tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-155787342011-12-31T05:40:29.129-08:00Reporting on the outcome of international football matches.Marknoreply@blogger.comBlogger641100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-18359363765844042382011-12-31T05:40:00.000-08:002011-12-31T05:40:29.159-08:00

The final six weeks of the year produced some remarkable results at the lower end of the rankings. The lowest ranked nation, American Samoa, captured the headlines with their first ever win, beating Tonga 2-1 in a World Cup qualifier played in neighbouring Samoa and proved that their victory was no fluke by earning a 1-1 draw against the Cook Islands 2 days later at the same venue. Even the 1-0

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-86207002757314644352011-11-18T12:18:00.000-08:002011-11-18T12:18:01.596-08:00

<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 21 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if !mso]> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-68188722055966453922011-10-14T10:56:00.000-07:002011-10-17T11:04:19.055-07:00

<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 21 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if !mso]> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-20756283627734690742011-09-10T02:33:00.000-07:002011-09-10T02:33:07.824-07:00

<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 21 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if !mso]> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-44960699285386785512011-08-12T10:25:00.000-07:002011-08-15T10:27:39.440-07:00

<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 21 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if !mso]> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-22864206443291037872011-07-31T05:01:00.000-07:002011-07-31T05:01:38.571-07:00

<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 21 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if !mso]> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-89796438962938179692011-07-29T05:29:00.000-07:002011-07-29T05:29:54.022-07:00

<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 21 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if !mso]> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-62015344582003929242011-06-10T16:18:00.000-07:002011-06-10T16:18:48.214-07:00

<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 21 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if !mso]> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;

Marknoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-90345528352221247842011-03-31T07:22:00.000-07:002011-04-02T07:25:53.532-07:00

<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 21 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if !mso]> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-79179057873299301162011-02-11T08:34:00.000-08:002011-02-11T08:34:35.623-08:00

After the Asian Cup in January, the eyes of the world turned to the west in February as teams awoke from their winter break to engage in friendly internationals. World Cup failures France and Italy started the year well as the French celebrated a 1-0 win over Brazil in Paris and the Italians earned a 1-1 draw in Germany. In Portugal Guinea Bissau shocked Gambia 3-1 and Poland beat Norway 1-0

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-1678848408636243992011-01-30T14:20:00.000-08:002011-02-01T15:53:51.899-08:00

Qatar hosted the 2011 Asian Cup and despite their initial defeat to Uzbekistan progressed from their group with wins over China and Kuwait losing narrowly to eventual winners Japan in the next round. The Uzbeks were the most improved team in the rankings during the tournament  winning group A and reaching the semi-final where they fell apart and were trounced  6-0 by Australia finishing forth

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-17612601393643017072011-01-07T12:42:00.000-08:002011-01-07T12:42:31.230-08:00

<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 21 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if !mso]> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;

Marknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-84156863326659618182010-12-31T09:31:00.000-08:002010-12-31T09:33:47.480-08:00

After the Caribbean Cup in Martinique in Which Guadeloupe knocked Cuba out 2-1 to reach the final where they met and lost on penalties to Jamaica who had beaten Grenada 2-1 in extra time of the other semi-final, the attention turned mostly to Asia where a bunch of friendly matches saw the year out. Laos held Thailand to a 2-2 draw in Indonesia and Saudi Arabia lost their home match 1-0 to Iraq

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-8490124486110943042010-11-19T11:52:00.000-08:002010-11-20T11:54:28.065-08:00

<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 21 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if !mso]> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-25867881760592465552010-10-14T10:31:00.000-07:002010-10-14T10:33:17.809-07:00

The Caribbean qualifiers leading to the Gold Cup kicked off in October with Puerto Rico hosting and winning group A which saw Anguilla (the lowest Caribbean team in the rankings) pull off a shock 2-1 win against St Martin. Anguilla score in shock win There were 2 rounds of European qualifiers in which Serbia were humiliated at home 3-1 by Estonia and had their next match abandoned after only 6

Marknoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-72793192579241457822010-09-10T10:23:00.000-07:002010-09-10T10:25:00.210-07:00

For most European and African nations early September marked the start of their continental qualifiers and saw many changes in the Ziaian world rankings. France who seemed to be sinking deeper into the abyss after losing 1-0 at home to Belarus received a boost with a 2-0 win in Bosnia & Herzegovina 4 days later, while Croatia who had got off to a good start winning 3-0 in Latvia were held to a

