 5, second-placed Norway unexpectedly failed to win against Moldova, while Slovenia tied with Belarus for third place. The hosts triumphed in Group 6: Poland beat Northern Ireland, Austria won against Wales for the second consecutive time, and England had no major problems defeating Azerbaijan.

In Group 7, Serbia and Montenegro remain in the lead after drawing with Spain at home. Lithuania holds third place after drawing with Bosnia and Herzegovina, while Belgium achieved a hard-fought victory over San Marino. Group 8 saw Croatia claim their fourth victory, defeating Malta, while Hungary drew with Bulgaria.

Below are the results of Wednesday's matches:

Group 1

Group 2

Group 3

Group 4

Group 5

Group 6

Group 7

Group 8