Pedro hits a hat-trick

Barcelona forward Pedro Rodriguez netted a hat-trick as Spain comfortably made it two wins from two in World Cup qualifying with a thumping victory over Belarus in Minsk.

Jordi Alba gave the world and European champions a 12th-minute lead as he was allowed to race onto Pedro’s back-heel – despite appearing to be in an offside position – and round goalkeeper Sergei Veremko before slotting home.

Eight minutes later Pedro latched onto a lovely pass from David Silva and dinked over the advancing Veremko, and the Tenerife-born player completed his first international treble with two further goals in the final quarter – first a lob from Xavi’s pass following a swift counter-attack and then another neat finish 18 minutes from time.

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque had made three changes to the side that started in last month’s 1-0 win over Georgia, with Andres Iniesta, Roberto Soldado and the injured Gerard Pique replaced by Santi Cazorla, Pedro and Cesc Fabregas.

However, the changes did little to affect Spain’s rhythm as, in contrast to recent matches in which they have taken their time to unlock the opposing defence, the chances came thick and fast for the visitors early on.

Fabregas was first to threaten, getting on the end of a defence-splitting pass by Silva but his touch around Veremko took him slightly too wide and Stanislav Dragun recovered to deflect his effort onto the post.

Silva should have then opened the scoring when he was picked out by Xavi’s ball over the top but the Manchester City playmaker appeared to think he was in an offside position as he lazily buried the ball into the side-netting.

When the opener did arrive, there was more than a touch of controversy about it. Alba had clearly run beyond the last defender before Pedro redirected Xavi’s pass in his Barcelona team-mate’s direction, but the flag stayed down and the left-back ran on to convert his second international goal.

And, before the 20-minute mark, Del Bosque’s men had doubled their advantage. Silva timed his pass perfectly for Pedro’s run in behind the Belarusian defence and he took one touch to get the ball out of his feet before delicately chipping over Veremko.

Spain continued to dictate the play without feeling the need to desperately search for more goals after the interval but more space eventually started to appear in a tired Belarusian defence in the final quarter and Pedro was quick to capitalise.

He raced onto Xavi’s through-ball to brilliantly chip Veremko on 68 minutes and then rounded the goalkeeper and rolled the ball into an empty net when he was fed by Fabregas soon after.

There was nearly time for substitute David Villa to mark his return to competitive international football with a goal as he smacked a shot off the bar with nine minutes remaining, but for once Pedro could not put the rebound away as he slotted wide with the goal at his mercy.

The victory moved Spain to the top of Group I alongside France. The two teams go head to head in Madrid on Tuesday.

Early strikes seal narrow Slovakia win

Two goals in the first nine minutes guided Slovakia to victory over Latvia in their 2014 World Cup Group G qualifying clash in Bratislava.

Marek Hamsik opened the scoring with a sixth-minute penalty before Marek Sapara doubled the lead four minutes later and although Latvia pulled one back with five minutes to go they could not force an equaliser.

The hosts made an ideal start when they were awarded a penalty in the sixth minute following a foul by Andris Vanins on Vladimir Weiss.

Hamsik placed the ball into the bottom left-hand of the goal.

Just three minutes later Slovakia doubled their lead when Sapara drilled a free-kick home from 20 yards.

Hamsik was proving to be a constant menace, forcing goalkeeper Vanins into parrying clear and it was half an hour before Latvia had a real threat on goal when Oleg Laizans’ shot from the left was blocked by goalkeeper Dusan Kuciak.

Slovakia were clearly on top, Marek Sapara, Miroslav Stoch and Hamsik all having shots on target with Cauna shooting over the bar for Latvia.

However, Latvia were given a lifeline five minutes from time when they were awarded a penalty after Viktor Pecovsky fouled Maris Verpakovskis.

Verpakovskis stood up to put the spot-kick down the centre of the goal but they could not force an equaliser.

Belgium batter Serbia in Belgrade

Belgium underlined their reputation as an emerging force on the European stage with a comprehensive victory over Serbia in Friday’s World Cup qualifier in Belgrade.