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-61805488068604970612010-08-17T07:13:00.000-07:002010-08-17T07:13:07.132-07:00

The final whistle of the 2010 World Cup signalled the end of a chapter, bringing on managerial changes, retirements and hope for a younger generation of players. Exactly a month later teams across the globe kicked off a new chapter in the hope of a brighter future. Cameroon bounced back from 3 World Cup defeats with a 3-0 victory in Poland while Greece returned from Serbia with a 1-0 win. Guinea

Marknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-52830285375445991282010-07-21T12:21:00.000-07:002010-07-21T12:21:54.105-07:00

Qualifying for the World Cup is always cause for celebration, but every one of the 32 participants will have their own level of expectation which will determine their success or failure at the end of their campaign. Making a note of their positions in www.rankfootball.com before and after the tournament is a good indicator of their true level of success. Movement among the top teams can be

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-50843686180705638562010-06-09T13:20:00.000-07:002010-07-07T09:14:05.452-07:00

<!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-GB; mso-fareast-language:EN-GB;} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:70.85pt 70.85pt 70.85pt 70.85pt;

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-28245740759609980462010-05-31T15:52:00.000-07:002010-06-01T03:56:15.332-07:00

<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 21 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if !mso]> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } <![endif]--> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan;

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-14175911443184825842010-03-05T09:47:00.000-08:002010-03-19T09:48:29.338-07:00

With less that 100 days left to the start of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, teams around the world stretched their muscles in preparation for the big event. Greece suffered a worrying 2-0 home loss to Senegal while Switzerland fell 3-1 at home to Uruguay and Slovakia were defeated 1-0 by the visiting Norwegians. Argentina registered a 1-0 win over their hosts Germany and South Korea

Marknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-23792272783463076812010-02-04T16:26:00.000-08:002010-02-23T16:30:35.612-08:00

Ten days into the year that will see Africa host the World Cup for the first time; the eyes of the world were on Angola to witness the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations. Group A – The hosts opened the tournament with 4 goals against Mali, but were pegged back to a 4-4 draw in the last 11 minutes with 2 of the goals coming deep into stoppage time. Algeria suffered a shock 3-0 defeat to Malawi, but having

Marknoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-80993226026433896772010-01-06T12:50:00.000-08:002010-01-06T12:54:49.790-08:00

Soon after the start of the new decade Nigeria hosted the African Cup of Nations where they were to be beaten by Cameroon on penalties in the final resulting in a massive 55 place leap for the Cameroonians who ended the year 15th in the world rankings.Brazil had begun the millennium in top spot but lost 3-0 to Chile in a World Cup qualifier and lost out to France who were crowned champions of

Marknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-1629419692324740282009-11-20T06:41:00.000-08:002009-11-20T06:42:57.040-08:00

The final teams to qualify for South Africa 2010 became known after the play-off matches were completed in November. Greece who had been held to a goalless draw at home, silenced Ukraine with a single goal in the return match to book themselves a spot in the finals while a 1-0 win for the Republic of Ireland in France was only enough to take the match into extra time where a highly controversial

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-60720587902021232362009-10-17T03:17:00.000-07:002009-10-17T03:28:15.182-07:00

With qualification for the 2010 World Cup reaching its final stages teams with varying needs produced some unexpected results in October.Needing only a draw to qualify, Slovakia were stunned 2-0 by visiting Slovenia but bounced back to win 1-0 in Poland and qualify for the finals. Bulgaria saw their hopes shattered 4-1 in Cyprus while England’s only defeat of their campaign gave Ukraine a place

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-44599687121620147652009-09-12T02:39:00.000-07:002009-09-12T02:41:44.254-07:00

<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 21 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if !mso]> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } <![endif]--> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan;

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-22950035715046892542009-08-17T00:50:00.001-07:002009-08-17T00:50:36.703-07:00

After their heroics in the Confederations Cup, the USA hosted the Gold Cup and were brought down to earth in a 2-2 draw with Haiti, but reached the final where they were thrashed 5-0 by Mexico. In the same competition Guadeloupe celebrated a 2-1 victory over Panama, and in group A El Salvador shocked Costa Rica with a 2-1 win, but finished bottom of the group which was won surprisingly by

