Wales Stuns Italy in Qualifying Game

Three-time world champion Italy suffered a shocking defeat Wednesday when it was beaten, 2-1, by Wales in a 2004 European Championship qualifying game played in front of a sellout crowd of more than 70,000 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.

The surprise outcome, one of several curious results in Euro 2004 matches Wednesday, is certain to put Italy Coach Giovanni Trapattoni under even more pressure.

The Italian media had called for the 63-year-old coach’s ouster after a lackluster 1-1 tie with Yugoslavia in Naples on Saturday, but Fabio Cannavaro, president of the Italian soccer federation, subsequently said Trapattoni would remain in charge.

That was before Italy, playing without the injured Francesco Totti, Christian Vieri and Filippo Inzaghi, fell to a Welsh team that got an early goal from Simon Davies and a late one from Craig Bellamy, to offset Italy’s lone goal from Alessandro Del Pierro.

Wales has not qualified for a major championship since the 1958 World Cup, but is unbeaten in seven games under Coach Mark Hughes.

England Stumbles

England, expected to be a Euro 2004 power, also suffered a setback when it was held to a 2-2 tie at home by lowly Macedonia in a game in which goalkeeper David Seaman made yet another costly blunder.

Seaman, whose failure to save a long-range free kick by Ronaldinho of Brazil contributed to England being knocked out of the World Cup, this time allowed an inswinging corner kick by Artim Sakiri to fly into the net for the first goal.

David Beckham tied it up for England, but Macedonia reclaimed the lead when Vanco Trajanov latched onto a bad clearance by England defender Sol Cambell and scored from 18 yards. A Steven Gerard goal got England level, but it could do no more and the embarrassment was complete when forward Alan Smith was red-carded in the closing minutes.

Germany Disappoints

Germany came into its game against the Faroe Islands in Hanover expecting to score with ease.

“The Faroes will concede six to eight goals,” former German national team striker and current Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge predicted.

It didn’t happen. Germany struggled to a 2-1 victory that had the crowd of 36,000 booing the World Cup runner-up.

The Germans should have demolished the part-timers, especially after a penalty kick by Michael Ballack gave them the lead in the second minute. Instead, they squandered their opportunities, saw defender Arne Friedrich accidentally head the ball into his own net to tie the score and only prevailed thanks to a second-half headed goal by Miroslav Klose.

Seven minutes from the end, a shot by the Faroes’ Hialgrim Elttoer hit the post.

Ireland Loses

Ireland’s players were booed off the field in Dublin after they were beaten, 2-1, by Switzerland. The Irish are without a point in qualifying play, having also lost to Russia.

Goals by Hakan Yakin and Fabio Celestini were enough to give the Swiss the victory, even though they conceded an own goal by Ludovic Magnin.

Ireland Coach Mick McCarthy is now likely to hear calls for his resignation or for the restoration of banished midfielder Roy Keane to help salvage Irish Euro 2004 hopes.

Netherlands Soars

The Netherlands, keen to put its failure to reach the World Cup behind it, scored an impressive 3-0 victory over Austria in front of 46,300 fans in Vienna and moved to the top of its Euro 2004 qualifying group.

All three Dutch goals came in the first half hour as Clarence Seedorf, Philip Cocu and Roy Makaay scored.

Elsewhere

Defending European champion France, fresh off a 5-0 demolition of Slovenia, swept to a 4-0 victory over Malta in Valetta, Malta.... Turkey, which finished third in the World Cup, went one better by routing Liechtenstein, 5-0, in Istanbul. Coach Senol Gunes’ first-place team next faces a crucial match against England in March.... Romania recorded the day’s most lopsided result, helping its goal differential immensely by trouncing host Luxembourg, 7-0.

Zico Gets a Tie

Japan, urged on by 55,437 at the National Stadium in Tokyo, tied Jamaica, 1-1, in Brazilian former World Cup star Zico’s first game as coach. Shinji Ono put Japan ahead after seven minutes and the home team led until Ricardo Fuller scored for the “Reggae Boyz” 10 minutes from the end.

In another friendly game, Euro 2004 host Portugal came from two goals down to defeat Sweden, 3-2, in front of 30,047 in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Meanwhile, Spain and Paraguay played to a 0-0 tie in Logrono, Spain.