2012 OFC Nations Cup: Group B Review

Group B at the 2012 OFC Nations Cup was definitely the stronger of the two groups. While New Zealand entered as heavy favorites to win the group, both Fiji and the host nation Solomon Islands had hopes of moving onward to the third round of qualifying. Papua New Guinea came into the second round as the lowest ranked team remaining in the competition without any real chance of finishing in the top two.

New Zealand cruised through group play and clinched advancement to round three after its second match while the Solomon Islands utilized its home advantage to take second place over Fiji. Both these nations were eliminated in the semifinals, New Zealand shocked by New Caledonia and Solomon Islands to eventual champions Tahiti. Luckily for these two, those results have no bearing on World Cup qualifying. Here are the results of group play.

New Zealand 1 Fiji 0

An early 11th minute goal from Tommy Smith was all New Zealand needed to edge by Fiji in the opening group B match. While far from a dominating performance, the Kiwis managed to procure the three points while controlling most of the match.

Solomon Islands 1 Papua New Guinea 0

Benjamin Totori struck in the fifth minute for the lone goal of the contest that saw the hosts get off to a positive start. Papua New Guinea put in a solid performance for a nation of its caliber, but were not able to carve out enough dangerous chances.

New Zealand 2 Papua New Guinea 1

The Kiwis clinched advancement to the third round of qualifying with a 2-1 victory over Papua New Guinea. Once again, New Zealand controlled much of the match and struck for its first goal in just the second minute through the great Shane Smeltz. Chris Wood doubled his side's advantage only a few minutes into the second half. With a minute left to go in the match Papua New Guinea pulled a goal back thanks to a successful penalty conversion by Niel Hans, but it was too little too late. The loss also eliminated Papua New Guinea from contention.

Fiji 0 Solomon Islands 0

In the most critical group B encounter, neither Fiji nor Solomon Islands could find a breakthrough and had to settle for a scoreless draw. The tie benefited the Solomon Islands more, since they already had earned a victory and now had the advantage of playing an already qualified New Zealand side in its final group match.

Fiji 1 Papua New Guinea 1

Papua New Guinea earned its first point of the competition and in the process ruined Fiji's chances of progression to the third round. Maciu Dunadamu had given his side hope with a goal in the 13th minute, but Fiji could not hold the lead and conceded a late 85th goal to Kema Jack. In the end victory still would not have been enough for Fiji based on the other result.

New Zealand 1 Solomon Islands 1

With both nations already assured of advancement to the third round, these two sides had nothing to play for and the match resulted in a point for both teams. Chris Wood scored his second of the tournament in the 13th minute and Benjamin Totori did likewise in the 56th minute.

2012 OFC Nations Cup: Group A Review

The 2012 OFC Nations Cup, held in the Solomon Islands, doubled as the second round of OFC World Cup qualifying. The tournament consisted of eight teams, placed in two groups of four. The top two teams in each group advance to the third round of qualifying. In the third round of qualifying, the four remaining teams will play each other home and away.

The semifinals and final of the Nations Cup have no affect on World Cup qualifying, but the winner of the tournament gets OFC's spot in the 2013 Confederations Cup.

Here are the results and highlights from the group A matches.

 Tahiti 10 Samoa 1

Tahiti opened the tournament with the Tehau family show. Lorenzo Tehau ran the show, scoring four goals in the rout while twin brother Alivn tallied twice, other brother Jonathan also had a brace and cousin Teaonui also had one. Rounding out the scoring for the 2009 U-20 World Cup participant was Steevy Chong Hue. Samoa's lone goal was scored by Silao Malo.

New Caledonia 5 Vanuatu 2

Bertrand Kai's hat-trick propelled New Caledonia to a three goal victory over Vanuatu. Kai gave his side a first half advantage, but Vanuatu equalized early in the second half through Robert Tasso. Kai restored New Caledonia's lead a few minutes later only for Vanuatu to peg back again in the 61st with a goal from Jean Nako Naprapol. Georges Gope-Fenepej had the game-winner in the 66th while Kai completed his hat-trick and Roy Kayara also scored.

