England vs Moldova - World Cup Qualifiers LIVE Commentary:

Hello and welcome to my International LIVE Commentary, as England face Moldova in their first World Cup 2014 Qualifying Match plus other fixtures in the first World Cup Qualifying Match over Europe.

Team Line-ups:

Moldova: Namasco, Armas, Epureanu, Bulgaru, Golovatenco, Sergei Kovalchuk, Kovalchuk, Gatcan, Onica, Suvorov, Patras, Picusciac.

Subs: S Pascenco, Racu, Ovseanicov, Cebotaru, Bordiyan, Doros, Sidorenco, A Pascenco, Dedov, Ivanov, Alexeev, Negai.

England: Hart, Johnson, Lescott, Terry, Baines, Milner, Lampard, Cleverley, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Gerrard, Defoe.
Subs: Ruddy, Walker, Bertrand, Cahill, Carrick, Jagielka, Walcott, Sturridge, Welbeck, Butland.


19:45:

0: The match has kicked off in the Zimbru Stadium in Moldova.

3: England awarded a penalty after a shot from Manchester United midfielder Tom Cleverley hits defender Bulgaru on his hand, despite trying to turn away from the ball. The shot was too powerful for him to see, and it looks like it is a harsh penalty to be honest.

3: Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard steps up to take the penalty..... Hits the ball low and hard towards goal... GOAL!!!

Low and hard from 12 yards: Chelsea midfielder Frank Lamaprd breaks the deadlock for England in the 3rd minute.

Early lead: Lampard celebrates his penalty goal with the midfielder who won the pen Tom Cleverley.

England break the deadlock in 3 minutes.

4: FACT:
Frank Lampard has scored more penalties for England than any other player in the squad.

6: Liverpool full-back Glen Johnson has beeen booked for a late challenge on Bulgaru.

8: Arsenal winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain weaves past two defenders for pace before crossing the ball into the box for Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe.... he shoots... JUST PAST THE POST!

10: England passing well and looking dangerous near goal.

17: Moldova striker Patras has the ball at his feet, before turning and hitting the ball towards goal from 25 yards out...The ball flies towards goal... OVER THE BAR!! 

Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart had to dive for the ball there, because he did not know whether the ball was going to dip or not at the last second.

18: Moldova's supporters are suddenly excited and the atmosphere has just increased now after that shot which was close to a goal.

23: England have been awarded a free-kick from just outside the box, in a dangerous position...

5 players in the wall, before Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard hits the ball hard and powerfully towards goal.... OVER THE BAR! 

24: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain finds Gerrard with a great through ball... he looks to find Defoe on his right, but the defender sees the attempted pass and cuts it out.

25: Moldova are starting to press England's defence now, improving their play.


A shot is deflected out for a corner as the Moldovan supporters roar to encourage their team forward.


27: LATEST:

Manchester United striker Robin Van Persie, Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko and Newcastle midifelder Yohan Cabaye have all scored for the respective countries tonight.
More news at half-time.


28: Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard finds his Liverpol team-mate Glen Johnson, who crosses the ball towards the box for Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard. 
He heads the ball forward..... GOAL!!!!

Clean finish: Lampard doubles his tally for the night after a great cross from full-back Glen Johnson.

It's in: Lampard does his trademark celebration - pointing to the sky after scoring a header in the 28th minute.

England have doubled their lead, and Lampard scores again.


Top class ball through by Johnson, and the finish was accurate into the corner of the goal.


31: Chamberlain finds space to run into, before unleashing a through ball towards striker Jermain Defoe... he hits the ball towards goal and the goalkeeper tries to save it, but the ball goes underneath him.

Poor goal for Moldova to concede, but a good build-up play goal by England with Chamberlain making an assist for Defoe.


36: Moldova free-kick....
Comes of nothing though as the header goes over the ball, nothing to trouble Joe Hart.

39: Defoe has a shot towards goal, but defender blocks it before it comes off Defoe. 
Moldova goal-kick.

40: LATEST:
Luxembourg 1 Portugal 1

Mr. 'I want more money' Cristiano Ronaldo scores for Portugal to equalise in the 29th minute. 

43: Manchester United midfielder Tom Cleverley tries to cross the ball into the box for Everton left-back Leighton Baines, but the ball goes over the bar and looks more like a shot.

45: The referee blows the whistle to end the first half at The Zimbru Stadium. 

England lead by three goals to nil against Moldova, but to be honest, the home side have been poor and not troubled goalkeeper Joe Hart so far.

Looks like the Three Lions have got their first three points in the WC qualifying campaign. 