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-64162109007265132092009-07-02T06:02:00.000-07:002009-07-02T06:42:52.623-07:00

Brazil moved to the top of rankfootball.com after winning the Confederations Cup in South Africa. The opening match that will be remembered for a bizarre miss by the hosts ended with Iraq earning a 0-0 draw, while in the same group Torres bagged a hat-trick as Spain demolished New Zealand 5-0. On the 2nd day Brazil started brightly but Egypt matched them for goals until a last minute penalty

Marknoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-86494879828209154742009-06-19T02:58:00.000-07:002009-06-21T04:23:04.020-07:00

With the World Cup finals just a year away 5 teams will be taking a worry-free break having already joined hosts South Africa as the first nations to qualify for the competition. Japan became the first team to book their place in the finals after earning a 1-0 victory against Uzbekistan in Tashkent. Four days later the jubilant Japanese only managed a 1-1 draw at home to Qatar. Australia did not

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-87443675075499708032009-04-03T03:15:00.000-07:002009-06-23T09:19:39.132-07:00

The last weekend in March and April Fools day presented some of the continental heavyweights with uncomfortable tests which may have a lasting effect on their quest to qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa as other teams edge closer to the finals.Saudi Arabia came from behind to stun their hosts Iran with 2 late goals in the Azadi stadium. The 2-1 defeat resulted in the dismissal of

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-76666528236391755252009-02-17T10:14:00.000-08:002009-06-21T04:24:34.515-07:00

The year began in Uganda where the hosts lifted the 2009 CECAFA Cup with a 1-0 win over Kenya in the final. Tanzania, who had earlier suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Somalia, finished third by beating Burundi 3-2.The stage then moved to Asia and the 2011 Asian Cup qualifiers where Indonesia and Thailand held their hosts Jordan and Oman respectively to goalless draws and Japan narrowly defeated

Marknoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-70806287057603074892009-01-02T11:13:00.000-08:002009-06-23T09:36:27.011-07:00

Spain (pictured) ended the year on top of the football rankings after finally winning a major tournament in the shape of Euro 2008, and continuing their run of good results in their World Cup qualifiers. The Netherlands also had an impressive year despite losing to Russia in extra time in the Euros, having sailed through the group of death with a 3-0 win over world champions Italy followed by the

Marknoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-70188394139193424742008-12-16T03:38:00.000-08:002009-06-29T06:43:20.207-07:00

The final of the Caribbean Cup marked the end of the year for most countries as Asia and Oceania had already played their last competitive matches of the year in November with Fiji celebrating a 2-0 victory at home to group winners New Zealand, and Japan enjoying a 3-0 win away to Qatar. Saudi Arabia ended the year badly with a 2-0 home loss to South Korea.In the North American and Caribbean

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-52304316473974096672008-10-18T03:55:00.000-07:002008-10-21T16:09:55.726-07:00

After a busy week in October, Europe and South America took a winter break from World Cup qualifiers with Spain, England and the Netherlands maintaining their unblemished records. Serbia followed their 3-0 home win against Lithuania with a 3-1 victory in Austria while Switzerland enjoyed a 2-1 triumph in Greece and ten-man Albania returned from Portugal with a creditable goalless draw.A

Marknoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-91095609594950163682008-09-13T03:16:00.000-07:002008-10-18T05:29:07.859-07:00

With the European Championships which excelled the victorious Spaniards to top spot in Mark’s Rankings in June and the Olympic Games in Beijing later on taking centre stage, Egypt would hope that their humiliating 4-0 friendly defeat in August away to Sudan had gone unnoticed, but there were also important World Cup qualifiers being played in which Suriname gained a 2-2 draw in Haiti while

Marknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-70548790583242603872008-06-24T05:13:00.000-07:002008-10-18T05:30:40.047-07:00

While the battle for European supremacy was taking place in Europe, the rest of the world had their eyes on the 2010 World Cup. Trinidad and Tobago scraped through to the next round of the North, Central America and Caribbean section with a 2-0 win in Bermuda after having suffered a shock 2-1 defeat in their home match, while El Salvador forgot about their 1-0 loss in Panama with a 3-1 win in the

Marknoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-17991794730650702752008-06-05T06:56:00.000-07:002008-06-05T07:00:48.049-07:00

