Euro 2008 Qualifying Group A Table

Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	PTS
Poland	14	8	4	2	24	12	28
Portugal	14	7	6	1	24	10	27
Finland	14	6	6	2	13	7	24
Serbia	13	5	6	2	21	11	21
Belgium	14	5	3	6	14	16	18
Kazakhstan	13	2	4	7	10	21	10
Armenia	12	2	3	7	4	13	9
Azerbaijan	11	1	2	8	6	27	5

Euro 2008 Qualifying Group A Fixtures

16/08/06	Belgium	0 v 0	Kazakhstan
02/09/06	Poland	1 v 3	Finland
	Gargula 89		Litmanen 54, 76 (pen), Vayrynen 84
02/09/06	Serbia	1 v 0	Azerbaijan
	Zigic 72
06/09/06	Finland	1 v 1	Portugal
	Johansson 22		Gomes 42
06/09/06	Poland	1 v 1	Serbia
	Matusiak 30		Lazovic 71
06/09/06	Armenia	0 v 1	Belgium
			Van Buyten 41
06/09/06	Azerbaijan	1 v 1	Kazakhstan
	Ladaga 16		Byakov 36
07/10/06	Kazakhstan	0 v 1	Poland
			Smolarek 52
07/10/06	Armenia	0 v 0	Finland
07/10/06	Serbia	1 v 0	Belgium
	Zigic 54
07/10/06	Portugal	3 v 0	Azerbaijan
	Ronaldo 25, 63, Carvalho 31
11/10/06	Poland	2 v 1	Portugal
	Smolarek 9, 18		Gomes 90+
11/10/06	Belgium	3 v 0	Azerbaijan
	Simons (pen) 24, Vandenbergh 47, Dembele 82
11/10/06	Kazakhstan	0 v 2	Finland
			Litmanen 27, Hyppia 67
11/10/06	Serbia	3 v 0	Armenia
	Stankovic (pen) 54, Lazovic 62, Zigic 90+
15/11/06	Portugal	3 v 0	Kazakhstan
	Sabrosa 8, 86, Ronaldo 30
15/11/06	Belgium	0 v 1	Poland
			Matusiak 19
15/11/06	Finland	1 v 0	Armenia
	Nurmela 10
24/03/07	Portugal	4 v 0	Belgium
	Gomes 53, Ronaldo 55,75, Quaresma 69
24/03/07	Poland	5 v 0	Azerbaijan
	Bak 3, Dudka 6, Lobodzinski 34, Krzynowek 58, Kazmierczak 84
24/03/07	Kazakhstan	2 v 1	Serbia
	Ashirbekov 47, Zhumaskaliev 61		Zigic 68
28/03/07	Serbia	1 v 1	Portugal
	Jankovic 37		Tiago 5
28/03/07	Poland	1 v 0	Armenia
	Zurawski 26
28/03/07	Azerbaijan	1 v 0	Finland
	Imamaliev 83
02/06/07	Belgium	1 v 2	Portugal
	Fellaini 55		Nani 43, Postiga 64
02/06/07	Azerbaijan	1 v 3	Poland
	Subashic 6		Smolarek 63, Krzynowek 66, 90
02/06/07	Finland	0 v 2	Serbia
			Jankovic 3, Jovanovic 86
02/06/07	Kazakhstan	1 v 2	Armenia
	Baltiev 88(pen)		Arzumanian 31, Hovsepyan 39(pen)
06/06/07	Armenia	1 v 0	Poland
	Mkhitarian 66
06/06/07	Finland	2 v 0	Belgium
	Johansson 27, Jeremenko 71
06/06/07	Kazakhstan	1 v 1	Azerbaijan
	Baltiev 53		Nadyrov 30
22/08/07	Armenia	1 v 1	Portugal
	Arzumanian 12		Ronaldo 37
22/08/07	Finland	2 v 1	Kazakhstan
	Jeremenko 13, Tainio 61		Byakov 23
22/08/07	Belgium	3 v 2	Serbia
	Dembele 10, 88, Maralas 30		Kuzmanovic 73, 91
08/09/07	Portugal	2 v 2	Poland
	Maniche 50, Ronaldo 73		Lewandowski 44, Krzynowek 88
08/09/07	Azerbaijan	canceled	Armenia
08/09/07	Serbia	0 v 0	Finland
12/09/07	Portugal	1 v 1	Serbia
	Sabrosa 11		Pantelic 88
12/09/07	Finland	0 v 0	Poland
12/09/07	Armenia	canceled	Azerbaijan
12/09/07	Kazakhstan	2 v 2	Belgium
	Byakov 39, Smakov 77 (pen)		Geraerts 13, Maralas 24
13/10/07	Azerbaijan	0 v 2	Portugal
			Alves 12, Almeida 45
13/10/07	Poland	3 v 1	Kazakhstan
	Smolarek 56, 65, 66		Byakov 20
13/10/07	Armenia	0 v 0	Serbia
13/10/07	Belgium	0 v 0	Finland
17/10/07	Kazakhstan	1 v 2	Portugal
	Byakov 95		Makukula 84, Ronaldo 91
17/10/07	Azerbaijan	1 v 6	Serbia
	Aliyev 26		Tosic 4, Zigic 22, 42, Jankovic 42, Jovanovic 75, Lazovic 84
17/10/07	Belgium	3 v 0	Armenia
	Sonck 63, Dembele 69, Geraerts 76
17/11/07	Portugal	1 v 0	Armenia
	Almeida 42
17/11/07	Poland	2 v 0	Belgium
	Smolarek 45, 49
2424/11/07	Serbia	v	Kazakhstan
	Match postponed until 24th November because of heavy snow in Serbia
17/11/07	Finland	2 v 1	Azerbaijan
	Forssell 79, Kuqi 86		Gurbanov 63
21/11/07	Portugal	0 v 0	Finland
21/11/07	Serbia	2 v 2	Poland
	Zigic 69, Lazovic 71		Murawski 28, Matusiak 47
21/11/07	Armenia	0 v 1	Kazakhstan
			Ostapenko 64
21/11/07	Azerbaijan	0 v 1	Belgium
			Pieroni 53

