Egypt rest top stars against Benin

January 18, 2010

Champions Egypt will rest several key stars including goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary in Wednesday’s final Africa Cup of Nations Group C match against Benin here.

Egypt coach, Hassan Shehata, disclosed that he plans to rest some of his top stars, while giving some others a chance to stake a claim for a place in the first team.

“A few players will get their chance against Benin, we will probably make three or four changes,” said Shehata.

“Essam El-Hadary will likely be rested and either Abdul-Wahed Al-Sayed or Mahmoud Aboul-Saoud could get the nod.”

Egypt midfielder Mohamed Nagy could also get his first start at Angola 2010 after he came off the bench against both Nigeria and Mozambique to score two well-taken goals.

Egypt are top of Group C with six points from two matches and at least a draw with Benin on Wednesday will see them finish as group winners going into the knockout stage of the Nations Cup.

In the meantime, Shehata has decried a decline in the standard of the Nations Cup in Angola, saying the level of the competition was better at the last two editions.

“I think that competition in this tournament is much weaker compared to the previous two editions,” he remarked.

“The level of performance of big teams is relatively poor so far. For example in Group D, Gabon have a chance to qualify and eliminate either Cameroon or Tunisia.”

BENGUELA, Angola (AFP)

Tags: Abdul-Wahed, Africa, africa cup of nations, Al Sayed, Angola, benguela, Benin, cameroon, Egypt, essam el hadary, Gabon, group winners, hassan shehata, knockout stage, mahmoud, midfielder, Mozambique, nagy, nations cup, nations group, nigeria, nod, saoud, score two, six points, top stars, Tunisia

Defending champ Canada to open U-20 Women’s Championship against Costa Rica

December 3, 2009

Canada will face Costa Rica to open the CONCACF Under-20 Women’s Championship while host Guatemala will play Cuba later on January 20 in the struggle to determine the confederation’s three qualifiers for the World Cup.

Trinidad & Tobago will open play for Group B the following day against Mexico, with the reigning world champion United States completing the first round of group matches against Jamaica immediately afterward.

Group A resumes on January 22 with Cuba taking on defending champion Canada, and Guatemala playing Costa Rica. Mexico and Jamaica face off on January 23 with Trinidad playing the United States.

Group play concludes with Costa Rica facing Cuba, and Guatemala playing Canada on January 24, while Jamaica faces Trinidad, and the United States confronting Mexico a day later.

The group winners will play the runners-up from the opposite group on January 28, with the championship and third-place matches set for Saturday, January 30.

The finalists and third-place winner will qualify for next year’s World Cup in Germany July 13-August 1.

Group A
Canada
Costa Rica
Guatemala
Cuba

Group B
United States
Mexico
Jamaica
Trinidad & Tobago

SCHEDULE
(Kickoff times in U.S. Eastern; local kickoff times in parentheses)
FIRST ROUND
Wednesday, January 20
Canada vs. Costa Rica, 3 p.m. (2 p.m.)
Guatemala vs. Cuba, 5:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m.)

Thursday, January 21
Trinidad & Tobago vs. Mexico, 3 p.m. (2 p.m.)
Jamaica vs. United States, 5:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m.)

Friday, January 22
Cuba vs. Canada, 3 p.m. (2 p.m.)
Guatemala vs. Costa Rica, 5:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m.)

Saturday, January 23
Mexico vs. Jamaica, 3 p.m. (2 p.m.)
Trinidad & Tobago vs. United States, 5:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m.)

Sunday, January 24
Costa Rica vs. Cuba 11 a.m. (10 a.m.)
Guatemala vs. Canada, 1:30 p.m. (12:30 p.m.)

Monday, January 25
Jamaica vs. Trinidad & Tobago, 3 p.m. (2 p.m.)
United States vs. Mexico, 5:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m.)

SEMIFINALS
Thursday, January 28
Group B winner vs. Group A runner-up, 2:30 p.m. (1:30 p.m.)
Group A winner vs. Group B runner-up, 5:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m.)

FINALS
Saturday, January 30
Third Place
Semifinal losers, 2:30 p.m. (1:30 p.m.)
Championship
Semifinal winners, 5:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m.)

GUATEMALA CITY

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Tags: amp, august 1, B., Canada, champion canada, concacf, confederation, Costa Rica, Cuba, defending champion, face off, Germany, group play, group winners, Guatemala, guatemala city, Jamaica, january 20, january 24, kickoff, Mexico, parentheses, place winner, Rica Guatemala, runners, Tobago, Trinidad, U.S, United States, united states group, world champion, world cup in germany

Da Silva´s late show forces Arsenal to settle for a point

October 21, 2009

Arsenal were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw against AZ Alkmaar in Tuesday’s Champions League clash as the Dutch champions snatched a last-gasp equaliser.