With Euro 2008 just around the corner, participating teams cautiously prepared for the competition with friendly matches late May and early June. Group A - Co hosts Switzerland will kick off the tournament having kept a clean sheet in their 2 recent matches against Slovakia 2-0 and Liechtenstein 3-0. After beating Lithuania 2-0 the Czech Republic bid farewell to their fans with a strong

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-73844148944539458812008-03-31T02:12:00.000-07:002008-10-18T12:58:39.883-07:00

With spring arriving in most parts of the world friendly and competitive matches took place. In Asia none of the top teams managed a win on the road to the 2010 World Cup finals. Uzbekistan trounced Saudi Arabia 3-0 while champions Iraq were beaten 2-0 away to Qatar and Japan were defeated 1-0 in Bahrain.The Caribbean teams concluded their first round knockout matches taking the overall winners

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-7393368406192577262008-02-13T04:43:00.000-08:002008-02-13T04:45:06.065-08:00

The 2008 Africa Cup of Nations took place in Ghana January 20th to February 10th. The hosts who were in group A, kicked of f the tournament against Guinea and had to rely on a last minute screamer from Sulley Muntari to earn 3 points with a 2-1 win. Namibia fell apart against Morocco losing 5-1 with Aloudi grabbing 3 in the first half, but showed much improvement in their next matches losing only

Marknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-90886795000570509102008-02-12T07:41:00.000-08:002008-10-18T13:02:20.347-07:00

The year started with several friendly matches leading up to the Africa Cup of Nations and the February 6th international day. Puerto Rico started the year well, with 2-0 and 1-0 wins away to Bermuda followed by a 2-2 draw at home to Trinidad & Tobago who continued to be disappointing, as did Kuwait who played 5 matches including a 2-0 loss to Singapore before losing a World Cup qualifier by the

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-48877357711152970362008-01-03T13:29:00.000-08:002009-02-18T00:52:31.680-08:00

As 2007 came to an end newly crowned kings of Asia, Iraq, will look back with the fondest memories, though Guadeloupe who are not even a member of FIFA were the biggest movers of the year in Marks Rankings having taken part in the Gold Cup for the first time and reached the semi-finals. Haiti also had a successful year, lifting the Caribbean Cup with their final win against Trinidad & Tobago who

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-3663469679079741622007-11-23T02:56:00.000-08:002009-02-18T00:53:37.531-08:00

The European qualifying round reached its conclusion in November with the top 14 joining hosts Austria and Switzerland for next year’s European championships. In the last 2 fixture days Croatia who had qualified by virtue of Israel’s win over Russia despite losing 2-0 away to neighbours Macedonia, ended the hopes of England with a 3-2 win at Wembley making England the highest team in the rankings

Marknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-61042135997115628712007-10-18T11:52:00.000-07:002009-02-18T00:55:16.058-08:00

Two international fixture days in mid October gave Europe some answers and South America the start to the 2010 World Cup qualifiers. The Czech Republic qualified after an emphatic 3-0 win in Germany, with the Irish Republic only managing a 1-1 home draw against Cyprus who had disposed of Wales 3-1 in Nicosia 4 days earlier. Greece earned the right to defend their title after a 1-0 victory in

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-3970682470033998642007-09-13T12:06:00.000-07:002009-02-18T00:55:58.670-08:00

The most eye-catching result in August was Hungary’s 3-1 friendly victory over World champions Italy. On the same night Portugal were held to a 1-1 draw in a Euro qualifier in Armenia while Belgium enjoyed a 3-2 win over Serbia. The 2007 South Pacific Games in Samoa was given extra spice as it acted as a preliminary qualifying competition for the 2010 World Cup with the top three qualifying to

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-86252986147660739962007-07-31T05:27:00.000-07:002010-06-05T02:42:49.846-07:00

With Japan, Iran and Australia the firm favourites to lift the Asian Cup, it was Iraq who shone through and reached gold. The tournament was co-hosted by Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia with Vietnam the only co-hosts to reach the second round enjoying a 2-0 win over the UAE along the way. Indonesia started with a 2-1 victory against Bahrain, but were narrowly beaten and eliminated by

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-34624626057464894602007-07-17T03:27:00.000-07:002009-02-18T01:00:16.236-08:00

