Tuesday Delight for Four
The European World Cup playoff finals brought delight for four nations, but heartbreak for all fans of the Italian national team and their wonderful anthem. With a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes and a 1-4 in the penalty shootout the Azzurri failed to qualify for a third World Cup in a row. Former Austria Wien player Haris Tabakovic had scored Bosnia and Herzegovina’s goal to make it 1-1 in the 79th minute against ten-men-Italy (due to Bastoni’s red card in the 41st minute).
Turkey reached their first World Cup in 24 years as Kerem Akturkoglu’s goal gave them a narrow win in their play-off with Kosovo.
The Czech Republic drew 2-2 with Denmark, but won their second penalty shootout within five days. The Czech Republic (with West Ham‘s Tomas Soucek in the team) have last appeared on the global stage in 2006, while Denmark will be absent for the first time since the 2014 tournament.
Last but not least, Sweden won their play-off final 3-2 against Poland to reach this summer’s World Cup. They did not need extra time or a penalty shootout for booking their trip to the USA, Canada and Mexico, but scored a dramatic 88th-minute winner through Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres. Former West Ham manager Graham Potter who had landed the Sweden job last autumn, just four weeks after having been sacked by the Hammers, helped Sweden gain revenge as they had been beaten by Poland in the World Cup qualifying play-off final four years ago.
Thursday Tears
The summer of 2026 was meant to belong to all of them. Mexico, Canada, the United States — a World Cup sprawling across a continent, expanded to 48 teams, the biggest ever. Surely there was room. Surely, this time, there was room for all the five national teams from the British Isles. England 🏴 and Scotland 🏴 had already qualified for the tournament via the group stage, and now, on the evening of Thursday, March 26, 2026, the three other nations from this small, rain-soaked corner of the world tried to do the same via the World Cup playoffs: Wales, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland.
All three went into the play-off semifinals with hope and determination. All three of them came home with nothing.
It started, as the cruelest nights often do, with hope.
In Prague, the Republic of Ireland made the most electric of starts. Troy Parrott, the striker who had dragged this team to the playoffs almost single-handedly with a stunning hat-trick against Hungary, won and converted a penalty. Then an own goal by Czech keeper Matej Kovar made it 2-0. Two up, away from home, against a team ranked above them. Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men were on the verge of something extraordinary.
But football is not kind. Patrik Schick pulled one back from the spot for the Czechs, and then, just as Ireland looked like they might hold on, Ladislav Krejčí equalised to send the match into extra time. The momentum had shifted like a tide, and there was no swimming against it.
In the penalty shootout, saves from Czech goalkeeper Matej Kovar denied Finn Azaz and Alan Browne, and Ireland were out — beaten 4-3 on penalties, their two-goal lead turned to dust. The players stood in the Prague night, some with hands on heads, some staring at the turf. Parrott, the hero who had conjured them here, could do nothing in the end to save them.
In Cardiff, Wales endured their own rollercoaster.
Dan James scored a beauty to put them 1-0 up after 50 minutes, and for much of the second half that looked like enough. The Dragon was flying. The dream was alive. Craig Bellamy prowled the technical area, daring to believe.
Then Edin Dzeko — the veteran Bosnian striker, a man who has been scoring goals in big moments for what feels like forever — came up with a leveller late on from a corner. In the same minute, 3,000 miles away, Krejčí had equalised for the Czechs. Two nations, two hearts, punctured in the same breath of clock.
In the shootout, Harry Wilson and Mark Harris both converted. But Brennan Johnson and Neco Williams missed, and with young Red Bull Salzburg striker Kerim Alajbegovic converting the fourth penalty, Bosnia-Herzegovina triumphed 4-2 to march into the playoff final on Tuesday. Welsh tears fell in the Cardiff rain.
And in Bergamo, Northern Ireland faced the hardest task of all.
It was Italy that the North Irish were up against. Albeit the Azzurri had failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, the gap in resources, in pedigree, in ranking between the two sides was vast: Northern Ireland hadn’t played on the big stage of the World Cup since forty years. Yet it was a cagey first 45 minutes, with the hosts far from their best — Northern Ireland, organised and resolute, refusing to be swept away.