Arsene Wenger’s side were within seconds of securing their third successive Group H victory after Cesc Fabregas’s first half goal.

But David Mendes Da Silva punished the Gunners for a lacklustre second half display when he struck deep into stoppage time at the DSB Stadium.

Wenger had already claimed he wouldn’t pause to celebrate his 60th birthday on Thursday and the French coach has even less reason to break out the party hats now.

The north Londoners are still firmly on course for the knockout stages, but they have more work to do before they can be sure of finishing as group winners.

Wenger once again opted to keep faith with young Italian goalkeeper Vito Mannone ahead of Manuel Almunia, but the Gunners boss was without injured wingers Theo Walcott and Tomas Rosicky.

Although AZ boasted an impressive European home record of just one defeat in 34 home matches, Arsenal arrived in Holland on a high after seven successive wins in all competitions.

In stark contrast, Ronald Koeman’s Dutch champions, who had taken just one point from their first two group matches, were reeling from the news that the club’s owner Dirk Scheringa had been declared bankrupt on Monday.

Koeman could take heart from a famous Champions League win over Arsenal when he was in charge at PSV Eindhoven two years ago.

But it was Arsenal who made the early running. Robin van Persie had scored five goals in his previous six games and should have added to that tally in the ninth minute from Abou Diaby’s cross.

Van Persie’s finish didn’t match the quality of the incisive attack though and he shot straight at Argentine goalkeeper Sergio Romero.

AZ created their first threat when Moussa Dembele fed Mounir El Hamdaoui on the edge of the Arsenal penalty area, but his shot didn’t test Mannone.

After a period of stalemate as both sides struggled to find their rhythm, Arsenal were gifted the lead in the 36th minute.

Niklas Moisander’s careless control allowed Andrey Arshavin to play in van Persie down the left side of AZ’s penalty area. Van Persie picked out Fabregas and the Arsenal captain dispatched a cool strike past Romero for his fifth goal of the season.

Romero almost presented Arsenal with a second goal before half-time when he allowed van Persie’s long-range effort to skim off his gloves and just past a post.

There was little repeat of that flurry of goalmouth action in the second half as Arsenal settled for keeping possession without ever really promising a second goal.

Van Persie forced Romero to make a fine save from a low free-kick but AZ gradually began to realise there was little to fear from Arsenal in this mood and they poured forward in the closing stages.

Diaby almost deflected a cross into his own net as the Gunners began to creak, then Hector Moreno squandered a glorious chance to equalise.

Moreno had the goal at his mercy from no more than six yards, only to head wide via a team-mate’s leg.

Arsenal appealed in vain for a penalty when Kew Jaliens got in a tangle and appeared to foul substitute Carlos Vela.

But they were made to pay for their lethargic performance in the third minute of stoppage time.

Arsenal’s defence stood statuesque as Graziano Pelle flicked on a high ball towards Da Silva, who was perfectly placed to lash a volley past Mannone and end Arsenal’s winning run.

ALKMAAR, Netherlands (AFP)

Tags: 60th birthday, abou diaby, Argentine, arsene wenger, Carlos Vela, cesc fabregas, David Mendes, david mendes da silva, Dirk Scheringa, DSB Stadium, dutch champions, Eindhoven, french coach, group winners, gunners, hector, Holland, home matches, knockout stages, last gasp, Manuel Almunia, mendes da silva, mounir el hamdaoui, netherlands, Niklas Moisander, north Londoners, party hats, robin van persie, ronald koeman, Sergio Romero, stoppage time, theo walcott, tomas rosicky, Van Persie, Vito Mannone

France bow out with revenge over Austria

October 15, 2009

France signed off their World Cup 2010 qualifying campaign with a 3-1 victory at home to Austria at the Stade de France here on Wednesday.

Raymond Domenech’s side had already secured a play-off place behind Group 7 winners Serbia and gained revenge for their 3-1 defeat to Austria in September thanks to goals from strikers Karim Benzema, Thierry Henry and Andre-Pierre Gignac.

The result puts Les Bleus in the draw for November’s play-offs alongside the seven other best runners-up in the European zone.

Domenech took advantage of the fixture’s essentially meaningless nature to field a number of fringe players, with Real Madrid striker Benzema earning his first start since December 2008.

