MANCHESTER, England, 8 October 2006 — A mis-firing England had to settle for a 0-0 draw with Macedonia yesterday that cut short their winning run in the Euro 2008 qualifiers.
England, who notched a labored 1-0 win over Macedonia in Skopje last month after crushing Andorra 5-0, were outplayed at times by their slicker-passing opponents. The hosts’ best chance came in the closing minutes when Steven Gerrard hit the bar.
Steve McClaren’s first setback as England manager since taking over after the World Cup was down to poor passing and a lack of authority in midfield, where Macedonia looked far more comfortable on the ball.
Though the draw will not compromise their qualifying chances, the performance will give McClaren’s men little reason for optimism for next Wednesday’s Group E match in Croatia, a far tougher game on paper.
England made a bright enough start, with Wayne Rooney looking sharp on his return from suspension, but there was also an early warning when Macedonia striker Goran Pandev broke into the box and fired into the side netting.
England had plenty of early possession but were held up by a combination of dreadful passing and some alert defending by Macedonia, who were quick to get men behind the ball.
Stewart Downing on the left flank, midfielders Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, along with right back Gary Neville, were all guilty of wasting possession.
As England toiled and started to look edgy, the visitors grew in confidence as the first half wore on, with much of their attacking play going through the impressive Pandev.
Superb work on the right by Vlade Lazarevski, getting the better of Ashley Cole, enabled him to get in a booming cross which the inrushing Robert Petrov volleyed high over the bar.
Ilco Naumoski was also causing trouble down the left, leaving both Gerrard and Michael Carrick on the floor with his twisting runs, and Goran Maznov finished the half with a raking shot which flew wide of the far post.
With Macedonia playing the better football and looking the more likely to score, the halftime whistle was greeted by boos from the Old Trafford crowd. There was a further setback for McClaren within minutes of the re-start with Gerrard picking up a booking that will rule him out of the game in Croatia.
England continued to struggle and had two let-offs in quick succession when Aleksandar Mitreski headed over the bar from a corner and substitute Aco Stojkov sped through for a shot which keeper Paul Robinson turned round for a corner.
England had to wait until the 58th minute for their first real scoring chance, when Peter Crouch’s header was parried by keeper Jane Nikoloski and Neville blazed the loose ball over.
McClaren tried to inject some bite into England’s attack midway through the half by sending on right-winger Shaun Wright-Phillips for the ineffective Downing on the left. Rooney made way for Jermain Defoe, but there was only a minor improvement.
Caldwell Goal Helps Scotland
Sink France in Glasgow
Gary Caldwell struck in the 67th minute to give Scotland a surprise 1-0 home win over World Cup runners-up France in their Group B qualifier.Caldwell shot home from six meters from fellow midfielder Paul Hartley’s corner to put the Scots three points clear of the French at the top of the group after three matches.
Woeful Wales Humbled
by Slovakia
In Cardiff, Wales suffered a 5-1 mauling at home by Group D rivals Slovakia to leave their Euro 2008 qualifying hopes in tatters.
After a 2-1 defeat against the Czech Republic in their opening match, John Toshack’s young side must now beat Cyprus at home on Wednesday to stand any chance of reaching the finals in Austria and Switzerland.
There was a nightmare start for the home side when Slavia Prague striker Dusan Svento opened the scoring after 14 minutes from a Robert Vittek cross.
Things went from bad to worse for Wales when veteran goalkeeper Paul Jones, celebrating his 50th cap, made a mess of a clearance and Marek Mintal punished him from 35 meters. The sole highlight for Wales came after 37 minutes when defender Gareth Bale curled home a superb free kick to become the youngest ever scorer for Wales at 17 years 83 days.
Any hope of a comeback were wiped out a minute later, however, when Mintal fired a low shot past Jones at his near post to restore the visitors’ two-goal advantage.
Smolarek Goal Gives Poland
1-0 Win in Kazakhstan
In Almaty, a goal by Ebi Smolarek gave Poland a 1-0 away win over Kazakhstan in their Group A qualifier. The Borussia Dortmund midfielder beat Kazakh goalkeeper David Lorya with a low, right-footed shot into the bottom left corner in the 52nd minute. It was Poland’s first win in three qualifiers following a disappointing 3-1 home defeat by Finland and a 1-1 draw against Serbia. They are at home to Portugal on Wednesday.
Second-Half Goals Secure
Bosnia 2-2 Draw in Moldova
In Chisinau, a goal from midfielder Ivica Grlic earned Bosnia-Herzegovina a 2-2 draw against Moldova in their Group C qualifier.
Moldova led 2-0 at the break thanks to goals from forward Serghei Rogaciov.
He outplayed the Bosnian goalkeeper and put the ball into an empty net in the 13th minute. Rogaciov added the second in the 32nd minute after Moldova were awarded a penalty for handball. Bosnia pulled one in the 62nd minute when striker Zvjezdan Misimovic scored from the rebound after keeper Serghei Pascenco saved his penalty attempt.
In Moscow, a late equalizer from substitute Amit Ben Shushan gave Israel a 1-1 draw with Russia in their Group E qualifier.
The Russians made a flying start, Andrei Arshavin outsprinting a defender in the fifth minute to slot the ball inside the post from 10 meters. Israel leveled from a rare counterattack six minutes from time as Shushan pounced to score after Russia goalkeeper Igor Akinfeyev had saved from substitute Toto Tamuz.
Lithuania Squeeze Past
Faroe Islands With Late Goal
In Torshavn, a last-minute goal from defender Andrius Skerla gave Lithuania a 1-0 win over the Faroe Islands in their Group B qualifier.
Lithuania struggled against a hard-working home team in the first half but put the pressure on in the second period. Skerla finally broke the resistance of the Faroes, heading in a corner from Mindaugas Kalonas to earn Lithuania a well-deserved victory.
Armenia Goalkeeper’s Saves
Nail a 0-0 Draw With Finland
In Yerevan, Armenia goalkeeper Gevorg Kasparov clinched a 0-0 draw with Finland with eight important second-half saves in their Group A qualifier. After a relatively uneventful first half, marked by yellow cards for Finland’s Sami Hyypia and Armenian Karen Aleksanyan, Finland racked up the pressure. Kasparov denied them a win, however, blocking eight shots on goal between the 72nd and 85th minutes.
