UEFA Euro 2008: March 24th qualification game roundup

March 24, 2007 A full slate of qualification matches for the 2008 Euro occurred Saturday with several shock results surfacing. Two of the biggest matches of the weekend were Spain v Denmark and the Czech Republic v Germany, with Germany and Spain both pulling out 2-1 wins respectively.

England visited Israel but were only able to manage a 0-0 draw as the finishing by the English side was poor. Other draws included Albania v Slovenia (0-0), Moldova v Malta (1-1), and Holland v Romania (0-0).

Kazakhstan earned their first win in competitive play with a 2-1 victory over Serbia, while Ukraine defeated the Faroe Islands by a scoreline of 2-0. Stephen Ireland scored the only goal as the Rebuplic of Ireland defeated Wales 1-0 in Ireland. Scotland pulled off a win at home to Georgia with Craig Beattie scoring a goal in the dying minutes to give them a morale boosting 2-1 victory. Croatia also won at home with a 2-1 victory over Macedonia.

Belarus went into Luxembourg where the visitors came out 2-1 victors, while France also won away at Lithuania. Cyprus fell 3-1 to visiting Slovakia, and Russia won 2-0 in Estonia. Bosnia was another team to win away, as they pulled off a 2-1 victory in Norway. David Healy scored a natural hat-trick for Northern Ireland as they cruised to a 4-1 victory over Liechtenstein, while Turkey pulled off a shock win in Greece as they defeated the current holders by the same scoreline. Portugal put four by Belgium, as Christiano Ronaldo scored two for the Portuguese.

Another full schedule of qualifiers is set for this Wednesday, and big group games include Northern Ireland v Sweeden and Italy v Scotland. England will look to get their qualifying campaign back on track in Andorra, and Greece will attempt the same in Malta.