The visitors produced the first serious attempt at goal when striker Stefan Maierhofer extended Hugo Lloris with an effort from the edge of the box, but a mistake from the Wolves man shortly afterwards led to the French opener.

In attempting to play his way out of trouble after a French corner, Maierhofer allowed himself to be dispossessed by Florent Malouda, who scuttled to the byline before crossing for Benzema to score with a diving header.

Henry made it 2-0 in the 26th minute, and extended his national record to 51 goals, with a powerful penalty after Christian Fuchs was penalised for a tug on France’s roving right-back Rod Fanni.

Austria replied in the third minute of the second half when Marc Janko tapped home after Lloris had saved from substitute Erwin Hoffer, before Gignac — on for Henry — sealed France’s victory by cutting in from the left and curling a beautiful finish into the bottom-right corner.

In the other matches in the group, group winners Serbia conceded two penalties in a 2-1 loss in Lithuania and Romania defeated the Faroe Islands 3-1.

PARIS (AFP)

Tags: Andre-Pierre Gignac, Austria, bottom right corner, christian fuchs, erwin hoffer, european zone, faroe islands, France, french corner, group winners, Hugo Lloris, Karim Benzema, les bleus, Lithuania, MADRID, malouda, Marc Janko, PARIS, play offs, raymond domenech, rod fanni, Romania, stade de france, stefan maierhofer, striker, strikers, thierry henry, wolves, world cup 2010

Is seeding the World Cup play-offs playing fair?

October 12, 2009

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction and for every FIFA marketing slogan there is a subsequent decision that can make fans wonder if world football’s governing body is being serious.

“Fair Play Please” is the current favourite but how, exactly, does that square with the decision to make the European zone World Cup playoffs a seeded affair?

Nowhere in the acres of pre-qualifying regulations was there a suggestion that the playoffs would be seeded but now the good people of Zurich have realised that some of the biggest names in the game could be involved in the November home and away matches, the new rule has been presented as a fait accompli.

So the eight teams in the playoffs will be seeded according to their FIFA ranking — conveniently avoiding the prospect of France playing, say, Portugal and one of the continent’s big guns being forced to miss out.

Unsurprisingly, the decision was not welcomed by the likes of Ireland – into the playoffs but likely to be seeded in the “bottom half”.

Bosnia were too busy celebrating making the playoffs on Saturday to worry about their structure but wouldn’t they be right in thinking they deserve as much a chance of facing, say, Greece or Slovenia as Russia or France?

The nine group winners got their reward in automatic qualification. Shouldn’t the best eight second-place teams (Norway look set to be the unlucky ninth-best runners-up who will miss out altogether) be left to take their chances having, in some cases, overcome tough seeding in the group the first time round to make it this far?

The arrival of bright new teams, and the chance for unfamiliar players to make names for themselves on the biggest stage of all, help keep the World Cup fresh and exciting. If the rules just make it more likely that the Big Boys always make it, the worry must be that the game and the tournament will end up being the loser.

PHOTO: Ireland’s Liam Lawrence reacts after their 2010 World Cup qualifying soccer match against Italy at Croke Park Stadium in Dublin October 10, 2009. REUTERS/Darren Staples

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Tags: action there is an equal and opposite reaction, automatic qualification, big boys, big guns, Bosnia, Croke Park, cup playoffs, Darren Staples, dublin, equal and opposite reaction, european zone, fair play, fait accompli, France, governing body, greece, group winners, Ireland, Italy, Liam Lawrence, loser, Norway, portugal, runners, russia, unfamiliar players, World Cup, world football, ZURICH

Last-minute Tunisia grab draw in Nigeria

September 6, 2009

Nigeria’s World Cup quest suffered a setback on Sunday when Tunisia grabbed a last-minute 2-2 draw at the Abuja National Stadium.

The Super Eagles were on course for a much-needed victory in the 80th minute when Esperance striker Michael Eneramo scored Nigeria’s second goal only for his Tunisian club mate, Oussama Darragi, to snatch a last-minute equaliser for the north Africans.

Tunisia remain top of Group Two with eight points from four matches, two points clear of second-placed Nigeria with two rounds of matches to be played. Mozambique climbed to third place after they pipped Kenya 1-0 in Maputo.

Only the group winners will qualify for the World Cup finals.

Russia-based Osaze Odemwingie opened the scoring after 23 minutes when he collected a pass from the lively Ikechukwu Uche before darting past two Tunisian defenders and thundering home from inside the box into the roof of the net.

