England won 2-1

By Chris,
April 2 2009

Eleven Reds were in action mid-week for their respective countries. Carlos Tevez was the only Red who will return to Old Trafford disappointed as his Argentinean side slumped to a shock 6-1 defeat at the hands of the Bolivians. Elsewhere, there were crucial World Cup qualifying wins for England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

England 2-1 Ukraine

Peter Crouch opened the scoring before Andriy Shevchenko fired home an equaliser with sixteen minutes to go. It looked as though Fabio Capello's men would have to settle for a point - before John Terry popped up to turn home the winner a few minutes from time. Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand were in action - whilst Michael Carrick and Ben Foster were unused substitutes.

Scotland 2-1 Iceland

The Netherlands may well be storming Pool B in the World Cup qualifying grounds but Scotland are well placed for a play-off spot following Wednesday's 2-1 win over Iceland. Ross McCormack opened the scoring, Indridi Sigurdsson levelled before Steve Fletcher handed the hosts the win. Darren Fletcher was in action in midfield.

Northern Ireland 1-0 Slovenia

Jonny Evans marshalled the Ulsterman's backline as they claimed a nervy win over Slovenia. Warren Feeney, who hit the target against Poland, bagged the only goal as Northern Ireland's tremendous team spirit once again shone. Nigel Worthington's men have a real chance of qualifying for South Africa.

Italy 1-1 Republic of Ireland

Robbie Keane netted a late, late equaliser as Ireland claimed a hugely valuable point in Bari. Giampaolo Pazzini was sent off after four minutes but Vincenzo Iaquinta handed them the advantage shortly after. John O'Shea was involved for the Irish.

France 1-0 Lithuania

France's fortunes have turned after they claimed another narrow win over the Lithuanians. Just like the weekend's game Franck Ribery settled proceedings with a second-half strike. Patrice Evra played in defence for the French.

Serbia 2-0 Sweden

The Serbians were in friendly action and claimed a morale-boosting two-nil victory over Sweden. Nikola Zigic and a late Bosko Jankovic effort handed the hosts the win, with Henrik Larsson and Sebastian Larsson missing good chances for the Scandinavians. Nemanja Vidic was in action at the back and came through the game unscathed.

South Korea 1-0 North Korea

Kim Chi-woo won it for South Korea three minutes from time as Ji-Sung Park
took part in an international clash that attracted plenty of column inches prior to kick-off.

South Africa 0-2 Portugal

Nani and Cristiano Ronaldo were both involved in Portugal's much-needed friendly win over South Africa. After the disappointing weekend draw with Sweden, Carlos Quieroz's men have Bruno Alves and Edinho to thank for securing a comfortable victory.

Bolivia 6-1 Argentina

And how about this for a scoreline? After thrashing Venezuela, Maradona's 10-man Argies slumped to an incredible defeat. Reports claim United frontman Carlos Tevez has a nightmare as Bolivia stunned South American football with a win that keeps their qualification hopes alive. Argentina remain in a somewhat precarious position. Marcelo Moreno broke the deadlock for the hosts, before Luis Gonzalez restored parity. Joaquin Botero's penalty restored Bolivia's lead before Amex Da Rosa made it 3-1 at the break. The high altitude really started to affect Maradona's struggling men after the break and two strikes from Botero and a Didi Torrico goal compounded their misery. Amazing stuff.