Roundup: Turkey beaten by Belarus
| |
| YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS |
Follow the news that matters to you. Create your own alert to be notified on topics you're interested in.
Or, visit Popular Alerts for suggestions.
|
|
|
ISTANBUL, Turkey -- Belarus handed Turkey the worst possible result before the 2002 World Cup semifinalists begin their 2006 qualifying campaign against Georgia, when they beat them 2-1.
Turkey took the lead when veteran Hakan Sukur latched onto an overhead kick from Tuncay Sanli and drove the ball past Belarus keeper Vasily Khomutovsky in the 14th minute.
But the visitors kept probing away and were rewarded when Vyacheslav Gleb headed past goalkeeper Rustu Recber from close range.
Belarus snatched victory in the final minute when Recber ran out of his area to clear the ball only for Belarus to keep possession and substitute Denis Kovba then lobbed the ball into the empty goal, silencing the sell-out crowd of 18,000 in the southwestern town of Denizli.
Madsen hits treble
Bochum striker Peter Madsen scored three goals, two of them seven minutes apart midway through the first half, as Denmark thrashed Poland 5-1 in Poznan.
Madsen scored goals in the 22nd and 29th minutes to give Denmark a 2-0 lead, heading in a cross from Jesper Groenkjaer for his first goal for his country.
Thomas Gaardsoe increased the lead with a header in the 51st minute, drawing whistles from a disappointed crowd of 5,000.
Polish striker Maciej Zurawski scored in the 75th minute with a precise shot from sharp angle that grazed the right post before going in.
Claus Jensen restored the three-goal cushion in the 85th with a lofted shot over goalkeeper's Artur Boruc's outstretched hands and into the upper right corner and Madsen completed the scoring in injury time.
Stoichkov earns draw
New Bulgaria coach Hristo Stoichkov's first game in charge ended in a 1-1 draw away to Ireland.
Ireland took the lead after 15 minutes when Nottingham Forest midfielder Andy Reid scored direct from a floated free kick that sailed past keeper Zdravko Zdravkov.
Bulgaria piled on the pressure in the second half and equalised after 71 minutes with a powerful drive into the top left hand corner from Valeri Bozhinov.
Stoichkov, who was European Player of the Year in 1994, was appointed national coach in July after Bulgaria failed to win a point at Euro 2004.
Scotland beaten again
Scotland remain without a friendly win at Hampden Park for eight years after they were hammered 3-0 by Hungary.
Two goals from Ferencvaros midfielder Szabolcs Huszti helped consign Berti Vogts' side to a seventh straight defeat at the Glasgow national stadium three weeks before they host their opening 2006 World Cup qualifying game against Slovenia.
It was their heaviest home defeat since they lost 5-0 to England in February 1973.