World Cup play-offs round-up: Arsenal's Laurent Koscielny sees red in Kiev
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Red mist: Laurent Koscielny was sent from the field after earlier conceding a penalty
Having already conceded a penalty, Koscielny was guilty of
an act of pure petulance as the clock ticked down on the first leg of the crucial
World Cup play-off at the Olympic Stadium in Kiev.
The 28-year-old lost his cool and rose an arm to Ukraine international Oleksandr Kucher which prompted the referee to dismiss the Frenchman for violent conduct.
Deschamps’ side were always second-best and fell behind in the 61st minute when Roman Zozulia squeezed his shot just under goalkeeper Hugo Lloris from Edmar’s touch.
Samir Nasri then missed a great chance to equalise and Ukraine secured the advantage their display deserved with seven minutes to go when Koscielny fouled Zozulia in the box and Andrei Yarmolenko converted the penalty.
Elsewhere, Cristiano Ronaldo came out on top in the first round of his duel with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, getting Portugal’s goal as they beat Sweden 1-0 in the opening leg of their World Cup play-off in Lisbon last night.
However, the Real Madrid striker was lucky to be on the pitch to score with a driving header with eight minutes to go after seeming to headbutt a Sweden player earlier in the second half.
Decisive: Cristiano Ronaldo handed Portugal a slender lead
Ronaldo got down low to bravely head home Miguel Veloso’s cross and later hit the bar. Ibrahimovic had a quiet game for Sweden, whose best moment came when Sunderland’s Sebastian Larsson was spectacularly denied by goalkeeper Rui Patricio from the edge of the penalty area.
Greece took a big step towards securing a place in Brazil with a 3-1 home win over Romania, the Olympiakos striker Konstantinos Mitroglou scoring twice.
He volleyed Greece in front after 14 minutes but the visitors then hit back four minutes later via Bogdan Stancu’s header from a clever Gabriel Torje free-kick.
The Greeks retook the lead almost immediately thanks to Dimitris Salpingidis’s close-range finish, while Mitroglou added a third in the 66th minute. Romania midfielder Costin Lazar was then sent off in stoppage time.
Ten-man Iceland hung on for a 0-0 draw in the first leg with Croatia in Reykjavik to keep alive their hopes of reaching the World Cup finals for the first time.
Croatia had the upper hand in the opening 20 minutes but the home team dealt with the pressure comfortably before establishing their own more direct passing game.
The 28-year-old lost his cool and rose an arm to Ukraine international Oleksandr Kucher which prompted the referee to dismiss the Frenchman for violent conduct.
Deschamps’ side were always second-best and fell behind in the 61st minute when Roman Zozulia squeezed his shot just under goalkeeper Hugo Lloris from Edmar’s touch.
Samir Nasri then missed a great chance to equalise and Ukraine secured the advantage their display deserved with seven minutes to go when Koscielny fouled Zozulia in the box and Andrei Yarmolenko converted the penalty.
Elsewhere, Cristiano Ronaldo came out on top in the first round of his duel with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, getting Portugal’s goal as they beat Sweden 1-0 in the opening leg of their World Cup play-off in Lisbon last night.
However, the Real Madrid striker was lucky to be on the pitch to score with a driving header with eight minutes to go after seeming to headbutt a Sweden player earlier in the second half.
Decisive: Cristiano Ronaldo handed Portugal a slender lead
Ronaldo got down low to bravely head home Miguel Veloso’s cross and later hit the bar. Ibrahimovic had a quiet game for Sweden, whose best moment came when Sunderland’s Sebastian Larsson was spectacularly denied by goalkeeper Rui Patricio from the edge of the penalty area.
Greece took a big step towards securing a place in Brazil with a 3-1 home win over Romania, the Olympiakos striker Konstantinos Mitroglou scoring twice.
He volleyed Greece in front after 14 minutes but the visitors then hit back four minutes later via Bogdan Stancu’s header from a clever Gabriel Torje free-kick.
The Greeks retook the lead almost immediately thanks to Dimitris Salpingidis’s close-range finish, while Mitroglou added a third in the 66th minute. Romania midfielder Costin Lazar was then sent off in stoppage time.
Ten-man Iceland hung on for a 0-0 draw in the first leg with Croatia in Reykjavik to keep alive their hopes of reaching the World Cup finals for the first time.
Croatia had the upper hand in the opening 20 minutes but the home team dealt with the pressure comfortably before establishing their own more direct passing game.
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