SOCCER ROUND-UP:ESTONIA SUBSTITUTE Kaimar Saag scored twice in stoppage time to secure a 2-1 victory over Brian Kerr's Faroe Islands in the first Euro 2012 qualifier last night.
The hosts trailed to a 28th minute strike from Joan Edmundsson and were then frustrated for long periods by solid defending from the Islanders who restricted their opponents to long-range strikes.
With time running out, Estonia turned the game on its head as Saag, a 62nd minute replacement, struck twice in as many minutes in injury time to get their Group C campaign off to a winning start.
A goalkeeping blunder helped Russia beat Bulgaria 1-0 in St Petersburg last night to give Dick Advocaat a winning debut as national team coach.
Bulgaria keeper Nikolay Mihaylov gifted the home side a sixth-minute lead when he failed to hold on to an easy cross from Russia captain Andrei Arshavin, allowing midfielder Roman Shirokov to fire into an empty net from close range.
“It’s always good to start with a win,” Advocaat said. “I know what needs to be done to improve our play. Today we played better in the second half and didn’t give our opponents many chances to score.”
Advocaat succeeded fellow Dutchman Guus Hiddink in May as Russia coach after the team missed out on this year’s World Cup finals following a two-legged play-off loss to Slovenia.
The match – the final test for both countries before they start their Euro 2012 qualifiers next month – was played at a leisurely pace on a hot evening in St Petersburg.
The game was originally scheduled to be played in Moscow but was switched to St Petersburg because of health risks after acrid smog engulfed the Russian capital last week.
The Moscow region has been hit by a heat wave, with temperatures reaching 40 degrees, causing huge forest fires in the area.
Mihaylov kept the visitors from going two down when he blocked Roman Pavlyuchenko’s low drive midway through the second half after a great solo effort by Russia substitute Alan Dzagoyev.
Mihaylov also did well to deny Konstantin Zyryanov’s attempt from the edge of the box in the final 10 minutes.
The Bulgarians – missing striker Dimitar Berbatov who retired from the national scene after they failed to qualify for the World Cup in South Africa – rarely threatened Russia keeper Igor Akinfeyev.
Russia, top seed in Group B which includes the Republic of Ireland, begin their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign away to Andorra on September 3rd, while Bulgaria travel to London to take on England in Group G on the same day.
An experimental France team lost 2-1 to Norway in Oslo in their first outing since a shambolic World Cup campaign, forward Erik Huseklepp scoring twice for the home side in a lively friendly.
France opened the scoring with a superb goal from substitute Hatem Ben Arfa shortly after the break but Huseklepp levelled by deflecting a free kick into the net before hitting the winner after a counter-attack on 70 minutes.
New coach Laurent Blanc, who took none of France’s World Cup squad members to Norway, fielded six uncapped players in his starting line-up for his first game in charge.
Armenia, who begin their European championship qualifying campaign at home to the Republic of Ireland on September 3rd, were beaten 3-1 at home last night in a friendly against Iran.