Last edited by berni23 on Thu Nov 22, 2007 2:08 pm; edited 13 times in total

EURO 2008: GROUP A

Poland's hopes of reaching their first UEFA European Championship finals received an unexpected blow as they suffered a 1-0 defeat in Armenia.

Memorable week
The Group A leaders went into the game seeking a seventh successive victory yet they were far from their best against Ian Porterfield's side and could find no answer to Hamlet Mkhitaryan's second-half free-kick. For Armenia and their jubilant fans, it completed a memorable week following their first win in the section last Saturday, 2-1 in Kazakhstan.

Missed chances
After a slow start at the Republican stadium, the match came to life with a flurry of chances midway through the first half. After Armenia's Robert Arzumanyan had headed past the far post from a corner, Poland responded and Marek Saganowski was the first to force Gevorg Kasparov into action, the home keeper saving well as Saganowski slid in to connect with a low cross. Soon afterwards Kasparov had to tip over Jacek Krzynówek's free-kick and on the half-hour the pressure nearly brought a goal. Wojciech Łobodziński drove in a shot and when Kasparov could only parry the ball, Saganowski turned the rebound wide of a gaping goal.

Mkhitaryan strikes
Although Łobodziński flashed an attempt across goal on 57 minutes, Leo Beenhakker's team were not controlling proceedings as expected and the game slipped away from them when the breakthrough came on 66 minutes. Following Jacek Bąk's foul on Aram Hakobyan some 20 metres from goal, Mkhitaryan curled his free-kick over the Poland wall and beyond the despairing right arm of Artur Boruc.

Plenty to ponder
Poland substitutes Jakub Błaszczykowski and Maciej Żurawski both had efforts beaten away by Kasparov, yet the defeat might have been even more embarrassing had Arman Karamyan not spurned a clear opportunity in added time. Rather than going into the summer with an eight-point lead, Poland's result leaves them looking suddenly vulnerable given their immediate pursuers in Group A, Portugal and Serbia, both have two games in hand – and Poland must still visit that pair when qualifying resumes in the autumn.

IN THE OTHER GROUP MATCHES:
Kazakhstan 1 - 1 Azerbaijan
Finland 2 - 0 Belgium

EURO 2008 qualifying Group A

A fine Cristiano Ronaldo goal was not enough to earn Portugal a much-needed victory in Armenia as a 1-1 draw left them four points behind the leaders Poland in UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying Group A.

Third surprise
Robert Arzumanyan headed Armenia in front after 12 minutes, but the Manchester United FC winger equalised with a trademark individual effort. If that strike was supposed to be the cue for Portugal to push on for victory, the hosts had not read the script and held on for their third surprise result in a row, having defeated Kazakhstan and Poland away in the last set of fixtures in June.

