Scotland secured a famous 1-0 win over France at Hampden Park on Gary Caldwell’s header. Despite that, there are problems within the squad. Lokomotiv Moscow striker Garry O’Connor is not only homesick, but he has jeopardized his international career by not joining up with the squad in Ukraine.

Wales were emphatically destroyed by Slovakia, but at least Craig Bellamy’s assault trial was pushed back in their only good bit of news.

An inept defensive display by the Republic of Ireland saw them leave Cyprus on the wrong end of a 5-2 scoreline. Steve Staunton will be lucky to be in the job much longer after making Cyprus’ attacking displays look like Barcelona.

Italy finally got their qualifying campaign going with a 2-0 win over Ukraine, and the pressure is increasing on Marco van Basten after the Netherlands’ 1-1 draw in Bulgaria.

A recap of club action around the world after the jump.

The European qualifiers meant that meaningful club matches were being played in other areas of the globe.

The Los Angeles Galaxy were eliminated from the MLS playoff picture just a season after winning the whole thing.

River Plate and Boca Juniors played out another edition of their famous derby. Gonzalo Higuain hit a brace for River as they triumphed 3-1 over ten man Boca.

And in Australia, the Melbourne Victory continued to extend their lead at the top of the A-League with a 2-0 win over the Newcastle Jets

Kazakhstan v. Poland – The Kazaks are off to a rather good start in their first European Championship campaign with two draws from two matches. They face a Poland side which should be able to beat them, but they have not looked particularly good in their opening fixtures.
Kazakhstan 1-1 Poland

Armenia v. Finland – Finland find themselves top of the group on goal difference, but they proved to be a force to be reckoned with in their 1-1 draw with Portugal. You might as well give them the three points here.
Armenia 0-3 Finland

Serbia v. Belgium – Serbia hasn’t looked particularly good in their opening matches, but they find themselves second in the group. Warning signs are there for Belgium especially in attack. They have four points as a result of the single goal they scored against Armenia and their stalemate at home to Kazakhstan.
Serbia 1-0 Belgium

Portugal v. Azerbaijan – Portugal were fortunate to take a point from their group opener against Finland, but this should be an easy three points.
Portugal 5-0 Azerbaijan

Group B

Faroe Islands v. Lithuania – Normally somewhat competitive, the Faroe Islands have taken several steps backward and they will be lucky to keep Lithuania below four goals.
Faroe Islands 0-6 Lithuania

Scotland v. France – It’s good times for the Tartan Army as Scotland sits on top of a group containing Italy and France. The reality they face tomorrow is that France will be much, much more difficult than the Faroes or Lithuania.
Scotland 1-2 France

Italy v. Ukraine – With a single point from their opening two matches, Italy are finally going to take things seriously. At least they hope they can find some form against a Ukrainian side featuring a badly out of form Andriy Shevchenko.
Italy 1-1 Ukraine

Group C

Moldova v. Bosnia-Herzegovina – Three points to Bosnia.
Moldova 0-2 Bosnia

Hungary v. Turkey – Hungary followed up a 4-1 loss to Norway with a 3-1 win over Bosnia, so it’s difficult to predict which team will decide to show up against Turkey. A 2-0 win over Malta was good enough to move Turkey up to second in the group, but this is superior opposition. It is still a winnable match for them however.
Hungary 2-2 Turkey

Greece v. Norway – The holders play their second qualifier against an in-form Norwegian side. Needing some firepower in attack, Greece recalled Georgios Samaras to the squad. Norway are hoping to extend their winning run and move closer to qualifying.
Greece 1-1 Norway

Group D

Wales v. Slovakia – Ryan Giggs is out for Wales and they will be captained by Craig Bellamy. Wales head in as favorites, but there really is no reason why they should be. Slovakia to take the points emphatically.
Wales 0-3 Slovakia

Czech Republic v. San Marino – 13-0 may not be the worst defeat San Marino take in this group.
Czech Republic 8-0 San Marino

Cyprus v. Ireland – Slovakia pumped Cyprus for six goals in their last qualifier, but they face a winnable match against Ireland. Shay Given is out with that bowel injury and manager Steve Staunton really has no idea what he is doing.
Cyprus 2-1 Ireland