Vanuatu 5 Samoa 0

Vanuatu bounced back from its opening match defeat by breezing by lowly Samoa 5-0. Vanuatu had five different goal scorers including another goal by Jean Nako Naprapol to open the side's account in the 29th minute. Right before the break Brian Kaltack doubled Vanuatu's advantage. Derek Malas made it 3-0 on the other side of halftime. Robert Tasso had his second of the tournament and Freddy Vava added the fifth in injury time.

Tahiti 4 New Caledonia 3

Tahiti clung on for a 4-3 triumph in a wild match that saw New Caledonia go down to nine men. Alvin Tehau struck first in the 19th while the sides both had 11. After New Caledonia went down to 10, Tahiti won a penalty, which Nicolas Vallar deposited home. Lorenzo Tehau gave Tahiti a three-goal lead as the teams headed into the half. After going down to nine, New Caledonia had a furious rally cutting the deficit to 3-2 after goals by Marius Bako and Jacques Haeko. Tahiti restored its two goal advantage in the 86th, Roihau Degage slotted one home, but New Caledonia made sure of a tense finish when Dick Kauma struck in the 89th minute. However, Tahiti hung on to clinch progress to the semifinals of the tournament and the third round of qualifying.

New Caledonia 9 Samoa 0

New Caledonia joined Tahiti in the next round by ripping Samoa 9-0. Jacques Haeko was the star of this match, scoring five goals. Roy Kayara, Iamel Kabeu, Judikael Ixoee and Kalaje Gnipate were the other goalscorers for New Caledonia as Samoa went out of the tournament meekly.

Tahiti 4 Vanuatu 1

Tahiti completed a perfect group stage in the tournament by eliminating any slim hope Vanuatu had of advancing with a 4-1 win. The Tehau family was at it again, Jonathon, Alvin and Teaonui all scored once and Nicolas Vallar also struck. Robert Tasso had the lone goal of the match for Vanuatu, which was his third of the tournament.

Final Standings

1. Tahiti 9 points +13 Goal Difference
2. New Caledonia 6 points +11
3. Vanuatu 3 points -1
4. Samoa 0 points -23

CONMEBOL Matchday Six Results and Highlights

Coming up in the next few days will be the CONCACAF highlights from the first two matchdays, AFC highlights and results, CAF highlights and the OFC Nations Cup results and highlights. After all that is posted, the in-depth look at each group in Africa will continue and eventually so will CONCACAF and AFC throughout the summer. The next set of qualifying matches take place in September for these confederations.

Additionally, UEFA qualifying is set to begin in August and each group there will be previewed, but for now here are the CONMEBOL results, highlights and standings.

Bolivia 3 Paraguay 1

Bolivia picked up its first win of qualifying while Paraguay continued to flounder. The power of La Paz came through for the hosts who were propelled to victory by a brace from Pablo Daniel Escobar in the second half. Alcides Pena had given Bolivia the early the lead before Escobar put the match out of reach. Cristian Riveros scored a late consolation for Paraguay.

Venezuela 0 Chile 2

Chile rocketed to the summit of CONMEBOL qualifying thanks to two late goals. Matias Fernandez broke the scoreless deadlock in the 85th minute and Charles Aranguiz made sure of the three points in injury time. Venezuela now falls into the playoff spot in fifth place after the defeat.

Uruguay 4 Peru 2

In one of the most entertaining matches of the past week, second ranked in the world Uruguay fought off a pesky Peru comeback and procured the three points thanks to its devastating attack. The Uruguayans took an early two goal lead through Luis Suarez and Maxi Pereria. However, Peru clawed its way back with two unanswered thanks to an own goal and a Paolo Guerrero strike. Christian Rodriguez put the hosts back in front in the 62nd minute and all three points were ensured in the 93rd when Sebastian Eguren tallied his first of qualifying.

Ecuador 1 Colombia 0

Ecuador bounced back from its humiliating 4-0 defeat in Argentina with a victory over Colombia. The sole goal was a 53rd minute strike from Christian Benitez. Ecuador now moves up to fourth in the standings while Colombia are left to rue a missed opportunity and sit in sixth.