Christian Benteke opened the scoring for Marc Wilmots’ men in the first half before efforts by Kevin De Bruyne and Kevin Mirallas after the break saw the talented Belgians make it two wins and a draw from their opening three Group A outings.

Defeat for Serbia is their first of the campaign and they remain on four points.

The hosts started well enough with Dusan Tadic’s effort forcing a good save from Thibaut Courtois in the seventh minute.

Belgium threatened in the 17th minute when Benteke unleashed an effort from the right side of the area but Zeljko Brkic parried to safety.

Serbia went close a second time in the 32nd minute when Milan Bisevac volleyed over from Zoran Tosic’s corner, but just two minutes later the visitors had the opener, De Bruyne swinging a cross over from the right that Aston Villa striker Benteke nodded home from six yards.

Benteke flashed another header over the bar in the 64th minute from Mousa Dembele’s centre, but the second goal duly arrived four minutes later, Dembele’s assist this time paying dividends as De Bruyne collected the Tottenham midfielder’s cross before firing home.

Courtois saved twice in the space of a minute from Tadic and Marko Scepovic as Serbia pushed to set up a grandstand finish, but the hosts just could not make the breakthrough and Belgium wrapped up the points in the first minute of stoppage time when Dries Mertens crossed for Mirallas to turn the ball home from six yards.

Hajnal secures Hungary triumph

Hungary returned to winning ways in World Cup qualifying Group D this evening with a narrow triumph over Estonia in Tallinn.

Tamas Hajnal netted the game’s only goal in the first minute of the second half as Hungary, beaten 4-1 at home by Holland in their last match, secured their second victory of the qualifying campaign.

The result kept the Hungarians within three points of pool leaders Holland and Romania, and left Estonia still searching for their first point and their first goal.

Stuttgart midfielder Hajnal went closest to making the breakthrough in the first half with a 26th-minute free-kick which looked destined for the bottom corner before Sergei Pareiko tipped it around the post.

He did find the breakthrough seconds after the restart, though, lashing a right-footed shot into the top-left corner from Balazs Dzsudzsak’s cross.

The Estonians, well beaten by Romania and Turkey in their opening two qualifiers, failed to mount a response, with Hungary goalkeeper Adam Bogdan never seriously tested throughout.

Estonia continue their programme with a trip to Andorra on Tuesday, while Hungary take on Turkey in Budapest.

Oranje ease to Andorra win

Netherlands made it three wins from three in World Cup qualifying as they coasted to an expected victory over an outclassed Andorra at De Kuip Stadion.

The Oranje were off and running in the seventh minute when Rafael van der Vaart hammered home from long range and although a possible landslide did not materialise there were further goals from Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and debutant Ruben Schaken, while Ron Vlaar and Jeremain Lens both hit the woodwork.

While three goals was a modest return for the hosts, who left Robin van Persie on the bench, the visitors never looked likely to make inroads of their own.

Darryl Janmaat was first to try his luck with a 25-yard strike in the fourth minute but Josep Anton Gomez was on hand to make the save.

Van der Vaart’s powerful strike could not be stopped, though, as Holland took an early lead.

Nigel de Jong met Van der Vaart’s corner in the 10th minute but could not direct his attempt on goal.

After 15 minutes it was 2-0 and a rout looked likely.

Lens was the creator, providing the cross that Huntelaar headed past Gomez from 12 yards.

But there was no further scoring before the break.

Holland had a handful of chances to change that, Huntelaar off target from just six yards and Kevin Strootman shooting wide in the space of two minutes.

Van der Vaart chanced his arm with a spectacular effort from inside his own half three minutes before the whistle but cleared the crossbar.

For their part, the Andorrans were reduced to a couple of hopeful shots from 30 yards.

The second period started in similar fashion, another chance for Holland and another miss from De Jong, who had stayed in an advanced position from a corner.

The long-awaited third goal did arrive in the 50th minute, the lively Lens again claiming the assist from the left flank.

Schaken marked his first international appearance with the finish, turning home left-footed from a central position.

It seemed unlikely that the next 40 minutes would pass without further addition to the score, but somehow Holland did not build on what was by now a certain victory.

Vlaar was close when he headed the ball onto the bar in the 55th minute and Lens was just as close soon after when his slanted shot clipped the post and bounced clear.