WORLD CUP 2014 QUALIFYING LATEST SCORES:

Wales 0 Belgium 1 - HT

Wales and West Ham defender James Collins has been sent off in the first half. 

Manchester City captain and defender Vincent Kompany scored for Belgium from a header in the 41st minute.

Bulgaria 1 Italy 2 - HT

Germany 1 Faroe Islands 0 - HT 

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Mario Gotze has scored for Germany, as they lead at half-time against Faroe Islands.

Finland 0 France 1 - HT

Arsenal midfielder Abou Diaby has scored for France in the 20th minute, as they lead by 1 goal to nil against Finland at half-time away from home.

Montenegro 2 Poland 1 - HT

Russia 2 Northern Ireland 0 - FT

Croatia 1 Republic of Macedonia 0 - LIVE 

Everton striker Nikica Jelavic has broken the deadlock for the home side against Macedonia in the 69th minute. 

20:45:

45: England kick-off the second half, with both sides making one change each:

England SUB:
Steven Gerrard OFF
Michael Carrick ON

Moldova SUB:
Alexandru Suvorov OFF
Alexandru Dedov ON

49: Moldova have a half chance after Liverpool full-back Glen Johnson makes a mistake, but nothing too challengng for Joe Hart.

51: England have started the second half calmly, looking as though they will hold the lead comfortably, and maybe add 1 or 2 more goals.

58: England SUB:
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain OFF
Theo Walcott ON

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been electric tonight, and has played well, making one assist. 

Danger: Arsenal and England winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been a danger for Moldova's defence tonight.

His club team-mate Theo Walcott replaces him, so there is even MORE pace injection for Moldova to worry about.

68: 
England SUB:
Jermain Defoe OFF
Danny Welbeck ON 

Defoe comes off, for Welbeck after scoring a good goal and putting in a good shift.


73: Arsenal winger Theo Walcott goes on the run with pace, before getting intercepted by a defender.

He regains the ball and runs into the box on the wing, before some build-up play, (with good passes) inside the box with Welbeck and Milner ends up with Milner unleashing a powerful shot past the goalkeeper into the back of the net.

76: Moldova SUB:
Picusciac OFF
Sidorence ON 

79: 
Chelsea defender John Terry has been limping for the last few minutes with a knock, and may recieve medical attention.

83: 
England free-kick going to be taken by Everton full-back Leighton Baines who can scores free-kicks....

He hits the ball towards goal... the ball curls and hits a Moldova player deflecting the flight of the ball, into the top corner of the goal..

England 5 Moldova 0, and Baines scores his first international goal.

89: England manager Roy Hodgson is not going to take any chances with Chelsea defender John Terry who has been limping and struggling.
He walks down into the tunnel, with Carrick filling in for him at centre-back with Lescott.

90: The fourth official has signalled for two minutes of stoppage time to be added on.

90+2: The referee has blown the final whistle in Moldova.

England have thrashed Moldova by 5 goals to nil, without really breaking sweating or getting into fourth gear. 

They have just taken their chances well, and have punished Moldova on the counter attack.

World Cup 2014 Qualifying Match RESULTS:

Wales 0 Belgium 2

Manchester City defender Vincent Kompany and Tottenham defender Jan Vertoghen both scored for the away side as Belgium beat Wales by 2 goals to nil.

Bulgaria 2 Italy 2

Croatia 1 Republic Of Macedonia 0

Group C:

Germany 3 Faroe Islands 0

Mario Gotze and a double from Real Madrid midfielder Mesut Ozil gave Germany a 3-0 win against Faroe Islands in Group C.

Group D:

Holland 2 Turkey 0

Manchester United striker Robin van Persie and Luciano Nasringh both scored for Holland, as they beat Turkey 2-0 in Group D.

Group E:

Iceland 2 Norway 0

Slovenia 0 Switzerland 2

Group F:

Russia 2 Northern Ireland 0

Fayzulin and Shirokov both scored for new Russian boss (former England manager) Fabio Capello.

Thank you for reading my latest installment of my EPL Blog.
I shall be back soon with another EPL update, due to the International break this weekend.

The Weekend's EPL Fixture Previews:

The Weekend's EPL Previews:

This is the 27th Round of this year's EPL.

This week's fixtures are crucial at both ends of the table with the season coming to an end soon (with only 11 matches left to play)

Tomorrow (15:00pm unless stated):

Liverpool vs Arsenal: LIVE at 12:45pm

The first EPL match of the weekend is also my featured Saturday match which will be played at Anfield as Carling Cup winners Liverpool face a morale boosted Arsenal side who thrashed rivals Tottenham 5-2 last Sunday.