Group E

Russia v. Israel – Guus Hiddink’s side couldn’t break through against Croatia in their opener, and pressure will be on him to get a win at home. Israel are off to a fantastic start to qualifying and they have an opportunity to get some separation from the other contenders for second spot should they somehow take the points.
Russia 1-1 Israel

England v. Macedonia – The England squad thinks Steve McClaren has no idea what he is doing. That idea has taken away from the previous buildup of England not winning things and Wayne Rooney putting eight into Macedonia’s goal. England will probably manage to only take a point leading to calls for McClaren to be sacked.
England 1-1 Macedonia

Croatia v. Andorra – The current high score against Andorra in the group is five. Croatia will take their shot and perhaps reach double digits.
Croatia 7-0 Andorra

Group F

Denmark v. Northern Ireland – Denmark should be worried going into their second qualifing match against Northern Ireland. Last month, Lawrie Sanchez was being questioned about his future with the national team, and he responded with a shock 3-2 win over Spain. The rumors have already started up again. Could it happen again?
Denmark 2-1 N. Ireland

Latvia v. Iceland – Latvia played well in defeat to Sweden last time out and they could be expected to win against easier opposition. Iceland opened with a 3-0 demolition of Northern Ireland, then fell on their faces against Denmark. Eidur Gudjohnsen will probably score and take the national team goalscoring record for himself.
Latvia 2-1 Iceland

Sweden v. Spain – The top two sides in the group battle for supremacy with Spain looking to prove that the defeat at the hands of David Healy was just a fluke. Sweden’s manager Lars Lagerback is under pressure for his handling of moody striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but I see the rest of the squad responding well without the Inter striker. Raul was surprisingly dropped by Spain coach Luis Aragones, which could turn out to be a regrettable decision.
Sweden 1-1 Spain

Group G

Romania v. Belarus – The hosts have to be favored for this one as they have looked good in their opening two fixtures, a 2-2 draw with Bulgaria and 2-0 win over Albania. Belarus, on the other hand, are off to a shaky start with a terrible 2-2 draw with Albania being followed up by a destruction at the hands of the Dutch. Romania will probably score a pair, but they could come from anywhere on the pitch.
Romania 2-1 Belarus

Bulgaria v. Netherlands – Marco van Basten has been underfire for his handling of Ruud van Nistelrooy and Mark van Bommel, which led to both of their international retirements. With over half the country wanting him sacked if he fails to take maximum points this week, he opens with a difficult trip to Bulgaria. They may be without Dimitar Berbatov, but they have many more attacking options.
Bulgaria 1-2 Netherlands

Slovenia v. Luxembourg – Many, many goals will be scored at the Petrol Arena.
Slovenia 5-0 Luxembourg

Moore missed a flight on Wednesday after making the mistake of combining sleeping pills with a few beers, and as a result, he missed training yesterday and failed to make several arranged public appearances. The Football Federation of Australia decided to act against the Newcastle United defender by suspending him for the Paraguay match, and Moore took it upon himself to exclude himself from the match against Bahrain.

Players not showing up to training with the national team is nothing new for Australia, but the new regime is looking to stamp its authority over players who used to play the odd match that mattered.  Needless to say, but it has not gone down well with some members of the squad.

Zeliko Kalac thought the punishment was a bit excessive, FFA head John O’Neill disagrees and Moore is left wondering if he will ever play for Australian again.

Banned Moore Wants to Play On [The Australian]

David Dein is now the most powerful man in the organization that fights against international football and Chelsea. [Eurosport]

Hidetoshi Nakata will not be coming out of retirement to play for amateur side Auckland City in the FIFA Club World Championship. [Sky Sports]

Fernando Gago wants to join Real Madrid just days after scoring his first for Boca Juniors. [International Herald Tribune]

Miroslav Klose wants to move to a bigger club outside of Germany, Premiership clubs surely interested. [Soccer365]

Yes it is an international week, and that means not much is going on in terms of anything really. The week preceding the weekend fixture is filled with players giving team talking points about certain players regaining international form, or how great a job their manager is doing. Nevermind the fact they will turn their backs on him once he is sacked for never being able to beat a certain Brazilian manager, everything is about unity.

