It wasn’t quite 17 November 1993, but that was still a memorably dramatic night of World Cup qualification. We’ll have reports from Lisbon, Seville and Luxembourg City on the site shortly. Thanks for your company and emails - goodnight!
Look at these celebrations!
The tracksuit top going up in the air at the bottom of the picture might be my favourite bit.
SCENES! 🤯
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) November 14, 2021
Aleksandar Mitrović scored an injury-time winner as Serbia leapfrogged Portugal to seal their place at the 2022 World Cup! 🇷🇸🔥 pic.twitter.com/EOod5NCYAR
Updated
After all that, these teams have qualified for next year’s World Cup
- Qatar
- Brazil
- Germany
- France
- Belgium
- Serbia
- Spain
- Denmark
- Croatia
And these teams are guaranteed a playoff place
- Scotland
- Wales
- North Macedonia
- Portugal
- Russia
- Sweden
- Austria
- Czech Republic
Aleksandar Mitrovic in World Cup qualifying for Serbia:
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) November 14, 2021
◎ 8 games
◎ 5 starts
◉ 8 goals
And he’s just scored a 90th minute winner to send his country to the World Cup in Qatar. 🙌🙌 pic.twitter.com/NztVnuOCc9
The World Cup, bloody hell, etc
These are tonight’s final scores.
Group A
- Portugal 1-2 Serbia
- Luxembourg 0-3 Republic of Ireland
(Serbia qualify and Portugal go into the playoffs)
Group B
- Spain 1-0 Sweden
- Greece 1-1 Kosovo
(Spain qualify and Sweden go into the playoffs)
Updated
Full time: Portugal 1-2 Serbia
Serbia are going to the World Cup after a legendary victory in Lisbon! Portugal will have to go via the playoffs, and there are no guarantees there.
“This game should have been a non-event after the reverse fixture,” says Dave Correia, “but no VAR in Serbia ruled out a third goal for Portugal.”
Full time: Spain 1-0 Sweden
Spain are heading to the World Cup after a tense victory over Sweden. The substitute Alvaro Morata’s cool finish settled the game; now they’ve qualified, Spain’s young side will be among the favourites in Qatar.
Updated
Spain 1-0 Sweden While that was going on, Ibrahimovic sent Azpilicueta to the canvas with a snide shove.
Portugal 1-2 Serbia That Mitrovic goal sparked one of the great celebrations, an almighty bundle by the corner flag. It’s well worth looking up after the game.
Updated
Full time: Luxembourg 0-3 Republic of Ireland
A very good night for Ireland.
Tadic worked a short corner on the right and curled a cross beyond the far post, where the substitute Mitrovic was criminally unmarked. His downward header bounced up to beat Rui Patricio and sneak into the net. It’ll be checked by VAR but he was just onside.
Updated
Serbia have stolen a place at the World Cup, and their entire squad are going ballistic!
Updated
GOAL! Portugal 1-2 Serbia (Mitrovic 90)
Oh my goodness!
Updated
GOAL! Luxembourg 0-3 Republic of Ireland
Ireland are finishing a difficult campaign in style! McClean drives a very deep cross to Knight, who cushions it back across goal on the volley for Robinson to tap into the net. That’s another excellent, selfless assist from Knight, his second since coming on as substitute.
Dani Olmo’s sizzling long-range strike was pushed onto the bar by Olsen, an outstanding save, but Morata was first to the rebound and dinked it lazily into the net.
GOAL! Spain 1-0 Sweden (Morata 86)
Spain are going to Qatar!
Updated
83 min: Portugal 1-1 Serbia A very good chance for the substitute Alexsandar Mitrovic, who flicks a header wide from Filip Kostic’s booming cross.
84 min: Spain 0-0 Sweden After an excellent run, Morata drives too close to Olsen from the edge of the area.
83 min: Spain 0-0 Sweden It’s exquisitely tense in Seville. For the first time in the game, Spain are struggling to keep the ball.
Portugal 1-1 Serbia A very dangerous cross from Kostic is volleyed behind for a corner by Nuno Mendes. Serbia look the likelier scorers just now.
What a goal! 🔥
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) November 14, 2021
It's 2-0 to the Republic of Ireland after Ogbene's well worked strike! 🇮🇪 pic.twitter.com/E2ZepiF9p8
It should be said that Ogbene actually won the ball back to begin with, before giving it to Hendrick to play Knight through. https://t.co/tyPzs8DVH7
— Off The Ball (@offtheball) November 14, 2021
Just over ten minutes remaining in Lisbon and Seville, where Portugal and Spain are hanging to automatic qualification for next year’s World Cup.