Tunisia drew level two minutes later when Sliti Nabil also produced a rocket of a shot from outside the box to beat diving goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama.

From the kick-off, the home team took the attacking initiative with Uche and Odemwingie threatening the Tunisian goal.

A combination between both strikers allowed Odemwingie to take a crack at goal, which missed the target.

Tunisia were closest to going ahead in the 20th minute when Lens striker Issam Jemaa rounded Enyeama, but his final effort hit the side netting, much to the relief of the 60,000 fans.

The Carthage Eagles created several more chances.

Enyeama saved from Ben Saada after 36 minutes and Saada again came close to getting his name on the scoresheet when his free-kick from the edge of the box a minute later was off target.

Nigeria continued to attack on the resumption of the second half, but looked increasingly suspect when the Tunisians attacked in numbers.

Esperance striker Eneramo replaced Seyi Olofinjana in the Super Eagles and within a minute of his entrance saw his header miss the target by inches.

At the other end, Enyeama saved from the ever-dangerous Jemaa, while a minute later, Nigeria had to thank the woodwork to save them from a misdirected header by Adeleye.

Nigeria fought back and regained the lead in the 80th minute when Eneramo stabbed home after great attacking play that involved John Mikel Obi and Obinna Nsofor.

However, another Esperance striker Darragi ensured there will be no victory party in Abuja with a last-ditch equaliser.

ABUJA, Nigeria (AFP)

Tags: abuja, abuja national stadium, Ben Saada, Carthage, club mate, equaliser, final effort, free kick, group winners, ikechukwu uche, issam, john mikel obi, kenya, Maputo, Michael Eneramo, Mozambique, Nabil, nigeria, north africans, olofinjana, osaze odemwingie, resumption, russia, saada, scoresheet, strikers, target, Tunisia, tunisian club, Vincent, vincent enyeama, world cup finals

Hassan keeps Egypt´s World Cup hopes

September 5, 2009

Ahmed Hassan kept African champions Egypt in the hunt for a 2010 World Cup place by scoring the goal that defeated Rwanda 1-0 in Kigali Saturday.

The 34-year-old midfielder from Cairo giants Al-Ahly hammered an Ahmed Fathi pass into the net on 68 minutes before a near-capacity crowd at the 35,000-seat Amahoro Stadium in the Rwandan capital.

Victory lifted the ‘Pharaohs’ to seven points from four Group C qualifiers, level with fierce rivals Algeria, who host Zambia Sunday and are expected to triumph in Blida.

It was a must-win game for Egypt, who have lifted the African Nations Cup a record six times but qualified for the World Cup only twice with their last appearance 19 years ago in Italy.

The North Africans came close to scoring a few times in the opening half and then withstood an early second-half Rwandan attacking flurry before Hassan gave Egypt a double over Rwanda having won 3-0 in Cairo two months ago.

Goalkeeper Jean-Claude Ndori deprived Egypt of a second goal in stoppage time with a brave advance to block a Sayed Moawad shot at the expense of a corner.

Substitute Chiukepo Msowoya scored twice after coming on at half-time as Malawi came from behind to defeat Guinea 2-1 in a Group E game between World Cup also-rans.

Oumar Kalabane put the West Africans ahead seven minutes before half-time at the Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre, Msowoya levelled a minute after half-time and snatched the 58th-minute winner.

Ivory Coast (nine points) and Burkina Faso (six), who clash later Saturday in Abidjan, have dominated the section while Guinea and Malawi have three each as they contest third place.

The five group winners join hosts South Africa at the first World Cup to be staged in Africa while the top three finishers in each mini-league go to the 2010 Nations Cup in Angola.

JOHANNESBURG (AFP)

Tags: 19 years, Abidjan, Africa, african champions, african nations cup, Ahmed Fathi, ahmed hassan, al ahly, algeria, Amahoro Stadium, Angola, blantyre, Blida, burkina faso, Cairo, capacity crowd, Egypt, group winners, Guinea, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jean-Claude Ndori, johannesburg, Kamuzu Stadium, kigali, minute winner, north africans, pharaohs, Rwanda, rwandan capital, seven points, South Africa, stoppage time, west africans, Zambia

Ronaldo faces World Cup heartbreak

September 5, 2009

Cristiano Ronaldo, the world’s most expensive footballer, faces a tense World Cup survival battle this weekend as Portugal, semi-finalists in 2006, desperately seek to prevent their 2010 campaign from suffering a humiliating derailment.

