Euro 2008 Qualifying: Big Fish Cruise Past Languid Minnows

It was a night of big wins for major players in the European arena.

Favorites like France, Spain, Italy, and England easily outmaneuvered inferior adversaries. An upstart Scotland side, meanwhile, once again opened eyes around the continent with a resounding 3-1 win over Ukraine.

The highlights came from the avalanche of goals netted by the French and the Slovaks, and from Germany's emergence as the first team to qualify for the next round.

In Group A, an ongoing two-horse race between Portugal and Poland saw both teams comfortably defeat Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, respectively.

Group B, the so-called Group of Death, looks to be going down to the wire. Both Italy and France are breathing down Scotland's neck, and all three teams were victorious yesterday.

France was particularly impressive in a 6-0 mauling of the Faroe Islands. In a tight group, Italy's away match against Scotland may well be the decider.

Group C has been dominated by Greece and Turkey, but the Turks were held to a 1-1 draw at Moldova.

Germany breathed a sigh of relief after confirming their qualification in a lackluster 0-0 draw against the Republic of Ireland. One more win and the Czech Republic will also move on in Group D.

San Marino, the worst team in the competition, surrendered seven goals to the Slovaks.

Group E play saw England and Croatia get the better of Estonia and Israel, respectively. The two group leaders will meet on the last Matchday at Wembley.

Group F is dominated by Spain and Sweden, with the latter leading the pack.

Group G is slated to see some upcoming cliffhangers, with Romania, the Netherlands, and Bulgaria all in contention for the top two spots.

With veteran goalkeeper Van der Saar out due to injury, the Dutch were unlucky enough to lose to Romania by a goal.

And to close with an argument:

With all due respect, I think it's unjust to allow minnows like Andorra and San Marino to compete for spots in Euro 2008.

Yes, they are bound to be underdogs in every competition, but such impotent teams have no place amongst the European elite.

Instead, they should be confined to International Friendlies, where at least they'll be able to hone their talents.

What do you think?