And that will do for this. Thanks for sticking with us despite the technical issues. Turned out to be a pretty dramatic one. Congratulations Scotland. Night!
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And here’s the moment Scotland’s qualification was confirmed...
👏🙌🍾
— BBC ALBA (@bbcalba) September 4, 2018
THA ALBA GU BHITH AIG @FIFAWWC!!
SCOTLAND QUALIFY FOR THE WORLD CUP! 🏆
Albania 1⃣ (Doci)@ScotlandNT 2⃣ (Little, Ross)#bbcalba #ALBSCO pic.twitter.com/eiUvPAxsx7
Your qualifiers
So, in summary, the seven teams to automatically qualify for next year’s World Cup from the UEFA groups are:
- England
- Scotland
- Germany
- Norway
- Sweden
- Italy
- Spain
And then of course France, the hosts. Meanwhile, four teams will duke it out in the playoffs. They are:
- Netherlands
- Switzerland
- Denmark
- Belgium
Those teams will take part in semi-finals, and then a final, with only one team going through. Brutal.
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No such joy for Wales: Belgium have beaten Italy, and it’s finished Iceland 1-1 Czech Republic, which means the Welsh miss out on the playoff places.
Full-time: Kazakhstan 0-6 England
A stroll in the park for the England reserves.
Full-time: Albania 1-2 Scotland
Joy for Scotland! They hang on, thanks to some heroic keeping of the ball in the corner, to their 2-1 lead in Albania. And as it finished 0-0 between Poland and Switzerland, Scotland leap over the Swiss and into the finals!
Full-time in Norway v Netherlands, and the Norwegians have held on to win 2-1, which means the European Champions Dutch will now have to go through the playoffs! Well, well, well!
Scotland are going for a clincher: Mitchell flicks towards goal, but it’s saved. They’re into stoppage time now: three minutes of it.
More bad news for Wales: Iceland have scored against Czech Republic, making that 1-1 and as far as I can work out that would put them ahead of the Welsh in the playoff scrap, as well as Belgium, who are still beating Italy.
GOAL! Kazakhstan 0-6 England (Bronze 86)
One more for England, as Bruton squares across the box for substitute Lucy Bronze to slide home.
Tense for Scotland this. Nine minutes left in their game: if they can hold on, they have a chance of going through, but only if Poland manage to keep Switzerland at bay. It’s still 0-0 in Mielec.
GOAL! Kazakhstan 0-5 England (Mead 82)
Mead redeems herself for the penalty miss, set through on goal and surprising the keeper with an early shot, which skips into the net.
A state of play update for the British nations. As things stand Scotland are going through automatically as they’re beating Albania and Switzerland are drawing with Poland, but Wales will drop out of the playoff places due to Belgium being 2-1 up over Italy. England are already through.
A flurry of goals for Germany: three in four minutes, in fact, and they now lead the Faroes 7-0.
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GOAL! Albania 1-2 Scotland (Ross 68)
Huge goal for Scotland! The ball loops around in the box, it finds its way to Ross at the back post and she puts her header over the keeper and into the net. Switzerland are still drawing 0-0 with Poland, so as things stand Scotland are going through!
Penalty to England...missed!
Mead has a chance to make it five from the spot...but she opens out her body and hits the post to the keeper’s left!
GOAL! Kazakhstan 0-4 England (Staniforth 66)
Going quite well for England, this.
Another for Germany, who are shimmying into the finals: Carolin Simon makes it 4-0 to them over the Faroes.
Cuthbert is through again for Scotland, but a heroic, Ledley Kingian last-ditch tackle (sort of) by Arbiona Bajraktari prevents her from getting a shot away.
GOAL! Kazakhstan 0-3 England (Christiansen 55)
And another! Bruton makes tracks down the right, her crosses is half clawed away by Zheleznyak, but it’s straight into the path of Izzy Christiansen who can afford to take a touch before forcing the ball home.
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Bit of a delay in the England game, as Kazakh keeper Zheleznyak receives treatment and an industrial amount of magic spray on a foot injury.
Beth Mead goes close to a third for England. Meanwhile, Scotland’s second-half has begun: they need a goal and hope Switzerland don’t score themselves, in order to go through without the mither of the playoffs.
I seem to have found something like a broadcast of the England game. They’re just kicking off for the second-half.
Summary...
Half-time in the @FIFAWWC qualifying deciders https://t.co/j3jzGmPba1
— UEFA Women's EURO (@UEFAWomensEURO) September 4, 2018
As it stands ...
Qualifying: Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Germany (joining France, England, Italy, Spain)
Play-offs: Scotland, Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium
Out: Wales, Iceland pic.twitter.com/4gJDf32JVJ
Half-time: Albania 1-1 Scotland
Well that’s not ideal for the Scots. They had dominated the game and should really have been more than the one goal ahead, but they were punished seconds before the break. As things stand they will be in the playoffs, as they need to better Switzerland’s result - they’re currently drawing 0-0 with Poland.
GOAL! Albania 1-1 Scotland (Doci 45)
On the stroke of half-time, Albania are level. The ball falls to Megi Doci in the box, and she scuffs a finish into the bottom corner.
Half-time: Kazakhstan 0-2 England
That’s the break, with England 2-0 ahead: Beth Mead and Rachel Daly have them for Phil Neville’s side.
Great chances for Scotland as Chelsea’s Erin Cuthbert jinks through the Albanian defence, is allowed to get as far as the six-yard box but her finish is weak, weak, weak and is easily saved.
Belgium have retaken the lead: they were ahead, then Italy levelled, but Davinia Vanmechelen has put them 2-1 up. A kick in the pants for Wales, who as things stand will not be in the playoffs.
GOAL! Kazakhstan 0-2 England (Daly 35)
Goal! England! I have no idea what happened!
