France beats Italy, Germany crushes San Marino by record 13-0

LONDON – France gained some payback for its World Cup final loss with a 3-1 victory over Italy in European Championship qualifying Wednesday while Germany routed San Marino by a championship record 13-0.

Northern Ireland came from behind to beat Spain 3-2 in the day’s biggest upset with David Healy scoring all three. But England and the Netherlands moved smoothly toward Euro 2008 with their second shutout victories in group play.Sidney Govou, chosen to start instead of Louis Saha, scored twice and Thierry Henry added the other at the Stade de France as Italy slumped to another defeat.Under coach Roberto Donadoni, who replaced Marcello Lippi after the World Cup, the Italians have lost twice and were held 1-1 by visiting Lithuania in Group B.Govou put the French into the lead in the second minute and, after Henry added a second in the 17th, Alberto Gilardino replied for the Italians three minutes later.But Govou’s long-range header in the 55th made it 3-1 to give France two victories from two games and a five-point advantage over the World Cup champions.The result gave the French fans some compensation for Italy’s penalty shootout victory in Berlin, where Zinedine Zidane was sent off for head-butting Italy defender Marco Materazzi and then went into retirement.Germany, which lost 2-0 to the Italians in the World Cup semi-finals, made up for a shaky 1-0 victory over Ireland setting a European Championship record at San Marino.Lukas Podolski scored four goals and Thomas Hitzlsperger, Miroslav Klose, Bastian Schweinsteiger two each as the Germans beat Spain’s 12-1 victory over Malta in qualifying game in 1983.Michael Ballack, Manuel Friedrich and Bernd Schneider also hit the target.Libor Sionko scored twice in the first 21 minutes and Jan Koller added the third in the 57th as the Czech Republic won 3-0 at neighbor Slovakia.Both teams have six points with Slovakia on three.The big upset was in Belfast where Healy, who scored Northern Ireland’s winner in a World Cup qualifying victory over England last October, hit three against the Spaniards.Xavi Hernandez and David Villa had put Spain ahead 2-1 at Windsor Park, but Healy struck in the 64th and 80th minutes.Two goals by Marcus Allback helped Sweden beat Liechtenstein 3-1, but only after Group F’s weakest team threatened a shock.Dennis Rommedahl and Jon Dahl Tomasson scored first-half goals as Denmark opened Group F with a 2-0 victory at Iceland.Of the other powerhouse teams in action, England went to the top of Group E with a 1-0 victory at Macedonia with Peter Crouch taking his tally to 11 goals in his last 10 appearances.The result puts England on top on goal difference ahead of Israel, which beat Andorra 4-1 and also has six points.Guus Hiddink’s first competitive game in charge of Russia ended in a 0-0 draw with Croatia in Moscow.The Dutch are two points ahead of Bulgaria, which beat Slovenia 3-0, and Romania, which won 2-0 at Albania.Despite its second victory in Group B, France remains second on goal difference behind Scotland, which won 2-1 at Lithuania.Both have six points while Ukraine and Georgia have three.Scotland followed up its 6-0 hammering of the Faeroe Islands with a 2-1 victory at Lithuania.Andriy Shevchenko led Ukraine to a 3-2 victory over Georgia with a 31st-minute goal in Kiev, although the visitors had led 2-1 by the 61st through Shota Arveladze and Georgi Demetradze.Ruslan Rotan levelled four minutes later and Andriy Rusol hit the winner 10 minutes from the end.Portugal was held 1-1 by Finland in Group A.After winning 3-1 at Poland, Finland went ahead when Jonatan Johansson scored in the 22nd, but Nuno Gomes replied three minutes before halftime.Portugal played the last 37 minutes with 10 men after Ricardo Costa was sent off for a second yellow card.Daniel Van Buyten’s goal gave Belgium a 1-0 victory at Armenia.Serbia drew 1-1 with Poland.Danko Lazovic canceled out Radoslaw Matusiak’s strike.In the other Group A game, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan drew 1-1.Norway edged Moldova 2-1 in Oslo to post its second group victory after the visitors played almost the entire second half with 10 men after Victor Berco was sent off.Second-half goals by Nihat Kahveci