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Ukraine secures playoff berth
CHORZOW, Poland (AP) -- Poland drew with Ukraine 1-1 after a tough match in this southern Polish city Saturday, which gave Ukraine a place in the playoffs for next year's World Cup finals. Poland, which won Group 5 standings and was the first European team to qualify for the finals already Sept. 1, took the lead in the 40th minute. Its Nigerian-born star Emmanuel Olisadebe caught a fast pass from Marek Kozminski in the 40th minute, dribbled past a Ukrainian defender into the penalty area and sent a measured flat shot inside the left post, scoring his eighth goal in Poland's qualifying matches. The goal caused a wild celebration among some 30,000 fans in the Slaski stadium. Ukraine equalized in the 81st minute, when goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek, pressed by Popov, failed to catch a pass form the right-hand side. Polish defenders looked at the referee and left unattended Andriy Shevchenko, who hit it home from five meters (yards) out. It was the AC Milan striker's ninth goal in Group 5 World Cup qualifiers. Poland topped the group final standings with 21 points. Ukraine took the second place with 17 and Belarus, which lost 1-0 to Wales, finished third with 15. Ukraine began the match with a dangerous charge by Shevchenko, who neatly passed to Henadiy Andriy Vorobei right in the penalty area. But Dudek was on guard and firmly turned back Vorobei's shot. Dudek, who recently moved to guard Liverpool's goal, had a few more chances to show his best as the Ukrainians continued their dangerous charges. In the 20th minute, Dudek bounced back a powerful shot from Shevchenko and firmly saved a shot by Zubov in the 36th. The Ukrainian defense managed to stop another dangerous charge by Olisadebe in 60th minute and his shot in 74th minute went high. Shots in the 90th minute by Pawel Kryszalowicz and Jacek Krzynowek hit the bar and went wide, respectively. Lineups: Poland -- Jerzy Dudek, Tomasz Klos, Bartosz Karwan, Michal Zewlakow, Tomasz Waldoch, Tomasz Hajto, Piotr Swierczewski (77th, Jacek Bak), Marek Kozminski (64th, Jacek Krzynowek), Marcin Zewlakow (46th, Pawel Kryszalowicz), Arkadiusz Bak, Emmanuel Olisadebe. Ukraine - Vitaliy Reva, Oleh Luzhnyi, Andrei Nesmachnyi (83rd, Sergeiy Zadoroznyi), Olexander Holovko, Vladyslav Vaschuk (79th, Serhiy Fiodorov), Anatoliy Tymoshchuk, Andriy Shevchenko, Sergiy Popov, Henadiy Zubov, Olexander Melashchenko, Andriy Vorobei. Booked: 41st, Tymoshchuk, 85th Popov. Referee: Hugh Dallas, Scotland.
Wales defeats Belarus 1-0CARDIFF, Wales (AP) -- A John Hartson goal ended Belarus' chances of making the World Cup playoffs in group 5 as Wales won 1-0 at Millenium Stadium in the final qualifier SaturdayThe result meant that Ukraine finished second in the group and clinched the playoff spot. Poland had already qualified as group winner. Hartson struck in the 47th minute after half a dozen missed chances. Simon Davies raced down the right to fire in a cross to Hartson, who ducked to head in the goal past Belarus 'keeper Gennady Tumilovich. Sixteen minutes later, Wales again missed a prime scoring opportunity, when Davies lifted his shot over the bar from six yards (meters) out. For Belarus, which beat Poland 4-1 last month in qualifying, the loss marked the end of its World Cup campaign. Belarus was without its two best players - the Dynamo Kiev pair of Alexander Khatskevich and Valentin Balkevich - after a row with the coach. The win was Wales' first in World Cup qualifying and ended the streak of 12 games without a victory, but few were there to witness it. The Millennium Stadium had only 10,000 spectators under its closed roof - the first time any World Cup match had been played indoors. Wales had its first scoring chance after five minutes, but Craig Bellamy drove the ball straight at the legs of Tumilovich. Davies then missed a chance in the 14th minute, taking a Hartson chip in the box, but his chance was saved by Tumilovich's legs. Bellamy again missed in the 22nd minute, when his shot at 15 yards (meters) went over the bar. Tumilovich also made great saves to keep out two Matthew Jones long range drives. LINEUPS: Wales: Paul Jones, Mark Delaney, Mark Pembridge, Andy Melville, Kit Symons (16-Robert Page), John Robinson, Matthew Jones, Gary Speed, Simon Davies, Craig Bellamy, John Hartson. Subs: Barnard, Robert Page, Carl Robinson, Iwan Roberts, Stephen Jenkins, Daniel Gabbidon, Darren Ward. Belarus: Gennadi Tumilovich, Erik Yakhimovich, Sergei Yaskovich, Alexander Lukhvich, Sergei Shtanyuk, Sergei Gurenko, Vasily Baranov, Alexander Kulchiy, Vladimir Shuneiko, Roman Vasilyuk, Pyotr Kachuro. Subs: Vasily Khomutovsky, Alexander Gleb, Andrei Ostrovsky, Vitaly Valadziankov, Nikolai Ryndyuk, Andrei Milevski. Referee: P Rodomonti (Italy)
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