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David Beckham insists England won’t be motivated by revenge when they bid to seal World Cup qualification against Croatia on Wednesday.
Beckham was part of the England team denied a place at Euro 2008 by Croatia’s 3-2 victory at Wembley in November 2007.
That dismal defeat signalled the end of Steve McClaren’s reign and ushered in a new era under Fabio Capello.
Under Capello’s no-nonense leadership, England have gone on an impressive run of seven successive qualifying victories to move within one more win of reaching next year’s finals in South Africa.
The chance to achieve that aim against Croatia at Wembley would be a cathartic experience for England. But LA Galaxy midfielder Beckham is adamant that the players are focused solely on qualification rather than erasing those painful memories.
“It was disastrous for us as a nation not qualify. It was one of the most difficult times as an Englishman and a footballer for this country. When you don’t qualify and don’t win a game you should at Wembley, it’s hurtful,” Beckham said at England’s hotel on Monday.
“Many players in this squad were involved in that game and hurt that night. Everyone was upset in the changing room after but we have got over that as a squad and a nation.
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“But it’s not about revenge for us. Our objective is about qualifying for the World Cup, not about beating Croatia or putting bad memories to rest.
“It’s about moving forward. The squad have done that. They’ve brought the belief back to the country and the fans. That was the biggest thing for us.
“I’m sure the fans will want us to beat them on the revenge side but most important for us is knowing that if we win we are in the World Cup finals. That’s all we are thinking about.”
After spending most of his England career as the team’s figurehead, Beckham is now forced to settle for a bit-part role.
The former Manchester United star didn’t even make it off the bench in Saturday’s 2-1 friendly win over Slovenia – the first time he hasn’t appeared for England when he has been in the squad since 1998.
But the 34-year-old has no complaints about Capello’s decision to use Shaun Wright-Phillips and Aaron Lennon ahead of him and is just happy to still be in the squad after his England career looked over three years ago.
“It doesn’t worry me at all,” Beckham said. “The manager has his own views and decides who plays and doesn’t.
“He has a squad of players and there were four or five others that didn’t get on as well. Every player wants to play every minute of every game but sometimes it doesn’t happen.
“I’m in the squad, involved in the squad. When you’ve got players like Theo Walcott, Aaron Lennon and Shaun Wright-Phillips playing the way they are, they deserve to be playing.”
If Beckham does make it into Capello’s final squad for the World Cup, it will be his fourth appearance in the game’s biggest showpiece.
To do that he knows he needs to be playing at the highest level possible leading up to the finals. That is certain to mean a return to European football again once the MLS campaign finishes later this season.
Beckham has been approached by Premier League clubs and also admits that AC Milan have told him they are happy to have him back for a second loan spell.
“Everyone is aware that I will finish the MLS season with the Galaxy. We are going pretty well at the moment and after that I need to do what I can to be involved in the rest of the games leading up to the World Cup,” Beckham said.
“I have plans, I have options. It’s always good to have options.
“My career so far has been incredible. I’ve had ups and downs, played in three World Cups, been captain of my country, played for some of the biggest clubs, and I’ve enjoyed that.
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“If we reach another World Cup and I play some part of that, it will be up there with all the other achievements I’ve had in my career. But we’ve not qualified yet.”
Thursday, November 3, 2016
African teams bie to complete W.Cup line-up
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Cameroon, Tunisia, Algeria and Ivory Coast are looking good to join Ghana and hosts South Africa and complete the African line-up at the 2010 World Cup.
Ghana become the first African team to secure a place at the first World Cup to be staged on the ‘Dark Continent’ with a 2-0 triumph win over Sudan in Accra at the weekend courtesy of goals from Sulley Muntari and Michael Essien.
Cameroon, Algeria and Ivory Coast also took maximum points during the fourth series of games in the final qualifying round while Tunisia hit back twice to force a 2-2 draw with Nigeria.
The impact of recently hired French coach Paul le Guen on Cameroon has been immediate and if the ‘Indomitable Lions’ defeat Gabon for the second time in five days Wednesday they will become Group A leaders. Not bad for a team that fell in Togo, lost German coach Otto Pfister and managed only a goalless home draw with Morocco under caretaker Thomas N’knono before Le Guen answered a distress signal.