and Tumer Metin gave Turkey a 2-0 victory over Malta in its first Group C game, while Hungary rebounded from Saturday’s 4-1 loss to visiting Norway by winning 3-1 at Bosnia-Herzegovina.Nampa-APBut England and the Netherlands moved smoothly toward Euro 2008 with their second shutout victories in group play.Sidney Govou, chosen to start instead of Louis Saha, scored twice and Thierry Henry added the other at the Stade de France as Italy slumped to another defeat.Under coach Roberto Donadoni, who replaced Marcello Lippi after the World Cup, the Italians have lost twice and were held 1-1 by visiting Lithuania in Group B.Govou put the French into the lead in the second minute and, after Henry added a second in the 17th, Alberto Gilardino replied for the Italians three minutes later.But Govou’s long-range header in the 55th made it 3-1 to give France two victories from two games and a five-point advantage over the World Cup champions.The result gave the French fans some compensation for Italy’s penalty shootout victory in Berlin, where Zinedine Zidane was sent off for head-butting Italy defender Marco Materazzi and then went into retirement.Germany, which lost 2-0 to the Italians in the World Cup semi-finals, made up for a shaky 1-0 victory over Ireland setting a European Championship record at San Marino.Lukas Podolski scored four goals and Thomas Hitzlsperger, Miroslav Klose, Bastian Schweinsteiger two each as the Germans beat Spain’s 12-1 victory over Malta in qualifying game in 1983.Michael Ballack, Manuel Friedrich and Bernd Schneider also hit the target.Libor Sionko scored twice in the first 21 minutes and Jan Koller added the third in the 57th as the Czech Republic won 3-0 at neighbor Slovakia.Both teams have six points with Slovakia on three.The big upset was in Belfast where Healy, who scored Northern Ireland’s winner in a World Cup qualifying victory over England last October, hit three against the Spaniards.Xavi Hernandez and David Villa had put Spain ahead 2-1 at Windsor Park, but Healy struck in the 64th and 80th minutes.Two goals by Marcus Allback helped Sweden beat Liechtenstein 3-1, but only after Group F’s weakest team threatened a shock.Dennis Rommedahl and Jon Dahl Tomasson scored first-half goals as Denmark opened Group F with a 2-0 victory at Iceland.Of the other powerhouse teams in action, England went to the top of Group E with a 1-0 victory at Macedonia with Peter Crouch taking his tally to 11 goals in his last 10 appearances.The result puts England on top on goal difference ahead of Israel, which beat Andorra 4-1 and also has six points.Guus Hiddink’s first competitive game in charge of Russia ended in a 0-0 draw with Croatia in Moscow.The Dutch are two points ahead of Bulgaria, which beat Slovenia 3-0, and Romania, which won 2-0 at Albania.Despite its second victory in Group B, France remains second on goal difference behind Scotland, which won 2-1 at Lithuania.Both have six points while Ukraine and Georgia have three.Scotland followed up its 6-0 hammering of the Faeroe Islands with a 2-1 victory at Lithuania.Andriy Shevchenko led Ukraine to a 3-2 victory over Georgia with a 31st-minute goal in Kiev, although the visitors had led 2-1 by the 61st through Shota Arveladze and Georgi Demetradze.Ruslan Rotan levelled four minutes later and Andriy Rusol hit the winner 10 minutes from the end.Portugal was held 1-1 by Finland in Group A.After winning 3-1 at Poland, Finland went ahead when Jonatan Johansson scored in the 22nd, but Nuno Gomes replied three minutes before halftime.Portugal played the last 37 minutes with 10 men after Ricardo Costa was sent off for a second yellow card.Daniel Van Buyten’s goal gave Belgium a 1-0 victory at Armenia.Serbia drew 1-1 with Poland.Danko Lazovic canceled out Radoslaw Matusiak’s strike.In the other Group A game, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan drew 1-1.Norway edged Moldova 2-1 in Oslo to post its second group victory after the visitors played almost the entire second half with 10 men after Victor Berco was sent off.Second-half goals by Nihat Kahveci and Tumer Metin gave Turkey a 2-0 victory over Malta in its first Group C game, while Hungary rebounded from Saturday’s 4-1 loss to visiting Norway by winning 3-1 at Bosnia-Herzegovina.Nampa-AP