This is a series of nine, short posts that will be synthesized into one article for World Soccer Reader.
| Team | GP | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| Italy | 7 | 17 |
| Republic of Ireland | 8 | 16 |
| Bulgaria | 7 | 11 |
Group 8
All of Italy, Ireland, and Bulgaria maintained their undefeated qualifying records on Saturday, but since Bulgaria’s 4-1 win over Montenegro was only the second time in the tournament they’ve gotten three points, they’re practically eliminated, particularly since their game in hand on the Irish will be played in Turin on Wednesday.
Italy win in Georgia, 2-0, with two, second half own goals from Kakha Kaladze giving the Georgian defender an embarrassing brace. For Italy, it was another in a series of lackluster summer performances, yet they sit atop the group and are on course for the automatic qualifying bid despite the fact than none of their five group victories have come over the Bulgarians or the Irish.
Those Irish are the only team that can take this group from Italy. They have one match remaining with them – in Dublin, next month. Ireland maintain the chance at catching the world champions thanks to and 83rd minute goal from Robbie Keane, giving the team a 2-1 win in Cyprus. It was Cyprus’s first home loss of the tournament.