This mini-league is the tighest of the five with three points separating pacesetters Gabon from bottom team Morocco and if Cameroon can win their two remaining home fixtures it could be sufficient. After tackling Gabon, the ‘Lions’ host Togo on October 10 before visting Morocco the following month as they seek a record sixth World Cup appearance by an African country.
Le Guen, winner of three consecutive French titles with Lyon this decade, gambled by dropping long-serving defender Rigobert Song and passing the captaincy to star striker Samuel Eto’o. The results speak for themselves with a 2-0 friendly win in Austria followed by another two-goal triumph last Saturday in Libreville via goals from Achille Emana and three-time African Footballer of the Year Eto’o.
Tunisia can clinch Group B honours if they beat Kenya at home and Mozambique away, an achievement that will be hard for Nigerians to accept after their shock failure to reach the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Nigeria have the same opponents with a visit from Mozambique followed by a journey to Kenya and if there is a glimmer of hope it would be that a fixture in Nairobi is probably easier than one in Maputo.
Banker may be a dangerous word to use in the unpredictable world of football, but it surely applies to Ivory Coast, who need one point from encounters with Malawi (away) and Guinea (home) to top Group E. The Ivorian ‘Elephants’ share with Ghana a 100 percent record after four rounds and having routed Malawi 5-0 in Abidjan last March, there is no reason to doubt that they can take at least one point from Blantyre next month.
It looks like African champions Egypt will have to defeat Zambia (away) and Group C leaders Algeria (home) to have any hope of reaching South Africa as they trail their fierce North African rivals by three points.
This race may not even go to Cairo in mid-November because it seems far more likely that Algeria will defeat visiting Rwanda next month than Egypt will achieve a similar result in Zambia.
A new look for 2016, this is the Matt Besler men's jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Kyle Beckerman, Paul Arriola, Lee Nguyen, Jozy Altidore and Gyasi Zardes. mallory pugh jersey USA The five group winners qualify for the World Cup between June 11 and July 11 while the top three finishers in each mini-league go the African Nations Cup in Angola five months earlier.
Ghana become the first African team to secure a place at the first World Cup to be staged on the ‘Dark Continent’ with a 2-0 triumph win over Sudan in Accra at the weekend courtesy of goals from Sulley Muntari and Michael Essien.
Cameroon, Algeria and Ivory Coast also took maximum points during the fourth series of games in the final qualifying round while Tunisia hit back twice to force a 2-2 draw with Nigeria.
The impact of recently hired French coach Paul le Guen on Cameroon has been immediate and if the ‘Indomitable Lions’ defeat Gabon for the second time in five days Wednesday they will become Group A leaders. Not bad for a team that fell in Togo, lost German coach Otto Pfister and managed only a goalless home draw with Morocco under caretaker Thomas N’knono before Le Guen answered a distress signal.
This mini-league is the tighest of the five with three points separating pacesetters Gabon from bottom team Morocco and if Cameroon can win their two remaining home fixtures it could be sufficient. After tackling Gabon, the ‘Lions’ host Togo on October 10 before visting Morocco the following month as they seek a record sixth World Cup appearance by an African country.
Le Guen, winner of three consecutive French titles with Lyon this decade, gambled by dropping long-serving defender Rigobert Song and passing the captaincy to star striker Samuel Eto’o. The results speak for themselves with a 2-0 friendly win in Austria followed by another two-goal triumph last Saturday in Libreville via goals from Achille Emana and three-time African Footballer of the Year Eto’o.
Tunisia can clinch Group B honours if they beat Kenya at home and Mozambique away, an achievement that will be hard for Nigerians to accept after their shock failure to reach the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Nigeria have the same opponents with a visit from Mozambique followed by a journey to Kenya and if there is a glimmer of hope it would be that a fixture in Nairobi is probably easier than one in Maputo.
Banker may be a dangerous word to use in the unpredictable world of football, but it surely applies to Ivory Coast, who need one point from encounters with Malawi (away) and Guinea (home) to top Group E. The Ivorian ‘Elephants’ share with Ghana a 100 percent record after four rounds and having routed Malawi 5-0 in Abidjan last March, there is no reason to doubt that they can take at least one point from Blantyre next month.
It looks like African champions Egypt will have to defeat Zambia (away) and Group C leaders Algeria (home) to have any hope of reaching South Africa as they trail their fierce North African rivals by three points.