Goalkeeper deceived
Samvel Melkonyan and Deco traded shots from range before Arzumanyan put the hosts in front by nodding in Artavazd Karamyan's free-kick. Arzumanyan then passed up an opportunity to double the lead either side of fizzing shots with both feet from Deco, the FC Barcelona playmaker who was central to much of his side’s best moves. Portugal were soon on terms, though, as Armenia defender Agvan Mkrtchyan missed the ball in his own box and Ronaldo capitalised by slotting the ball under Roman Berezovsky after deceiving the goalkeeper by feigning a pass across the middle.

Attacking impetus
Ronaldo fired a free-kick over the bar from distance after 55 minutes before Luiz Felipe Scolari sought greater attacking impetus with the introduction of Nuno Gomes and Ricardo Quaresma for Hélder Postiga and Simão, who had been ineffective. Tiago fired wide and Quaresma twice missed at the other end as full time approached, although the clearest chance was the final one as Bruno Alves rose unmarked to meet Deco’s cross deep into added time but headed wide – a miss which could prove costly in what is shaping up to be a thrilling section.

Belgium kept alive their slim hopes of qualifying for UEFA EURO 2008™ from Group A by denting Serbia's own aspirations in Brussels.

Dembélé double
Goals from Moussa Dembélé and debutant Kevin Mirallas, a star of the summer's UEFA European Under-21 Championship, inside the opening half-hour gave the hosts a two-goal lead but Zdravko Kuzmanović's 73rd-minute strike halved the deficit. Dembélé restored the cushion with two minutes remaining before Kuzmanović set up a thrilling finish.

Early opener
Serbia started the brighter with Boško Janković, another to shine at the U21 finals, firing wide and Kuzmanović forcing a save from Stijn Stijnen before Belgium opened the scoring in the tenth minute. Steven Defour sent in a cross from the right and Dembélé slotted the ball in from 12 metres for his second international goal.

Deserved second
Dembélé came close to doubling his tally four minutes later but his shot was saved by Vladimir Stojković before Thomas Vermaelen fired over the bar. In the 30th minute, Belgium got a deserved second goal as teenager Mirallas made it a debut to remember with a solo effort, beating Stojković with a shot into the far corner from the edge of the area.

Serbia reply
Miloš Krasić entered the fray early in the second half and his shot on the hour mark was blocked by Vermaelen. Belgium coach René Vandereycken replaced Mirallas with defender Anthony Vanden Borre soon after in an attempt to hold on to the lead, but Serbia pulled a goal back 17 minutes from time when Kuzmanović converted Ivica Dragutinović's cross from close range.

Tense finish
Dembélé's second goal, which beat Stojković at his near post from close range, looked to have put the game to rest but Kuzmanović's second in added time from 12 metres made it a tense final few minutes. Serbia have fallen three points behind second-placed Finland, who trail leaders Poland by two points, while Belgium are four points further back of the second qualifying position.

Finland have moved within two points of the Group A lead after a 2-1 win at home against Kazakhstan in UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying this evening.

portugal 2-2 poland

Poland's Jacek Krzynówek scored a late equaliser in Portugal to keep his team two points clear at the top of UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying Group A.

Portugal denied
The visitors went ahead through Mariusz Lewandowski just before half-time but Maniche levelled for Portugal five minutes after the interval. Cristiano Ronaldo then looked to have sealed a home win, before Krzynówek's fortuitous late strike rescued a draw and left Portugal two points adrift of second-placed Finland.

Poland ahead
Although Ronaldo and Simão caused early problems for the Poland defence, it was Nuno Gomes who had the first real chance on 26 minutes after a fine pass from Deco; Artur Boruc saving at his feet. A minute later, Ronaldo fired a stinging drive against the bar while Poland came close at the other end six minutes later, Euzebiusz Smolarek shooting just over. A minute before half-time, goalkeeper Ricardo parried Jakub Błaszczykowski's effort from the edge of the area but Lewandowski was at hand to put Poland ahead.

Home team rally
Portugal reacted quickly after the interval and Nuno Gomes got in behind the Poland defence to set up Maniche, who gratefully drove past Boruc after the goalkeeper had failed to clear the danger. Nuno Gomes almost added a second goal seven minutes later after good work from Bosingwa, but this time Boruc was alert to the threat and intercepted. After Nuno Gomes had been replaced by Ricardo Quaresma, the substitute charged down the right and crossed for Simão. He missed his header yet the ball fell kindly for Ronaldo who volleyed past the helpless Boruc.