Ronaldo is one of a host of superstars who have seen their national teams splutter through qualifying while 1998 champions France are also about to face a testing back-to-back examination.

Portugal are third in Group One on nine points, trailing leaders Denmark by seven points and Hungary by four with four games left.

On Saturday, coach Carlos Queiroz, a former assistant to Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, takes his team to Copenhagen to tackle the Danes and then to Budapest next Wednesday.

Only Europe’s nine group winners are assured of places in the finals; the eight best runners-up have to play-off.

“We still have every chance of qualifying. None of us wants his only experience of the World Cup to be watching it on TV,” Portugal striker Hugo Almeida told www.fifa.com.

“We’ve dropped vital points, largely because we have a lot of new and young players in the team. We’re ushering in a new generation, and the process isn’t complete, but I’m certain we’ll pull it off.”

Denmark coach Morten Olsen admits he is surprised by his team’s progress which has yielded five wins and a draw.

“I think most people would have expected Portugal to be on top at this stage, especially as they’ve started with more home games,” said Olsen, in charge for almost a decade.

France, who welcome Romania to Paris, are second in Group Seven, five points behind Serbia but with a game in hand ahead of a testing trip to Belgrade on Wednesday.

Despite boasting the likes of Thierry Henry, Karim Benzema and Nicolas Anelka, France have managed just four goals in seven matches since last November.

Fans have made their dissatisfaction known, but coach Raymond Domenech has called for patience.

“If they boo us at the end of the match because of the result, that doesn’t shock me,” he said.

“If I’ve paid to watch the game, I thought it was rubbish, I have the right to boo. But not during the match. At the very worst, you get up and you go.”

Croatia, third-place finishers at the 1998 World Cup, are seven points behind runaway Group Six leaders England, who have a perfect record of seven wins in seven outings. They face Belarus before travelling to Wembley on Wednesday to take on Fabio Capello’s England, who face Slovenia in a friendly on Saturday.

In Group Five, Spain also have a perfect record of six wins in six games and are six points clear of second-placed Bosnia Herzegovina with four games to go.

A win over Belgium on Saturday coupled with a Bosnia loss at bottom side Armenia would see Spain go nine clear.

“Saturday is a big game against Belgium but we know it will be difficult because it is their last chance (to qualify) if they beat us,” said experienced midfielder Marcos Senna.

Turkey, World Cup semi-finalists in 2002, are third in the group, 10 points behind Spain and four off second-placed Bosnia.

“There are 12 points still to play for and I don’t think Bosnia will take all of them,” said Turkey striker Nihat Kahveci.

World champions Italy lead Group Eight by one point from Ireland and have a game in hand.

Italy go to Georgia while Ireland are in Cyprus, who still harbour outside hopes of making the play-offs while, in Group Four, Russia look to cut the gap on leaders Germany to just one point with a win at home over Liechtenstein.

Holland are the only team in Europe who have already made sure of qualifying with a perfect 21 points from seven matches leaving Macedonia and Scotland, who are second and third respectively, 14 points behind, to battle for a potential play-off spot.

They meet in Glasgow on Saturday with the Scots still smarting from their recent 4-0 defeat in Norway.

Terry Butcher, who is manager George Burley’s assistant and who captained England to a 1990 World Cup semi-final in Italy, says a Scotland win would be his finest moment in football.

“I’m not being flippant, but after everything we have gone through in this campaign, this means as much to me now as any game I ever played in – just as much as a World Cup semi-final.”

PARIS (AFP)

Tags: alex ferguson, cristiano ronaldo, derailment, five points, footballer, four games, group winners, home games, hugo almeida, Karim Benzema, manchester united, morten olsen, Nicolas Anelka, raymond domenech, semi finalists, seven points, sir alex ferguson, tense world, thierry henry, tv portugal

Stinging criticism fires up Fletcher

September 5, 2009

Scotland skipper Darren Fletcher believes the heavy criticism he and his team-mates received after the recent defeat in Norway can inspire them to get their World Cup bid back on track.

Fletcher has been stung by the abuse that followed the 4-0 loss in Olso and the Manchester United midfielder is determined to set the record straight in the country’s make-or-break final two qualifiers.

Scotland went into Saturday’s game against Macedonia knowing they had to win their main rivals for second place in group nine and then beat the group winners the Netherlands on Wednesday to give themselves a chance of making the play-offs for next summer’s competition in South Africa.

The odds are against them but the 25-year-old Fletcher is convinced the players are more focused than ever in light of the reaction to the disaster in Norway.

