GIJON, Spain, March 22, (AFP): Teemu Pukki’s goal 12 minutes from time stunned reigning world and European champions Spain who were held to a 1-1 draw by Finland in their Group I qualifier on Friday.
The hosts endured a frustrating first 45 minutes as they struggled to find a way through a camped Finnish defence, but they appeared on their way to victory when Sergio Ramos headed them in front on his 100th cap four minutes into the second-half. However, they failed to build on their advantage and were made to pay when a good move from the Finns resulted in Pukki prodding home from close range.
The hosts were without the experienced trio of Iker Casillas, Carles Puyol and Xavi through injury so Ramos was also given the honour of captain for the evening. However, the hosts didn’t look like they would miss their veterans as they started brightly and were nearly gifted a goal inside two minutes when only a fine save from Niki Menp prevented Niklas Moisander turning David Silva’s driven cross into his own net.

Thereafter though the first-half was tale of Spanish shots from distance as the visitors retreated onto the edge of their own area. Cesc Fabregas was first to have a go as he curled a shot wide of the far corner before driving another effort just wide of the target. Santi Cazorla then forced Menp into a decent low save with an angled drive, but the Arsenal midfielder should have opened the scoring when he blazed over from close range. Silva and Andres Iniesta also went close with long-range effort towards the end of the half, but despite the return of David Villa from injury they were lacking the penetration needed to find a way through. Vicente Del Bosque acted at half-time by bringing on Pedro Rodriguez, who had scored nine times in his last six internationals, for Cazorla.

The Barcelona winger had an immediate effect as his deflected shot from a short corner fizzed just wide.
And from the resulting corner Ramos rose highest to head in his ninth international goal. Villa then failed to delight the home fans on his return to the city he started his career as his free-kick drifted over before he was replaced by Alvaro Negredo to rapturous applause.
Ramos came close again with a header that looped just over but Spain were stunned 12 minutes from time when a patient move saw Pukki get in front of Ramos and Gerard Pique to poke home Kasper Hamalainen’s cross from the left.
Pique twice headed just off target and Juan Mata also flashed a volley over as the hosts laid a late seige.
However, the visitors held on to leave Spain most likely needing to win their next qualifier against France in Paris on Tuesday to avoid having to qualify for next year’s World Cup via the playoffs.

England 8, San Marino 0
In Serravalle, San Marino, England strolled to an embarrassingly one-sided 8-0 win at minnows San Marino on Friday in an ideal warm-up for Tuesday’s key World Cup qualifier away to Montenegro.
After an own goal by Alessandro Della Valle gave them the lead, England rammed home their advantage and scored through Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jermain Defoe, Ashley Young and Frank Lampard to take a 5-0 lead into half-time.
Wayne Rooney and Daniel Sturridge deepened the hosts’ woe early in the second half, before Defoe claimed his second goal to complete England’s biggest win since an 8-0 thrashing of Turkey in 1987.
England manager Roy Hodgson could hardly have asked for a more straightforward evening, but a far sterner test awaits in Podgorica on Tuesday, when defeat would leave his side five points adrift in Group H.

England’s last away game against San Marino saw them concede a goal after just 8.3 seconds, but there was no danger of a repeat as the visitors applied a vice-like grip to the game from kick-off in Serravalle.
Lampard, captain in place of the rested Steven Gerrard, was thwarted by San Marino goalkeeper Aldo Simoncini and Oxlade-Chamberlain sent a lob against the crossbar before England broke the deadlock in the 12th minute.
Lampard found Leighton Baines on the left with a raking pass over the top and from the Everton left-back’s low cross, the blundering Della Valle sent the ball into his own net.
Such was England’s dominance that by the mid-point of the first half, the away fans were already ironically cheering every touch from visiting goalkeeper Joe Hart.

