Sport

Northern Ireland end winless streak as Evans secures the points

SOCCER: NORTHERN IRELAND ended a 10-game winless streak and scored for the first time in eight matches by snatching an unlikely…

Sat Sept 04 2010 - 01:00

SOCCER:NORTHERN IRELAND ended a 10-game winless streak and scored for the first time in eight matches by snatching an unlikely 1-0 away victory over a dominant Slovenia in their opening Euro 2012 Group C qualifier. Craig Cathcart's low cross was turned in by Corry Evans 20 minutes from time with his first touch.

FERNANDO Torres scored twice to help world and European champions Spain to a 4-0 away win over Liechtenstein in their Euro 2012 Group I qualifier.

David Villa and substitute David Silva scored the other goals.

It was Spains first competitive match since they won the World Cup.

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FRANCE slumped to a hugely embarrassing 1-0 home defeat against Belarus in their Group D qualifier in their first competitive outing since the World Cup fiasco. Substitute Sergei Kislyak netted the winner four minutes from time, converting Belaruss only clear chance of the game.

New coach Laurent Blanc welcomed back nine players from the South Africa trip after he had suspended them for a friendly in Norway last month, but it had no effect as Les Bleus failed to win for the seventh consecutive time. France face Bosnia away on Tuesday.

MONTENEGRO made an immediate impact in their first European Championship qualifying campaign by deservedly beating Wales 1-0 in Group G.

The former Yugoslav republic, who became a full member of Uefa in 2007 and won only one of their 10 qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup, looked assured against a Wales team who are already up against it in a group including England and Switzerland. Montenegro were on top from the start and went ahead after half an hour as captain Mirko Vucinic shot past Wayne Hennessey at his near post.

TURKEY started their Group A qualifying campaign with a 3-0 victory over Kazakhstan thanks to goals by Arda Turan, Hamit Altintop and Nihat Kahveci.

STRIKERS Danko Lazovic and Nikola Zigic scored either side of a goal from captain Dejan Stankovic to give Serbia a 3-0 win over Brian Kerr’s Faroe Islands in their Group C qualifier.

Croatia marked their first competitive match in nine months with a 3-0 win over Latvia in Group F.