Euro 2016 Qualifiers That Could Provide Upsets
Matchday 1 of Euro 2016 qualifying produced no shortage of eyebrow-raisers.
Iceland thumped Turkey 3-0, Albania won away to Portugal and Czech Republic defeated World Cup semi-finalists Netherlands, to name just a few of the surprising results.
The scorelines served to reinforce the notion that the gap in quality between the upper and lower echelons of the continent’s footballing nations continues to close—a phenomenon only exacerbated in the months following a gruelling World Cup.
No doubt Matchday 2, which kicks off Thursday, will pick up where the campaign left off last month.
Following are five potential upsets to watch over the next few days.
5. Bulgaria vs. Croatia
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Croatia are regular participants in major tournaments and beat Malta 2-0 in their Euro 2016 qualification debut on September 9.
The same day Bulgaria edged Azerbaijan 2-1 in Baku thanks to a late Ventislav Hristov winner.
Bulgaria enjoyed a respectable 2014 World Cup qualification campaign, in which they lost just three of 10 matches while conceding only nine goals.
They have also tended to play Croatia closely in the past and picked up a 2-0 win at home in 2002.
The Lions stand a chance of staging an upset on Thursday in Sofia.
4. Serbia vs. Albania
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Serbia narrowly missed out on booking a ticket to the 2014 World Cup but participated in the 2010 event in South Africa.
They should be favoured to beat Albania on Tuesday, especially as they’ll be hosting the match in Belgrade.
But Albania shocked Portugal in Aveiro on Matchday 1, defeating the Seleccao 1-0 through Bekim Balaj’s winner.
Gianni De Biasi’s side are capable and tenacious, and with defenders including Loric Cana and Debatik Curri will be difficult to break down.
3. Iceland vs. Netherlands
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The Netherlands are in flux after the departure of manager Louis van Gaal, whose replacement—Guus Hiddink—debuted (in his most recent spell with the national team) with a 2-1 loss to the Czech Republic on September 9.
Iceland, meanwhile, kicked off their Euro 2016 qualification campaign with a 3-0 shellacking of Turkey in Reykjavik.
It’ll be in the Icelandic capital that the two sides go head to head on Monday, and the unfancied hosts will be hoping to take at least a point off their famous guests.
Iceland nearly qualified for the 2014 World Cup, only to lose to Croatia in a two-legged play-off, and have recently been getting standout, international performances from the likes of Gylfi Sigurdsson and Kolbheinn Sigthorsson.
2. Poland vs. Germany
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Poland and Germany are fierce rivals and have drawn their last two matches—one in each country.
On Saturday they’ll go head-to-head in a top-of-the-table battle in Group D.
Poland, who humbled Gibraltar 7-0 last month, presently lead the section on goal difference, but Germany returned from their World Cup success with a 2-1 victory over Scotland.
Poland striker Robert Lewandowski is in rude form for both club and country and will no doubt be hoping to put one over some of his Bayern Munich teammates in Warsaw.
A high-profile upset could be on the cards.
1. Estonia vs. England
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Think Estonia will be a walkover for England? Think again.
In Euro 2012 qualifying, the Blueshirts finished second to Italy in Group C and contested a two-legged playoff against the Republic of Ireland—eventually losing 5-1 on aggregate.
But over the course of the campaign, they got standout performances from Konstantin Vassiljev, Tarmo Kink, Kaimar Saag and Ats Purje, who scored the winner on Matchday 1 against Slovenia in Tallinn.
It was just over a year ago that Estonia drew the Netherlands 2-2 (Vassiljev contributing a brace), and Magnus Pehrsson will be looking to make a similar stand at the intimate yet intimidating A. Le Coq Arena on Sunday.
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