This race may not even go to Cairo in mid-November because it seems far more likely that Algeria will defeat visiting Rwanda next month than Egypt will achieve a similar result in Zambia.
A new look for 2016, this is the Matt Besler men's jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Kyle Beckerman, Paul Arriola, Lee Nguyen, Jozy Altidore and Gyasi Zardes. mallory pugh jersey USA The five group winners qualify for the World Cup between June 11 and July 11 while the top three finishers in each mini-league go the African Nations Cup in Angola five months earlier.
Ribery and Escude back in training
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France playmaker Franck Ribery and defender Julien Escude both shook off knocks to complete a full training session on Monday ahead of a crunch World Cup qualifer away against group leaders Serbia.
Both players were slightly injured during France’s 1-1 draw at home with Romania on Saturday but the French management said the duo took part in training as normal.
Ribery, who injured his calf, has had an injury-plagued close season, barely playing for Bayern Munich thus far this campaign and failing to make an impression after coming on against Romania as a 57th-minute replacement.
Escude, who scored an own goal against the Romanians, picked up an injury to his quadriceps.
Serbia lead France by four points in Group Seven with just three matches remaining so victory on Wednesday for the hosts would leave coach Raymond Domenech and the French scrambling to make the finals in South Africa next year.
Mon 7 Sep, 2009RSS Feed LAST 5 POSTS BY SOCCERNEWS Messi desperate for Argentina success – Bauza Redknapp backs Spurs to finish above Arsenal Inter don´t have time to work on tactics – Vecchi Puel praises Southampton fight
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Both players were slightly injured during France’s 1-1 draw at home with Romania on Saturday but the French management said the duo took part in training as normal.
Ribery, who injured his calf, has had an injury-plagued close season, barely playing for Bayern Munich thus far this campaign and failing to make an impression after coming on against Romania as a 57th-minute replacement.
Escude, who scored an own goal against the Romanians, picked up an injury to his quadriceps.
Serbia lead France by four points in Group Seven with just three matches remaining so victory on Wednesday for the hosts would leave coach Raymond Domenech and the French scrambling to make the finals in South Africa next year.
Mon 7 Sep, 2009RSS Feed LAST 5 POSTS BY SOCCERNEWS Messi desperate for Argentina success – Bauza Redknapp backs Spurs to finish above Arsenal Inter don´t have time to work on tactics – Vecchi Puel praises Southampton fight
A new look for 2016, this is the Kyle Beckerman men's jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Paul Arriola, Jozy Altidore, Matt Miazga, Gyasi Zardes and Lee Nguyen. christen press jersey USA Inter´s world is crumbling – Icardi
Bilic claims England have weak link
Slaven Bilic has backed his Croatia side to burst England’s World Cup bubble by exploiting what he has identified as a missing link in the make-up of Fabio Capello’s squad.
England’s fortunes have been transformed under Capello and, after seven straight wins in their qualifying campaign, can clinch top spot in group six and a place in next year’s finals by beating Bilic’s men at Wembley on Wednesday.
Croatia, in contrast, are struggling to claim a play-off spot and it all seems a very far cry from November 2007, when Bilic’s men claimed a famous 3-2 at Wembley to deny England, then managed by Steve McClaren, a place at Euro 2008.
The Croatian coach however is far from ready to accept that Capello has made England unbeatable. “They have some advantages but they are also missing something from their game,” he said.
“They are missing some Englishness, some of the things that have always made England teams difficult to defend against and play against.
“All I will say is that they are definitely missing something and we know what it is. But of course I am not going to tell you now what it is. It is our secret.”
Bilic also believes that memories of the way Croatia played on their last visit to Wembley will boost his side’s chances, despite the absence of injured playmaker Luka Modric.
“We did not beat them 10 times in a row but, having said that, we are the only team in the world to have done it twice,” Bilic told The Guardian. “We did it one after the other and that’s important.”
England claimed revenge for the Euro 2008 qualifying defeats by beating Croatia 4-1 in Zagreb at the start of the current campaign and Bilic’s squad’s recent tendency to fail to perform to its potential was again in evidence as they made hard work of securing a 1-0 home win over Belarus on Saturday.
Croatia go into Wednesday’s match in second place in the group with a three-point advantage over Ukraine but their rivals for the play-off spot have a game in hand. Mon 7 Sep, 2009RSS Feed LAST 5 POSTS BY SOCCERNEWS
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England’s fortunes have been transformed under Capello and, after seven straight wins in their qualifying campaign, can clinch top spot in group six and a place in next year’s finals by beating Bilic’s men at Wembley on Wednesday.
