World Cup qual - Worldwide team of midweek

Eurosport - Thu, 02 Apr 18:10:00 2009

The midweek World Cup qualifiers produced some extraordinary results and some brilliant individual performances. Here are the best.

2009 France-Lithuania Franck Ribery - 0

GK: Craig Gordon (Scotland) - Stepping in for bad-boy Allan McGregor, the Sunderland back-up showed no ill-effects from his recent lack of first-team football, keeping Iceland at bay with some fine saves.

RB: Daniel Alves (Brazil) - After a disappointing draw against Ecuador, a 3-0 win against Peru was just what Brazil needed to get back on track, and Alves was his usual effervescent self down the right.

CB: John Terry (England) - It takes something special to get singled out for praise by Fabio Capello, but Terry's late winner against Ukraine prompted the Italian to laud his captain's telling contribution.

CB: Giorgio Chiellini (Italy) - Giampaolo Pazzini's fourth-minute red card left the Italians under pressure for much of their game against Ireland. Chiellini defended stoutly, despite Robbie Keane's late goal.

LB: Joan Capdevila (Spain) - The European champions made it six wins out of six with a gritty win in Turkey, and Capdevila contributed at both ends of the pitch in a hard-fought encounter.

RM: Dirk Kuyt (Netherlands) - You know you are going to get plenty of hard graft from Kuyt, but two goals against Macedonia were a real bonus as the Dutch maintained their 100 per cent record.

CM: Michael Ballack (Germany) - Why doesn't he play like this for Chelsea? The midfield general delivered a commanding performance at the Millennium Stadium as Wales were brushed aside - and thumped a stunning drive into the top corner.

LM: Franck Ribery (France) - Where would France be without Ribery? Not in South Africa next summer, that's for certain. The Bayern winger scored the only goal in the win against Lithuania.

FW: Ebi Smolarek (Poland) - Having lost to Northern Ireland on Saturday, the Poles took their anger out with a 10-0 obliteration of San Marino, with Bolton man Smolarek weighing in with four.

FW: Joaquin Botero (Bolivia) - The architect of Bolivia's extraordinary 6-1 win against Argentina, Botero netted a fine hat-trick as Diego Maradona's charges were run ragged in La Paz.

FW: Erik Jendrisek (Slovakia) - His late winner sealed a famous win away to neighbours Czech Republic, and was just reward for a superb all-round performance.

Eurosport

Comment 8 - 27 of 67

Sort comments by: Most recent

  1. No Stuart Downing in the team?

    From Russell T, on Mon 30 Mar 12:16PM

  2. Willii, typical liverpool fan. arrogant and wanting­ only liverpool players in this team. grow up

    From yip, on Mon 30 Mar 12:16PM

  3. As regards N.Ireland's memorable win over­ Poland.
    Didn't Slovakia beat Poland? How many­ should England have scored against Slovakia?

    From Stephen D, on Mon 30 Mar 12:16PM

  4. so basically if a defender scores he gets in this team.­ Surely its just a bonus if a defender scores.

    From Russell T, on Mon 30 Mar 12:08PM

  5. So world wide team of the week has no African­ players!!!!this qualifications were going around all­ over the world.why do you call it world wide?call it­ Europe and Latin America.This is @#$%.

    From Sammy, on Mon 30 Mar 12:07PM

  6. This team is a joke

    From GullyGang, on Mon 30 Mar 11:56AM

  7. Hugochavez if you're so shook of going to South­ Africa then don't go no one is begging you Africa­ is Zion.

    From GullyGang, on Mon 30 Mar 11:55AM

  8. Where are the Scottish players in this ? Ha ha ha ha­ !!! @#$% on paper and @#$% on grass !

    From Chris, on Mon 30 Mar 11:55AM

  9. Emma E, spot on. Ronaldo had a good year last year-­ tahst all it was. hes not even in the top 5 in the­ world. messi plays like this every year.

    From sarah-louise r, on Mon 30 Mar 11:35AM

  10. Branislav Ivanovic is Serbia's top scorer so far in­ the qualifying, and Serbia is top of their group. and­ yet, he still can't get a game for Chelsea.

    From aleksicn93, on Mon 30 Mar 11:18AM

  11. To be fair it is UK Eurosport so it is based on players­ which people from the UK know or have seen play.­
    I'm sure different versions of this would have­ completely different team of the week.

    From james b, on Mon 30 Mar 11:16AM
  12. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    The news about African football was yet again dominated­ by the deaths of fans in riots or stampedes.

    Why is­ the world cup going to be held in the rape & murder­ capital of the world next year ?

    From hugochavezftw, on Mon 30 Mar 11:10AM

  13. the sooner the masses wake up to the media-skewed view­ of the world - dominated by some ignorant guys sipping­ latte's in fancy offices in london or new york -­ the sooner we begin to right the wrongs of injustice in­ our society - social, political and economic. nuff­ said.

    From mnaa, on Mon 30 Mar 11:07AM

  14. b/s from some guy who just skimmed some eurocentric­ sites for names, interlaced with some wires from south­ america. plastic commentary. shame on you.

    From mnaa, on Mon 30 Mar 11:03AM

  15. where is martin skrtel, he booted three english­ strikers, he deserve an award.
    seriously, where is­ gerrard, the hottest player in the planet right now?

    From Willii, on Mon 30 Mar 11:03AM

  16. ur view of the worldteam of the week is based on europe­ and america alone.where is Africa and asia,sorry they­ have been excluded from the world.
    stupid ENglish­ press.

    From kunle, on Mon 30 Mar 10:53AM

  17. Hamzeh O....Rooney shouldn't be in cos they were­ ONLY playing Slovakia, well should Messi not be omitted­ as Argentina were ONLY playing Venezuela, a country­ that is below Slovakia in world rankings.

    From james b, on Mon 30 Mar 10:48AM

  18. ENKE ? Seriously ?
    Lichtenstein had one shot on target­ and that being a weak one.

    From rutehh8, on Mon 30 Mar 10:44AM

  19. ENKE ? Seriously ?
    Lichtenstein had one shot on target­ and that being a weak one.

    From rutehh8, on Mon 30 Mar 10:43AM

  20. Come on, let's be serious, this a euro-south­ american selection and not a "world wide­ selection". No african or asina names. Where's­ Drogba who scored 2 or even Adebayor

    From habib ali, on Mon 30 Mar 10:37AM
Sort comments by: Most recent

Not already a Yahoo! user ? to get a free Yahoo! Account