Lens left the field in some discomfort to be replaced by Dirk Kuyt with 20 minutes to play, while Ibrahim Affelay and Urby Emanuelson were also given game time in place of Van der Vaart and Strootman.

The chances dried up in the closing stages, a series of corners for the Dutch coming to nothing, but two of the substitutes did combine for one final chance.

Affelay won a free-kick when he was fouled by Josep Ayala and Emanuelson stepped up, only to fire his shot wide of the far post.

Hangeland snatches Norway point

Two goals in the space of three minutes saw the spoils shared between Switzerland and Norway in Berne.

It took until the 79th minute for Switzerland, who started as Group E leaders, to break the deadlock through Mario Gavranovic. But Norway, looking to recover from an opening loss to Iceland, were level moments later when Brede Hangeland headed in from a corner.

The only surprise was that there were not more goals in a match that produced endless chances for both teams – and saw three efforts hit posts.

Norway were the first to hit the frame of the goal when John Arne Riise’s free-kick found his Fulham team-mate Hangeland in the 16th minute, but his header struck the upright.

Ten minutes later, Switzerland’s Tranquillo Barnetto was likewise denied by a post when he tried a header from the left side of the area.

A string of chances came and went before the deadlock was finally broken with 11 minutes left.

Xherdan Shaqiri swung in a corner to find Granit Xhaka, and he headed the ball back across goal for Gavranovic to finish from close range.

But moments later Hangeland cut short the home fans’ celebrations, again getting on the end of a cross from Riise, this time a corner, to head into the top right-hand corner of the goal.

There was still time for late drama, with Norway denied when Tarik Elyounoussi’s 90th-minute shot from 25 yards struck a post before Daniel Braaten fired wide seconds later.

Bale inspires Wales fight back

Chris Coleman claimed his first win as Wales boss in Cardiff on Friday – and heaped even more pressure on Scotland manager Craig Levein.

With both teams starting the night in need of a first Group A victory, it was the Scots who took a first-half lead through James Morrison. But hopes of a morale-boosting win were shattered in the second half when star man Gareth Bale won and converted a penalty, before snatching the winner with a minute to go.

The win sees Wales take their first points of the campaign and move above Scotland, who have just two points from three matches.

Wales were led by new captain Ashley Williams – who took over the armband from Aaron Ramsey – as the home side made four changes from the 6-1 drubbing in Serbia. In place of injured goalkeeper Boaz Myhill and defender Adam Matthews, Lewis Price and debutant Ben Davies came into the team, along with midfield pair David Vaughan and Joe Ledley.

Scotland were boosted by the return of Darren Fletcher and Steven Fletcher following lengthy absences from the national team.

Skipper Darren was back after almost a year on the sidelines with a chronic bowel complaint, while on-form Sunderland striker Steven ended his international exile after resolving a long-running dispute with Levein.

Celtic duo Scott Brown – who missed the last double-header with an ongoing hip problem – and late call-up Kris Commons both started, along with Danny Fox, who was also drafted into the side following the draw with Macedonia.

Both sets of players took to the pitch for the national anthems wearing pink ribbons as a mark of respect for missing Welsh girl April Jones.

The match then began at a frantic pace with the visitors exerting some early pressure before Bale hooked over from distance with the first real chance of the match.

The Tottenham man then came much closer to opening the scoring with a curling drive that fell across the face of goal and just inches past the far post.

At the other end, Alan Hutton had a go from the edge of the area with a shot that dipped well over the crossbar and failed to test Price.

Wales still looked dangerous and Brown was called into action to snuff out the danger after Ramsey embarked on a surging run into the box.

The ball broke for Joe Allen but Gary Caldwell was also alert to block the effort.

Steve Morison then passed up a great chance to break the deadlock when he nodded wide from a lovely Bale cross from the right and it was an opportunity they would be left to rue as Scotland surged into the lead seconds later.

Goalkeeper Allan McGregor punted a long ball up the pitch which was met by Steven Fletcher who flicked on for Morrison to drive home with a cool finish with 27 minutes on the clock.