It took until the 56th minute for Sandro Tonali to finally break the deadlock. Then, ten minutes from time, Tonali turned provider — an elaborate pass over the top found Moise Kean, who put it away off the post. 2-0. It was over. Northern Ireland were beaten, and Italy had taken a big step towards reaching their first World Cup since 2014. They will go on to face Bosnia and Herzegovina, not Wales, in the playoff final.
So Thursday ended, and three footballing nations began the long journey home.
England are going to the World Cup. Scotland are going. But Wales, the Republic of Ireland, and Northern Ireland will spend the summer watching it on television — as close, and as impossibly far, as they have ever been.
The expanded tournament that was supposed to open the door wider had, in the cruelest fashion, slammed it shut all the same.
But the story didn’t end on Thursday night.
Because the day after is when football quietly rebuilds itself—in conversations, in memories, in small defiant acts of belief. There will be another big tournament to qualify for. The UEFA Euro 2028 will be played across four host nations: England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland. And the capital of NI, Belfast, will host the qualifying draw on 6 December this year. New season, new luck: the group stage of the qualifiers will begin in March 2027 and run through to November 2027.
PS: On Tuesday the playoff finals brought heartbreak for Italy: with a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes and a 1-4 in the penalty shootout the Azzurri failed to qualify for a third World Cup in a row. Former Austria Wien player Haris Tabakovic had scored Bosnia and Herzegovina’s goal to make it 1-1 in the 79th minute against ten-men-Italy (due to Bastoni’s red card in the 41st minute).
Turkey reached their first World Cup in 24 years as Kerem Akturkoglu’s goal gave them a narrow win in their play-off with Kosovo.
The Czech Republic drew 2-2 with Denmark, but won their second penalty shootout within five days. The Czech Republic (with West Ham‘s Tomas Soucek in the team) have last appeared on the global stage in 2006, while Denmark will be absent for the first time since the 2014 tournament.
Last but not least, Sweden won their play-off final 3-2 against Poland to reach this summer’s World Cup. They did not need extra time or a penalty shootout for booking their trip to the USA, Canada and Mexico, but scored a dramatic 88th-minute winner through Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres. Former West Ham manager Graham Potter who had landed the Sweden job last autumn, just four weeks after having been sacked by the Hammers, helped Sweden gain revenge as they had been beaten by Poland in the World Cup qualifying play-off final four years ago.
Der Klub der Freunde träumt
Der vor 75 Jahren gegründete, älteste Fanklub des Sportklubs Rapid (damals noch mit S.C. abgekürzt) veranstaltet im Vereinslokal in der Rosasgasse/Aichholzgasse in Wien-Meidling regelmäßig Treffen mit Spielern, Trainern und Funktionären. Gestern ging es nach dem guten Start in die Meistergruppe – mit einem 1:0-Auswärtssieg in Salzburg schaffte es Rapid zum ersten Mal seit 1995, zweimal hintereinander gegen Red Bull zu gewinnen – in mehreren Wortmeldungen um den „großen Traum“: endlich wieder einen Titel nach Hütteldorf zu holen nach einer nun schon 16 Jahren währenden Durststrecke!
Abwehrchef Cvetkovic, der nur auf Englisch antwortete, mahnte, man müsse “from game to game” denken und sich weiterhin verbessern, aber Andi Weimann, der nach knapp zwanzig Jahren in England (mit 15 Jahren von Rapid zu Aston Villa!) nach Wien zurückgekommen ist, blieb in Hochdeutsch bei dem, was er nach dem Erreichen der Meistergruppe gesagt hatte: “Jetzt ist alles möglich.“
Furkan Demir kam später zum Fanklub-Treffen, weil er im Ramadan erst nach 18 Uhr essen durfte und erst nach dem „Iftar“-Mahl nach Meidling fahren konnte. Er steht beim nun seit zehn Wochen im Amt befindlichen neuen Trainer Johannes Hoff Thorup nicht mehr in der Startelf, gibt aber trotzdem alles im Training, glaubt an seine Chance und machte einen sehr positiven Eindruck. Sein im Winter nach Stationen bei Barcelona, Galatasaray und Basel zu Rapid zurückgekehrter älterer Bruder Yusuf ist aktuell verletzt; es kann also noch etwas dauern, bis wieder ein Demir für Grün-Weiß auflaufen wird.