Late leveller
With two minutes to go, however, Krzynówek’s long-range attempt went in off a combination of the post and Ricardo's shoulder. Poland visit second-placed Finland on Wednesday while Portugal welcome Serbia with both teams very much in striking distance.

serbia 0-0 finland

A disciplined and determined defensive effort earned Finland a valuable point in Serbia which ensured both sides stayed in contention to progress from UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying Group A.

Missed opportunities
It might have been even better for Roy Hodgson's team had Jonatan Johansson accepted a presentable opportunity just past the quarter-hour, although Serbia largely controlled the play with Dejan Stanković, Miloš Krasić, Danko Lazović twice, and Nikola Žigić all spurning chances to claim a morale-boosting three points ahead of the trip to Portugal on Wednesday. Finland, meanwhile, welcome Poland to Helsinki the same evening having taken 18 points from their first ten matches.

Serbia pressure
The visitors settled quickly in Belgrade and, after a spell of possession, carved out the first real opening of the game, Johansson finding space on the edge of the Serbia penalty area in the 17th minute only to lift his shot over the crossbar. That proved Finland's only opportunity of the contest as the home side gradually pressed them back. Stankovic curled a free-kick beyond Jussi Jääskeläinen but over the woodwork while Krasić's effort was blocked by Hannu Tihinen and Lazović shot wide from Boško Janković's corner.

Finland hold firm
The second half followed the pattern of the first with Serbia seeking a breakthrough; Lazović squandered another chance as he shot straight at Jääskeläinen from close range. Home coach Javier Clemente used all his substitutes as he attempted to find the combination to unlock the Finland defence and the reshuffle almost paid off in the 72nd minute. Zoran Tošić picked out fellow substitute Žigić only for the striker to head wide. With Finland defending in numbers Serbia were reduced to trying their luck from distance as time ran out, Milan Jovanović flashing one such effort wide as the visitors held firm.

Portugal 1-1 Serbia

A last-gasp equaliser from Branislav Ivanović denied Portugal second place in Group A and kept alive Serbia's hopes of reaching UEFA EURO 2008™.

Sublime free-kick
Portugal could have closed to within two points of leaders Poland with a victory and they appeared on course when Simão fired them in front after eleven minutes but Ivanović stunned the home crowd with an 88th-minute leveller to keep Serbia just a point behind their opponents. The home side made the perfect start to the game as Simão's precise free-kick, awarded after Nenad Kovačević had fouled Cristiano Ronaldo, found the target.

Portugal pressure
The hosts had Petit to thank for preserving their lead after he produced a fantastic block just minutes later to deny Zdravko Kuzmanović's goalbound effort. Then Nuno Gomes headed Bosingwa's inviting cross against the Serbia post and Maniche blasted the rebound straight at goalkeeper Vladimir Stojković. Ronaldo went close with two further efforts as Portugal searched for a telling second goal.

Late leveller
Serbia became more composed as the second half progressed and Kovačević wasted a glorious chance to draw them level by firing a half-volley over the crossbar following Ricardo's poor punch. The real drama came late on as, with two minutes to play, Dejan Stanković's free-kick caused panic in the Portuguese penalty area and Ivanović was able to turn the ball in from close range.

Tight group
There was still time for Ivica Dragutinović to receive a red card in added time but Serbia had done enough to earn the draw. Group A could not be much tighter ahead of November's qualifiers with Poland and Finland on 21 and 19 points respectively, Portugal two points further back in third, and Serbia a point behind them in fourth with the latter two countries each having a game in hand.


Finland 0-0 Poland

Group A leaders Poland moved a step closer to qualifying for UEFA EURO 2008™ with a goalless draw against a Finland side who could yet join them in the finals.

Boruc resistance
A sell-out crowd at Helsinki's Olympiastadion roared on the second-placed hosts, who are seeking to qualify for a major tournament for the first time – but they could find no way past Poland goalkeeper Artur Boruc. Finland custodian Jussi Jääskeläinen was also kept busy in a pulsating game in which both teams hit the woodwork.

Early chances
The home side had looked nervous early on, allowing Poland to create two opportunities, both of which were squandered by Mariusz Lewandowski. Finland finally offered a threat shortly after the half-hour when Alexei Eremenko Jr forced a smart stop from Boruc. The Celtic FC player had to be alert again three minutes later to deny Daniel Sjölund while Poland responded with efforts from Jacek Krzynówek and Euzebiusz Smolarek.

