INSTANT ANALYSIS Poland are top of the group after a narrow victory over Netherlands. Spain stumbled at home against Sweden, with both teams sharing a point. The points were also shared between Germany and Czech Republic in a cautious, defensive affair. MATCH RECAPS Poland 1-0 Netherlands R. Lewandowski (POL) D. Janmaat (NED) CS: W. Szczesny (POL) M. Magiera (POL) The Netherlands looked favorites after half-hour of play, but R. Lewandowski changed that in the 32nd minute with a rocket shot into the upper 90. A penalty shout was had just minutes later as Poland's L. Obraniak was taken down in the box, but the referee thought otherwise and let play continue. M. Magiera, a late addition to the starting eleven at LB, shut down the Netherlands' attack to preserve the clean sheet for the home side. Spain 1-1 Sweden C. Fabregas (ESP) J. Elmander (SWE) A. Ekdal (SWE) A. Ekdal (SWE) Points shared in Spain, where Sweden stunned La Bernabeu with an 88th minute goal to level the match. C. Fabregas' deflected shot opened the scoring for Spain in the 22nd minute, but it was Sweden controlling the game from then on out until the late equalizer by Man-of-the-Match A. Ekdal, a solid strike from 35 yards. Germany 0-0 Czech Republic CS: M. Neuer (GER) CS: P. Cech (CZE) P. Jiracek (CZE) Regional rivals Germany and Czech Republic battled to a scoreless draw in their qualification opener. Neither team took many risks, and scoring chances were few and far between. In the end, the Czechs were able to control midfield, or at least stifle M. Ozil, while keeping the rest of the German attack at bay. PLAYER OF THE ROUND A. Ekdal - The Swedish midfielder put on a masterclass performance against defending World Cup champions Spain to give the Nordic visitors a share of the spoils. He controlled proceedings during the match, and his 35-yard blast in the 88th minute gave Sweden a share of the points. NEXT ROUND (February 19-26) Poland (3 Pts) - Germany (1 Pts) Czech Republic (1 Pts) - Spain (1 Pts) Netherlands (0 Pts) - Sweden (1 Pts)
INSTANT ANALYSIS Italy and Belgium wasted no time making their way to the top of the group, at the expense of Turkey and England, respectively. France stole a point off Portugal to stay within reach of the top. MATCH RECAPS Turkey 0-2 Italy A. Candreva (ITA) F. Totti (ITA) CS: G. Buffon (ITA) T. Zengin (TUR) Group favorites Italy opened their qualification campaign with road points in hostile Turkey. The Azzurri pelted Turkish keeper T. Zengin with shots, and finally in the 56th minute A. Candreva put one in. F. Totti added a second in the 88th minute to put the match out of reach for the home side. For his efforts, Zengin was awarded Man of the Match, but he'd certainly prefer to recoup the points lost on the night. England 0-1 Belgium C. Benteke (BEL) CS: T. Courtois (BEL) J. Hart (ENG) Everyone's favorite team Belgium kept pace with Italy thanks to a 1-0 win in England. C. Benteke broke the English resistance with a 70th minute goal off an E. Hazard pass. The Three Lions did little in the way of attacking, while J. Hart did his best to keep the scoreline reasonable. Portugal 1-1 France Bruno Alves (POR) Fabio Coentrao (POR) S. Nasri (FRA) Bruno Alves (POR) In a tale of two halves, Portugal and France ended up sharing the points in their qualification opener. Portugal were on the score sheet early thanks to a Bruno Alves goal in the 4th minute. The Ronaldos should have bagged a second goal before the half ended, but failed to do so. In the second half it was all France, who pressed and pressed for an equalizer. It was found by S. Nasri in the 90th minute after a failed clearance by Portugal. PLAYER OF THE ROUND Bruno Alves - The Portuguese defender put in a terrific shift against France, scoring a goal in the 4th minute before doing his part in keeping France off the board for 89 minutes. Alves cannot be blamed for the eventual equalizer, spoiling an otherwise perfect night for the CB. NEXT ROUND (February 19-26) England (0 Pts) - Portugal (1 Pts) France (1 Pts) - Turkey (0 Pts) Belgium (3 Pts) - Italy (3 Pts)