Croatia, in contrast, are struggling to claim a play-off spot and it all seems a very far cry from November 2007, when Bilic’s men claimed a famous 3-2 at Wembley to deny England, then managed by Steve McClaren, a place at Euro 2008.
The Croatian coach however is far from ready to accept that Capello has made England unbeatable. “They have some advantages but they are also missing something from their game,” he said.
“They are missing some Englishness, some of the things that have always made England teams difficult to defend against and play against.
“All I will say is that they are definitely missing something and we know what it is. But of course I am not going to tell you now what it is. It is our secret.”
Bilic also believes that memories of the way Croatia played on their last visit to Wembley will boost his side’s chances, despite the absence of injured playmaker Luka Modric.
“We did not beat them 10 times in a row but, having said that, we are the only team in the world to have done it twice,” Bilic told The Guardian. “We did it one after the other and that’s important.”
England claimed revenge for the Euro 2008 qualifying defeats by beating Croatia 4-1 in Zagreb at the start of the current campaign and Bilic’s squad’s recent tendency to fail to perform to its potential was again in evidence as they made hard work of securing a 1-0 home win over Belarus on Saturday.
Croatia go into Wednesday’s match in second place in the group with a three-point advantage over Ukraine but their rivals for the play-off spot have a game in hand. Mon 7 Sep, 2009RSS Feed LAST 5 POSTS BY SOCCERNEWS
Messi desperate for Argentina success – Bauza Redknapp backs Spurs to finish above Arsenal Inter don´t have time to work on tactics – Vecchi
A new look for 2016, this is the Paul Arriola men's jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Jozy Altidore, Gyasi Zardes, Edgar Castillo, Lee Nguyen and Matt Miazga. kelley o'hara jersey USA Puel praises Southampton fight
Barry aims to avenge Croatian misery
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England midfielder Gareth Barry admits he is desperate to make amends for the lowest moment of his career by helping Fabio Capello’s side secure their World Cup place with victory over Croatia on Wednesday.
Barry was part of the England team who missed out on Euro 2008 after Croatia won 3-2 at Wembley 22 months ago, but the Manchester City star is confident Slaven Bilic’s men will find it much harder in London this time.
Last time, in November 2007, Steve McClaren’s England needed just a draw to qualify for the European Championship finals in Austria and Switzerland but they fell apart in dismal fashion.
McClaren was sacked soon after and Capello took over. The Italian has quickly got England back on track and they can book their trip to next year’s World Cup in South Africa with a victory over the Croatians after winning all seven of their qualifiers.
“Everyone wants to put it to bed on Wednesday and get across the line,” said midfielder Barry, who moved from Aston Villa to Manchester City during the close-season and has been ever-present under Capello.
“A lot of players in our dressing room won’t forget that night at Wembley two years ago. There will be a few memories. But it’s a different manager and a different team now and although that might be in the back of our minds we’ll be confident we can do it this time. “Like many others the last home match against Croatia was the lowest point of my career – being on the verge of qualifying for a championships and then all of a sudden it’s taken away from you.
“It’s not a nice feeling. This is England we’re talking about and we need to be part of these tournaments. But we can put that right on Wednesday.” England have already gained some element of revenge by beating Croatia 4-1 in Zagreb earlier in the qualifying campaign thanks to a remarkable performance from hat-trick star Theo Walcott.
And although Walcott is unavailable for the return game because of injury there is a real sense of belief in the England squad these days. Barry added: “We played some of our best football under this manager in Zagreb and it set us up nicely for the rest of the campaign.
“We’ve come a long way, really if you look at the results. They have all been positive, especially in competitive games and the manager knows that’s what we’ll all be judged on.”
Barry does have one word of caution for his England team-mates, however, as they prepare for a match that is likely to have something of an edge about it following previous encounters.
Croatia, too, are looking for revenge following that rare defeat in Zagreb and are still seething over the way Tottenham’s Luka Modric was ruled out of the tie after being injured in a Premier League game – just as Eduardo had been in the past.
Barry said: “In the away game I think we found out they will fire into challenges and try and make it tough but I’m sure we?ll talk about keeping our heads and keeping 11 players on the pitch.
