Dutch drop points, Ronaldo bails out Portugal

LONDON: Netherlands left it late to salvage a draw in Estonia and Portugal needed a Cristiano Ronaldo hat trick to win on Friday, while Spain and Germany had a much easier ride in taking big steps toward World Cup qualification.
England capitalized on dropped points for Montenegro, held 1-1 in Poland, as they marched to a 4-0 home win over Moldova to go level on points at the top of Group H with the Montenegrins.
World champions Spain were 2-0 winners in Finland as they tightened their grip on top spot in Group I, with their cause helped by second-placed France’s 0-0 draw in Georgia.
Group A leaders Belgium stretched their lead with a 2-0 win in Scotland as second and third-placed Balkan rivals Serbia and Croatia shared the points in a 1-1 draw.
A Robin van Persie penalty in stoppage time earned the Dutch a 2-2 draw in Tallinn but the Group D leaders still dropped their first points of the campaign.
Comfortable Group C leaders Germany made light work of second-placed Austria in a 3-0 victory with Miroslav Klose opening the scoring in the 34th minute to equal Gerd Mueller’s record of 68 goals for the country.
Portugal had their big-name player to thank for three points as they had trailed in Belfast before Ronaldo netted three times in the second half to give them a 4-2 victory in a Group F match featuring three red cards.
Group B leaders Italy moved to within one win of qualifying for next year’s finals in Brazil after a nervy 1-0 home victory against second-placed Bulgaria, while in the same group Czech Republic were stunned 2-1 at home by Armenia.
There were dropped points for Group E leaders Switzerland who let slip a 4-1 lead to draw 4-4 with Iceland, allowing second-placed Norway to close the gap on them to four points after they beat Cyprus 2-0.

Uruguay win keeps Argentina and Colombia waiting
World Cup qualification celebrations in Argentina and Colombia were put on hold until at least the next round of South American fixtures after Uruguay eked out a vital 2-1 victory over Peru in Lima on Friday.
Luis Suarez netted twice to keep Uruguay very much in the picture for next year’s finals in Brazil as he moved top of the scorers’ standings on 10 goals, one more than Argentina’s Gonzalo Higuain.
Higuain will not be able to recover the lead in next week’s fixtures as he is suspended for group leader Argentina’s visit to improved Paraguay in Asuncion, where Lionel Messi’s team will be hoping to secure a ticket to Brazil.
Colombia were on target for a first finals appearance in 16 years after their 1-0 home win over Ecuador in a storm-lashed Barranquilla but Suarez’s goals mean they need to avoid defeat against Uruguay in Montevideo on Tuesday to advance.
“This match was highly significant statistically... We had to play with that pressure, that anxiety and then all the rest,” Colombia coach Jose Pekerman told reporters after his side moved level on 26 points with Argentina.
Pekerman was referring to the kickoff in Barranquilla being delayed for 90 minutes due to a waterlogged pitch and the start of the second half by 20 more minutes when the floodlights failed.
Chile beat Venezuela 3-0 in Santiago to climb above Ecuador into third place, two points behind the leading duo, with a win that severely dented the visitors’ hopes of finals qualification for the first time.
“We made a huge step... We’re close (to qualifying). The best thing is that we depend only on ourselves, that gives us tranquillity,” Chile goalkeeper Claudio Bravo said.
However, Venezuela (16 points), Peru (14) and even Paraguay (11), who enjoyed a 4-0 rout of Bolivia in Asuncion, could still vie for the playoff berth if Ecuador (21) and Uruguay (19) stumble in the final matches.
“There are nine points still to play for and we must fight... What’s changed is that now we don’t only depend on ourselves, now we depend on other results,” Peru coach Sergio Markarian admitted after his side’s defeat.
What Argentina and Colombia have ensured is a place among the top five teams in the nine-nation group since the bottom four can no longer catch them
when the 16-game campaign ends next month, the top four will automatically secure tickets to Brazil while the team finishing fifth will go into a two-legged playoff against either Jordan or Uzbekistan in November for one more berth.