OSLO -- Striker Emmanuel Olisadebe scored
twice to help Poland beat Norway 3-2 in a World Cup qualifying
match on Saturday and tighten Poland's grip on European group
five.
Nigerian-born Olisadebe, who plays for Greek team
Panathinaikos, put Poland ahead in the 23rd minute with a shot
to the right of goalkeeper Thomas Myhre and made it 2-0 six
minutes later with a shot from about 20 metres.
Norway came out fighting after the break, however, and
Valencia striker John Carew headed in a goal in the 58th minute.
And Manchester United's Ole Gunnar Solskjaer levelled the scores
in the 66th minute with a shot from 15 metres.
But Polish substitiute Bartosz Karwan punctured the
Norwegian comeback by heading in Poland's third in the 80th
minute.
"I'm very disappointed. We made an honest attempt,"
Norwegian coach Nils Johan Semb said. "But luck didn't run our
way."
He said that Norway now had scant chance of reaching the
World Cup finals qualifying in both 1994 and 1998 and would need
to win all their remaining games.
Hartson scores two but Wales blow chances in Armenia
YEREVAN -- Armenia and Wales battled to
an entertaining 2-2 draw in their World Cup European group five
qualifier on Saturday, a result which does little for either
team's hopes of reaching next year's finals.
The Armenians drew first blood in the 32nd minute when
defender Artak Minasyan was the first to get to a loose ball
after a goalmouth scramble and beat Paul Jones from close range.
Wales, playing without injured Manchester United winger Ryan
Giggs, replied eight minutes later through John Hartson.
The Coventry City striker put the visitors ahead with his
second of the game four minutes after the interval with a great
curving shot into the top corner from 18 metres.
Armenia goalkeeper Arutyun Abramyan kept the home side in
the match on several occasions, including dangerous shots by
Robert Page and Craig Bellamy.
But the Armenians battled back and Andrei Movsesyan struck a
deserved equaliser in the 71st minute with a long-range effort.
Wales had the better of the play in the final minutes but
were denied by Abramyan and the Armenian defence.
The draw left Wales in fourth place with just three points
from four matches while Armenia remained bottom of the group on
two points after four games.
Ukraine and Belarus lose ground after 0-0 tie
KIEV -- Ukraine were held to a 0-0 draw
by Belarus on Saturday in a World Cup European group five
qualifier after failing to capitalise on their domination.
With Poland beating Norway 3-2 in Olso, Ukraine and Belarus
both needed a win to stay close to the Poles at the top of the
group, and the draw did little for either side's chances of
reaching the finals for the first time.
Ukraine created a number of clear openings for star strikers
Andriy Shevchenko and Serhiy Rebrov but although the Ukrainians,
roared on by a partisan home crowd, sprayed the ball around well
in midfield, they lacked the imagination to break the deadlock.
The best chances fell to Shevchenko, who shook off a
challenge from Belarus's Alexander Ostrovsky in the torrid final
minutes and bore down on the Belarus goalmouth, but the AC Milan
striker's close-range effort was cleared from the goal-line.
Spanish referee Juan Fernandez Marin showed three yellow
cards, two to Ukraine and one to Belarus, all in the second half
which also saw Ukrainian Defender Yuri Dmitrulin of Dynamo Kiev
stretchered off in the 77th minute.
The result leaves Ukraine in second place in their
qualifying group with seven points, behind Poland.
Ukrainian television reported police arrested 20 people on
the eve of the game in central Kiev after clashes between rival
fans using bottles, sticks and stones.
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