Here are the standings after six matchdays. All teams have played five games aside from Bolivia, Chile and Venezuela who have played six.

1. Chile 12 pts
2. Uruguay 11 pts
3. Argentina 10 pts
4. Ecuador 9 pts
5. Venezuela 8 pts
6. Colombia 7 pts
7. Bolivia 4 pts
8. Paraguay 4 pts
9. Peru 3 pts

CONMEBOL Matchday Five Results and Highlights

Uruguay 1 Venezuela 1

Venezuela snapped up a crucial away point that keeps them in fourth place. Uruguay had opened the scoring through Diego Forlan, but were pegged back late on by Jose Rondon. Uruguay now has slipped back to third in CONMEBOL.




Bolivia 0 Chile 2

Charles Aranguiz and Arturo Vidal were the goal scorers for Chile in the tough environment of La Paz. The win rockets Chile into second place while the Bolivians remain at the bottom with only one point from five games.



Argentina 4 Ecuador 0

 Lionel Messi led an inspired Argentina side to a rout over Ecuador which now puts them atop all of CONMEBOL. Messi scored once and was instrumental in setting others up while Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain and Angel Di Maria all found the back of the net. Ecuador now has fallen back to sixth place.




Peru 0 Colombia 1

James Rodriguez pocketed the lone goal of the match as Colombia moved into the playoff spot in fifth place while Peu's qualifying campaign continues to sputter and sees them sit in eighth place.

CAF Round Two: Group C Preview

Group C in Africa features perhaps the best team in the region, the Ivory Coast.


Gambia

FIFA Rank: 113rd

CAF Rank: 30th

2010 qualifying result: Eliminated in the second round with nine points from six group games

Gambia has never reached a major FIFA tournament in its history, although the generation coming through did reach the under-20 World Cup back in 2007. Members of this squad include Kenny Mansally and Sainey Nyassi.

In 2010 qualifying, Gambia missed out on advancing to the third round by just one point after finishing behind Algeria. An inability to win on the road cost Gambia dearly in that round, but the most crushing result was drawing 0-0 to Senegal.

If Gambia has any glimmer of hope in winning group C, they must be able to defend their home turf, a task that appears too difficult for this current squad against higher competition.

Ivory Coast

FIFA Rank: 15th

CAF Rank: 1st

2010 Qualifying Result: Qualified

The Ivory Coast is still trying to get over the heartbreak of losing in the African Cup of Nations final on penalties to Zambia. Yet again in that tournament, they were unable to live up to the heavy expectations placed upon them.

The nation now is to the point that they expect to qualify for every World Cup and will be attempting to reach its third consecutive edition. A new generation of players are being integrated into the team as the Didier Drogba's of the country play their last international games. This will be an interesting subplot of the side's qualifying campaign as they seek to blood new players and manage the careers of veterans.

As favorite in this group, the nation will be embarrassed by anything other than an easy group stage where they wrap up advancement with time to spare, something they should be able to accomplish without too much trouble.

Morocco

FIFA Rank: 60th

CAF Rank: 10th

2010 Qualifying Result: Eliminated in round three with three points from six group games

Morocco has reached four World Cups but have not qualified for one since 1986 where they made the knockout stages. Since then they have been right on the doorstep of qualification several times, but unable to knock the door down.

2012 has so far been full of disappointment for Morocco after they failed to progress from the group stages of the African Cup of Nations. Losses to Tunisia and Gabon prevented the sides advancement, two sides Morocco should be beating if they want to make the World Cup.

This team stands the best chance of knocking the mighty Ivory Coast off, but will definitely need some improvement as well as a slice of luck to win the group.

Tanzania

FIFA Rank: 145th

CAF Rank: 42nd

2010 Qualifying Result: Eliminated in round two with eight points from six group games

The only major tournament Tanzania has reached was the 1980 edition of the African Cup of Nations and it is highly unlikely that will change this time around.

It was a tight battle for Tanzania just to advance to round two. They contested Chad, who is currently ranked 30 spots ahead of Tanzania. In the first leg in Chad, Tanzania came away with a huge 2-1 victory which put them in the drivers seat. The second leg saw the side fall 1-0 at home, but it was enough to progress thanks to the away goals rule.