Smolarek opportunities
Leo Beenhakker's men had an excellent chance to open the scoring within four minutes of the restart but, following good work from Jakub Błaszczykowski, Smolarek could not get enough power on his shot to beat Jääskeläinen. Smolarek came close again when his chipped attempt was kept out by the impressive keeper. Having spent a long period on the back foot, Finland went within centimetres of taking the lead on 68 minutes when Eremenko's close-range shot struck a post.

Frantic finish
The hosts menaced again as Eremenko crossed for Jonatan Johansson but the striker's header flashed over the bar from 12 metres. Then Poland's Marek Saganowski rattled the woodwork before both sides nearly won the match in a frantic finish – Błaszczykowski going close for Poland and Sjölund seeing a late effort blocked. The result maintained Poland's two-point buffer over Finland in Group A.

Kazakhstan 2-2 Belgium

Belgium's slim hopes of UEFA EURO 2008™ qualification were all but ended as Samat Smakov's second-half penalty restricted them to a 2-2 draw against Kazakhstan in Almaty.

Two-goal lead
Things looked to be going to plan for the visitors when they opened up a two-goal lead inside the first 24 minutes through goals from Karel Geraerts and Kevin Mirallas. Dmitriy Byakov pulled one back before the interval, however, and this sparked a frenetic second half as Kazakhstan went in search of an equaliser. They finally got one 13 minutes from time when Marouane Fellaini brought down Nurbol Zhumaskaliyev and Smakov made no mistake from the spot.

Belgium dominate
It earned Arno Pijpers' team their seventh point in Group A – no mean feat for a side that registered just one in 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying – yet that had appeared a distant possibility as the Belgians dominated the opening exchanges. After Fellaini had tested David Loria, Mirallas glanced a cross into the path of Geraerts on 13 minutes and he fired his half-volley to Loria's left. It was all Belgium. Steven Defour was denied by the upright and so too was Mirallas, though in the latter case the youngster was on hand to pounce on the rebound.

Zhumaskaliyev menace
Two goals to the good, René Vandereycken's men appeared set for a vital three points but Kazakhstan had other ideas. Byakov could only direct a long ball from Smakov over the bar yet he made amends six minutes before the break, making it 2-1 with a powerful shot that gave Stijn Stijnen no chance. It was a blow for Belgium who spent much of the second period on the back foot, with Zhumaskaliyev their tormentor-in-chief. The FC Tobol Kostanay attacker found Byakov with a lovely cross and although the goalscorer failed to direct his header on target, when Zhumaskaliyev won a penalty Smakov was less wasteful.

UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying Group A

Azerbaijan 0-2 Portugal

First-half goals from Bruno Alves and Hugo Almeida ensured Portugal eased to victory in Azerbaijan to get their UEFA EURO 2008™ Group A campaign back on track.

Red card
Portugal had drawn their previous three group matches but soon made amends in Baku where Alves and Almeida both scored their first international goals, on 12 and 45 minutes respectively. Azerbaijan's hopes were effectively extinguished when captain Aslan Kerimov was dismissed for elbowing Cristiano Ronaldo on 29 minutes.

Alves scores
Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari was forced to watch from the stands as he served the first game of a three-match suspension, but he would have been pleased with what he saw as Portugal gained an early lead. Almeida had almost put Portugal ahead with a header on eleven minutes, which Azerbaijan goalkeeper Farkhad Veliyev did well to push behind. From the resulting corner, Deco crossed for Alves who rose at the far post to nod in.

Almeida strike
The visitors continued to threaten and Ricardo Quaresma, Deco and Ricardo Carvalho all came close. The home side's chances of getting back in the game were hit on 29 minutes when Kerimov saw red for an elbow on Ronaldo. Undeterred, the Manchester United FC winger pressed forward and had a shot saved by Veliyev before hitting the post. Portugal doubled their advantage late in the half when Almeida stretched to volley in Luis Miguel's right-wing centre from close range.

Ricardo saves
Portugal also dominated after the break and Deco and Maniche had shots blocked before Quaresma blazed narrowly wide. At the other end, Branimir Subašić had a header denied by Ricardo, who also kept out Subašić's drive with 20 minutes remaining. For Portugal, substitute Nani squandered two excellent chances late on and Ronaldo had an effort tipped on to the post, but by then the points were safe.



Poland 3-1 Kazakhstan

Euzebiusz Smolarek's second-half hat-trick helped Poland come from behind to defeat Kazakhstan in Warsaw and stay four points clear at the top of UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying Group A.