Steven Fletcher could have added his own name to the scoresheet but connected awkwardly with an inviting cross from Fox and the chance was lost.

Bale was causing plenty of problems with his pace and delivery and another impressive cross found Ramsey but he blasted over with half-time approaching.

Scotland also passed up a decent chance just before the break when Steven Fletcher again nodded down for Morrison but, this time, he volleyed over.

The Scots made a change at half-time when Brown, clearly still troubled by his injury, was replaced by Charlie Adam.

Wales tried to haul themselves back into the game in the second half and claimed for a penalty when Ramsey went to ground under pressure from Adam but there was no spot-kick from the German referee.

Morrison had another chance to leave the net bulging with a point-blank effort that stung the palms of the Wales goalkeeper.

Ramsey should have levelled for the home side when he burst through on goal with only McGregor to beat but the goalkeeper raced off his line to block with his legs.

The Scots thought they had doubled their lead when Steven Fletcher bulleted a header into the back of the net.

But the assistant referee deemed Adam’s cross had swerved out of play and the effort was disallowed, although television pictures suggested this may not have been the case.

Wales were back on level terms with 10 minutes to go when Maloney was deemed to have fouled Bale in the box, and the winger brushed himself off to rifle past McGregor from the penalty spot.

Hutton then fired just over as the Scots searched for a late winner but the honours went to Wales instead with a minute to go when Bale curled a left-foot shot past McGregor to claim a last-gasp win.

Irresistible Germany rout Ireland

Giovanni Trapattoni’s reign as Republic of Ireland boss hurtled into crisis as his side was trounced by ruthless Germany.

The 73-year-old headed into what was always likely to be an intensely difficult World Cup qualifier with question marks hanging over his ability to take Ireland forward, and emerged from it with his band of critics having increased markedly

in number.

 

Ireland were simply overpowered by the team ranked second in the world with Marco Reus firing them into a 2-0 half-time lead before Mesut Ozil, Miroslav Klose and a double from substitute Toni Kroos completed the rout.

 

There was delighted applause from a capacity crowd when substitute Andy Keogh headed home in injury time, but the consolation was minimal.

 

Neither Trapattoni’s job nor Ireland qualification hopes were ever likely to rest on what they did against the Germans, but the soul-destroying manner of the heaviest defeat of his tenure, which heaped further misery upon the shortcomings of their Euro 2012 campaign, set alarm bells ringing.

 

Deprived of the services of the retired Shay Given and Damien Duff and the injured Richard Dunne, Sean St Ledger, Glenn Whelan, Kevin Doyle and Robbie Keane, Trapattoni’s understudies simply never got to grips with a technically

superior team.

 

Tuesday’s trip to the Faroe Islands, who suffered a narrow home defeat at the hands of Sweden earlier tonight, now represents a key fixture for a man whose honeymoon period is now a distant memory.

 

It was a measure of the changes wrought on Trapattoni’s squad by retirement and injury that the team which ran out against Italy in Poznan in Ireland’s final game at Euro 2012 boasted a total 721 caps; tonight’s team had mustered just 268 between them before kick-off, and 136 of those belonged to John O’Shea and Aiden McGeady.

 

After several days of a will-he-won’t-he debate over Trapattoni’s indication that he might opt to play three men in central midfield, the Italian did just that.

 

His reasoning was two-fold: an extra body in their might just help his side retain possession better, and one of the trio could attempt to shadow dangerman Ozil.

 

The game started relatively positively for the Republic when lone striker Jon Walters laid off Keiren Westwood’s clearance to Keith Andrews and he dragged his shot from distance wide.

 

But that proved to be a rarity as the Germans eased into their stride and started to dictate the play. With Ozil and Thomas Muller buzzing around behind frontman Klose and Reus threatening down the left, their movement was simply too much for Ireland, who too often found themselves chasing shadows.

 

They soaked up the early pressure and in truth, Westwood had little to do, watching Stephen Ward slice a seventh-minute Muller cross over his own bar and Darren O’Dea block Klose’s shot on the turn 11 minutes later.

 

But as the pressure mounted, Ireland sank deeper and deeper towards their own goal to leave Walters isolated and invite the visitors on to them.