GOAL! Greece 1-1 Kosovo (Rrahmani 76)
Luxembourg 0-2 Republic of Ireland If it tays like this Ireland will finish third in their group, having taken seven points from the last three games. In both style and substance, their progress is palpable.
That’s the kind of goal Stephen Kenny has been dreaming about. Jeff Hendrick, 35 yards out on the right, poked a superb pass through to the substitute Jason Knight. He drew the keeper and played a short reverse pass to Chiedozie Ogbene, who lifted his shot over the defender on the line. That’s a lovely goal, even more so because it was finished by an emerging star of Irish football.
GOAL! Luxembourg 0-2 Republic of Ireland (Ogbene 75)
A delightful team goal!
Spain 0-0 Sweden Pantomime b’stard Zlatan Ibrahimovic comes on to replace Alexander Isak. He’s 40 years old, and he has 17 minutes to score the goal that would take Sweden to the World Cup.
Updated
#Noggin
7 - All seven of Shane Duffy's goals for Republic of Ireland have been headers, while this was his third goal in his last six international appearances. Resource.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) November 14, 2021
Spain 0-0 Sweden Nineteen minutes to go in Seville, where Spain are passing the clock down in their own inimitable style.
Luxembourg 0-1 Republic of Ireland The re-emergence of Shane Duffy, for parent club and country, is one of the more heartwarming football stories of 2021.
The latest scores
Group A
Portugal 1-1 Serbia
Luxembourg 0-1 Republic of Ireland
(As things stand Portugal qualify and Serbia go into the playoffs)
Group B
Spain 0-0 Sweden
Greece 1-0 Kosovo
(As things stand Spain qualify and Sweden go into the playoffs)
GOAL! Luxembourg 0-1 Ireland (Duffy 67)
Shane Duffy heads Ireland into the lead! Cullen’s free-kick from the left skimmed off the head of a Luxembourg defender, and Duffy headed it in from a yard. That doesn’t quite do justice to the finish, though, because the deflection meant he had to stop and twist his neck back to the left to ensure the header would go on target.
Updated
Spain 0-0 Sweden “Two promising but misfiring players for Spain replaced by two more guaranteed misfiring players - one of whom is poor old Morata, destined to be forever on the brink of redemption,” says Charles Antaki.
Morata has got everything he needs to rule the world apart from confidence. If I’m honest, he reminds me of myself.
Spain 0-0 Sweden The substitute Mattias Svanberg tries an Ibrahimovician overhead kick from 18 yards. It’s a decent effort, actually, which loops a few yards over th ebar.
Spain 0-0 Sweden After a promising start, Morata shoots meekly wide.
Spain 0-0 Sweden Rodrigo and Alvaro Morata are on for Spain. Sweden haven’t unsheathed Zlatan Ibrahimovic yet.
Spain 0-0 Sweden When he plays for Sweden, Victor Lindelof looks really good. Discuss.
“Hi Rob,” says Niamh Breheny. “Just to make you feel better about the draft excluder (and as we are talking about national broadcasters and football), on RTÉ they have so far called the orange jerseys yellow and also referred to Ireland as Liverpool. I think it’s been a long week for us all!!”
So long as Dundalk get a result against Andorra tonight, we’ll all be happy.
Luxembourg 0-0 Republic of Ireland This is an excellent spell for Luxembourg, their best of the match, and they really should be ahead. I’d like to see a few more angles to be sure, but that didn’t look like a foul on Duffy.
The latest scores
Group A
- Portugal 1-1 Serbia
- Luxembourg 0-0 Republic of Ireland
(As things stand Portugal qualify and Serbia go into the playoffs)
Group B
- Spain 0-0 Sweden
- Greece 1-0 Kosovo
(As things stand Spain qualify and Sweden go into the playoffs)
DISALLOWED GOAL! Luxembourg 0-0 Republic of Ireland
Daniel Sinani thought he had put Luxembourg ahead, but it’s been ruled out for a push on Shane Duffy in the build up. That looks a pretty generous decision.
Updated
Spain 0-0 Sweden An opportunity for Forsberg, who almost falls over as he tries to half-volley a difficult ball dropping over his shoulder. Spain are living dangerously.