Second-half revival
The home side had fallen behind midway through the first half at the Legia Stadium as Dmitriy Byakov gave Kazakhstan a shock lead, before Smolarek levelled eleven minutes into the second period. The Real Racing Club Santander forward put his team in front five minutes past the hour and sealed the win with his third goal a minute later. Leo Beenhakker's men now have 24 points and next play Belgium at home on 17 November, while Kazakhstan welcome second-placed Portugal on Wednesday.

Byakov breakthrough
Poland started the better but struggled to break down the visitors' defence, with Marek Saganowski shooting straight at David Loria and Smolarek sending a long-range effort too high. However, when the first goal did arrive it came at the other end in the 20th minute. Sergey Larin crossed from the left and Byakov's left-foot shot found the bottom corner. Poland attempted to rally with Saganowski unleashing several attempts from distance, Loria saving one and being rescued by his post having been beaten by another.

Smolarek strikes
Nurbol Zhumaskaliyev might have increased the Kazakhstan advantage before half-time, heading a corner over, before play was brought to a temporary halt by a floodlight failure early in the second half. When it resumed, the home side equalised in the 56th minute as Jacek Krzynówek picked out Smolarek with a right-wing centre and the striker found the top corner from the edge of the area.

Spoils secured
Nine minutes later Poland were ahead. Substitute Maciej Żurawski was the provider, delivering an outswinging right-wing corner that Smolarek diverted into the bottom corner. His hat-trick, and Poland's victory, was completed a minute later as Smolarek again benefited from Żurawski's creativity, collecting a pass to shoot in from near the penalty spot.



Armenia 0-0 Serbia

Serbia's UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying hopes suffered a major setback as Armenia continued their fine recent form with a well-earned goalless draw in Yerevan.

Qualification struggle
The result leaves Javier Clemente's side in fourth position in Group A with 16 points and three games left to play, while Armenia are now unbeaten in four matches having beaten Kazakhstan and Poland and also drawn with Portugal. Both teams face away trips on Wednesday, when Serbia travel to Azerbaijan and Armenia visit Belgium.

Open encounter
The hosts started brighter at the Republican Stadium and Samvel Melkonyan had the first chance when he worked his way into the box only to shoot into the side-netting. At the other end, Serbia's Marko Pantelić had an effort well saved by Roman Berezovsky and the opportunities continued to come – Melkonyan broke down the Armenia right and crossed for Artavazd Karamyan but the midfielder fired wide from close range.

Chances at both ends
Dejan Stanković was similarly culpable for the visitors, failing to find the target after latching on to Pantelić's superb through ball, before Zdravko Kuzmanović was denied by Berezovsky after beating two players. Serbia goalkeeper Vladimir Stojković was then called into action for the first time, inadvertently blocking a close-range Levon Pachajyan attempt with his face following good work from Karamyan down the left.

Late openings
Although Serbia had more reason to press for the win, it was the locals who had the better openings in the final ten minutes. Karamyan lifted a shot over the bar at full stretch from five metres after Sargis Hovsepyan had supplied a low cross. Substitute Aram Hakobyan passed up a similarly presentable opportunity with six minutes left, scuffing Pachajyan's centre past the post, so both sides had to settle for a point.

Belgium 0-0 Finland

Finland's UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying hopes were dealt a blow after they played out a dour goalless draw in Belgium.

Lost ground
With Portugal prevailing in Azerbaijan and Poland beating Kazakhstan, Finland needed a win to keep pace in Group A but were constantly thwarted by a resolute Belgium. Roy Hodgson's men had a first-half goal ruled out for offside yet squandered numerous other opportunities to seal victory and now trail leaders Poland by four points. They are level on 20 points with second-placed Portugal, having played a game more.

Near misses
Finland were the better side in the first half and Alexei Eremenko Jr almost fired them into an early lead when he tested Stijn Stijnen with a stinging 20-metre strike. At the other end Vincent Kompany went close with a low free-kick that skidded narrowly wide. The Finns were creating chances down both flanks, with Joonas Kolkka supplying some teasing crosses, but the vital touch proved elusive. Although Jonatan Johansson had the ball in the net shortly before half-time, he was adjudged offside from Daniel Sjölund's pass across goal.

Better from Belgium
The hosts in Brussels were brighter after the break and Moussa Dembélé capitalised on some sloppy defending to race through one-on-one with Jussi Jääskeläinen, but the Bolton Wanderers FC goalkeeper was out quickly to parry the ball to safety. Finland responded with a flowing move through Belgium's back line only for Kolkka to rifle a shot into the side-netting.

