Euro 2016 Qualifiers Team of the Week of September 8
If there was a common thread that bound the first matchday of Euro 2016 qualifiers it was one of unpredictability.
No team, regardless of profile, seemed immune to an upset, and the matches on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday produced no shortage of unlikely heroes.
Following are 11 of them, arranged into our qualification Team of the Week.
Goalkeeper: Joe Hart, England
1 of 11
Joe Hart didn’t have a lot to do on Monday against Switzerland, but the Manchester City goalkeeper came up with a pair of important saves on Haris Seferovic that allowed England to take an important three points from Basel. Crucially, his second stop came just moments before his teammates went downfield to open the scoring.
Right-Back: Peter Pekarik, Slovakia
2 of 11
Slovakia have generally disappointed since progressing to the last 16 of the 2010 World Cup, but on Monday they managed to edge Group C rivals Ukraine 1-0 in Kiev. Right-back Peter Pekarik was impressive throughout the encounter, in which he helped smother winger Andriy Yarmolenko.
Centre-Back: Gary Cahill, England
3 of 11
Gary Cahill preserved England’s clean sheet in Switzerland, and helped set the table for a 2-0 win, when he made a vital, last-man clearance to deny the hosts a sure goal. Overall, the Chelsea defender also completed 93 percent of his passes in Basel (statistics courtesy WhoScored.com) and won all of his aerial battles.
Centre-Back: Leonardo Bonucci, Italy
4 of 11
Italy defender Leonardo Bonucci was solid enough in the centre of the backline to prevent Norway from placing a single shot on target, but he also contributed in the attacking third in Oslo. Shortly after the hour-mark, the Juventus man rose over his marker to head Manuel Pasqual’s cross into the back of the net and provide the Azzurri with a measure of insurance following Simone Zaza’s opener.
Left-Back: Emir Lenjani, Albania
5 of 11One of the shock results of the weekend was Albania’s 1-0 win away to Portugal. Until his withdrawal in the 75th minute left-back Emir Lenjani managed to neutralize Manchester United winger Nani—now on loan at Sporting Lisbon—and limit Portugal’s effectiveness from where they typically thrive: in the wide areas.
Midfielder: Aiden McGeady, Republic of Ireland
6 of 11
Tbilisi isn’t an easy place to get a result, but on Sunday the Republic of Ireland managed to take all three points back home with them from Georgia. They had Aiden McGeady to thank. The Everton man opened the scoring in the 24th minute and then, following Tornike Okriashvili’s equaliser, potted a late winner in the final minute of normal time.
Midfielder: Luka Modric, Croatia
7 of 11
Luka Modric celebrated his birthday on Tuesday (he turned 29) with a standout performance for Croatia against Malta. The elder statesman in a midfield setup that also included Ivan Rakitic, Mateo Kovacic and Alen Halilovic, the Real Madrid midfielder scored in the first minute after the restart—a goal that proved to be the winner.
Midfielder: Sergio Busquets, Spain
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Abysmal against France in last week’s friendly and withdrawn at the break, Sergio Busquets rebounded with an excellent performance against Macedonia on Monday. Not only did the Barcelona midfielder complete an eye-popping 96 percent of his passes, but he also contributed five tackles and got himself on the scoresheet with a goal in the 45th minute. Spain won the match 5-1.
Forward: Thomas Muller, Germany
9 of 11
For a time in Dortmund on Sunday, it looked as though Scotland might earn at least a draw against Germany. Then Thomas Muller ruined the visitors’ party. Having opened the scoring in the 18th minute, the Bayern Munich forward completed his brace just four minutes after Ikechi Anya’s equaliser as Germany went on to win 2-1.
Forward: Robert Lewandowski, Poland
10 of 11
Yes, it came against Gibraltar—and in their competitive debut, no less—but a quad is a quad, and on Sunday Robert Lewandowski stuffed four goals past goalkeeper Jordan Perez. They came in clusters. First he scored twice in four minutes early in the second half; then he notched his third and fourth goals in the final four minutes of the match.
Poland won the match 7-0.
Forward: Demetris Christofi, Cyprus
11 of 11
Not surprisingly, Bosnia-Herzegovina took the early lead at home against Cyrus—Vedad Ibisevic opening the scoring after just six minutes. But from there it was the Demetris Christofi show. First the FC Sion forward restored level terms with an impressive header on the stroke of half-time; then he won the match for the guests with a solo effort in the 73rd minute.
