Higuain, Argentina top Chile 4-1 in WCup qualifier

Posted Saturday, October 08, 2011 by YAHOO Sport

Gonzalo Higuain scored three goals and Lionel Messi added another as Argentina defeated Chile 4-1 in Buenos Aires on Friday in the first round of South American 2014 World Cup qualifying for each country.

Argentina looked strong under new coach Alejandro Sabella, dominating from the start. Higuaian scored in the eighth minut and Messi added his in the 26th. Higuain added his second in the 52nd and completed his hat trick in the 63rd.

Matias Fernandez scored for Chile in the 60th.

In other South American qualifiers, Ecuador beat Venezuela 2-0, Uruguay topped Bolivia 4-2 and Peru defeated Paraguay 2-0 on two goals by Paolo Guerrero.

Diego Lugano scored twice for Uruguay, which also got goals from Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani. Rudy Cardozo and Marcelo Martins tallied for Bolivia. Jaime Ayovi and Christian Benitez lifted Ecuador.

In the second round of North and Central America and Caribbean qualifying, Antwaun Russell and Nahki Wells scored to lead Bermuda to a 2-1 victory over Trinidad & Tobago.

Also Friday, England clinched its place at the 2012 European Championship despite Wayne Rooney’s ejection in a 2-2 draw at Montenegro, while Croatia missed a chance to reach the finals by losing 2-0 to Greece in the next-to-last round of qualifying matches.

Needing at least a draw to win Group G, England was 2-1 up thanks to goals by Ashley Young and Darren Bent when Rooney was shown a red card in the 74th minute for kicking defender Miodrag Dzudovic.

Andrija Delibasic’s late equalizer ensured Montenegro clinched a playoff spot, while England became the fifth team to qualify for the finals, after defending champion Spain, Italy, Germany and Netherlands. Host nations Ukraine and Poland did not need to qualify.

“He made a silly mistake when he kicked the opponent … I’m not happy, absolutely,” England coach Fabio Capello said of Rooney, who looked to have controlled his temper in recent years. “We will find a solution to play without him (at the start of Euro 2012). We’ll try some things out in the friendlies.”

Greece, European champions in 2004, moved two points above Croatia at the top of Group F with its win in Athens in a match that was suspended for six minutes after crowd trouble early in the game.

“I knew we would create chances. … We defended the Croats’ counterattacks rather easily,” said Greece’s Portuguese coach Fernando Santos, who remains undefeated at Greece’s helm.

The game was less than three minutes old when it was suspended. More than a 100 masked men, many of whom were also wearing motorcycle helmets, suddenly attacked the Croat supporters with flares and a gasoline bomb. The Croats threw seats at their attackers and briefly scuffled with riot police, who used pepper spray.

Russia’s 1-0 victory at Slovakia means it needs just a draw against Andorra — which hasn’t picked up a point in nine games—in its final match to win Group B.

Elsewhere in Group B, Ireland’s 2-0 win at Andorra earned it a showdown with Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday that will decide which of the two goes to the playoffs, assuming Russia does not fail against the Andorrans. Ireland needs only a draw to secure second place.

France and Bosnia-Herzegovina will meet in a winner-take-all match in Paris on Tuesday to decide which team finishes first in Group D after both comfortably won on Friday.

The French, who haven’t failed to qualify for a major tournament since missing out on the 1994 World Cup, beat Albania 3-0 at home thanks to goals by Florent Malouda, Loic Remy and Anthony Reveillere.

They are a point clear of Bosnia-Herzegovina, which topped Luxembourg 5-0 with striker Edin Dzeko among the scorers.

“We’re going to start thinking about Tuesday’s game right now,” France coach Laurent Blanc said, a Euro 2000 winner as a player. “We know it’s going to be decisive, we expected as much, but tonight’s game is going to give us even more confidence.”

Portugal and Denmark claimed high-scoring victories over Iceland and Cyprus, respectively, to remain even on points in Group H ahead of a meeting in Copenhagen that will decide which team finishes on top.

Manchester United winger Nani grabbed a first-half double in Portugal’s 5-3 win in Porto, while Dennis Rommedahl scored twice in Denmark’s 4-1 victory in Nicosia.

Portugal only needs a point in Copenhagen on Tuesday having already beaten the Danes at home in qualifying. Norway is three points behind in third.

Spain, Germany and the Netherlands all won to stay perfect at the top of their groups.

Spain, the world and European champion, claimed a seventh straight victory in Group I by beating the Czech Republic 2-0 on goals by Juan Mata and Xabi Alonso.

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar’s strike earned the Netherlands a 1-0 win over Moldova, its ninth victory in a row clinching first place in Group E, while Germany defeated Turkey 3-1 on goals by Thomas Mueller, Mario Gomez and Bastian Schweinsteiger in Group A.

It was also the Germans’ ninth straight win.

Sweden is assured of second place behind the Dutch after a 2-1 win in Finland.

Group C winner Italy drew 1-1 at Serbia, allowing Estonia to climb above the Serbs into second place with a 2-1 victory at Northern Ireland.

Serbia can still finish runner-up if it beats Slovenia away on Tuesday.