Drama in Osijek

During the qualifying tournament, the Croatian national team practically did not lose points.

The exceptions were the defeat to Slovenia at the start of qualification and a draw with Russia in September.

However, at the decisive moment, the current world championship silver medalists wavered in the home confrontation with Slovakia.

However, the opponent also entered the game as the last fight, because he needed a victory in order to maintain the chances of at least hitting the joints.

Zlatko Dalic's charges were in possession of the ball (67%) throughout the match and regularly created dangerous chances.

In total, they struck 21 hits against the opponent's six, ten of which were on target.

In the asset of the guests - only two, but both were assists.

In the middle of the first half, Ivan Schranz scored after serving from the set, and shortly before the break, Lukasz Garaslin put an end to a rare counterattack.

The Croats both times found the strength to win back.

Luka Modric's goal with a direct free-kick was especially remarkable.

The opponent built a wall of five people, and another one lay down on the lawn so that the ball would not go under it.

As a result, the shell leaked between the two players and ended up in the net.

And in the 84th minute, ex-CSKA midfielder Nikola Vlašić struck someone else's goal from close range and, it seemed, brought his team an important victory.

But the judge, after consulting with his colleagues at VAR, canceled the goal due to a violation of the rules.

Comeback in Riga

And Turkey hardly lost points in the confrontation with modest Latvia for the second time in the course of qualification.

In the first round, the rivals dispersed in peace (3: 3), and in the second, the favorite in Riga did not manage to open an account for a long time.

The team struck 23 shots on other people's goal, but could not break through Robert Ozols, who caught courage and made six saves.

In the 70th minute, Stefan Kunz's charges conceded altogether.

Merich Demiral cut the ball into target after a pass from the flank.

Of course, such a result did not suit them in any way, because in the event of a defeat, the Janissaries practically lost hope even of getting into the joints.

As a result, at the cost of great efforts, the guests snatched three points.

A quick return goal from substitute Serdar Dursun helped a lot, which made the Balts nervous.

They pressed against their goal and conceded more in the added time by the referee.

Kaspars Dubra hit Cengiz Under's legs in his own penalty area and gave the referee a reason to award a penalty kick after discussions with the assistants at VAR, which was converted by Burak Yilmaz.

So the Turks showed character and remained in the struggle for tickets to the world championship.

Composure in Oslo

An even more important match within Group G took place in Oslo, where Norway hosted Montenegro.

The Scandinavians on the eve of the October games faced serious staffing problems, in particular, they were left without the main star and goalscorer Erling Holand.

But despite this, they performed with dignity, gaining four points out of six possible.

Southampton winger Mohamed Elyounoussi took over the lead on Monday.

Previously, he rarely scored for the national team, but at the decisive moment he scored a double.

In the middle of the first half, the midfielder sent a shell into the net from close range with his head, and in the 96th minute he put an end to the confrontation.

The guests not only failed to distinguish themselves, but never shot on target.

Now they retain only theoretical chances of participating in the joints.

The Scandinavians will play a direct ticket to Qatar in the last round with the Netherlands, which sent six unanswered goals to the gates of Gibraltar, but Turkey is still capable of intervening in their dispute.

Fiasco in Bucharest

But the Armenian national team was defeated in its key meeting.

Joaquin Caparros' wards on the road lost with a minimum score to their direct rival Romania.

Now no one even remembers that the Caucasian team began the qualifying tournament with three victories in a row.

Unfortunately, this was followed by a series of five matches without victories, which included draws with North Macedonia, Iceland and even with Liechtenstein.

The fate of the game in Bucharest was decided by Yonuta Mitrita's goal in the middle of the first half after a corner kick.

Before the break, the guests practically did not threaten other people's gates, and only after that they began to create at least a semblance of approaches.

And Caparros was so nervous that he received a direct red card for arguing with the referee.

However, even after the defeat in Romania, Armenia retains chances of participating in the junctions.

After all, another rival of the team in the fight for the second place - North Macedonia - was defeated by Germany at home - 0: 4.

Thus, the Bundestim not only took revenge for the sensational misfire in March, but also became the first national team, if you do not take into account Qatar, to qualify for the championship of the planet.

Moreover, the first half of the meeting in Skopje ended in a goalless draw, but later the favorite did not experience any problems.

Timo Werner scored a brace, and the 18-year-old Bayern midfielder Jamal Musiala, for whom this goal is his debut in the national team, put an end to it.

Star in Kazan

In octet E, the Czech Republic and Wales, following their meeting in Prague last week, continued their dispute in absentia for second place in the group. Both teams on Monday turned out to be stronger outsiders. For the third time in a row Belarus hosted an opponent in the qualification of the World Cup 2022 in Kazan at the Central stadium and again suffered a defeat - 0: 2. Patrick Schick, one of the heroes of Euro 2020, became the main character in the Czechs. The Bayer forward scored himself before the break, and then assisted 19-year-old Adam Glozek.

In turn, the Welsh had to suffer in Tallinn.

Although the game began more than well for them.

Already in the 12th minute, striker Kieffer Moore literally pushed a shell into the net after a corner kick.

However, in the future, the Estonians, who in the last round won their first victory in an official match of the year, acted quite bravely and could have escaped if not for the opponent's goalkeeper Danny Ward.

Thus, the Czech Republic and Wales continue to be on par with Belgium's five points behind.

The Welsh have an advantage in the form of a match in the reserve, but with the current medalists of the World Cup.