The USA hosted and won the Gold Cup in June beating Mexico 2-1 in the final. The Mexicans had got off to a bad start with a 2-1 defeat to Honduras who in turn lost by the same score-line to the surprise team of the tournament -and most improved team in Mark’s football rankings- Guadeloupe. The 2 finalists had been invited to take part in the more prestigious Copa America which was being held in

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-30909685898923462542007-06-08T09:01:00.000-07:002009-02-18T01:00:57.104-08:00

With the domestic season over in most main European leagues, the qualifiers for Euro 2008 continued with 2 action-packed days in early June. Sweden were awarded a 3-0 win by UEFA today after their match in Copenhagen was abandoned in the 89th minute by the referee who was attacked by a fan. At 3-3 the referee had just sent a Danish player off for violent conduct and pointed to the spot in Sweden’

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-87954286275524343442007-03-30T04:08:00.000-07:002009-02-18T01:01:52.903-08:00

After a winter break the European and African qualifiers got under way with the early spring fixtures being played over the weekend and Wednesday. Norway seemed to be suffering from the affects of winter when they lost 2-1 at home to Bosnia, but managed a reputable 2-2 draw in Germany against Turkey who had earlier thrashed the reigning European champions Greece 4-1 on Greek soil. Serbia were

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-1171029280481580462007-02-09T05:51:00.000-08:002009-02-18T01:02:36.831-08:00

While many countries were taking a winter break, Trinidad & Tobago hosted the Caribbean Cup in January losing to Haiti in the final. Cuba and Guadeloupe were the other 2 teams to qualify by virtue of their positions in this tournament for the Gold Cup which will be held in the USA in June this year.Early in February the first big bulk of friendly matches was played. Portugal gained a satisfying 2

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-1169556549368205372007-01-23T04:48:00.000-08:002009-02-18T01:03:11.794-08:00

With 6 months to wait for the World Cup, there was plenty of time to prepare. The African Cup of Nations was the perfect stage for the African teams participating in the World Cup to get match practice and for those who had been pipped at the last post to show the world that they would have been worthy contestants at the highest level. World Cup newcomers Ghana, Togo and Angola failed to impress

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-1160753428690556922006-10-13T08:30:00.000-07:002009-02-18T01:04:34.263-08:00

Leading up to the matches in October, the first round matches of the Caribbean qualifiers were completed. Antigua & Barbuda qualified for the second round by finishing 2nd in their group with a 1-0 win over St Kitts & Nevis. St Vincent and the Grenadines ensured their passage to the next round instead of Jamaica with a resounding 8-0 victory over St Lucia. The Dominican Republic joined Bermuda by

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-1157715185673211392006-09-08T04:28:00.000-07:002009-02-18T01:05:07.397-08:00

Having taken a short break after the World Cup, international football resumed with continental qualifiers in the first week of September. World champions Italy got off to a shaky start with a shock home draw against Lithuania followed by a 3-1 away defeat to World Cup finalists France, while Hungary had mixed fortunes with a disastrous 4-1 home loss to Norway and an excellent 3-1 victory in

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-1155552280470826312006-08-14T03:42:00.000-07:002009-02-18T01:07:03.567-08:00

Victory on penalties in the World Cup final gave Italy top spot in Mark’s rankings, while finalists France who had a slow start to the tournament, and hosts Germany who finished 3rd were among the top teams to move up in the rankings. Australia who had recently joined the Asian Football Association continued to impress, as did newcomers Ghana - both progressing into the knockout stages. Despite

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-1149861167805340272006-06-09T06:51:00.000-07:002009-02-18T01:07:58.969-08:00

After four years of waiting the party is about to begin, but for the 32 teams taking part; it is a test for which they must be prepared. Germany qualified as hosts and have had to rely on friendly matches for the past year. This year started badly for them when they suffered a humiliating 4-1 defeat in Italy. Three weeks later they reversed the score line at home against the USA. Goals came easy

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-1141383904908332372006-03-03T03:04:00.000-08:002009-02-18T01:08:41.461-08:00

The Asian qualifiers got under way and were followed by warm-up matches for the coming World Cup. Australia began life in Asia with a 3-1 win in Bahrain. Iraq were defeated 2-0 in Singapore, but bounced back to beat China 2-1 on neutral territory, while Singapore lost 1-0 to Palestine in the second round of matches. Yemen celebrated a 3-0 victory in India.Germany may be ready for the World Cup as