Point apiece
When the Scandinavian team were awarded a free-kick inside Belgium's area after Stijnen had handled a back-pass, they failed to make it count as another opportunity went begging. Desperately seeking the winner, Sjölund then broke clear of the defence yet his shot hit the foot of Stijnen and rebounded to safety as the match ended goalless.

UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying Group A

Kazakhstan 1-2 Portugal

Portugal moved to within a point of Group A leaders Poland after claiming a hard-fought win in their UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifier in Kazakhstan courtesy of late goals by Ariza Makukula and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Late goals
Makukula, who had only been brought into the squad on Monday as a replacement for Nuno Gomes, struck on 84 minutes after coming on to win his first cap. Cristiano Ronaldo then doubled the lead a minute into added time, and despite a late Dmitriy Byakov effort for the hosts, Portugal had done enough to earn their second three points on the road in five days.

Portugal domination
With their coach Luiz Felipe Scolari forced to watch from the stands, serving the second part of a three-match ban, Portugal dominated the early stages in Almaty. Bruno Alves headed just wide while Miguel Veloso, Maniche and Paulo Ferreira saw shots narrowly miss the target. Yet Arno Pijpers' Kazakhstan managed to frustrate their opponents, even if early in the second half Ricardo Quaresma and Cristiano Ronaldo both came close to breaking the deadlock

Makukula breakthrough
Portugal finally got the breakthrough when CS Marítimo's Makukula, a 63rd-minute substitute, headed in Cristiano Ronaldo's right-wing cross. When the winger then made it 2-0 – firing a left-footed shot past David Loria from Nani's cross – it seemed that the points were secure. Byakov did pull a goal back after making the most of space inside the penalty area, yet it was too little too late. Portugal held on for a win that leaves qualification in their own hands with two games remaining: victories against Armenia, on 17 November, and Finland four days later would guarantee it.

Azerbaijan 1-6 Serbia

Serbia boosted their qualifying chances in UEFA EURO 2008™ Group A with this emphatic away victory in Azerbaijan.

Shot in the arm
A Nikola Žigić double and further strikes from Duško Tošić, Boško Janković, Milan Jovanović and Danko Lazović kept the visitors to Baku within three points of second place in the section. Samir Aliyev's goal had briefly moved Azerbaijan back into contention at 2-1 down, but it was not to be for Group A's bottom team.

First-half flurry
With Javier Clemente's Serbia needing a win to stay on the coat-tails of second-placed Portugal, they took the lead as early as the fourth minute when Tošić tucked the ball under goalkeeper Farkhad Veliyev following a one-two with Žigić. The advantage was doubled on 22 minutes, courtesy of a Žigić tap-in from Zdravko Kuzmanović's cross, yet was promptly reduced as Aliyev finished emphatically after a defensive mix-up between Tošić and Milan Biševac.

Late show
The relief for Shakhin Diniyev's team was temporary, however. Midfielder Janković smashed in a free-kick shortly before half-time, and 60 seconds later, attacking totem Žigić made it 4-1 having rounded the keeper. Serbia had to wait until 15 minutes from time for their next goal, with substitute Jovanović shooting in from outside the box. Another replacement, Lazović, made it six when he turned the ball in after 84 minutes. For Serbia, the dream is still alive.

Group A
Poland's 2-0 defeat of Belgium on Saturday took them through. Portugal are one point back and in need of just a single point more after beating Armenia 1-0. However, Finland's 2-1 victory over Azerbaijan keeps them within three points of the Portuguese whom they could overtake by winning the sides' Porto showdown. There is also hope for Serbia who will take on Poland on Wednesday and Kazakhstan on Saturday after snow in Belgrade twice forced the game's postponement last weekend. Serbia would qualify with wins against Poland, on Wednesday, and Kazakhstan combined with a Portugal defeat against Finland.

Portugal gets a point and join Poland in the finals

Portugal 0-0 Finland

Portugal secured the point they needed to advance to the UEFA EURO 2008™ finals despite being denied time and again by the fine goalkeeping of Jussi Jääskeläinen.

Jääskeläinen heroics
The home side certainly did not play for a draw and only a wonderful performance from Jääskeläinen prevented Luiz Felipe Scolari's men from recording a comfortable triumph that would have made them Group A winners ahead of Poland. The visitors knew that only a win would be enough for them to qualify but they rarely threatened, their best chance coming in a frantic finale in which defender Bruno Alves sliced narrowly wide of his own goal. Defeat leaves the Finns in third place, although they could slip to fourth if Serbia win their final game against Kazakhstan.