The second goal arrived in the 28th minute and it was a strike of quality, Oxlade-Chamberlain showcasing some sinuous touches on the right and exchanging passes with Rooney before driving home left-footed.
Defoe had a goal disallowed for offside but a minute later he made it 3-0, touching the ball in from close range after Oxlade-Chamberlain headed Rooney’s cross back across goal.
Lampard stung Simoncini’s palms from distance before Young added a fourth with a fine shot that flashed past the bewildered San Marino goalkeeper from 25 yards.
Three minutes short of half-time it was five, as Lampard applied the finishing touch to another Baines cut-back with a side-foot shot that found the bottom-right corner.
Rooney had failed to trouble Simoncini in the first period, but he seemed determined to make amends after the interval.

He had already seen Simoncini tip a dipping shot over the crossbar by the time England won a free-kick in a promising central position in the 54th minute.
Rooney took it, and scored, bending a shot over the wall and into the bottom-left corner before being replaced by Sturridge.
Sturridge headed against the post from Oxlade-Chamberlain’s dinked cross on the hour, but the Liverpool striker would not have long to wait for his first international goal.
Defoe flashed a shot wide following an incursion down the right and Oxlade-Chamberlain hit a feathered effort narrowly over before Sturridge struck in the 70th minute, nodding in Young’s cross from close range.
Defoe tapped in Oxlade-Chamberlain’s cut-back from the right to claim his second goal and make it 8-0 in the 77th minute.
The Tottenham Hotspur striker could have completed his hat-trick late on, but he put the ball wide with his left foot to grant the hosts one, belated reprieve.

France 3, Georgia 1
In Paris, Mathieu Valbuena scored a goal and created two others to help France defeat Georgia 3-1 at home in a World Cup Group I qualifier and leapfrog Spain at the top of the table ahead of Tuesday’s big clash at Stade de France.
Olivier Giroud headed home a neat Valbuena free kick on the stroke of halftime, breaking the deadlock for a home team who had earlier failed to convert their chances as Karim Benzema extended his goal-drought to an 11th game.
Valbuena, who had scored in France’s two previous games, doubled the lead two minutes into the second half with a powerful half-volley then delivered a long cross for Franck Ribery, who ran down the left and shot to make it 3-0.
Georgia, who had had their chances in the first half, were rewarded for their efforts 10 minutes later when Aleksander Kobakhidze took advantage of a deflected cross to find the net.
France climbed to the top of the group with 10 points from four games, two ahead of world and European champions Spain who could only manage a 1-1 home draw with Finland.

Sweden 0, Ireland 0
In Stockholm, Frustrated Sweden stuttered to a 0-0 draw against a much-improved Ireland side in their Group C World Cup qualifier on Friday that saw them slip further behind leaders Germany.The Swedish attack led by captain Zlatan Ibrahimovic failed to click, barely threatening keeper David Forde as the visitors, who suffered a humiliating 6-1 defeat at home to the Germans in October, were more compact, organised and calm in possession.
Ireland had the best of the early chances, Jon Walters heading weakly wide from a Robbie Keane cross and Shane Long blazing over after a strong solo run from midfield.
It took Ibrahimovic, who often had to drop deep to seek possession, 36 minutes to register a shot which he followed up by heading narrowly wide from the subsequent corner.
The second half brought more frustration for Sweden, who had no shortage of possession but struggled to do anything with it.
The Swedes, who play Slovakia in a friendly on Tuesday, stay second on eight points behind Germany, who have 13 after winning 3-0 in Kazakhstan. Ireland are in fourth spot before facing third-placed Austria, who also have seven points, on Tuesday.

Belgium 2, Macedonia 0
In Skopje, Belgium stayed on course for a first World Cup finals appearance in more than a decade after a nervous 2-0 win over a stubborn Macedonia in their Group A qualifier in Skopje.
A neat first-half strike by in-form Kevin De Bruyne and an Eden Hazard penalty just past the hour was the difference between the sides before Belgium host Macedonia on Tuesday.
Belgium, playing without injured captain Vincent Kompany, narrowly averted a disastrous start, with Macedonia striker Adis Jahovik’s header only kept out by the back of visiting keeper Thibaut Courtois’s legs inside the first minute.

