World Cup playoffs:
Nov. 10:
Honduras-Australia 0-0,
New Zealand-Peru 0-0
Nov 11
Denmark-Republic of Ireland 0-0
Nov 12
Switzerland-Northern Ireland 0-0
Greece-Croatia 0-0
Nov 13
Italy-Sweden 0-0
Nov 14
Republic of Ireland-Denmark 1-5
Thank you Denmark. That's how you do it! That's how you break the trend of "tactical battles" aka "boring matches".That's how you qualify for a World Cup in style. Ireland are not a team that get beaten like this. Well done Denmark.
The BBC reporter tasked with the live updates online must think he or she might have jinxed the Irish. Early in the match, with Ireland in the lead, he or she mentioned how Denmark's most creative player, Christian Eriksen, had been very quiet, completely marked out of the game by the Irish. A few minutes later: Ireland-Denmark 1-1. Three minutes later Ireland-Denmark 1-2 (Eriksen scores a beauty). By the end Eriksen has scored a hat-trick. "I don't do that very often," he said.
Two more to go tomorrow. At 4am, Toronto time, Australia will hope to be more lethal than they were in Honduras. They will only have themselves to blame if they mess this up, if they can't score again and Honduras get one goal from a corner or free kick with their one and only attack.
At 9.15pm, Peru will be very strong favourites to beat New Zealand. Or could the All Whites pull off another huge surprise. But after the shock of theevents in Italy, is anybody still watching these playoffs?
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