Liege star puts the KO in Kosovo
KOSOVO will face England on Tuesday on the back of a 15-game unbeaten run after getting past the CZECH REPUBLIC 2-1 in Pristina.
Standard Liege defender Mergim Vojvoda completed the home side’s comeback with a second-half strike after Vedat Muriqi had cancelled out Patrik Schick’s 16th-minute opener.
The win moved Kosovo – who became FIFA members as recently as 2016 – above the Czechs after starting their Group A campaign with two wins and two draws.
Gareth Bale can still be a talisman for both WALES and Real Madrid, according to Joe Allen.
Wales’s record-scorer Bale has forced his way back into the Madrid line-up after appearing to be on his way out of the club in the summer.
And the 30-year-old Wales captain struck a crucial 84th-minute winner against AZERBAIJAN in Cardiff on Friday night.
It gave a huge boost to Wales’s faltering hopes of reaching Euro 2020, hopes that appeared dashed after Azerbaijan equalised and threatened to claim a shock draw in Group E.
Midfielder Allen, who has 52 caps, said of his superstar team-mate: “He’s done it many times before and thankfully he’s turned up for us again.
“This is the reason he’s been our talisman for years and he’ll keep being that.”
Bale’s heroics spared Wales a nightmare draw and rookie boss Ryan Giggs major embarrassment in his 14th game in charge.
And Allen revealed that the Manchester United legend let rip at halftime with a ‘hair-dryer’ blast reminiscent of his Old Trafford manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
The Stoke star admitted: “We have had the chance to work with him for a while now and in the changing room we get to see all sides of his management.”
Wales face BELARUS in a friendly in Cardiff tomorrow before their next qualifier in SLOVAKIA on October 10.
Virgil van Dijk believes HOLLAND are on course to make a major impact at the Euro 2020 finals after their 4-2 win in Germany.
The Liverpool defender said: “I believe in this new generation of Holland players. We are playing great football and we dominate in games, even against Germany on their home ground.
“The result should have been even more impressive. I really believe in this team. They are a bunch of young lads with lots of energy.”