So today, the England squad are focusing on the play of Wayne Rooney and to a lesser extent Frank Lampard’s inability to score deflected goals for his country. Peter Crouch stated that Rooney was looking to “prove a few people wrong.” I’m sure there might be three people out there that think Rooney isn’t good enough for England, but those people aren’t really worth the time.

After putting the fans behind the goals in Germany under a barrage of mishit shots, Lampard wants to prove his critics wrong. The Chelsea midfielder appears to be regaining some form, but it is not as though his place in the starting eleven is under threat. Scott Parker might be touted as an option, but there is no real chance he is dropped by Steve McClaren.

And finally, the guy who does not sing the national anthem, Gary Neville, said that it is a joke that England hasn’t won anything in over 40 years. Maybe, the joke is on him for buying into the media hype.

Those androgynous Euro 2008 mascots face a legal challenge to their very existence. [Reuters]

Ivica Osim continues to not call up European-based players to his Japan squad. [Goal.com]

Boro keeper Mark Schwarzer’s preparation for international action includes criticizing former managers and backup keepers. [The Australian]

Italy are now relegated to calling up players from Serie B’s bottom club. [FOXSports.com]

Late last week, van Basten recalled Mark van Bommel to his squad. In the process, he was admitting he was wrong to say that the Bayern Munich midfielder had no international future while he was in charge.

Things got even worse when Klaas-Jan Huntelaar had to pull out of the squad with an injury. He responded by calling up the other player he said had no international future. In Ruud van Nistelrooy, he was calling up someone who had spent the better part of the week criticizing him for just about anything.

Desperate to humilate the manager of the national team, both van Bommel and van Nistelrooy rejected their call-ups saying they would never play under van Basten again. With gaping holes in midfield and attack, van Basten will likely have to turn to Dirk Kuyt, who has yet to play well at the international level, and Denny Landzaat, who is struggling with Wigan this season, to fill them.

Mark van Bommel has been called up for Euro 2008 qualifiers as a reward for not criticizing Marco van Basten, unlike a certain Real Madrid striker. [FOXSports.com]

Gerald Asamoah will be out of the news and out of the Schalke team for a while after breaking his leg in two places. [Reuters]

Raymond Domenech will be carrying on his slave trading practices for another four years, or until France emphatically crash out of Euro 2008 in the group stage. [CNN International]

Kieran Richardson among those comically named in the England squad. [TheFA.com]

Bolton Wanderers (11 pts, 6th) v. Liverpool (10 pts, 7th) – The bung scandal hasn’t stopped the Trotters momentum as they ended Pompey’s unbeaten start on Monday. Quinton Fortune is unlikely to make it back into the squad for tomorrow’s match, and that leaves Sam Allardyce contemplating making no changes to his team.

Rafa Benitez will make changes. He always does after all. Benitez will opt for height against Bolton’s physical attack and that means recalls for Sami Hyypia, Mohamed Sissoko and John Arne Riise as Liverpool lineup with a different eleven for the 95th consecutive time.

Charlton Athletic (3 pts, 19th) v. Arsenal (8 pts, 9th) – Things are looking increasingly bleak for the south London side. The only good news ahead of their match with the Gunners is the potential return of obese Irish winger Andy Reid. They do have several key players returning to training next week, however.

William Gallas is likely to make this fixture despite injury concerns as he looks ahead to next weekend’s Euro 2008 qualifiers. Johan Djourou is a doubt, so the Arsene Wenger may have to deploy Justin Hoyte out of position whether he wants to or not.

Chelsea (15 pts, 1st) v. Aston Villa (12 pts, 5th) – The Blues looked excellent in their midweek destruction of Levski Sofia. Particularly impressive was the contribution of John Obi Mikel who may be handed his first Premiership start against the Villans. Michael Ballack continues to miss out due to suspension.

Martin O’Neill has yet to lose as Aston Villa manager; a record that is unlikely to continue at Stamford Bridge. The Villans are at full-strength, and O’Neill may choose to recall Martin Laursen in central defense.

