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    Tuesday, September 6, 2016

    World Cup qualifier round-up:Portugal lose, Holland draw with Sweden as Greece thump Gibraltar


    European champions Portugal lost their opening qualifier in Switzerland, and France were held by Belarus, but Belgium, Greece and Bosnia and Herzegovina made positive starts.
     Group A
    Sweden 1-1 Netherlands
    Honours were even at the Friends Arena in Jan Andersson's first competitive game as Sweden coach. Marcus Berg chipped in off the underside of the bar in the moments before half-time, but Wesley Sneijder's strike midway through the second half restored parity in what was the hosts' first game of the post-Zlatan Ibrahimović era.

    Belarus 0-0 France
    The UEFA EURO 2016 runners-up remain in the doldrums after a disappointing start to their qualifying campaign. Timofei Kalachev and Nikolai Signevich gave the French defence a first-half scare, while at the other end Andrei Gorbunov twice denied Antoine Griezmann, and Olivier Giroud found the crossbar with a header.

    Bulgaria 4-3 Luxembourg
    Both sides scored in second-half added time, Alexander Tonev having the final word after fellow substitute Florian Bohnert had made it 3-3. Dimitar Rangelov's close-range finish had put the hosts ahead but Aurélien Joachim struck twice to make it advantage Luxembourg before Marcelinho levelled, Ivelin Popov restoring Bulgaria's lead.

    Group B
    Switzerland 2-0 Portugal
    Without the injured Cristiano Ronaldo, the European champions began their campaign with a defeat in Basel. Breel Embolo nodded in the opener after Rui Patrício spilled from Ricardo Rodríguez, and Admir Mehmedi hit the second following an elegant exchange of passes with Haris Seferović. Nani headed against the woodwork in the second half and Switzerland's Granit Xhaka was sent off late on.

    Faroe Islands 0-0 Hungary
    Despite treacherous winds, the Faroes made their best start to a qualifying campaign since kicking off their UEFA EURO 2004 tilt with a 2-2 draw against Scotland. Hallur Hansson rattled the upright for the home side on 86 minutes, while Zoltán Stieber had a shot saved and Ákos Elek fired narrowly over in a frantic finish.

    Andorra 0-1 Latvia
    The Andorrans are now on a 21-match losing streak but might easily have done better. Ludovic Clemente found the frame of Latvia's goal before the interval, Valērijs Šabala easing the visitors' nerves with a goal after the break. There was then an agonising finale for Ildefons Lima, who headed just over from a corner and had an effort saved by Andris Vaņins deep into added time.

    Group H
    Bosnia and Herzegovina 5-0 Estonia
    The Bosnians secured the biggest victory of the night after Emir Spahić's early strike and Edin Džeko's penalty put them on the front foot in the first half in Zenica. Estonia buckled in the closing stages, Haris Medunjanin making it 3-0 before Vedad Ibišević and Spahić made further additions later on.

    Cyprus 0-3 Belgium
    Two Romelu Lukaku finishes from close range ensured a positive start for Belgium under new coach Roberto Martínez. The Everton man converted rebounds after team-mates Thomas Meunier and Yannick Carrasco were denied, Eden Hazard setting up Carrasco for a third. Michy Batshuayi had a late penalty kept out by Kostas Panayi.

    Gibraltar 1-4 Greece

    Kostas Mitroglou's fine volley gave Greece a tenth-minute lead, but Liam Walker replied with another tremendous finish – Gibraltar's first FIFA World Cup goal. However, after Scott Wiseman's own goal, Kostas Fortounis and Vasilis Torosidis both managed to squeeze in further strikes before the half-time whistle blew.
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    Item Reviewed: World Cup qualifier round-up:Portugal lose, Holland draw with Sweden as Greece thump Gibraltar Rating: 5 Reviewed By: billsports
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