Jahovik had another good chance two minutes later before the highly-rated Belgians, packed with English Premier League talent, settled down to the task at hand.
De Bruyne steadied Belgium’s nerves in the 26th minute, dispossessing defender Aleksandar Lazevski and then feigning a pass before placing the ball into the far corner of the net.
Buoyed by their lead, the visitors were more comfortable in the second half and doubled their advantage in the 62nd minute. Hazard was brought down after playing a one-two with Marouane Fellaini and stepped up to score from the spot.
Belgium coach Marc Wilmots was disappointed his defence left too much space and his midfield gave the ball away too often in the first half, telling reporters: “I was angry at halftime”.
Belgium stay top with 13 points ahead of Croatia, who beat visitors Serbia 2-0, on goal difference. The pair are well clear of group rivals Serbia, Macedonia, Wales and Scotland.

Ukraine 3, Poland 1
In Warsaw, Ukraine pulled ahead with two quick goals against hapless Poland on Friday and never looked back as they returned to contention in World Cup qualifying Group H with a 3-1 away win.
Poland and their porous defence looked stunned after Andriy Yarmolenko and Oleh Gusev put Ukraine 2-0 up inside seven minutes of the match between the Euro 2012 co-hosts.
An 18th minute goal from defender Lukasz Piszczek after a counter attack involving fellow Borussia Dortmund player Jakub Blaszczykowski was all Poland had to cheer in front of a capacity crowd at Warsaw’s National Stadium.
Roman Zozulia netted Ukraine’s third goal in the last minute of the first half.
The Poles failed to stage a comeback despite controlling the ball in an uneventful second half, with goalkeeper Artur Boruc to thank for keeping the score at 3-1.
Poland host group outsiders San Marino on Tuesday while Ukraine, who have moved level with the Poles on five points from four games, welcome Moldova on Tuesday.
Montenegro top the group on 13.

Denmark 3, Czech Republic 0
In Olomouc, Czech Republic, Andreas Cornelius, Simon Kjaer and Niki Zimling scored in the second half Friday to lead Denmark to a 3-0 victory at the Czech Republic in qualifying for the 2014 World Cup.
Cornellius found the back of the net with a right-foot shot from inside the area in the 56th minute, and Kjaer headed in the second 10 minutes later off a corner from Lars Jacobsen.
Zimling finished the emphatic win with a swerving drive in the 82nd minute. “We made too many mistakes and the opponent punished us,” Czech goalkeeper Petr Cech said.
The loss hurts the Czechs’ chances of qualifying automatically for the tournament in Brazil. They are tied with Denmark in Group B for third with five points from four matches. Italy leads with 10 points from four games. Bulgaria, which beat Malta 6-0 on Friday, has nine points from five matches.
“It’s still a long way (to go),” Cech said. “We complicated things for ourselves.”
The Czechs badly missed the creativity of captain Tomas Rosicky, whose thigh muscle injury only allowed him to come on as a substitute with 30 minutes left. Petr Jiracek took the playmaking role but was unable to replace him.
The uninspiring Czechs failed to create clear scoring opportunities. In their rare chances, goalkeeper Stephan Andersen denied shots from the edge of the area by Vladimir Darida and David Lafata. At the other end, Christian Eriksen tested Cech.

Bosnia 3, Greece 1
In Zenica, Bosnia, Edin Dzeko scored twice as Bosnia beat Greece 3-1 on Friday to move three points clear at the top of its World Cup qualifying group. Bosnia tops Group G with 13 points from five matches, while Greece stays on 10 points.
Dzeko led the Bosnian threat, and beat Greek goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis in the 30th minute, expertly heading in a free kick from Zvjezdan Misimovic.
Six minutes later, Karnezis blocked a penalty from Misimovic, but Vedad Ibisevic got the better of a disorganized Greek defense to tap in the loose ball.
Greece brought on striker Fanis Gekas in the second half but went 3-0 down in the 54th when Misimovic set up Dzeko for another header.
Gekas scored Greece’s consolation goal in injury time off a cross from Georgios Samaras.