Everton (12 pts, 4th) v. Manchester City (7 pts, 13th) – The Toffees are the Premiership’s other unbeaten side and they have a good opportunity to extend their run. Tony Hibbert is suspended after being sent off against Newcastle and Gary Naysmith misses out after having his knee done in by Obafemi Martins.

Stuart Pearce is expected to play five in midfield against Everton as he welcomes back Ousmane Dabo from suspension. Hatem Trabelsi is questionable as he continues to recover from a groin strain. Georgios Samaras faces the prospect of being dropped despite his brace against West Ham last week.

Sheffield United (2 pts, 20th) v. Middlesbrough (5 pts, 16th) – The Blades head into the worst match for neutrals this weekend with one of their best chances of picking up three points this season. Steve Kabba and Paddy Kenny are expected to make their returns from injury.

George Boateng and Stewart Downing have recovered from their own injuries to be hacked at by Sheffield United’s errant tackles. Gareth Southgate is prepared to utilize two strikers as he thinks he can get the three points.

West Ham United (5 pts, 15th) v. Reading (10 pts, 8th) – The Hammers are playing poorly at the moment after being dumped out of the UEFA Cup by Palermo 4-0 on aggregate. Bobby Zamora and Yossi Benayoun are pressing for recalls into the Hammers’ starting eleven. Anton Ferdinand is an injury concern after missing the match in Sicily.

Reading have accumulated twice as many points as their fellow promoted teams combined, and they have to see themselves as a quarter of the way to survival. Graeme Murty will miss out meaning a debut for summer signing Ulises de la Cruz.

Blackburn Rovers (8 pts, 10th) v. Wigan Athletic (5 pts, 14th) – Rovers advanced in the UEFA Cup after their win over Red Bull Salzburg yesterday, but they are waiting on the fitness of Robbie Savage, who left that match with an injury. Jason Roberts may return from a groin injury, but will start on the bench if he is named in the squad at all.

Not much going on with the Latics at the moment. Lee McCulloch may return from injury to travel to Ewood Park. Ryan Taylor and Steve McMillan are still out as they have been for a while and will continue to be out.

Manchester United (13 pts, 2nd) v. Newcastle United (7 pts, 12th) – Alex Ferguson is likely to stick with the same side that triumphed in Portugal in midweek as injuries to Ryan Giggs and Mikael Silvestre have left him with little option. Of course they are playing Newcastle, which leaves him with little concern anyway.

The Magpies defense is reinforced through the suspension of Titus Bramble. Pavel Smicek may take a place on the bench as the backup to Steve Harper, but that is dependent on how fast the FA moves with his paperwork after he signed a short-term contract.

Tottenham Hotspur (4 pts, 17th) v. Portsmouth (13 pts, 3rd) – Ledley King and Jermain Defoe may miss out should they fail late fitness tests. If they do not make it they join a lengthy injury list which has prevented them from looking like anything other than a relegation struggler so far this season.

Portsmouth are doing what Spurs were expected to do this season by flying high in third position in the league table. The loss to Bolton means changes to the Pompey side. Andy Cole is expected to make his debut for Portsmouth, but off the bench. Lomana LuaLua will end up making his first start of the season as a result.

Watford (3 pts, 18th) v. Fulham (8 pts, 11th) – The Hornets face one of the worst away sides in England as they look to climb out of the relegation zone. They played well in their 1-1 draw with Wigan last weekend, and Adrian Boothroyd is set to name an unchanged side to see if they can find some form.

The Cottagers were unfortunate in their 2-0 defeat to Chelsea last week. They should perform a little better as Papa Bouba Diop and Carlos Bocanegra will not be playing with the injuries they had going into their last game, but will instead be fully fit.

Radhi Jaidi announced his international retirement and his intent to keep his word. [The Guardian]

FC Kobenhavn’s Swedish international Marcus Allback is questioning Thomas Gravesen’s toughness. [Ireland On-Line]

Arsene Wenger can call himself Arsenal manager for life. [Sky Sports]

DC United are going to block the most amount of money MLS will ever get for Freddy Adu. [Clubcall]