October matches

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 beating group hosts US Virgin Islands 6-1, and a 4-0 Guadeloupe triumph over Martinique saw both teams qualify from group F. Guyana finished top of group A with impressive 5-0 wins over Suriname and group hosts Netherlands Antilles, while Suriname secured second spot with a vital 1-0 win over Grenada.
In Africa Egypt were held to a goalless draw in Botswana, while Burkina Faso, Cape Verde Islands, Malawi and Namibia had impressive 1-0 wins against Senegal, Guinea, Zambia and Ethiopia respectively.The Seychelles beat Mauritius 2-1, and Liberia overcame Rwanda 3-2, while a single goal in Zambia gave South Africa an important win and moved them up several places in Mark’s Rankings. The result of the day in Asia went to Syria who despite holding South Korea to a 1-1 draw, failed to qualify for next year’s Asian Cup.
In Europe England had a dismal week, firing blanks in Manchester against Macedonia on Saturday and losing 2-0 in Croatia 4 days later. Slovakia punished some Welsh defensive frailty with a staggering 5-1 win in Cardiff, but were steamrollered on home soil against an impressive German side on Wednesday. The republic of Ireland found the going tough in Cyprus and returned with an embarrassing 5-2 defeat, while Northern Ireland managed a creditable 0-0 draw in Denmark. Latvia stunned Iceland with a 4-0 victory, and Scotland registered a 1-0 win at home to World Cup finalists France. Poland celebrated a 2-1 home win against Portugal on Wednesday, while Malta enjoyed a 2-1 success over Hungary and Greece humiliated their hosts Bosnia & Herzegovina 4-0.