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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2014 SPORTS Italy win over 10-man Malta Euro 2016 qualifiers TA’ QALI: Italy striker Graziano Pelle scored as Azerbaijan’s defence completely fell allowing a tame Nainggolan shot from 20 on his debut to earn a 1-0 away win over apart, he made it three with a fine header metres to trickle into the back of the net 10-man Malta with the visitors having hit from Danijel Pranjic’s cross. under his body. the woodwork four times in their Euro Two minutes into first half stoppage The Bosnians then gained the upper 2016 qualifier on Monday. time, Luka Modric’s brilliant pass set up hand and twice came close when Vincent The Southampton striker, one of four Marcelo Brozovic to make it four before Kompany cleared Pjanic’s shot off the line changes made by Antonio Conte after Modric himself converted a penalty after and Courtois kept out a Dzeko header with Friday’s laboured 2-1 home win over the break following a foul on Srna. an acrobatic save. Azerbaijan in Group H, struck from close An own goal by Rashad Sadygov com- range midway through the first half. pleted Azerbaijan’s misery just after the WALES 2 CYPRUS 1 Malta fought bravely, especially after hour mark, leaving Croatia to contemplate In Wales, Wales continued their unbeat- captain Michael Mifsud was dismissed in a much more meaningful encounter when en start to the Euro 2016 campaign as a the first half, while the Italians also finished they meet Italy, also unbeaten on nine nervy 2-1 triumph over Cyprus, after they with 10 men as Leonardo Bonucci was points, in Milan next month. had been reduced to 10 men, bolstered shown a straight red card late on for the nation’s dream of qualifying for a major impeding the advancing Andre Schembri. BOSNIA 1 BELGIUM 1 championship finals for only the second Italy have a perfect three wins while In Zenica, Bosnia and Belgium drew 1-1 time. Malta, who lost 3-0 at home to Norway on in an entertaining Euro 2016 Group B qual- Two first-half goals from substitute Friday, are still looking for their first point. ifier after midfielder Radja Nainggolan can- David Cotterill and Hal Robson-Kanu put The Italians are level at the top on nine celled out Edin Dzeko’s first-half opener for the home side on the way to a victory points with Croatia, who beat bottom side the Balkan nation on Monday. A clinical which sees them lead Group B with seven Azerbaijan 6-0 on Monday. strike by the lively Dzeko gave Bosnia the points and will feed the idea that Chris Coleman’s team could emulate the 1958 Welsh side, which played in the World Cup in Sweden. They had to graft to victory the hard way, though, after Cyprus pulled back a first-half goal through Vincent Laban’s free kick and then sought to capitalise when Andy King was sent off for a raking chal- lenge on Constantinos Makrides. Down to 10 men but still inspired by another excellent performance from man TA’ QALI: Italy’s Sebastian Giovinco (left) challenges for the ball with Malta’s Andre Agius of the match Gareth Bale, creator of during the Euro 2016 qualifying soccer match. —AP Robson-Kanu’s goal with a lovely back The Netherlands had never lost to Kolar and fired a low, driving shot from 25 heel, Wales could easily have succumbed Iceland, having won nine out of 10 previ- metres past the Kazakh goalkeeper, Andrei to an 83rd minute equaliser but the ous matches-the other was a 1-1 draw in Sidelnikov. A minute before the break, they unmarked Georgios Efrem headed over. Reykjavik in 1982 — but could not break struck again with another Sparta player down their defence. David Lafata tapping in a cross from his NORWAY 2 BULGARIA 1 The hosts were full of confidence after clubmate, Pavel Kaderabek. In Oslo, Norway secured their first ever 3-0 victories over Turkey and Latvia in their The home side, who have gleaned only victory over Bulgaria after goals from Tarik previous qualifiers. Netherlands coach one point in qualification so far, never real- Elyounoussi and Havard Nielsen handed Guus Hiddink threw Klaas-Jan Huntelaar ly tested Czech goalkeeper Petr Cech in the them a 2-1 Group H victory in a Euro 2016 for Wesley Sneijder at halftime but, unlike opening period but pushed forward at the qualifier on Monday. against Kazakhstan in their last qualifier start of the second half. Elyounoussi latched on to Per Ciljan when the Shcalke 04 striker scored, he The Czechs withstood the pressure and Skjelbred’s lofted pass before dodging could not get the Dutch out of their plight just after Kazakhstan had hit the post round keeper Nikolay Mihaylov and then this time. notched a third in the 56th minute when