Spain 0-0 Sweden: Chance for Spain! A near-post corner is headed dangerously across goal by Raul de Tomas, but there’s nobody at the far post to do the necessary.
Luxembourg 0-0 Republic of Ireland: Chance for Rodrigues! Ireland are almost caught playing out from the back. A Luxembourg player (nope, not a scooby) nicks the ball and plays it through to Rodrigues, who shoots too close to Bazunu. Rodrigues hurried his shot unnecessarily.
Spain 0-0 Sweden: Chance for Isak! Azpilicueta plays a hideous pass across the aface of the Spain penalty area. Claesson (I think) intercepts and lays it off to Isak, who cracks the bouncing ball over the bar from 18 yards. That was probably Sweden’s best chance so far.
Updated
Peep peep! The second halves are underway.
Half-time reading
Half time
Peep peep! It’s half time in the four Uefa qualifiers. Portugal and Spain - who both need a draw to avoid slumming it in the playoffs - are enduring a nervous night.
Group A
- Portugal 1-1 Serbia
- Luxembourg 0-0 Republic of Ireland
(As things stand Portugal qualify and Serbia go into the playoffs)
Group B
- Spain 0-0 Sweden
- Greece 1-0 Kosovo
(As things stand Spain qualify and Sweden go into the playoffs)
Updated
Luxembourg 0-0 Republic of Ireland Schon makes another good save, this time from John Egan’s header. Ireland have been really good in the first half and deserve to be ahead.
GOAL! Greece 1-0 Kosovo (Masouras 45)
Spain 71-29 Sweden Those are the possession stats. But Sweden have come closest to scoring.
Luxembourg 0-0 Republic of Ireland After more good pressing by Ireland, Chiedozie Ogbene hammers a shot from 18 yards that is tipped over by Ralph Schon. That was Ireland’s best chance so far. Ogbene caught it beautifully but it was too close to Schon.
Updated
Spain 0-0 Sweden: just wide by Forsberg! Sweden are creating the better chances in Seville. Augustinsson’s very deep cross from the left is volleyed back across goal and just wide by Forsberg. That was perilously close.
The latest scores
Group A
- Portugal 1-1 Serbia
- Luxembourg 0-0 Republic of Ireland
(As things stand Portugal qualify and Serbia go into the playoffs)
Group B
- Spain 0-0 Sweden
- Greece 0-0 Kosovo
(As things stand Spain qualify and Sweden go into the playoffs)
Portugal 1-1 Serbia Portugal will top the group as things stand, but Serbia are now only one goal away from pipping them to automatic qualification.
GOAL! Portugal 1-1 Serbia (Tadic 34)
The plot thickens in Lisbon! Dusan Tadic has equalised for Serbia. He made room on the edge of the area and whipped a left-footed shot that went straight through Rui Patricio and dribbled over the line. At first it looked like a howler, but replays showed a slight but crucial deflection off Danilo.
Updated
It’s all a bit quiet, particularly in Seville. Sweden will be delighted with how the first half hour has gone.
Spain 0-0 Sweden Spain continue their largely sterile domination. The longer it stays 0-0, the more Sweden will fancy their chances of a late sting.
Updated
Luxembourg 0-0 Republic of Ireland A lovely save from Gavin Bazunu, who is at full stretch diving to his right when he fingertips Olivier Thill’s deflected shot round the post.
Updated
Luxembourg 0-0 Republic of Ireland I MEANT DRAUGHT EXCLUDER OKAY. It’s been a long day and I’m trying to watch four games at once.
Luxembourg 0-0 Republic of Ireland Draft excluder! Bloody autocorrect brain.
Luxembourg 0-0 Republic of Ireland After some good pressing from Ireland, Robinson is fouled right on the edge of the area. He takes the free-kick himself, driving it under the wall and into the draught excluder.
Updated
Some really sad news from Scotland
Spain 0-0 Sweden A reminder, if it were needed, of Sweden’s threat. Emil Forsberg picks up the ball on the halfway line, surges all the way into the D and cracks a left-footed shot that goes just wide of the right-hand post. That was a fine effort.