One of the lowest ranked teams still in the competition, Tanzania has little hope of finishing anywhere but last place in this group.

Prediction

Ivory Coast should boss this group without much trouble.

1. Ivory Coast
2. Morocco
3. Gambia
4. Tanzania

CAF Round Two: Group B Preview

The look at the second round of African qualifying continues with group B.

Cape Verde

FIFA Rank: 76th

CAF Rank: 16th

2010 Qualifying Result: Eliminated in the second round with nine points from six group games

This small island nation has the potential to be one of the surprises of qualifying. Although they do not have any household names, most players ply their trade in the Portuguese league. They are also a relatively young squad, with many members in their early 20s.

Having never qualified for a FIFA tournament, winning this group would be a massive achievement for such a small nation. The nation has set its sights on having a productive campaign, but its main target is qualifying for the 2013 African Cup of Nations.

They got off to a roaring start in qualifying for that tournament, thanks to a 4-0 rout of Madagascar back in February. The side is in excellent form at the moment and has all the makings of a sleeper team in this group.

Equatorial Guinea

FIFA Rank: 103rd

CAF Rank: 23rd

2010 Qualifying Result: Eliminated in the second round with three points from six group games

One of the co-hosts of the 2012 African Cup of Nations, Equatorial Guinea will be looking to build on its success in that tournament. The side progressed out of a tough group, placing second with triumphs over Libya and Senegal. In the quarterfinals, Equatorial Guinea was roughed up by powerhouse Ivory Coast and fell 3-0.

Prior to that tournament, the team had to partake in the first round of World Cup qualifying, due to its low ranking at the time. They were able to sneak by Madagascar on a 3-2 aggregate victory thanks to the strength of a 2-0 home leg victory.

A highly unknown squad, most players play their club football in the lower leagues of Spain. This includes main danger man Iban Iyanga, or Randy as he is called, who is a member of Las Palmas in the Segunda Division. This squad of no-names will hope to maintain the form they found in the Cup of Nations in January to top this group.

Sierra Leone

FIFA Rank: 61st

CAF Rank: 11th

2010 Qualifying Result: Eliminated in the second round with seven points from six group games

The Leone Stars for the first time have legitimate hope of making the World Cup and will be happy not to have been paired with one of the elite teams in Africa such as Cameroon or Nigeria.

Despite never making the World Cup, Sierra Leone has reached two African Cup of Nations in the 1990s, being knocked out in the group stages. After civil war ravaged the country around the turn of the century, the country's football went into to turmoil. However, the last five years have resulted in the national side coming close to reaching the glory days of the 1990s for the federation.

Sierra Leone's squad is comprised of players from club teams all throughout the world. Perhaps its best player, Kei Kamara, is a striker for the best team in Major League Soccer, Sporting Kansas City. Young midfielder Rodney Strasser is an important part of the squad and plays for Lecce in Serie A.

Tunisia

FIFA Rank: 56th

CAF Rank: 8th

2010 Qualifying Result: Eliminated in round three with 11 points from six group games

Tunisia was in prime position to qualify for the 2010 World Cup. The side needed to win its final group game, away to lowly Mozambique in order to reach the tournament. However, Tunisia had its hearts broken and fell 1-0 after conceding a late goal and instead had to watch as Nigeria took its spot in South Africa.

One of the most successful African nations, Tunisia has reached four World Cups and had qualified for the previous three editions before failing to reach South Africa. The side only has one victory in 12 World Cup games, a 3-1 success in 1978 against Mexico.

On its own continent, Tunisia has reached 14 African Cup of Nations tournaments, and took him the trophy in 2004 when it hosted the tournament. In the 2012 edition, the side went out in the quarterfinals after a 2-1 defeat to Ghana.

Tunisia's domestic league is one of the strongest in Africa and most members called in to the squad do play their football within the country. The two stars up front however, play abroad. Sami Allagui is a member of Mainz in Germany and Issam Jemaa plays for Brest in France.


Prediction

This is really anyone's group and should be the most exciting race throughout this round of African qualifying. Sierra Leone in the end will continue its resurgence and move onward.

