There were several World Cup qualifying games over the weekend (June 6th) and now the dust has settled, let’s take a quick look at how things are shaping up in Europe.

Group 1

Denmark (16 pts) beat Sweden (6 pts) 1-0 away to keep a stranglehold on first place. Sweden missed a penalty in the 12th minute as the keeper made a fine save and Denmark scored the winner in the 22nd. Sweden had numerous chances to tie the game, but squandered them all. Portugal (9 pts) move up to third place after a 2-1 win away to fifth place Albania (6 pts), while Malta sit in last with. Portugal got the winner on a Bruno Alves goal in the 90h minute and it could turn out to be a huge strike if Portugal can manage to pass second place Hungary (13 pts).

Group 2

There are no more games until September. Right now we have Greece and Switzerland tied for first with 13 points, followed by Latvia (10 pts), Israel (pts), Luxembourg (4 pts), and Moldova (1 pt).

Group 3

First place Slovakia (15 pts) hammered last place San Marino 7-0 (0 pts) in the only game. Northern Ireland (13 pts) sit in second, followed by Poland (10 pts), the Czech Republic (8 pts), and Slovenia (8 pts).

Group 4

Fourth-place Wales (9 pts) won at fifth-place Azerbaijan (1 pt) 1-0 on a David Edwards goal in the 42nd minute. Third-place Finland (10 pts) beat last-place Liechtenstein (1 pt) at home with a come from behind 2-1 winner in the 71st minute. Germany (16 pts) still leads the group with Russia (12 pts) sitting in second.

Group 5

Group 5 had the day of as well, but Spain (18 pts) still leads it, followed by Bosnia-Herzegovina (12 pts), Turkey (8 pts), Belgium (7 pts), Estonia (5 pts), and Armenia 9 1 pt) in sixth and last place.

Group 6

England (18 pts) made it six for six to stay well ahead of the group with a 4-0 win at fifth-place Kazakhstan (3 pts). Croatia (11 pts) managed to stay in second place with a 2-2 home draw against fourth-place Ukraine (8 pts). Third place Belarus (9 pts) hammered sixth and last place Andorra (0 pts) 5-1 at home.

Group 7

Top-place Serbia (15 pts) scored a seventh-minute penalty to edge fourth-place Austria (7 pts) 1-0. Fifth-place Romania (7 pts) scored in the 39th minute to win 1-0 away at third-place Lithuania (9 pts). France (10 pts) still sits in second place, while Faroe Islands remain in sixth and last (1 pt).

Group 8

Third-place Bulgaria (8 pts) came from behind at home to draw 1-1 with second-place Ireland (13 pts). Dejan Damjanovic scored in the 65th and 79th minute to wipe out a 2-0 deficit and give fifth-place Montenegro (4 pts) a 2-2 draw at fourth-place Cyprus (4 pts). Italy (14 pts) still leads the group, while Georgia (3 pts) remains in sixth and last spot.

Group 9

First-place Holland (18 pts) made it six for six and became the first team from Europe to qualify for the World Cup as they beat third-place Iceland (4 pts) away 2-1. Fourth-place Macedonia (4 pts) drew 0-0 at home to fifth and last place Norway (3 pts). Scotland (7 pts) didn’t play, but remains in second place.

There will be more European qualifiers on this Wed. June 10th.