Euro 2016: Winners and Losers from Friday's Qualification Games
Euro 2016 qualifying continued Friday night with nine matches across the continent, and there was no shortage of action on the pitch.
England won again as Harry Kane lived up to the hype. Slovakia kept up their perfect run, while Spain kept pace with a tight win over Ukraine. Meanwhile, ugly scenes marred Russia's trip to Montenegro, with a brawl ending the match prematurely.
Winner: Harry Kane
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Hype followed Harry Kane throughout the week as the in-form Tottenham Hotspur striker prepared for his first senior appearance with England. The debut didn't disappoint.
After entering as a substitute in the 72nd minute, Kane needed just 79 seconds to score his first senior international goal. The Internet promptly exploded as memes overtook social media.
It was a magical moment for the Spurs star, and England boss Roy Hodgson will be hoping the goals continue to flow. But Hodgson might be more pleased with the fact that so many of his forward players performed well on the night in England's 4-0 triumph.
Liverpool's Raheem Sterling notched his first England goal and recorded an assist. Manchester United's Wayne Rooney scored a goal, assisted on another and hit the woodwork. And Arsenal's Danny Welbeck was named man of the match at Wembley.
In his post-match comments, Hodgson seemed to reinforce the point, telling BBC 5 (via Tom Rostance of BBC Sport):
"It's good Harry gets his chance and grabs it with both hands - it adds that bit of magic to the evening.
In this way of playing, he competes with Wayne Rooney. To get him in the team we would have to change our way our way of playing. We can do that but the players are suited to the way we're playing at the moment.
We've got so many good players I feel whoever I put in will do a good job. Everyone's trying to be a good unit.
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Lithuania weren't the toughest of competition, but England's offensive performance was impeccable.
Winner: Wayne Rooney
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As noted in the previous slide, Rooney scored a goal, assisted another and even hit the woodwork as England beat Lithuania, 4-0. The Three Lions' captain was generally excellent, and he's now only two goals behind Sir Bobby Charlton as England's all-time leading scorer.
At this rate, Rooney will easily break the record before Euro 2016, giving him plenty of time to set himself apart as England's top scorer. Still only 29, if he remains healthy and in-form, Rooney could blow past Charlton's mark of 49 and easily hit 60 or more.
And if he produces his best form at Euro 2016, England's chances of making an impact will rise considerably.
Loser: Drama
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As Euro 2016 qualification nears the halfway point, it's hard to spot the drama in the group tables—thanks to UEFA's new qualifying format.
For the first time, the upcoming European Championships will feature 24 teams. With 53 nations taking part in the qualifying round, that makes for much better odds for many more teams.
As UEFA.com explains:
"The nine group winners, the nine group runners-up and the best third-placed side will qualify directly for the final tournament. The eight remaining third-placed teams will contest play-offs to determine the last four qualifiers for the finals.
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With the top two teams in each group advancing automatically, there's less reason to fear big squads might miss out on the final tournament. So even though nations such as Belgium, Spain, Germany and the Netherlands are not currently atop their group tables, they still have a strong chance to qualify—either automatically or through the play-offs.
Winner: Alvaro Morata
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Alvaro Morata scored his first international goal as Spain edged Ukraine 1-0 in Group C. The win took Spain three points clear of Ukraine in second place behind Slovakia, and the goal should give Morata a boost as well.
Starting in place of the absent Diego Costa, Morata wasn't especially sharp during his 65 minutes on the pitch, but he took his goal well and must be pleased to have found the scoresheet.
While it wasn't a particularly great performance, it is something on which the Juventus man can build for the future.
Loser: UEFA
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The Group G match between Montenegro and Russia came to a halt early in the first half after a flare struck Russia goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev within moments of kick-off.
Akinfeev left the field on a stretcher, but the match restarted after a delay of about 35 minutes, per BBC Sport. Yuri Lodigin replaced Akinfeev in Russia's goal, but that was almost beside the point.
The flare represented a serious threat to the safety of a player, and for that reason, UEFA might have considered stopping the match at that point. Instead, it continued until a brawl erupted in the second half, prompting officials to abandon the game once and for all, per The Associated Press.
Regardless of who takes the blame, the incident is a black eye for all concerned, especially UEFA as the governing body.
Winner: Andres Iniesta
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Andres Iniesta put in a vintage shift for Spain against Ukraine, bossing the game in a manner reminiscent of his past glories for both club and country.
According to WhoScored.com, Iniesta completed 90 per cent of his passes—including three key passes—and two dribbles. He also played a part in Spain's lone goal, starting the sequence with a pass to Koke, who picked out Alvaro Morata for the winner.
"[Iniesta] looks really sharp, quick on the ball, passing forward rather than sideways," Dermot Corrigan tweeted during the match, adding that Iniesta had not run a game like in such a way for some time.
At 30, Iniesta might be on the downslope of his career. But as Bleacher Report's Rik Sharma noted on Twitter, Iniesta's performance suggested he's not ready to ride off into the sunset just yet.
"Isco is the heir to Iniesta, but on today's evidence he's not relinquishing the throne without a fight," Sharma tweeted.
Winners: Slovakia
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Slovakia have not qualified for the European Championships since the dissolution of Czechoslovakia. But after notching another win on Friday—a routine 3-0 romp over minnows Luxembourg—Jan Kozak's men are well on their way to changing that.
Halfway through the schedule in Group C, Slovakia top the table with a 100 per cent record and 15 points through five matches. Having already beaten Spain last fall, the Slovaks are now almost certainly assured of at least a spot in the play-offs.
Third-placed Ukraine are six points behind, and Belarus have just four points through five matches. Even if Spain pip them to the top spot, Slovakia look certain to make the final tournament next year in France.
