Late but great for Spain

Paris, October 16

Rodrigo Moreno fired Spain into Euro 2020 with a last-gasp equaliser in Sweden while the Republic of Ireland’s chances of reaching the finals are still in the balance after they fell 2-0 in Switzerland.

Spain became the sixth team to qualify for next summer’s tournament thanks to Rodrigo, who came off the bench to score a dramatic injury-time leveller in a 1-1 draw in Stockholm, sparking wild celebrations on the touchline.

Robert Moreno’s side are now top of Group F with 20 points after drawing their last two matches. They are five ahead of Sweden and six above Romania, who missed the chance to take second spot when Norway’s Alexander Sorloth snatched a late 1-1 draw in Bucharest.

Ireland left sweating

In Group D, Haris Seferovic’s early strike and Shane Duffy’s late own goal kept Switzerland’s hopes of automatic qualification alive with a 2-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland.

The win in Geneva means the Swiss are just a point behind group leaders Ireland and Denmark with two matches remaining. 

Finns edge towards history

Finland inched closer to qualifying for their first ever European Championships after Teemu Pukki took his qualifying tally to seven in eight matches with a double that helped Finland sweep aside Armenia 3-0 in Turku. Fredrik Jensen 31st minute strike gave Finns the lead. — AFP

9TH win in a row for Italy under Roberto Mancini as they hammered Liechtenstein 5-0. This equals the record set by the great Vittorio Pozzo’s Italian side 80 years ago

Bulgaria police hold six over racist abuse

Sofia: Six Bulgarians have been detained over racist abuse at a Euro 2020 qualifier against England that sparked a storm of protest and led to the resignation of the country’s football chief, police said on Wednesday. Monkey chants and apparent Nazi salutes overshadowed England’s 6-0 win on Monday. Reuters

Canada stun US with first win in 34 years

Toronto: Canada defeated the United States for the first time in 34 years Tuesday after goals from Alphonso Davies and Lucas Cavallini delivered a stunning CONCACAF Nations League upset. Bayern Munich teenager Davies scored in the 63rd minute before Cavallini blasted home deep into stoppage time to seal a deserved 2-0 victory for the Canadians, who had not beaten the US since 1985. The result deepens the gloom surrounding the United States national team, which has been in a protracted slump since its shock failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. Afp