A new look for 2016, this is the Jozy Altidore men's jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Gyasi Zardes, Lee Nguyen, David Bingham, Matt Miazga and Edgar Castillo. becky sauerbrunn jersey USA “I think discipline was a massive thing out in Croatia and it will be big again on Wednesday. But this game is completely different. They know we can qualify on the night and the pressure is on them.”
Barry was part of the England team who missed out on Euro 2008 after Croatia won 3-2 at Wembley 22 months ago, but the Manchester City star is confident Slaven Bilic’s men will find it much harder in London this time.
Last time, in November 2007, Steve McClaren’s England needed just a draw to qualify for the European Championship finals in Austria and Switzerland but they fell apart in dismal fashion.
McClaren was sacked soon after and Capello took over. The Italian has quickly got England back on track and they can book their trip to next year’s World Cup in South Africa with a victory over the Croatians after winning all seven of their qualifiers.
“Everyone wants to put it to bed on Wednesday and get across the line,” said midfielder Barry, who moved from Aston Villa to Manchester City during the close-season and has been ever-present under Capello.
“A lot of players in our dressing room won’t forget that night at Wembley two years ago. There will be a few memories. But it’s a different manager and a different team now and although that might be in the back of our minds we’ll be confident we can do it this time. “Like many others the last home match against Croatia was the lowest point of my career – being on the verge of qualifying for a championships and then all of a sudden it’s taken away from you.
“It’s not a nice feeling. This is England we’re talking about and we need to be part of these tournaments. But we can put that right on Wednesday.” England have already gained some element of revenge by beating Croatia 4-1 in Zagreb earlier in the qualifying campaign thanks to a remarkable performance from hat-trick star Theo Walcott.
And although Walcott is unavailable for the return game because of injury there is a real sense of belief in the England squad these days. Barry added: “We played some of our best football under this manager in Zagreb and it set us up nicely for the rest of the campaign.
“We’ve come a long way, really if you look at the results. They have all been positive, especially in competitive games and the manager knows that’s what we’ll all be judged on.”
Barry does have one word of caution for his England team-mates, however, as they prepare for a match that is likely to have something of an edge about it following previous encounters.
Croatia, too, are looking for revenge following that rare defeat in Zagreb and are still seething over the way Tottenham’s Luka Modric was ruled out of the tie after being injured in a Premier League game – just as Eduardo had been in the past.
Barry said: “In the away game I think we found out they will fire into challenges and try and make it tough but I’m sure we?ll talk about keeping our heads and keeping 11 players on the pitch.
A new look for 2016, this is the Jozy Altidore men's jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Gyasi Zardes, Lee Nguyen, David Bingham, Matt Miazga and Edgar Castillo. becky sauerbrunn jersey USA “I think discipline was a massive thing out in Croatia and it will be big again on Wednesday. But this game is completely different. They know we can qualify on the night and the pressure is on them.”
South Africa face Ireland on World Cup learning curve
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Aaron Mokoena believes South Africa will continue their learning process when they play Ireland in Limerick on Tuesday.
Following their 2-0 defeat to Germany in Leverkusen on Saturday, Bafana Bafana now tackle Ireland at Munster’s famous Thomond Park, a stadium renowned more for its rugby pedigree than soccer.
Mokoena believes the pace and intensity of Ireland’s British-based players will provide a new challenge for his teammates as they continue their preparation for the World Cup next summer.
“We had a really a good game against Germany, they are a very experienced team and of course, they’ve been playing at the top level a long, long time,” said Mokoena, who will hope to add to his record 92 caps on Tuesday.
“It’s great to have that competition and it showed us that when we have the ball we can not afford to lose it easily when playing against these teams. “The reason we’re playing these teams is that they have something we can learn from and Ireland are one of those teams we can really gain something from.
“Germany and Ireland provide two different styles of football, the Irish play like English players – they are tough, strong players, players who you have to get in contact with. “Most of them play in the English leagues where the tempo of the game is very high. So that is what we will need to match.”
As a player with over four years Premier League experience, Mokoena knows just what is required to play against that type of player and indeed, has faced most of Ireland’s players over the years with either Blackburn or his current club Portsmouth.
But as part of a South Africa squad where players are selected from eight leagues scattered throughout the world, things are a little more complex for national coach Joel Santana. “It is tough sometimes but the fact is this team has had almost a year together now and we know each other, especially since the Confederations Cup,” said the South Africa captain.