Arsenal have injury concerns over captain (and striker) Robin van Persie (groin) and centre-back Thomas Vermaelen (ankle). Welsh midfielder Aaron Ramsey (ankle) has already been ruled out while Czech winger Tomas Rosicky (groin) faces a late fitness test. Midfielder Abou Diaby returns from a long absence after a hamstring problem.
Defender Francis Coquelin (hamstring) remains sidelined for at least another three weeks, along with centre-back Per Mertesacker (ankle) and Brazil full-back Andre Santos (ankle) is two weeks away from returning to training.
Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish is awaiting an update on captain Steven Gerrard's fitness.
The midfielder has a tight hamstring, suffered in England's friendly match against Holland on Wednesday while defender Glen Johnson is expected to be fit after pulling out of the (England) national squad on Monday as a precaution.
Centre-back Daniel Agger is very likely to miss the next couple of weeks with cracked ribs, meaning defender Jamie Carragher is likely to get a recall.

FACT:  

Blackburn Rovers vs Aston Villa:

This match will be played at Ewood Park as 18th placed Blackburn host 15th placed Aston Villa. 

Villa could move up to 10th place (if results go their way) and Blackburn could move out of the relegation zone (if results go their way).  

Aston Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov will return to action tomorrow against Blackburn after recovering from a thigh injury.
Striker Darren Bent will be out for the remainder of the season with a bad ankle injury putting his Euro 2012 hopes in doubt.
Right-back Alan Hutton (hamstring) and centre-back James Collins (knee) are expected to be available after withdrawing from mid-week international duty with Scotland and Wales respectively.
Blackburn welcome midfielder David Dunn back from injury but are worried by the fitness of Martin Olsson.
Dunn missed last weekend's 3-0 loss against Manchester City due to a thigh injury but has trained all week while wide man Olsson picked up slight knee and ankle problems on international duty with Sweden.
Olsson's twin brother Marcus could make his home debut for the club but defenders Jason Lowe and Gael Givet serve the final matches of their suspensions.

Rovers will be sorely miss centre-back Christopher Samba who moved to Anzhi Makhachkala last Friday for £12million.

Manchester City vs Bolton Wanderers:

This match comes from The Ethiad Stadium as 1st placed City host 19th placed Bolton in a big mis-match between the top and bottom of the table.

City are close to a full strength squad for the match against Bolton.
Manager Roberto Mancini is still to fully assess the fitness of all his players following their return from midweek international duty but has not reported any problems.
Striker Carlos Tevez had a successful run-out for the reserves this week after returning to training but is not yet ready for a first-team comeback.

Bolton midfielder Mark Davies (hamstring) is hoping to be fit ahead of the game.
Striker Kevin Davies (knee) is again doubtful while Defender Gretar Steinsson (calf) will be assessed after suffering a knock on international duty for Iceland.
On-loan defender Dedryck Boyata is ineligible to play against his parent club but fellow defender Joe Riley (foot) is back in contention.

FACT: The last time Bolton beat Manchester City away from home was the 23rd of December 2006. 

Stoke City vs Norwich City:

8th placed Norwich face a tough trip to Stoke (who are in 12th place).
Stoke have defender Robert Huth back for tomorrow's clash with Norwich at The Britannia Stadium.
Huth is set to return to the home side having completed a three-match suspension following his sending-off against Sunderland last month.
Manager Tony Pulis will check on the condition of midfielder Glenn Whelan, who picked up a knock on international duty with the Republic of Ireland, ahead of kick-off.
Midfielder Jonny Howson could make his Norwich debut after finally returning to fitness from a knee injury.
Striker James Vaughan has picked up a hamstring problem which will delay his return from knee surgery, while full-back Marc Tierney (knee) is also out.
Centre-back Daniel Ayala (hamstring) trained this week, but may not be rushed straight into action. England under-21 defender Ryan Bennett has now joined up with his new club following a loan spell back at Peterborough.

QPR vs Everton:

This match comes from Loftus Road as 17th placed QPR face 10th placed Everton.

Everton striker Nikica Jelavic could be set for a return to the squad for tomorrow's trip to QPR.
The Croatian, has missed the last two matches with a groin problem but he played 45 minutes in an international friendly against Sweden in midweek so he should be fit.
Midfielders Jack Rodwell (hamstring) and Leon Osman (knee) could also be in line for a recall after appearing for the reserves but January signing Darron Gibson is missing, as he suffered a knee injury.
Full-back Luke Young could feature for the hosts after a month sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Striker Djibril Cisse and midfiedler Samba Diakite will both miss the game through suspension.
Fitz Hall trained with the squad this week but manager Mark Hughes does not believe the defender will be ready for the game.
Striker DJ Campbell is set to return to training from a hamstring injury next week.

