MADRID, 15 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Switzerland ended the surprise and condemned again to play a play-off to be in a World Cup to Italy, current European champion, who was not able to win in Belfast to Northern Ireland (0-0) with his rival complying and exceedingly against Bulgaria (4-0), while England sealed their passport to Qatar with a resounding defeat of San Marino.
Group C of the European qualifying phase will send Switzerland as the first classified, a highly competitive team that has been able to postpone the return of the four-time world champion to a World Cup for a few more months and force her to relive the ‘ghosts of the past ‘that they left him out of Russia in the’ playoff ‘against Sweden.
The two combined arrived tied on points, with the ‘Azzurra’ with two goals of advantage in the difference of goals, and they were forced to win their last game. Only those of Murat Yakin did it, as they did in the first edition of the League of Nations to leave Belgium out, they thrashed Bulgaria in a great second half, while those of Roberto Mancini could not score any against Northern Ireland.
Switzerland always gave the impression that they would win their match, although they did not finish it until the second half. In both Windsor Park and Swissporarena there were no goals in the first 45 minutes, but in Lucerne the locals fell apart after the break with four goals, the work of Okafor, Vargas, Itten and Freuler who ended up putting more pressure on the champion of Europe, not very bright and incisive in Belfast despite what was at stake and that ‘gave’ the direct ticket to the Swiss.
For its part, in the other duel in which something was at stake, England certified, as planned, the virtual direct ticket that it had in its possession and that it could only lose if it did not score in its visit to modest San Marino.
There was hardly any emotion as Maguire opened the scoring at six minutes and from there it was the planned ride culminating in a 0-10 win for the European runners-up, led by Harry Kane who scored four of the six first-half goals. Smith-Rowe, Mings, Abraham, Saka and Fabbri at own goal were the other scorers.