lifted the ball over Apostol Popov to score David Limbersky’s floating cross into the in the 13th minute. CZECHS 4 KAZAKHSTAN 2 box was met by Ladislav Krejci’s first-time Bulgaria stuck back before the break In Astana, the Czech Republic cruised to shot past Sidelnikov, making him the third when Nikolay Bodurov powered a header a 4-2 win over Kazakhstan on Monday as Sparta scorer of the night. into the net from a corner. Having lost the visitors maintained their perfect start Yuri Logvinenko scored twice for striker Joshua King to injury on the hour to their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign. Kazakhstan in the final 10 minutes, includ- mark, the Oslo crowd got a welcome lift The Czechs, having already earned the ing one in injury time, but that was merely shortly afterwards when coach Per Mathias OSIJEK: Croatia’s midfielder Alen Halilovic (left) vies with Azerbaijan’s defender Maksim more exalted scalps of the Netherlands a consolation after Tomas Necid had given Medvedev during the Euro 2016 Group H qualifying football match. —AFP Hogmo brought on 15-year-old Martin and Turkey in Group A, scored twice in the visitors a 4-1 lead. Odegaard, Norway’s youngest-ever inter- each half to make it three wins from three Pavel Vrba’s men have made a bright “We played against a team whose inten- lead against the run of play before national, for his second cap. in a game they dominated from the start. start to their campaign and appear to have tion was not to let us play,” said Italy coach Nainggolan equalised thanks to a blunder The teenage playmaker immediately They took control in the 13th minute found a solution to their former scoring Conte. “Having said that, we created a lot by keeper Asmir Begovic, who had kept his provided a much needed spark of creativi- when Sparta Prague midfielder Borek woes in Dockal, who has scored in each of of chances and hit the woodwork four team afloat in the first half. The result left ty for Norway. Captain Skjelbred made a Dockal collected a short pass from Daniel the first three matches. —Agencies times. the Belgians on four points from two surging run through the Bulgarian defence “Our next games are against Croatia and games after their opening 6-0 home rout before flicking the ball onto the path of Bulgaria, two teams who will be looking for of Andorra while Bosnia have two points Nielsen, who hooked his shot home. the points. A proper evaluation of our from three matches following a 2-1 home Norway are third in Group H with six strength will be made after these two qual- defeat by Cyprus and a 0-0 draw at Wales. points from three games. Leaders Croatia, ifiers.” The Welsh top the group with seven who thumped Azerbaijan 6-0, and second- Malta coach Pietro Ghedin was encour- points from three games after a 2-1 home placed Italy are both on nine points. aged by his side’s performance against one win over Cyprus. Although the outcome in of Europe’s strongest teams. “Our objective Zenica piled more pressure on the ICELAND 2 Netherlands 0 was to leave the pitch with the fans’ Bosnians, coach Safet Susic remained In Reykjavik, the Netherlands suffered a applause and we managed to do this,” he upbeat about his team’s chances of reach- 2-0 defeat away to Iceland who maintained told reproters. “We have accomplished our ing a second successive tournament as an their perfect start to Euro 2016 qualifying mission. For us, this result feels like a win.” independent nation following an early thanks to Gylfi Sigurdsson’s first-half dou- World Cup exit. ble on Monday. CROATIA 6 AZERBAIJAN 0 “The battle for Euro 2016 berths will in Sigurdsson had been a doubt with an In Zagreb, Croatia thrashed Azerbaijan all likelihood go down to the wire in our injury sustained against Latvia on Friday 6-0 in their Euro 2016 qualifier in Osijek on group and I am sure we will be in con- but the Swansea City midfielder featured Monday, a first half double from substitute tention until the very end,” Susic told BHT from the start and was worth his weight in Ivan Perisic helping them continue their television. gold for the hosts. 100 percent start with a third successive “The Belgians have acquired the kind of He scored his first goal in the 10th win in Group H. Against a side whose game confidence you are accustomed to seeing minute of the Group A game when he con- plan was simply to defend at all costs, it from the likes of Germany and are hence so verted a spot kick conceded by Stefan de still took only 11 minutes for Croatia to difficult to play against.” His counterpart Vrij, who fouled Birkir Bjarnason inside the forge ahead as Andrej Kramaric converted Marc Wilmots said: “We stayed calm.