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-1139828327964131112006-02-13T02:58:00.000-08:002009-02-18T01:09:25.581-08:00

The hosts Egypt won the African Cup of Nations for a record 5th time. Cameroon and Tunisia were hopeful of reaching the final, but it was Ivory Coast who achieved this by knocking out Cameroon along the way and beating Nigeria who had ended Tunisia’s reign. Togo who reached the World Cup were disappointing, while Guinea impressed. South Africa went out without a fight. The effect of all the

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-1136200530289329142006-01-02T03:09:00.000-08:002009-02-18T01:17:28.073-08:00

Despite losing to Argentina in a World Cup qualifier, Brazil thrashed their South American rivals 4-1 in the Confederations’ Cup final, and went on to qualify for the 2006 World Cup as expected, ending the year as the world’s top ranked team. Perhaps the most unexpected qualifiers were Trinidad & Tobago who by far were the highest movers of the Year. Scotland showed great improvement, but left

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-1132313850912239172005-11-18T03:36:00.000-08:002009-02-18T01:11:20.863-08:00

The world finally knows the identity of the 32 participants in the 2006 World Cup. A solitary Australian goal on Wednesday meant extra time and a penalty shootout, in which Mark Schwarzer made 2 excellent saves to send the hosts to the World Cup instead of Uruguay. In Bahrain a single goal was enough to see Trinidad & Tobago through for the first time, and another 1-0 win saw the Czech Republic

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-1131974629464250812005-11-14T05:22:00.000-08:002009-02-18T01:12:22.150-08:00

A Luis Garcia hat-trick saw Spain all but qualify for the World Cup finals by beating Slovakia 5-1 in their home match. Switzerland will take a 2-0 lead to Turkey on Wednesday; both teams have been climbing the rankings at: www.rankfootball.com Norway’s good away form will be severely tested in the Czech Republic, as they will attempt to overcome a1-0 home defeat, while Australia will have

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-1129291045855480622005-10-14T04:57:00.000-07:002009-01-02T14:00:33.440-08:00

After Wednesday’s matches there are now only 5 places up for grabs; which will be determined by playoffs in November. In the group of draws the trend continued as the Irish drew blanks in Dublin against Switzerland who qualified for the playoffs. A Turkish goal in Albania eliminated Denmark and the European champions Greece, giving Turkey a spot in the playoffs. Spain’s 6-0 victory in San

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-1128971582736132032005-10-10T12:09:00.000-07:002005-10-11T11:40:06.383-07:00

The qualifying round came to an end in Africa this weekend and 4 teams qualified for the very first time. Cameroon’s stoppage time penalty miss against Egypt gave Ivory Coast their ticket to Germany. Ghana booked their place in the finals with a convincing 4-0 win away to Cape Verde, while Togo won 3-2 in Congo to deny Senegal another World Cup appearance. Angola’s solitary goal in Rwanda made

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-1126260279092934002005-09-09T03:02:00.000-07:002009-01-02T13:01:07.884-08:00

While Africa and South America were resting, Mexico booked their place in Germany with a 5-0 win over Panama. In Europe France became the first team in their group to win a match against one of the other top 3 when they beat Ireland 1-0 in Dublin and move up into the top 10 in Mark’s Rankings. England were embarrassed 1-0 in Northern Ireland, but are guaranteed one of the 2 top spots in

Marknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-1126021137605177932005-09-06T08:38:00.000-07:002009-01-02T13:00:04.218-08:00

A weekend of matches saw Brazil, Ukraine and the USA qualify for the World Cup. The Brazilians thrashed Chile 5-0 with an Adriano hat trick, while the USA overtook their neighbours and rivals Mexico with a 2-0 win to claim one of the automatic spots from their region. Despite only drawing 1-1 away to Georgia, a last minute Danish equalizer in Turkey meant that Ukraine could not be caught.

Marknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15578734.post-1124454152374461342005-08-19T05:11:00.000-07:002009-01-02T12:56:43.806-08:00

After a day of World Cup qualifiers and friendly matches; Mark’s world football rankings at: www.rankfootball.com has been updated resulting in many changes. The day’s matches started in Asia with Japan securing top spot in their group after beating Iran 2-1. Bahrain lost 3-2 to bottom team North Korea in the same group despite pulling back a 2 goal deficit. There were celebrations in

Marknoreply@blogger.com