World Cup Qualifying Euro Wrap: Portugal, England, Germany Away with Wins

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World Cup 2014 qualifying began in earnest on Friday night, with over 200 nations competing for 32 spots at the greatest sporting show on earth.

European qualifying sees 53 nations split into eight groups of six teams and one of five. The winners of each of the nine groups will earn an automatic place in Brazil in two years' time, with the eight best runners-up given the chance to earn a golden ticket in a playoff match.

Here's a group-by-group roundup of what happened on match-day one.

Group A

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Wales 0-2 Belgium

With the likes of Eden Hazard and Marouane Fellaini in their ranks, big things are expected of Belgium. And they got their 2014 campaign off to the perfect start in Cardiff.

Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen and Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany were the scorers, after Chris Coleman's Welsh team lost James Collins to a red card in the 26th minute.

Croatia 1-0 Macedonia

Everton striker Nikica Jelavic scored the winner as Croatia beat Macedonia in Zagreb. 

(Scotland play Serbia on Saturday)

Group B

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Bulgaria 2-2 Italy

Roma striker Pablo Osvaldo scored twice for Italy in Bulgaria, but Cesare Prandelli's men were held to a disappointing 2-2 draw in Sofia to start their qualifying campaign. The Euro 2012 finalists entertain Malta on Tuesday, so they won't have to wait long to get out their frustration.

Malta 0-1 Armenia

Artur Sarkisov's goal was the difference as Armenia got going with what FIFA describe as a "deserved" victory in Malta.

(Denmark host Czech Republic on Saturday)

Group C

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Germany 3-0 Faroe Islands

Real Madrid playmaker Mesut Ozil scored twice as Germany saw off minnows Faroe Islands 3-0 in Hanover. Mario Goetze of Borussia Dortmund was also on target.

Kazakhstan 1-2 Republic of Ireland

With two minutes to go, Kazakhstan were leading the Republic of Ireland 1-0 and on the verge of a notable shock. But a Robbie Keane penalty followed by a winner from Kevin Doyle in added time saved Irish blushes and made sure they picked up a vital three points.

(Sweden and Austria are the other teams in Group C, with both playing their first games next Tuesday)

Group D

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Netherlands 2-0 Turkey

Fresh from the hat trick he scored for Manchester United against Southampton, Robin van Persie was on target as the Netherlands beat Turkey in Amsterdam. PSV Eindhoven midfielder Luciano Narsingh scored the clinching goal in added time.

Andorra 0-5 Hungary

Andorra aren't very good. This is a fact that was proved emphatically in their 5-0 battering at the hands of Hungary, who are ranked 37th in the world by FIFA.

Estonia 0-2 Romania

Goals from Gabriel Torje and Ciprian Marica gave Romania a valuable home victory in Estonia.

Group E

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Slovenia 0-2 Switzerland

Switzerland lost Tranquillo Barnetta to a late red card, but goals from Granit Xhaka and Gokhan Inler had already done for Slovenia in Ljubliana.

Iceland 2-0 Norway

Kari Arnason and Alfred Finnbogason were on target as Iceland began their quest to reach the World Cup finals for the first time in their nation's history.

Albania 3-1 Cyprus

Edgar Cani and Erjon Bogdani scored late goals to give Albania an opening victory against Cyprus.

Group F

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Luxembourg 1-2 Portugal

Portugal recovered from a goal down to beat lowly Luxembourg, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring the equalizer and Helder Postiga on target for the winner.

Russia 2-0 Northern Ireland

Fabio Capello's Russia enjoyed a routine 2-0 victory against Northern Ireland in Moscow, with goals coming from Viktor Fayzulin and Roman Shirokov.

Azerbaijan 1-1 Israel

Bebras Natcho's opener for Israel was cancelled out by Ruslan Abusov, as Azerbaijan and Israel took a point each from their clash in Baku.

Group G

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Liechtenstein 1-8 Bosnia-Herzegovina

The most emphatic result of the night belonged to Bosnia, who put eight past hapless Liechtenstein to get their campaign off to a resounding start. Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko scored a hat trick, as did Vedad Ibisevic.

Latvia 1-2 Greece

Greece enjoyed a come-from-behind win in Latvia, with Nikos Spyropoulos and Theofanis Gekas both on target in the second half in response to Aleksandrs Cauna's 42rd-minute penalty kick and goal.

Lithuania 1-1 Slovakia

Marius Zaliukas put Lithuania ahead on 18 minutes in Vilnius, only for Marek Sapana to equalize for the visiting Slovaks shortly before halftime. 

Group H

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Moldova 0-5 England

Frank Lampard scored twice and England cruised to a 5-0 mauling of Moldova. The Chelsea midfielder opened the scoring from the penalty spot early, before adding a second with a header on 29 minutes. Jermain Defoe made it 3-0 before halftime, with James Milner and Leighton Baines completing the rout.

Montenegro 2-2 Poland

Euro 2012 hosts Poland shared four goals with Montenegro in what FIFA called a "bad-tempered" clash in the Montenegrin capital of Podgorica. Montenegro's Savo Pavicevic and Ludovic Obraniak of Poland were both sent off.

(Ukraine and San Marino begin their campaigns on Tuesday)

Group I

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Finland 0-1 France

Arsenal's Abou Diaby scored the winner as France claimed a narrow 1-0 victory in Finland. Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris also earned praise for his performance.

Georgia 1-0 Belarus

Tornike Okriashvili's goal proved the difference as Georgia beat Belarus in Tbilisi.

(Spain, the other team in Group I, begin their World Cup defence on Tuesday)