1. Sierra Leone
2. Tunisia
3. Cape Verde
4. Equatorial Guinea

CAF Round Two: Group A Preview

There are 40 teams in Africa that can potentially qualify for the World Cup in 2014. The second round of qualifying consists of 10 groups of four teams with the winners advancing to the third round. Over the next few days all 10 of these groups will be previewed here, so let's start with group A.

Botswana

FIFA Rank: 106th

CAF Rank: 27th

2010 Qualifying Result: Eliminated in round two, finishing last in group with five points from six games

Botswana is coming off qualifying for its first major international tournament after reaching the 2012 African Cup of Nations. They accomplished this feat by finishing atop of a qualifying group that included Tunisia, Malawi, Togo and Chad.

However, they could not duplicate this success in the tournament and went out quietly during the group stage, losing all three matches to Ghana, Mali and Guinea. The side only managed two goals in the competition, from Dipsy Selolwane and Mogakolodi Ngele

Most players called into the national team ply their trade in the local domestic league which is not one of the stronger leagues in the continent. A few though, such as Selolwane play in neighboring South Africa's domestic league, which is one of the strongest.

Recently the national side has struggled with only one win in its previous nine games. Despite that, this is one of the weaker groups in this round and Botswana has a slight, although highly unlikely, chance of topping the group.


Central African Republic

FIFA Rank: 123rd

CAF Rank: 37th

2010 Qualifying Result: Withdrew prior to the beginning of qualifying

The Central African Republic has never qualified for a FIFA tournament and is perhaps more known for withdrawing from qualifying than its performances. The nation has also been disqualified three times during qualifying for either the World Cup or the African Cup of Nations for such reasons as not paying an entry fee and government interference.

As recently as early 2010, the side was ranked in the 200s in the FIFA World Rankings. They have risen up to 123rd now thanks to their performance in qualifying for the 2012 African Cup of Nations where despite not reaching the tournament, the side placed second in its qualifying group, even finishing ahead of typical African powerhouse Algeria.

The players for the national squad play for club teams all over Africa and Europe. The star player for the side appears to be 22-year-old striker Momi Hilaire who plays for Le Mans in Ligue 2.

There is almost no hope of the Central African Republic winning this group and its best hope may be fighting it out to avoid placing bottom in the group.

Ethiopia

FIFA Rank: 138th

CAF Rank: 41st

2010 Qualifying Result: Thrown out by FIFA during the second round

Ethiopia was one of the 24 teams that had to compete in the first round of CAF qualifying. They advanced by defeating Somalia 5-0 on aggregate in a home and away series.

The country is trying to claw its way back toward competitiveness after being suspended by FIFA twice in recent years due to government interference with the football federation. This prevented the side from partaking in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup and that year's African Cup of Nations.

While Ethiopia has never reached the World Cup, the national team has found some success in the African Cup of Nations, although that came a long time ago. They won the 1962 tournament and finished second in the first edition way back in 1957. Ethiopia has not made the competition since 1982.

Almost every player for the national side plays in the domestic league which is typically dominated by Defence FC, Saint George FC and current champion Ethiopian Coffee FC.

Ethiopia has little likelihood of progressing to the next round and will be scratching for any point they can get.

South Africa

FIFA Rank: 67th

CAF Rank: 14th

2010 Qualifying Result: Qualified has host

The hosts of the 2010 World Cup must attempt to qualify for this edition and are the clear favorite in this group.

Recently the national squad suffered the disappointment of not reaching the African Cup Of Nations after finishing tied with Niger for the top spot, but missing out on a tiebreaker. Since then, South Africa has drawn with Equatorial Guinea and Senegal in friendly matches.

Although they became the first host nation to fail to make the knockout stages of the World Cup in 2010, the team did impress with its performance against France and Mexico in group play. Most of that squad, including Siphiwe Tshabalala and Steven Pienaar in the midfield, will be called on to help win this group.

South Africa should be able to win this group without too much difficulty, however its failure to make the 2012 African Cup of Nations is a cause of concern.

Prediction

South Africa's strength will be too much for the other squads to overcome.

