Iceland edge out Albania
Sigurdsson's late strike makes it two wins out of three
Last Updated: October 12, 2012 8:49pm
Gylfi Sigurdsson: Lashed home a thumping free-kick to win it for Iceland
Gylfi Sigurdsson struck the winning goal nine minutes from full-time as Iceland registered a hard-fought 2-1 win over Albania in their World Cup qualifier in Tirana.
The Tottenham midfielder lashed home a thumping free-kick from the edge of the area as Iceland picked up their second win in three Group E outings.
Birkir Bjarnason had earlier fired Iceland into the lead before Edgar Cani levelled for Albania, who slipped to their second straight defeat.
19 minutes were on the clock when Iceland took the lead after Kari Arnason flicked for Bjarnason to poke home from on the goal-line after Samir Ujkani saved his initial effort.
The hosts were level 10 minutes later when Alban Meha played an inviting ball across the face of goal and Cani had the simplest of tasks to turn the ball home at the back post.
But it was Iceland celebrating at the final whistle as Sigurdsson stepped up in the 81st minute to fire a free-kick into the top-left corner.
Matches
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FIFA World Cup European Qualifying
Fri 12th Oct - Group F
Fri 12th Oct - Group I
Fri 12th Oct - Group C
Fri 12th Oct - Group B
Fri 12th Oct - Group E
Fri 12th Oct - Group G
Fri 12th Oct - Group D
Fri 12th Oct - Group H
Fri 12th Oct - Group A
Tables
FIFA World Cup European Qualifying Group A
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belgium | 6 | 16 |
| 2 | Croatia | 6 | 16 |
| 3 | Serbia | 6 | 7 |
| 4 | Wales | 6 | 6 |
| 5 | Macedonia | 6 | 4 |
| 6 | Scotland | 6 | 2 |
FIFA World Cup European Qualifying Group B
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italy | 5 | 13 |
| 2 | Bulgaria | 6 | 10 |
| 3 | Czech Republic | 5 | 8 |
| 4 | Denmark | 5 | 6 |
| 5 | Armenia | 4 | 3 |
| 6 | Malta | 5 | 0 |
FIFA World Cup European Qualifying Group C
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | 6 | 16 |
| 2 | Austria | 5 | 8 |
| 3 | Sweden | 4 | 8 |
| 4 | Republic of Ireland | 5 | 8 |
| 5 | Kazakhstan | 6 | 1 |
| 6 | Faroe Islands | 4 | 0 |
FIFA World Cup European Qualifying Group D
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Netherlands | 6 | 18 |
| 2 | Hungary | 6 | 11 |
| 3 | Romania | 6 | 10 |
| 4 | Turkey | 6 | 7 |
| 5 | Estonia | 6 | 6 |
| 6 | Andorra | 6 | 0 |
FIFA World Cup European Qualifying Group E
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Switzerland | 5 | 11 |
| 2 | Iceland | 5 | 9 |
| 3 | Albania | 5 | 9 |
| 4 | Norway | 5 | 7 |
| 5 | Cyprus | 5 | 4 |
| 6 | Slovenia | 5 | 3 |
FIFA World Cup European Qualifying Group F
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russia | 4 | 12 |
| 2 | Israel | 6 | 11 |
| 3 | Portugal | 6 | 11 |
| 4 | Northern Ireland | 5 | 3 |
| 5 | Azerbaijan | 6 | 3 |
| 6 | Luxembourg | 5 | 2 |
FIFA World Cup European Qualifying Group G
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bosnia | 5 | 13 |
| 2 | Greece | 5 | 10 |
| 3 | Slovakia | 5 | 8 |
| 4 | Lithuania | 5 | 5 |
| 5 | Latvia | 5 | 4 |
| 6 | Liechtenstein | 5 | 1 |
FIFA World Cup European Qualifying Group H
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montenegro | 6 | 14 |
| 2 | England | 6 | 12 |
| 3 | Poland | 5 | 8 |
| 4 | Ukraine | 5 | 8 |
| 5 | Moldova | 6 | 4 |
| 6 | San Marino | 6 | 0 |
FIFA World Cup European Qualifying Group I
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spain | 5 | 11 |
| 2 | France | 5 | 10 |
| 3 | Georgia | 5 | 4 |
| 4 | Belarus | 4 | 3 |
| 5 | Finland | 3 | 2 |
