Football World Cup: Spain makes it through
Spain qualified for the 2018 World Cup with a routine 3-0 home win over Albania, but Serbia must wait to seal to their place following a 3-2 loss in Austria. Rodrigo, Isco and Thiago Alcantara all scored inside the first 30 minutes in Alicante as the 2010 world champions locked up top spot in Group G as Italy were surprisingly held to a 1-1 draw by Macedonia in Turin.
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Barcelona defender Gerard Pique was greeted with a mixture of jeers and applause on his 92nd international appearance just days after voting in a referendum on Catalan independence deemed illegal by the Spanish government and blighted by police violence.
Four-time World Cup winners Italy are destined for the November play-offs after Macedonian substitute Aleksandar Trajkovski's 77th-minute equaliser cancelled out a first-half goal by veteran defender Giorgio Chiellini.
Serbia missed out on a chance to wrap up qualification from Group D with a match to spare as Louis Schaub struck a minute from time to give Austria victory in Vienna.
Serbia, who could have sealed a spot in Russia with victory, led through an early Luka Milivojevic goal but fell behind as Austria replied through efforts from Guido Burgstaller and Marko Arnautovic.
Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic had levelled on 83 minutes before Schaub's winner, but Serbia can still advance by defeating Georgia in their final qualifier in Belgrade on Monday.
Tom Lawrence scored his first international goal to earn Wales a vital 1-0 victory in Georgia and keep them firmly in the hunt for a finals berth.
The Derby County forward rifled in the winner four minutes after half-time in Tbilisi as Chris Coleman's team stayed a point clear of third-placed Republic of Ireland.
The Irish brushed Moldova aside 2-0 in Dublin through a first-half brace from Daryl Murphy and now face Wales at home in a final-round showdown with first place in the group still in play.
[With AFP]
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