Germany have gone 3-0 up over the Faroe Islands. The Germans only needed to match Iceland’s result to secure automatic qualification, but that was never really going to be a problem.
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Here’s that goal for Scotland. No messing, barge through, bosh.
WATCH | Kim Little opens the scoring for Scotland.
— Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) September 4, 2018
(🎥 via @bbcalba)pic.twitter.com/mNHkN5ZXnZ
The Netherlands have pulled one back: Vivianne Miedema with the goal, so they’re now only trailing Norway 2-1. Look how pleased she is/was when they filmed this slightly cringeworthy social media content.
YES! Daar is de aansluitingstreffer! Vivianne Miedema maakt de 2-1. #NORNED #SamenSterk pic.twitter.com/yLtUUoGCAt
— OranjeLeeuwinnen (@oranjevrouwen) September 4, 2018
Meanwhile the Czech Republic have gone 1-0 up over Iceland: that’s good news for Wales, who need the Icelanders not to win in order to enhance their chances of making the playoffs.
Back to the football: apparently England are controlling their game in Kazakhstan, Staniforth and Bruton in particular playing very well. But of course I can’t see any of this. Never let anyone tell you the liveblogging game is a glamourous one.
Meanwhile, Rob Earnshaw has been getting deep.
Since we sent robots to Mars before sending humans,isn’t it possible that the first extraterrestrials that we encounter on earth could not be the aliens themselves, but might be their technology instead?
— Robert Earnshaw (@RobertEarnshaw) September 4, 2018
The placeholder music on the BBC stream - still no football from the England game - is driving me slowly insane, but it does sound a little bit like Les Rythmes Digtales, so that’s a boon.
Double chance for Scotland: Cuthbert is put clean through but shoots straight at keeper Viona Rexhepi, then the rebound comes out to Little but her shot is brilliantly saved. Still 1-0 to the Scots in Albania.
Shock on the cards in Norway: the hosts are 2-0 up over the Netherlands, with goals from Isabell Herlovsen and Ingrid Syrstad. If that stays as it is then Norway will leap over the Dutch and into the only automatic qualifying spot in Group C, so the European Champions might have to go through the playoffs.
GOAL! Albania 0-1 Scotland (Little 9)
Oh, lovely strike in Albania: Cuthbert nods back a cross which looks like it was intended for Arnot, but Arsenal’s Kim Little barges her way through into the box and volleys emphatically home. As things stand, Scotland are going through - it’s still Poland 0-0 Switzerland.
GOAL! Kazakhstan 0-1 England (Mead 10)
I still can’t actually see any of this, due to the technical issues, but word reaches us that England have taken the lead. Beth Mead, on day-boo, has converted a penalty!
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Elsewhere, Belgium have gone ahead against Italy. That’s bad news for Wales, who require an Italian win to take one of those four playoff spots for the best runners-up.
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Technical difficulties are still in our way as far as England are concerned. Scotland though, have just kicked off.
The good news is the feed for Albania v Scotland is coming through, so we will have some sort of football to bring you. The coin toss has just happened in that one.
Should probably mention: we’re relying on the BBC feed for this minute-by-minute, but at the moment they seem not to be broadcasting any football, despite kick-off in theory being two minutes ago. Apologies.
A remarkable story for Lucy Staniforth...
For those who don't know much about @lstan37.
— Rich Laverty (@RichJLaverty) September 4, 2018
At 20 she tore her ACL in an FA Cup final.
At 21 she tore her other ACL during pre-season.
At 25 she makes her @Lionesses debut.
Some pre-match reading. Suzanne Wrack went to see West Ham manager Matt Beard, to discuss his journey from Chelsea and Liverpool, via Boston to the Hammers.
Elsewhere today, Scotland could join England in the finals: they face Albania, and have to better Switzerland’s result against Poland to be assured of a place in France. We shall try to keep you updated on that.
Not curtains for the Scots if they don’t manage it though: they will probably make it into the playoffs, which will feature the four best group runners-up. As things stand, those four are Denmark, Scotland, Norway and Wales.
So that’s 11 changes, seven full debuts and just 53 caps between the starting XI for Phil Neville’s side. Should be interesting to see how the new faces get on, at least.
Team news
Kazakhstan
Zheleznyak, Kozhakhmet, Burova, Vlassova, Turlbekova, Myasnikova, Kirgizbaeva, Kulmangambetova, Zhumabaikyzy, Karibayeva, Nurusheva. Subs: Sandalova, Bagully, Demidova, Gaistenova, Vyldanov, Bortnikova, Zhkasymbay.
England
Earps; Blundell, Williamson, McManus, George; Walsh, Staniforth, Christiansen; Bruton, Daly, Mead. Subs: Bronze, Telford, Nobbs, Houghton, Bright, Duggan, Parris.
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Preamble
Job done then. England are through to next year’s World Cup, but first there is the matter of the final qualification game to get out of the way. We cannot sugar-coat it: this is the deadest of rubbers. England are through, Kazakhstan most definitely are not, and none of that is going to change in this game. Actually, the Kazakhs might move from bottom of Group A to second-bottom, so if that pumps up your tension levels a bit, then grand.
This is a chance for Phil Neville to take a look at some fresh players, with seven changes from the Wales game last Friday to be made for this one. Some of the big guns have been sent home to stick their feet up (where Phil will presumably be keeping tabs on their Cornetto intake), meaning your Beth Meads, your Leah Williamsons and your Hannah Blundells will get a game.
Still, if nothing else, it’ll be a chance for some of the players to experience business class travel, so hopefully they loaded up on free snacks and got stuck into the booze on the way over. Unprofessional? Sure, but it doesn’t really matter too much. Let them have their fun.
Kick-off: 16.00 BST
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