Portugal dominant
Portugal dominated the first half but a combination of poor finishing and Jääskeläinen's excellence prevented them from taking the lead. The hosts' first effort came after two minutes, Ricardo Quaresma firing in a shot which was smothered by Jääskeläinen and the Bolton Wanderers FC custodian excelled again after ten minutes tipping Cristiano Ronaldo's 25-metre free-kick over the bar. The one-way traffic continued, Quaresma again being denied while a Ronaldo header was turned over by Jääskeläinen.

Inspired goalkeeping
It took Finland 42 minutes to threaten home goalkeeper Ricardo, Joonas Kolkka lashing in a shot which drifted just over the bar. Portugal quickly regained the initiative after the break but again could find no way past the goalkeeper. After 51 minutes Miguel Veloso whipped in a corner which Nuno Gomes directed goalwards only for Jääskeläinen to produce another wonderful stop. The 32-year-old produced two more fine saves to deny Quaresma before Finland launched a late bid to win it. However, the closest Roy Hodgson's team came was when Alves almost put through his own goal.

Serbia 2-2 Poland

Poland, having already qualified, confirmed themselves as group winners with a 2-2 draw away to Serbia.They were 2-0 up at half time through strikes from Rafal Murawski and Radoslaw Matusak.

The Serbs, knowing a win would give them a chance of qualification if Finland beat Portugal, rallied in the second half to produce finishes from Nikola Zigic and Danko Lazovic,but they did not have time to score a winner for their hopes.


Azerbaijan 0-1 Belgium

Luigi Pieroni scored the only goal in Baku to seal Belgium's fifth win of a disappointing UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying campaign.

Azerbaijan bottom
The visiting side enjoyed the better of the play at the Tofikh Bakhramov-Republic Stadium and Pieroni got their reward on 53 minutes. René Vandereycken's team finish fifth in Group A, with Azerbaijan bottom on five points from their 12 games.

Belgium press
Belgium began positively and midfielder Gill Swerts came close on 17 minutes, Azerbaijan goalkeeper Farkhad Veliyev doing well to keep out his 20-metre drive. Veliyev saved again five minutes later, catching Daniel Van Buyten's header following Swerts's dangerous set-piece. Azerbaijan were largely restricted to shots from distance with forward Zaur Ramazanov going closest with a strike that flashed narrowly wide on 37 minutes.

Pieroni goal
Belgium broke the deadlock after the interval when Pieroni pounced with an opportunist goal. Azerbaijan defender Rail Melikov blocked a header but Pieroni seized on the rebound and turned the ball into the bottom left corner. The 27-year-old missed an opening to double the advantage in the 65th minute when he screwed a close-range attempt wide after finding space in the box.

Euro 2008: Azerbaijão 0-1 Bélgica

Late misses
Belgium controlled possession as the game wore on and it was not until the 85th minute that Azerbaijan finally worked a meaningful opportunity. Substitute Leandro Gomes got himself into a good position on the edge of the area yet shot wide. When, in added time, Branimir Subašić blazed over from a matter of metres, Azerbaijan's final chance had gone.



Armenia 1-0 Kazakhstan

Sergey Ostapenko's first international goal earned Kazakhstan a victory in Yerevan which took the visitors above Armenia in UEFA EURO 2008™ Group A.

Kazakh success
The 21-year-old's second-half strike came against the run of play and gave Kazakhstan only their second win of the qualifying campaign.

In control
Armenia had threatened to take control early on when Robert Arzumanyan shot wide following an Artur Voskanyan free-kick. Although Ostapenko tested Armenia keeper Roman Berezovsky's reflexes soon after, the home team continued to dictate matters. Karen Dokhoyan fired over when well-placed before an effort from Levon Pachajyan skimmed the top of the crossbar close to half-time.

Perfect response
The traffic carried on towards the Kazakhstan goal at the beginning of the second period, with a Samvel Melkonyan attempt flying just the wrong side of an upright. Ostapenko provided the perfect response for Arno Pijpers' men, first by demanding a save from Berezovsky following a Sergey Larin centre, then by blasting the ball beyond the Armenia keeper from the edge of the area.

Armenia low
Armenia came close to equalising soon after through an Artavazd Karamyan free-kick. However, the team now led by Vardan Minasyan following the death of coach Ian Porterfield could not prevent their campaign ending on a glum note. Armenia, who had won 2-1 in Kazakhstan in June, finished on nine points from 12 matches – having been unable to fulfil their two fixtures against Azerbaijan. The Kazakhs have ten points and a game still to play in Serbia.