Updated
The latest scores
Group A
- Portugal 1-0 Serbia
- Luxembourg 0-0 Republic of Ireland
(As things stand Portugal qualify and Serbia go into the playoffs)
Group B
- Spain 0-0 Sweden
- Greece 0-0 Kosovo
(As things stand Spain qualify and Sweden go into the playoffs)
Spain 0-0 Sweden A rare Sweden attack ends when Isak is penalised for being fouled by Gavi. Yep.
Luxembourg 0-0 Republic of Ireland Callum Robinson draws a decent save from Ralph Schon with a snapshot from the edge of the area. Ireland have started well. I’m not sure about their kit, mind.
Updated
Spain 0-0 Sweden In a surprising twist, Spain have had about 90 per cent of the possession in the first eight minutes. They had a hopeful appeal for a penalty turned down after a stylish run from Dani Olmo.
“Hi Rob,” says Matt Burtz. “As someone who is merely 58 days older (and one inch shorter) than Zlatan, I hope he plays until the day he can no longer walk. The list of professional athletes born in 1981 and still playing is becoming ever shorter, which I think officially makes me middle aged.”
The day Kazuyoshi Miura retires is when the dream of eternal youth officially dies.
Updated
Portugal 1-0 Serbia The Serbia coach Dragan Stojkovic has been booked for his protests.
GOAL! Portugal 1-0 Serbia (Renato Sanches 2)
Quite a start in Lisbon. Serbia tried to play out from the back and were punished. Gudelj was knocked off the ball by Bernardo Silva in the D, and Renato Sanches picked up the loose ball before slamming it past Rajkovic. Serbia were convinced it was a foul; the referee and Team VAR were not.
Updated
Peep peep! And they’re off.
Spain v Sweden I should have said that the Sweden bench includes popular quadragenarian Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who has been known to occasionally write his own scripts.
Updated
“While Iceland’s qualification campaign may have concluded with a whimper, most supporters now feel moderately hopeful,” writes Kári Tulinius. “Recent revelations about sexual harassment, and worse, by players on the national team ended the era of good feelings with a bang. So to see a squad largely made up of promising youngsters made it possible for us Icelanders to reacquaint ourselves with ‘our boys’, as the nickname has it. Losing 3-1 in Skopje may not be a great result, but it feels like a new era has begun.”
“So Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets are back in the starting Spain line-up,” writes Charles Antaki. “Last week’s laboured win over Greece had nobody from the previous generation until Busquets came on to settle the midfield down late on. He seems ageless, but Alba’s return is something of a surprise, especially since apparently Luis Enrique froze him out fo a year or two, and at (... looks it up ...) 32 is not likely to be especially speedy any more. But the team missed his crosses in the last game, so maybe it’s that?”
Marcos Alonso looked the part in the Nations League, yet he’s not even in the squad. I think Luis Enrique said it was something to do with “small details”.
How the play-offs will work
(With thanks, sizeable thanks, to my colleague Philip Cornwall for simplifying the unsimplifiable.)
1. There are three qualifying spots at Qatar 2022, to be played for by 12 teams: 10 group runners-up plus the two highest ranked winners of Nations League groups that have not qualified otherwise. Scotland, Russia and North Macedonia have qualified as runners-up. Several teams are guaranteed at least a play-off spot (including Poland, who stand only a theoretical chance of catching England). Either Wales or the Czech Republic will be runners-up in Group E, but whoever is not will get a spot via the Nations League route. Austria are guaranteed a spot via the Nations League route.
2. The six group runners-up with the best records, excluding games against the bottom side in six-team groups, will be seeded. Scotland are outside the seeded spots so need a result against Denmark. Wales, who need to draw with Belgium to be sure of being runners-up, would likely be seeded if they were to win.
3. The seeded teams will play at home in the one-off play-off semi-finals, on 24-25 March. The draw on 26 November will determine which semi-finals will provide the home team in the one-off finals, on 28-29 March.
Updated
“Tell Bogdan (19.07) that he shouldn’t complain too much,” writes Alan Weir. “Here in Scotland, Scottish Television (STV) will, as usual, not be showing the Scotland game but instead they will have live coverage of the England game!
“Hello Rob,” writes Bogdan Kotarlic. “Just to let you know, Serbia have played very well during qualification but there is not much enthusiasm in the country as far as the national team is concerned. The last game that Serbia played in Belgrade against Qatar, the attendance was only 1,000. The other reason is that the game will be broadcast on a TV channel that only something like 30 per cent of the population can watch.”
Any team managed by Dragan Stojkovic is a friend of mine.
