What a wonderful day. Northern Ireland qualified for Euro 2016 to join already qualified Iceland. Northern Ireland, Iceland at the......hold on. Wrong tournament. It's amazing that while Europe is at the end of qualifying for next year's Euros the rest of the world is deep into the early rounds of multiple rounds of qualifiers for 2018. I guess that's what has to happen when all those countries have to be eliminated to come down to 4 or 5, or 1 for Oceania.
Today's stand out results: Syria lost for the first time, 3-0 to Japan; other surprise team Singapore beat Afghanistan 1-0; Qatar carried on with their preperations for not embarassing themselves as hosts in 2022 by winning again, after beating Bhutan 15-0 last time out.
In Africa, South Sudan drew their first ever match in World Cup qualifying, Comoros avoided defeat for the first time ever and Sao Tome e Principe upset Ethiopia 1-0.
There's something about the romace of football imagining the supporters of Sao Toem e Principe celebrating that win and for Comoros that avoidance of defeat; and South Sudan playing for the first time; and in Asia, Maldives beating Bhutan 4-3 in what was probably a pretty exciting end with Bhutan scoring 3 times in the last 5 minutes; and East Timor and Palestine drawing 1-1. All these teams for whom every match is like their own World Cup final, knowing that most likely their World Cup will actually be over well before 2018.
And just happening in South America (yes, they've started too) first day, first shocks. Argentina beaten at home by Ecuador, 2-0 and Chile beat Brazil 2-0. Ok, second one not really a shock anymore.
And that was the exciting day of football. The sudden coming to life of the Fifa ethics committee did nothing to spoil the fun for the supporters and football lovers in East Timor, Maldives, Comoros.......
And on Tuesday everbody's favourite fairytale team, (and you didn't even know it) Guam take on Turkmenistan. A win in that match and the impossible dream will still be alive.
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