1. South Africa
2. Botswana
3. Central African Republic
4. Ethiopia

Egypt Beats Cameroon In Friendly

Egypt remained unbeaten in 2012 with a 2-1 friendly victory over an experimental Cameroon side as both squads prepare to open their World Cup qualifying campaigns in less than two weeks.

Star player and idol Mohamed Aboutrika converted a late penalty kick to give Egypt the win after the ref awarded a dubious spot kick with about 10 minutes to go.

Sunderland defender Ahmed Elmohamady had put the hosts in the lead when he headed in a free kick late in the first half. The Pharaohs looked to stretch their advantage in the second half but instead conceded a penalty thanks to a handball in the box, which was fired home sharply by Banda for Cameroon.

Egypt's record is now 9-2-0 (W-D-L) in friendlies during 2012 as former U.S.A. coach Bob Bradley prepares his side for its opening qualifying game June 2nd versus Mozambique. They will play two more friendlies prior to that, opposing Togo and Zambia.

Cameroon will call in its A-squad and start its qualifying round at home to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

World Cup Qualifying Set To Resume In June

The UEFA Champions League Final typically marks the end of the club football season and the beginning of the off-season for club teams. However, fans know that the sport never really stops with quality games being played all year round.

Most eyes now shift to the European Championships, the most prestigious  international tournament after the World Cup, which begins on June 8th. Meanwhile, every other confederation will be resuming World Cup qualifying starting on the first of the month.

In Asia, 10 teams remain as the fourth round consisting of two groups of five gets underway. Group A is made up of favorites South Korea and Iran, the popular sleeper choice Uzbekistan, the 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar and the Cinderella story of Asia, Lebanon. Group B has heavy favorites Australia and Japan with hot Jordan and Iraq hoping to knock them off with the surprising Oman rounding out the field. The top two in each group will qualify directly to the World Cup while the two third place teams play off against each other with the victory progressing to the AFC v CONMEBOL playoff for one of the final spots.

The second round of African qualifying begins on June 1st with 40 teams in 10 groups of four. The 12 winners from the round one home and away series join the top 28 ranked teams in the confederation with only the group winners moving forward to the third and final round where the 10 of them will be paired in a home and away playoff for the five World Cup spots. Group A sees Botswana, Central African Republic, Ethiopia and South Africa together. Group B has Cape Verde, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone and Tunisia. Groups C is Gambia, Ivory Coast, Morocco and Tanzania while group D sees Ghana, Lesotho, Sudan and Zambia square off. Group E has Burkina Faso, Congo, Gabon and Niger in it and F is composed of Kenya, Malawi, Namibia and Nigeria. Egypt, Guinea, Mozambique and Zimbabwe were placed in group G and Algeria, Benin, Mali and Rwanda make up group H. The final two groups are I which is made up of Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Libya and Togo and J which Angola, Liberia, Senegal and Uganda fill up.

The big boys in CONCACAF get their campaigns underway in the third round with just 12 teams remaining. The three groups of four begin play on June 8th. with the top two squads advancing to the final hexagonal round. The United States and Jamaica are the favorites in group A with Guatemala and Antigua and Barbuda attempting to knock them off. Mexico is expected to cruise through group B as the heavy favorite and Costa Rica and El Salvador are expected to fight for the second spot while surprise Guyana looks to wreak havoc with those plans. Group C is the most competitive with Honduras, Cuba, Panama and Canada all having high hopes of progession.

The next round of Oceania qualifying also doubles as the OFC Nations Cup. The eight teams remaining are in two groups of four with the top two in each group advancing to the third round. Group A is made up of the tiny island nations of Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Samoa and Tahiti while favorites New Zealand are in group B with Fiji, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. The four advancing teams will also play semifinals and a final to determine the winner of the tournament and who will represent the confederation in the 2013 Confederations Cup, but these results have no bearing on the third round of qualifying.

Finally, CONMEBOL resumes its long qualifying round with matchdays five and six coming up. Uruguay currently holds the top spot on goal difference and is even with Argentina and Venezuela on seven points. Ecuador sits in the fourth and final automatic qualifying spot with six points while Chile occupies the playoff position, also with six points, but a negative three goal differential.