West Bromwich Albion vs Chelsea:

13th placed West Brom host 5th placed Chelsea in an interesting match-up between mid-table and top 6 fighters.....
Strikers Didier Drogba and Daniel Sturridge are expected to be fit for tomorrow's match against WBA.
Drogba has shaken off the knee problem that forced him to miss the Ivory Coast's friendly against Guinea, while Sturridge is expected to recover from the toe injury picked up in England's 3-2 defeat against Holland.
Captain John Terry is progressing well following minor knee surgery, while full-back Jose Bosingwa remains a doubt with a hamstring strain.
Winger Jerome Thomas is the hosts main fitness doubt after suffering a hamstring injury during the 4-0 win over Sunderland.
Skipper Chris Brunt has returned to training after a two-month lay-off with a broken foot but Roy Hodgson is weighing up whether he is ready to return against The Blues.
Fellow midfielder Paul Scharner is making good progress with his rib injury but, even if available, is only likely to be among the substitutes in this match....

Wigan Athletic vs Swansea:

14th placed Swansea go to the DW Stadium where 20th placed Wigan have only scored 23 goals this season out of 26 matches which is the worst goalscoring record for any team in the EPL this season.
Swansea goalkeeper Michel Vorm has overcome a virus to be available against Wigan.
Strikers Danny Graham and Leroy Lita are also expected to be fit after being hit by the same illness.
But midfielder Kemy Agustien is facing a lengthy lay-off after surgery revealed that his ankle injury was worse than first thought.
Wigan manager Roberto Martinez will have to make a late decision on the fitness of some of his internationals.
Paraguay defender Antolin Alcaraz and Honduras defender Maynor Figueroa both had long trips after playing for their countries in South America and were not expected to arrive back until late on Friday.
Defender Gary Caldwell sustained a cut leg playing for Scotland in midweek but he is expected to recover.

Sunday:

Newcastle United vs Sunderland: LIVE at 12:00pm

The North-west derby comes from The Sports Direct Arena as two in-form sides (6th and 9th place respectively) face each other in a tasty match which could change the shape of the table completely.

Fulham vs Wolverhampton Wanderers: LIVE at 14:05pm

This match will be played at Craven Cottage as 11th placed Fulham host 16th placed Wolves.
Wolves' leading scorer Steven Fletcher is available after illness for the Premier League clash at Fulham on Sunday after missing the 2-2 away draw with Newcastle last weekend.
Caretaker boss Terry Connor has to decide how to accommodate Fletcher and fellow striker Kevin Doyle, who scored the equaliser at the Sports Direct Arena, in the same line-up.
Goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey and midfielder Dave Edwards should both be fit after being ruled out of the Gary Speed Memorial Match against Costa Rica with ankle injuries.
Mahamadou Diarra could make his Fulham debut.
The former Real Madrid midfielder penned a deal until the end of the season earlier this week and manager Martin Jol has confirmed he could be involved at Craven Cottage this weekend.
Fulham right-back Stephen Kelly is a doubt with a little tear in his right quad, while midfielder Dickson Etuhu will be assessed when he flies back from international duty today. Zdenek Grygera (knee) and Steve Sidwell (hernia) are the only first-team players unavailable.

Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United: LIVE at 16:10pm

My Sunday featured match comes from White Hart Lane as 3rd placed Tottenham host 2nd placed Manchester United in a hot battle at the top of the table. There is 8 points between the two sides, and if United prevail then Spurs' title challenge is virtually over.

Louis Saha could play against his former club United on Sunday, while Carrick could also play against his former club (Spurs).
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is confident that Gareth Bale will be fit to face Manchester United on Sunday despite the winger suffering a hamstring injury in midweek.
Kyle Walker is fit despite suffering an ankle injury against Arsenal last week and Redknapp is also confident that Rafael van der Vaart (calf) and Ledley King (knee) will feature.
Scott Parker is suspended following his sending off at the Emirates Stadium last weekend while long-term absentees William Gallas (calf) and Tom Huddlestone (ankle) remain sidelined.
Manchester United defender Chris Smalling is doubtful after needing stitches in a head wound sustained during England's friendly defeat to Holland.
Wayne Rooney has recovered from a throat infection but Antonio Valencia (hamstring), Tom Cleverley (ankle) and Michael Owen (thigh) are all out.

FACT: Tottenham have not beaten Manchester United since the 19th of May 2001.

FACT: Spurs have only lost once at home this season, third best record so far this season in the EPL (behind Liverpool and Manchester City).