While Saturday’s opponents Germany are in pole position in their group to seal a place at the World Cup, Ireland’s hopes are still in the balance despite a vital 2-1 victory in Cyprus. One point behind Italy in Group 8, with the Italians holding one game in hand – to be played against Bulgaria on Wednesday, things are delicately poised for veteran coach Giovanni Trapattoni, whose side are currently ranked 38 in the world.
Just like South Africa, Ireland last competed at a World Cup in 2002. Trapattoni will take the opportunity to change his team around on Tuesday, having allowed senior players Robbie Keane, Richard Dunne, Shay Given and Kevin Kilbane to return to their families after the hard fought win in Cyprus.
A new look for 2016, this is the Gyasi Zardes men's jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Lee Nguyen, Matt Miazga, Steve Birnbaum, Edgar Castillo and David Bingham. whitney engen jersey USA Caleb Folan, Andy Keogh, Liam Lawrence, Keiren Westwood and Darren O’Dea are all in the hunt to start, with Damien Duff likely to skipper the side in Keane’s absence.
Following their 2-0 defeat to Germany in Leverkusen on Saturday, Bafana Bafana now tackle Ireland at Munster’s famous Thomond Park, a stadium renowned more for its rugby pedigree than soccer.
Mokoena believes the pace and intensity of Ireland’s British-based players will provide a new challenge for his teammates as they continue their preparation for the World Cup next summer.
“We had a really a good game against Germany, they are a very experienced team and of course, they’ve been playing at the top level a long, long time,” said Mokoena, who will hope to add to his record 92 caps on Tuesday.
“It’s great to have that competition and it showed us that when we have the ball we can not afford to lose it easily when playing against these teams. “The reason we’re playing these teams is that they have something we can learn from and Ireland are one of those teams we can really gain something from.
“Germany and Ireland provide two different styles of football, the Irish play like English players – they are tough, strong players, players who you have to get in contact with. “Most of them play in the English leagues where the tempo of the game is very high. So that is what we will need to match.”
As a player with over four years Premier League experience, Mokoena knows just what is required to play against that type of player and indeed, has faced most of Ireland’s players over the years with either Blackburn or his current club Portsmouth.
But as part of a South Africa squad where players are selected from eight leagues scattered throughout the world, things are a little more complex for national coach Joel Santana. “It is tough sometimes but the fact is this team has had almost a year together now and we know each other, especially since the Confederations Cup,” said the South Africa captain.
While Saturday’s opponents Germany are in pole position in their group to seal a place at the World Cup, Ireland’s hopes are still in the balance despite a vital 2-1 victory in Cyprus. One point behind Italy in Group 8, with the Italians holding one game in hand – to be played against Bulgaria on Wednesday, things are delicately poised for veteran coach Giovanni Trapattoni, whose side are currently ranked 38 in the world.
Just like South Africa, Ireland last competed at a World Cup in 2002. Trapattoni will take the opportunity to change his team around on Tuesday, having allowed senior players Robbie Keane, Richard Dunne, Shay Given and Kevin Kilbane to return to their families after the hard fought win in Cyprus.
A new look for 2016, this is the Gyasi Zardes men's jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Lee Nguyen, Matt Miazga, Steve Birnbaum, Edgar Castillo and David Bingham. whitney engen jersey USA Caleb Folan, Andy Keogh, Liam Lawrence, Keiren Westwood and Darren O’Dea are all in the hunt to start, with Damien Duff likely to skipper the side in Keane’s absence.
Little-known hot-shots put Ronaldo in World Cup shade
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The weekend’s World Cup qualifying matches were graced by some of the top strikers in world football, but a glimpse at the list of top scorers from each confederation reveals a striking lack of big names.
Fernando Torres, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Didier Drogba and Cristiano Ronaldo were all in action on Saturday, but none have come anywhere close to the 12 goals scored by Osea Vakatalesau of Fiji.
Vakatalesau has not even featured in a qualifying match since Fiji’s 2-0 win over Oceania section winners New Zealand in November 2008, but he is not the only confederation top scorer who won’t be appearing in South Africa next summer.