Angreifer Andreas Weimann, der bei Rapid die Nummer 26 bekommen hat, ist vor allem auch deshalb im Februar leihweise von Derby County (seiner achten oder neunten Station in England) gekommen, weil er hier mit laufenden Einsätzen und vielen Toren seinen Platz im WM-Kader von Ralf Rangnick sichern will. Im gestern verlautbarten ersten Teamkader des WM-Jahres sind er und seine Rapid-Kollegen Wurmbrand und Seidl, ebenso wie Ex-Rapidler Leo Querfeld und Marco Grüll, aber nur „auf Abruf“ dabei. Andi bleibt aber hoffnungsfroh und will sich nicht später einmal vorwerfen, nicht alles für den WM-Traum versucht zu haben.
In England hängt Andis Herz noch immer an Aston Villa – ebenso wie das seiner weiterhin in England lebenden Family mit englischer Frau und drei Söhnen. In Österreich gibt es für den sympathischen 34-Jährigen (Geburtstag 5.8.1991) nur Rapid. Er freut sich sehr, zu diesem Team, bei dem in der Kabine mit dem dänischen Coach ausschließlich Englisch gesprochen wird, zurückgekehrt zu sein und möchte mithelfen, dass der Erfolg nach Hütteldorf zurückkommt.
Tatsächlich träumt man beim Fanklub-Treffen nach den zwei Siegen über Salzburg schon vom Meisterteller. „Wenn wir die nächsten Heimspiele gegen LASK und Sturm gewinnen, werden wir Meister“, prophezeit mein Freund Robert und „Freunde“-Obmann Martin Reiser möchte dann zum Spiel gegen Sturm schon einen Pappendeckel-Meisterteller mit ins Stadion bringen…
Tatsache ist, dass das neue System des Trainers nach zehn Wochen zu greifen begonnen hat und die sechs Mannschaften in der Meistergruppe der Bundesliga wirklich sehr eng beieinander liegen. Die heuer zum letzten Mal vorgenommene Punkteteilung nach dem Grunddurchgang macht die Meisterschaft extrem spannend. Zwischen Rapid und Tabellenführer Sturm liegen aktuell nur drei Punkte, was mittlerweile auch dem ORF schon aufgefallen ist. Es gibt also durchaus Grund für Optimismus – und das Träumen und “forever blowing bubbles” gehört zu uns Fußballfans einfach dazu!
Nur drei Punkte liegen aktuell auch zwischen „meinem“ englischen Klub West Ham United und Leeds United, die gemeinsam mit Tottenham und Nottingham Forest gegen den Abstieg in der englischen Premier League kämpfen. Auf die Frage, wer heuer absteigen wird, fällt Andi Weimann als erstes ein, dass es für Tottenham nicht gut ausschaut. Das nächste Spiel „seines“ englischen Klubs Aston Villa geht am Sonntag gegen West Ham, mit Kick-off knapp zwei Stunden vor dem Anpfiff von Rapid – LASK. Rapid ist seit vier Spielen ungeschlagen, Villa – aktuell noch immer Vierter in der Premier League-Tabelle – ist seit vier Spielen sieglos. Aus meiner Sicht würde nichts dagegen sprechen, diese Serien am Wochenende auf jeweils fünf Spiele zu verlängern…😉
Come on you Irons and you boys in green!
Arsenal in every competition
2025/26 is Arsemal’s season, and Saturday felt as if it could be pivotal for the Premier Leafue title race. The Gunners are still playing in every competition and after second-placed Manchester City drew 1-1 with West Ham, the Gunners are nine points clear in the Premier League having played one game more. They will play in the Carabao Cup final next Sunday, are in the quarterfinal of the FA Cup and the round of the last sixteen in the Champions League. With seven league games left, Arsenal are in the driving seat as they attempt to win the Premier League for the first time since 2004.
On Saturday they won a hard fought game against Everton in which their winger Max Dowman ran the length of the pitch and scored the goal which sealed the 2-0 win. The 16-year-old kid who is trying to balance the Premier League title race with the stresses and strains of completing his GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) became the youngest scorer in Premier League history (aged 16 years and 73 days).
Gunners manager Mikel Arteta compared Dowman to the young Lionel Messi and speaks glowingly at every opportunity about Dowman‘s talent. Dowman’s performance against Everton was impressive when he came on in the 74th minute with the scores level. He played a key part in Viktor Gyokeres‘ goal in the 89th minute and then his goal in injury time was the icing on the cake.
