Pro Sports

Croatia, Russia get high-scoring wins in WCup qualifying

Posted November 11, 2021 6:00 am

The Associated Press

Russia's players celebrate their 6-0 victory in the World Cup 2022 group H qualifying soccer match between Russia and Cyprus at the Gazprom Arena in St. Petersburg, Russia, Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021. (AP Photo) The Associated Press

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) - Russia and Croatia each recorded big wins in World Cup qualifying Thursday to set up a deciding game for an automatic spot at next year's tournament.

Russia's 6-0 win over last-place Cyprus earlier in the day meant 2018 World Cup runner-up Croatia had to win against a Malta team which had proved tougher than usual to beat in this qualifying cycle. Croatia responded with a 7-1 hammering.

Croatia didn't have it all its own way, with Malta closing to 2-1 thanks to an own-goal from Croatia's Marcelo Brozovic in the 31st minute, but ran away with the game in the second half. Lovro Majer had two goals for Croatia.

Croatia hosts Russia on Sunday, with the winner qualifying automatically and the loser going into the playoffs. A draw would send Russia to the World Cup. Croatia beat Russia on penalties in the 2018 World Cup quarterfinals and the teams drew 0-0 in Moscow in their first meeting in qualifying.

Much like Croatia, Russia had to work hard in the first half against Cyprus before showing its class in the second. Alexander Erokhin gave Russia the lead in the fourth minute but Cyprus often had the better chances either side of halftime, before two Russian goals in two minutes killed off the game.

First Smolov scored from close range to finish off a breakaway counter in the 55th, then Andrei Mostovoy beat two Cyprus defenders on his way to scoring a fine solo goal. Aleksei Sutormin added a fourth six minutes later. Late on, substitute Anton Zabolotny made it 5-0 and Erokhin scored his second.

Russia coach Valery Karpin is unbeaten in his first six games in charge of the national team since he took over following the European Championships, with only one goal conceded.

Slovakia drew 2-2 with Slovenia. Neither can qualify via the group.

___

This story has been corrected to show that Marcelo Brozovic, not Andrej Kramaric, scored Croatia's own-goal.

___

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Russia's Aleksei Sutormin, centre, celebrates after scoring his side's fourth goal during the World Cup 2022 group H qualifying soccer match between Russia and Cyprus at the Gazprom Arena in St. Petersburg, Russia, Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021. (AP Photo) The Associated Press

Russia's Aleksandr Erokhin celebrates after scoring his side's sixth goal during the World Cup 2022 group H qualifying soccer match between Russia and Cyprus at the Gazprom Arena in St. Petersburg, Russia, Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021. (AP Photo) The Associated Press

Russia's Anton Zabolotny, centre, fights for the ball with Cyprus' Konstantinos Laifis, right, during the World Cup 2022 group H qualifying soccer match between Russia and Cyprus at the Gazprom Arena in St. Petersburg, Russia, Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021. (AP Photo) The Associated Press

Russia's head coach Valeri Karpin is seen on the screen with the final score during the World Cup 2022 group H qualifying soccer match between Russia and Cyprus at the Gazprom Arena in St. Petersburg, Russia, Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021. (AP Photo) The Associated Press

Article Comments

Article Categories
Content Providers MLS Pro Sports Soccer Sports Sports Leagues Sports Types

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.