 

Reus was booked for diving inside the Ireland penalty area on the half-hour after Simon Cox, Coleman and O’Shea had failed to clear their lines, but he did not have to wait long to erase his disappointment.

 

With Coleman having drifted out of position, Bastian Schweinsteiger played the ball over the top of both the Everton man and the covering McGeady to full-back Marcel Schmelzer, and he cut inside to set up Reus, whose right-footed shot flew past Westwood and went in off the underside of the crossbar.

 

Trapattoni’s men had hardly had time to swallow their disappointment when their task became almost impossible eight minutes later as Germany once again carved them open.

 

Full-back Jerome Boateng’s crossfield pass arrived perfectly for Reus to smash a left-footed drive across Westwood and into the bottom corner.

 

Any hope of an unlikely fightback died in a disastrous start to the second half which saw Germany cruelly turn the screw. Cox and Walters had both gone close to reducing the deficit in an early flurry, but order was soon restored when, after O’Dea had crudely felled Klose inside the penalty area, Ozil sent Westwood the wrong way from the spot with 55 minutes gone.

 

If the Sunderland goalkeeper had been under-employed for much of the first half, he was chronically exposed after the break and conceded for a fourth time within three minutes when Klose ran on to Schweinsteiger’s tailor-made pass and rounded him before slotting into an empty net.

 

Ireland had capitulated in horrific fashion, and did so once again three minutes later when O’Shea’s weak clearance fell perfectly for Kroos to help himself with a skidding shot inside the post.

 

Kroos deepened the wounds with seven minutes remaining, drilling home from 22 yards with the Republic in disarray and Trapattoni facing a grilling.

Matvatz brace seals Slovenia win

Tim Matavz scored twice as Slovenia picked up their first points of the World Cup qualifying campaign at the expense of Cyprus in Maribor.

The PSV Eindhoven striker broke the deadlock eight minutes before half-time and doubled his tally just after the hour to put Slovenia firmly in control of the match between Group E’s two bottom teams.

Cyprus substitute Efstathios Aloneftis halved the deficit in the 83rd minute, but they could not find an equaliser – despite the dismissal of home defender Bostjan Cesar a minute from time.

Matavz put Slovenia ahead eight minutes before half-time, latching onto Zlatko Dedic’s pass and slotting his left-footed shot into the bottom-left corner of Tasos Kissas’ net.

The same player grabbed his second goal in the 61st minute with a neat finish from Cesar’s cross.

Aloneftis was introduced in the 79th minute and took only four minutes to make his mark, firing a left-footed shot into the bottom-left corner from 25 yards.

The APOEL winger was then fouled by Cesar, the Chievo defender seeing red for his second bookable offence, but there was not enough time remaining for Cyprus to make their extra man tell.

Stalemate maintains unbeaten starts

Greece and Bosnia-Herzegovina maintained their unbeaten starts to World Cup qualifying Group G with a hard-fought goalless draw in Piraeus.

The result left both teams, who entered the game with 100 per cent records in the pool, locked together on seven points along with Slovakia after three matches.

The pressure to avoid defeat was evident in the opening stages but the home side made an early impression with Theofanis Gekas striking the post with less than five minutes on the clock.

Bosnia-Herzegovina goalkeeper Asmir Begovic also had to be alert to save a long-range free-kick from Vassilis Torosidis in the 22nd minute as the home side continued to dominate the early stages.

Greece keeper Orestis Karnezis was not tested until the 26th minute, when he held a shot from Edin Dzeko, but the visitors almost grabbed the lead on 41 minutes when Karnezis produced a fantastic save to deny Senad Lulic.

The visitors started the second half well, with Dzeko flashing a 49th-minute shot just wide, but Begovic was forced to punch away a succession of corners as the Greeks pushed to break the deadlock.

Begovic saved with his feet to deny Dimitris Salpingidis in the 79th minute, while at the other end Karnezis caught a curling 25-yard strike from Miroslav Stevanovic.

Neither side looked particularly likely to grab a winner in the dying minutes, Zvjezdan Misimovic coming closest in the 87th minute with a dipping corner that was well cleared by Alexis Tsiolis.