“I can sense a real determination amongst the players.” he said.

“People are writing us off and that has brought the players together. They want to prove people wrong.

“People talk about the disastrous performance in Norway but that game was dictated by the referee and a variety of other things.

“The players gave their best but we were down to ten men for most of the match. We lost 4-0, which don’t get me wrong is a bad result, but what do you do? Do you sit back with ten men after just losing a goal? You’re still going to lose the game that way, but we tried to come back into it and and took some chances. We opened up and ended up losing by a few. That’s the risk we took. We are in the position we’re in because that’s where we deserve to be. But we have a chance to put that right.”

Fletcher has grown at club level in recent years, from squad man to ever-present in a Manchester United side full of superstars. But many feel he hasn’t been able to replicate the his vintage displays for his club in the dark blue of his country.

His status as a Premiership winner make him the biggest-profile name in the squad but he insists that doesn’t put him under any extra pressure.

“The fans expect from everyone,” Fletcher said.

“If there is more expectation on me that’s something I’m prepared to take. But because you play for Manchester United shouldn’t mean there is more expectancy. Regardless, I have high expectancy on myself. No matter what the pressure the fans put on me, it won’t be as much as I put on myself to do well for my country.

“That’s part and parcel of football. I’ve been around for a few years now and I’ve learned how to deal with that type of thing. The pressure comes from myself first and foremost and expectancy is something you have to deal with.”

As captain, Fletcher spoke with passion and pride and he showed his leadership qualities when he defended Chris Iwelumo after the Wolves striker was criticised by Scottish Football Association President George Peat earlier this week.

Peat had said Scotland would be in a far brighter position but for the Wolves striker’s miss in the goalless draw against Norway at Hampden.

But Fletcher dismissed the comments, saying he felt for Iwelumo.

“We win and lose as a team. Every players makes mistakes, I’ve made hundreds of them and everyone does. Chris would have scored that goal nine times out of ten. It was unfortunate but we had other chances in that game. We’ve also had other chances in this group, which we’ve not taken. I think Chris knows he has the backing of the players. He came in after the Norway game and apologised and we were like ‘Don’t worry about it big man, these things happen in football’. It’s just an unfortunate situation.”

DUMBARTON, Scotland (AFP)

Tags: Chris, chris iwelumo, dark blue, darren fletcher, Don, group winners, Macedonia, Manchester, manchester united, midfielder, Norway, odds, olso, play offs, President George Peat, profile name, referee, rivals, scotland, skipper, South Africa, superstars, team mates, the Netherlands, World Cup

Scotland scoreline should have been more, says Carew

August 13, 2009

Norwegian international and Aston Villa striker John Carew has said that Norway were denied a legitimate goal plus a penalty and Scotland should have ended with nine men during his side’s 4-0 win.

While Scotland’s Gary Caldwell was sent off after pulling at the striker, who says that Caldwell’s brother, Steven, should also have received a second booking for fouling him in the box.

And the 29-year-old believes that one of his shots on goal crossed the line.

“We didn’t expect it to be that easy,” said the Aston Villa striker.

Norway’s victory lifts them off the foot of Europe’s Group Nine qualifying group, with Scotland slipping to third behind Macedonia on goal difference.

However, Carew believes that his side now have a good chance of finishing second and reaching the play-offs behind group winners Netherlands.

“I still think Scotland have a chance of finishing second, as do we,” he said.

“It was a good night for us,. We had players in good shape and we did well.”

Scotland manager George Burley thought that the sending off had been harsh and that his side did not enjoy the rub of the green on the night.

But Carew said: “The referee gave yellow cards to both teams and he treated them the same way and it was a sending-off because there was a lot of pulling.

“And it could have been a direct red card for his brother when he held me back and only got a yellow.

“It should also have been a penalty when he kicked my legs and the ball was well over the line, so it was actually five-zero.

“If it was 0-0 and he hadn’t allowed it then it would have been serious, but it was not a problem.”

It was a second win in a row – they beat Germany in a friendly – for Norway coach Egil Olsen after he agreed to return to the post in an interim capacity in January.

Olsen agreed with Burley that the red card had not only been decisive but was harsh on Caldwell.

“I wasn’t very happy about the sending off,” he said.

“It was probably not deserved and I feared that it would then be harder to score against them.

“But Scotland didn’t take any risks and, when we got the first goal, I sensed that there would be many more because I knew they would have to re-organise and that would give us space and we were good at exploiting 11 men against 10.”

Abhimanyu Rajput