Euro 2016 Qualifying Results: Scores, Group Tables and Top Players from Saturday
Saturday's Euro 2016 qualifiers saw Wales storm to the top of Group B. The Welsh thoroughly dominated Israel to earn an emphatic 3-0 win with Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey particularly impressive.
Meanwhile, the Netherlands continue to court disaster after being held to a 1-1 home draw by Turkey. Manager Guus Hiddink is now under increasing pressure as his nation struggles to find form.
Elsewhere in Group A, the Czech Republic need a last-minute equaliser to rescue a point at home to Latvia. The at-the-death leveller also ensured the Czechs maintained top spot in Group A, after Iceland smashed three goals past Kazakhstan.
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Here are the full results from Saturday's qualifiers:
| Home | Score | Away |
| Kazakhstan | 0-3 | Iceland |
| Azerbaijan | 2-0 | Malta |
| Croatia | 5-1 | Norway |
| Czech Republic | 1-1 | Latvia |
| Israel | 0-3 | Wales |
| Andorra | 0-3 | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Belgium | 5-0 | Cyprus |
| Bulgaria | 2-2 | Italy |
| Holland | 1-1 | Turkey |
Here's what the tables look like after those results:
| Group | Teams | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against | Goal Difference | Points |
| A | Czech Republic | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 13 |
| Iceland | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 10 | 12 | |
| Netherlands | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 7 | |
| Turkey | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 8 | -2 | 5 | |
| Latvia | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 11 | -9 | 3 | |
| Kazakhstan | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 13 | -9 | 1 | |
| B | Wales | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 11 |
| Israel | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 9 | |
| Belgium | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 11 | 8 | |
| Cyprus | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 10 | -1 | 6 | |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 6 | -1 | 5 | |
| Andorra | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 13 | -9 | 1 | |
| C | Slovakia | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 9 | 15 |
| Spain | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 3 | 11 | 12 | |
| Ukraine | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 9 | |
| Belarus | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 10 | -6 | 4 | |
| Macedonia | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 12 | -7 | 3 | |
| Luxembourg | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 14 | -11 | 1 | |
| D | Poland | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 13 | 10 |
| Germany | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 7 | |
| Scotland | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 7 | |
| Republic of Ireland | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 7 | |
| Georgia | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 7 | -3 | 3 | |
| Gibraltar | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 21 | -21 | 0 | |
| E | England | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 14 | 15 |
| Slovenia | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 9 | |
| Switzerland | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 9 | |
| Lithuania | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 10 | -7 | 6 | |
| Estonia | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | -4 | 4 | |
| San Marino | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 17 | -17 | 1 | |
| F | Romania | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 10 |
| Northern Ireland | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 9 | |
| Hungary | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 7 | |
| Finland | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | -1 | 4 | |
| Faroe Islands | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 6 | -4 | 3 | |
| Greece | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | -4 | 1 | |
| G | Austria | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Sweden | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 9 | |
| Russia | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 5 | |
| Montenegro | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | |
| Liechtenstein | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 11 | -10 | 4 | |
| Moldova | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 8 | -6 | 1 | |
| H | Croatia | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 13 | 13 |
| Italy | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 11 | |
| Norway | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 8 | -1 | 9 | |
| Bulgaria | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 7 | -1 | 5 | |
| Azerbaijan | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 11 | -7 | 3 | |
| Malta | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 9 | -8 | 1 | |
| I | Denmark | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 7 |
| Portugal | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
| Albania | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 4 | |
| Serbia | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | |
| Armenia | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 1 |
Bale and Ramsey Run Riot
The Bale-Ramsey double act was in inspired form in Israel. The former bagged a brace to help erase some of his recent struggles at club level.
Those goals earned the Real Madrid forward a milestone on the international stage, according to Squawka:
Bale stole the headlines, but Ramsey may have been the most influential player on the pitch. The Arsenal midfield workhorse scored his country's opener with a deftly taken header barely seconds before the half-time whistle.
Ramsey also slipped in the pass that allowed Bale to cap the scoring. Ramsey's late runs into the box and technical accomplishment on the ball caused Israel's defence a litany of problems.
His form also created extra space for Bale who ruthlessly exploited it. The result pushed Wales to the summit of their group and also revealed how reliant manager Chris Coleman's team is on its two mega stars, as noted by Squawka:
"Four of Wales' six Euro 2016 qualifying goals have been scored by Gareth Bale (3) & Aaron Ramsey (1). pic.twitter.com/qivzpVi7iI
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) March 28, 2015"
Mediocre Netherlands Held at Home
Hiddink just can't get things right with a Netherlands squad that finished third at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. A dismal home draw with Turkey has left the Netherlands six points off top spot and five off second in Group A.
Now the veteran coach is under real pressure. Goal.com writer Peter McVitie laid into Hiddink after the tame stalemate:
"Only one man is to blame for their abysmal displays - Hiddink himself.
"
Awful team selections, no tactics and an inability to alter games, a very talented Oranje side has become a national embarrassment. The likes of Turkey, Iceland, Kazakhstan, Czech Republic and Mexico have all faced the Dutch under the 68-year-old's tenure and have come away with more respect than last year's World Cup bronze medallists.
It took a very rare Wesley Sneijder goal to rescue a point for the Dutch. For most of the match, though, Hiddink's men were on the back foot.
That WhoScored.com tabbed a defender, Lazio's Stefan de Vrij, as man of the match, summed up the performance:
Hiddink's Netherlands lack imagination and a real spark going forward. The lack of ideas must be particularly galling for a football nation with a proud history of creative, technically gifted players.
It's tough to know what Hiddink can do to turn things around. His team certainly missed the pace and trickery of winger Arjen Robben, as well as striker Robin van Persie. But the squad shouldn't be so reliant on the gifted but ageing attacking duo.
Unless some new stars step forward, the Netherlands will face the ignominy of failing to qualify.
Belgium got their qualification campaign rolling with a 5-0 thumping of Cyprus. The result was a reminder to the Welsh who their toughest competition is in Group B.
At the moment, though, Coleman's man can bask in their strong start.