Thailand’s Sarayoot Chaikamdee and Uzbekistan’s Maksim Shatskikh were the deadliest marksmen in the Asian zone with eight goals apiece, but both countries failed to qualify. Uzkebistan finished bottom of Group One behind Australia, Japan, Bahrain and Qatar in the final round of the Asian campaign, with former Dynamo Kiev player Shatskikh’s last involvement coming in the 4-0 win over Qatar back in March.
Sarayoot, meanwhile, has not played since Thailand’s 3-0 home defeat to Japan in the third round of qualifying in June last year. Both players were able to fill their boots in the early stages of the qualifying procedure, with Thailand’s 13-2 aggregate victory over Macau and the Uzbeks’ 11-0 demolition of Taiwan going a long way towards explaining how Sarayoot and Shatskikh came to occupy their lofty positions.
Moumoui Dagano of Burkina Faso is the top scorer in Africa with 10 goals, but the 28-year-old’s hopes of participating in next summer’s South African showpiece were dealt a heavy blow when his side were drawn in the same group as all-conquering Ivory Coast.
Luton Shelton of Jamaica and El Salvador’s Rudis Corrales top the scoring charts in the CONCACAF region, but they, too, will not make the finals; Jamaica having fallen by the wayside in the penultimate qualifying round and El Salvador seven points off the play-off spot in the current standings.
Things take on a more familiar feel in South America and Europe, where Brazil’s Luis Fabiano and England’s Wayne Rooney are the sharpest shooters.
Rooney, who has eight goals, is being pushed hard by Spain’s David Villa while Uruguay’s Atletico Madrid striker Diego Forlan is one of nine-goal Luis Fabiano’s nearest rivals.
A new look for 2016, this is the Lee Nguyen men's jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Matt Miazga, Edgar Castillo, Geoff Cameron, David Bingham and Steve Birnbaum. crystal dunn jersey USA Elsewhere, though, it is world football’s lesser lights that have seized their moment to shine and in the top scorer’s tables at least, it really is anybody’s game.
Fernando Torres, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Didier Drogba and Cristiano Ronaldo were all in action on Saturday, but none have come anywhere close to the 12 goals scored by Osea Vakatalesau of Fiji.
Vakatalesau has not even featured in a qualifying match since Fiji’s 2-0 win over Oceania section winners New Zealand in November 2008, but he is not the only confederation top scorer who won’t be appearing in South Africa next summer.
Thailand’s Sarayoot Chaikamdee and Uzbekistan’s Maksim Shatskikh were the deadliest marksmen in the Asian zone with eight goals apiece, but both countries failed to qualify. Uzkebistan finished bottom of Group One behind Australia, Japan, Bahrain and Qatar in the final round of the Asian campaign, with former Dynamo Kiev player Shatskikh’s last involvement coming in the 4-0 win over Qatar back in March.
Sarayoot, meanwhile, has not played since Thailand’s 3-0 home defeat to Japan in the third round of qualifying in June last year. Both players were able to fill their boots in the early stages of the qualifying procedure, with Thailand’s 13-2 aggregate victory over Macau and the Uzbeks’ 11-0 demolition of Taiwan going a long way towards explaining how Sarayoot and Shatskikh came to occupy their lofty positions.
Moumoui Dagano of Burkina Faso is the top scorer in Africa with 10 goals, but the 28-year-old’s hopes of participating in next summer’s South African showpiece were dealt a heavy blow when his side were drawn in the same group as all-conquering Ivory Coast.
Luton Shelton of Jamaica and El Salvador’s Rudis Corrales top the scoring charts in the CONCACAF region, but they, too, will not make the finals; Jamaica having fallen by the wayside in the penultimate qualifying round and El Salvador seven points off the play-off spot in the current standings.
Things take on a more familiar feel in South America and Europe, where Brazil’s Luis Fabiano and England’s Wayne Rooney are the sharpest shooters.
Rooney, who has eight goals, is being pushed hard by Spain’s David Villa while Uruguay’s Atletico Madrid striker Diego Forlan is one of nine-goal Luis Fabiano’s nearest rivals.
A new look for 2016, this is the Lee Nguyen men's jersey will be wearing as they compete for the trophy this summer. Matt Miazga, Edgar Castillo, Geoff Cameron, David Bingham and Steve Birnbaum. crystal dunn jersey USA Elsewhere, though, it is world football’s lesser lights that have seized their moment to shine and in the top scorer’s tables at least, it really is anybody’s game.
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