Updated
There were three 5pm games, all in Group J, and they ended thus:
- Liechtenstein 0-2 Romania
- Armenia 1-4 Germany
- North Macedonia 3-1 Iceland
Ilkay Gundogan scored twice for Germany, who have already qualified, and Kai Havertz was also on the thing we are morally obliged to describe as the scoresheet. North Macedonia’s win over Iceland means they finish second in the group, ahead of Romania, and are through to the play-offs.
Greece v Kosovo team news
Greece (4-3-3) Vlachodimos; Androutsos, Hatzidiakos, Goutas, Tzavellas; Pelkas, Bouchalakis, Tsimikas; Masouras, Douvikas, Mantalos.
Kosovo (4-4-1-1) Muric; Vojvoda, Rrahmani, Fazliji, Aliti; Idrizi, Shala, Loshaj, V Berisha; Rashica; Muriqi.
Spain v Sweden team news
Spain (4-3-3) Unai Simon; Azpilicueta, Laporte, Pau Torres, Jordi Alba; Gavi, Busquets, Soler; Sarabia, de Tomas, Olmo.
Sweden (4-4-2) Olsen; Krafth, Lindelof, Nilsson, Augustinsson; Kulusevski, Ekdal, Olsson, Forsberg; Isak, Claesson.
Updated
Portugal v Serbia team news
Portugal (4-3-3) Rui Patricio; Joao Cancelo, Jose Fonte, Ruben Dias, Nuno Mendes; Danilo, Joao Moutinho, Renato Sanches; Bernardo Silva, Cristiano Ronaldo, Diogo Jota.
Serbia (3-1-4-1-1) Rajkovic, Milenkovic, Veljkovic, Pavlovic; Gudelj; A Zivkovic, Lukic, Milinkovic-Savic, Kostic; Tadic; Vlahovic.
The teams who have already qualified for Qatar 2022 are... Qatar, Germany, Denmark, Brazil, France, Belgium ... and Croatia, who clinched their place with a 1-0 win over Russia this afternoon. Russia were ten minutes away from qualifying ahead of Croatia when Fedor Kudryashov scored a decisive own goal.
Luxembourg v Republic of Ireland team news
Luxembourg (3-4-1-2) Schon; Jans, Chanot, Selimovic; O Thill, Martins, Barreiro, Mica Pinto; Sinani; Rodrigues, Borges Sanches.
Ireland (3-4-2-1) Bazunu; Coleman, Duffy, Egan; Doherty, Hendrick, Cullen, McClean; Ogbene, Robinson; Idah.
STARTING XI | Luxembourg v Ireland
— FAIreland ⚽️🇮🇪 (@FAIreland) November 14, 2021
Two changes to the side that drew against Portugal as Adam Idah & James McClean come into the side in place of Jamie McGrath & Enda Stevens 👍
Come on Ireland, let's end the campaign on a high 🇮🇪#COYBIG | #WeAreOne | #LUXIRL pic.twitter.com/cnLxb0V6lZ
Preamble
Hello jeopardy, my old friend. For too long, qualifying for major tournaments has been close to a formality for the big nations. This time, things are a bit more interesting. Though Italy, Portugal, Spain and the Netherlands still have a World Cup place in their own hands, they are all looking nervously over their shoulder before the final round of group games.
A poor result would mean missing out on qualification and dropping into the play-offs - where, as Italy know all too well, anything can happen. And if the Netherlands lose at home to Norway, they probably won’t even make the play-offs. That game is on Tuesday, with Italy playing away to Northern Ireland tomorrow.
Tonight we’re going to focus on Iberia’s finest. Both are at home, both only need a draw to qualify automatically for Qatar 2022 - but both have tricky opponents. Portugal meet Serbia in Lisbon, while Spain host Sweden - who beat them in the return fixture - in Seville. Sweden’s shock defeat in Georgia on Thursday was good news for Spain, who would otherwise have needed a win tonight to top Group B. Now, a draw will do.
We’ll also keep half an eye on at the Stade de Luxembourg, where Ireland hope to continue their impressive progress under Stephen Kenny. If they win tonight they will finish third in the group, a decent effort after such a difficult start.
Here’s list of tonight’s games, all 7.45pm GMT kick-offs.
Group A
- Luxembourg v Republic of Ireland
- Portugal v Serbia
Group B
- Greece v Kosovo
- Spain v Sweden