“I think it’s been incredible the last couple of months. It’s been sensational,” Arteta said of Arsenal’s season in which the Gunners should win the Premier League crown for the first time since 2004 and could well achieve more silverware in the domestic and European cups.
And the game under the lights was a successful one for the Hammers. With their 1-1 draw against Man City they moved out of the relegation zone for at least 24 hours. Dino Mavropanos scored the equaliser with a header which rescued the draw for the Hammers.
West Ham earned a hard fought 1-1 draw at London Stadium against Manchester City.
2-2 a.e.t. (5-3 on pen.)
Spot-on:
Hammers win dramatic shootout to progress to FA Cup quarter-finals
On Monday night West Ham United set up an Emirates FA Cup quarter-final at home to Leeds United with a thrilling penalty shootout win over Brentford.
West Ham skipper Jarrod Bowen and Brentford’s Igor Thiago each scored twice in an enthralling 120 minutes at London Stadium to send the fifth-round tie to extra-time.
Neither side could force a winner, but West Ham’s players kept their nerve from the spot as Bowen, Taty Castellanos, Callum Wilson, Tomáš Souček and Dinos Mavropanos fired home unstoppable penalties.
With Dango Ouattara’s weak chip with Brentford’s second spot-kick held by Alphonse Areola, the Hammers won 5-3 and are through to the last-eight for the first time since 2015/16.
PS: FA Cup – Quarter-finals, Sunday 5th April
- West Ham United versus Leeds United, kick off 16:30
Typisch Rapid: „… jetzt alles möglich!“
Durch einen mühsamen 1:0-Heimsieg ohne „Block West“, der aufgrund der Ausschreitungen von Rapid-„Fans“ beim letzten Wiener Derby drei Spiele lang ausgesperrt bleibt, hat man es gerade noch in die „Meistergruppe“ der besten 6 Bundesliga-Mannschaften geschafft… und schon denkt man wieder an alles Mögliche! Die nur noch heuer geltende Punkteteilung nach dem Grunddurchgang macht’s möglich!
Ab der nächsten Saison werden bei sonst gleichbleibendem Modus die Punkte aus dem Grunddurchgang mitgenommen, heuer aber reduziert sich der aktuelle Rückstand von Rapid von fünf Punkten auf drei mit einem Sternchen. Das * bedeutet, dass Rapid bei Punktegleichheit sogar vorgereiht würde, weil von den 33 Punkten der Grün-Weißen nur 16 in die Tabelle der Meistergruppe mitgenommen werden. Wer eine gerade Punktezahl am Konto hat, wie der Tabellenführer Sturm Graz (38 Punkte) darf dagegen genau die Hälfte behalten (sodass Sturm nunmehr 19 Zähler hat).
„Die Spieler haben wirklich alles abgerufen, was nötig war“, sagte Rapid-Trainer Johannes Hoff Thorup nach dem wichtigen Erreichen der Meistergruppe trotz Krise im Herbst und dem schwachen Start nach der Winterpause. Er glaubt an seine Spieler „und an unseren Weg. Durch den abfallenden Druck wird jetzt eine bessere Rapid zu sehen sein“, verspricht der dänische Trainer.
Only for 14 minutes…
For 14 minutes on Wednesday night, Crysencio Summerville’s goal against Fulham had lifted his side out of the relegation zone – at Nottingham Forest’s expense – for the first time since December. But with Nottingham claiming an unlikely 2-2 draw at Man City, the Hammers, now level on points with them, were pegged back because of their worse goal difference and are still 18th in the table.
PS: On Thursday Spurs lost 1-3 at home to Glasner’s Crystal Palace. They remain the only Premier League side without a victory in 2026. Their 11-match winless league run is the club’s longest since 1935, when they went 15 games without winning. With nine matches to go now, they remain one point above the relegation zone and are now fully in the mix with the other teams which are in danger of losing their Premier League status.
According to BBC a supporter said after Spurs‘ defeat that “Nottingham Forest and West Ham have got fight and grit. We don’t have any of that.” Since promotion from the Second Division in 1949-50, Tottenham have spent just one season below the top flight (1977-78).
Last season (2024/25) Tottenham won the Europa League and are therefore playing Champions League this season, but they finished only 17th in the Premier League on 38 points. West Ham with Graham Potter at the helm (as Lopetegui’s successor) were 14th with 43 points at the end of the 2024/25 season.
EXTRA TIME 
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