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Minute-by-minute: international football Wednesday

Follow all the action on a night that is brimming with quality international match-ups.

Goodnight and good luck Thanks for the company tonight. It’s been real.

If this post reads like a glimpse in the troubled mind of a potential serial killer, check out the much cleaner mop-up.

Check in tomorrow for all the usual good stuff like the latest weekly YouTube chart and more Six Nations build-up. (And Spain won 1-0, forgot.)

10.21pm GOAL! Spain go one up against Columbia with a goal from Man City’s David Silva after 86 minutes.

10.01pm FULL TIME France beat Brazil by that single Benzema goal and Argentina run out 2-1 winners over Portugal.

9.53pm GOAL! Leo Messi scores a late, late penalty, surely winning the game for Argentina. Take that CR9!

9.43pm FULL TIME Germany and Italy end one apiece in Dotmund.

9.39pm When I’m picking miss of the night for the mop-up piece later, I need not look further than this risable effort from Hugo Almieda. Dear God, man.

9.36pm It’s all over at Lansdowne with an impressive Scotland cantering a 3-0 win.

9.33pm How do you think it compared to Anderson Silva? Howard Webb still wouldn’t have sent off The Spider, would he?

9.28pm GOAL! Giuseppe Rossi equalises for the Azzurri in Dortmund. Germany 1 Italy 1.

9.24PM OOOF! The following clip contains strong language from the start and scenes that some viewers may find disturning.

Here’s that ‘tackle’ on Karim Benzema. The Real Madrid striker later put France one-up against ten-man Brazil.

9.21pm I should’ve mentioned another of Ireland’s group opponents Slovakia lost out tonight. They were beaten by Luxembourg 2-1. I don’t know how that’s supposed to make us feel?

9.15pm GOAL Holland 3 Austria 1 The visitors have pulled one back in Eindhoven through a Marko Arnautovic spotter. The Dutch had been three up thanks to Sneijder, Huntelaar and Kuyt.

9.12pm What do you reckon? Did MacArthur mean this at the Aviva?

9.04pm GOAL (Scotland 3 Northern Ireland 0) According to BBC: “Scotland work the ball well through the middle before Steven Naismith’s flick finds Kris Commons in all sorts of space in the Irish box, the Celtic frontman making no mistake from six yards.”

8.58pm GOAL! Ashley Young gets his first goal for his country. Aston Villa 2 Denmark 1.

8.52pm Anyone watching the Scotland-Northern Ireland game? for those of us who are not, the news is that striker David Healy has come on for midfielder Grant McCann, while Rory McArdle has been replaced with Lee Hodson in defence.

8.47pm Who wants to see Ronaldo’s goal against Argentina? Hands up… okay:

8.45pm Meanwhile in Dublin, BBC Radio Scotland pundit Gordon Smith is happy with his night out at Lansdowne Road:  ”We are very quick to criticise in recent seasons, but I think Scotland have been absolutely excellent in that first half. It is not just about the goals but the way they are playing and working as a unit to stop Northern Ireland creating any chances. There has been a lot of good football”

8.43pm RED CARD! Anderson Hernanes is sent off in Paris for a high boot on Benzema which was not unlike the kung-fu tackle on Alson in the WC final. Still 0-0.

8.38pm Leo takes the free himself but smashes it crudely against the wall. Bummer.

8.37pm Ugly duckling Bentie misses a bit of a sitter in Copenhagen while Messi draws a foul to win a free kick on the D….

8.32pm Here’s that earlier goal from Miroslav Klose against Italy. They still lead 1-0 in Dortmund.

If Klose was to produce a perfume, this goal would be essence of Miroslav.

And Di Maria’s strike wasn’t bad either.

[HT 101greatgoals]

8.29pm Portugal 1 Argentina 1 C-Ron has equalised for Portugal after Angel Di Maria’s 14th-minute goal. It looks really open.

8.27pm Holland are one up on Austria in Eindhoven at half-time. The difference is a goal from your friend and mine, Wesley Sniejder.

8.25pm Here’s the half-time verdict from our own pundit, Mr Rio Ferdinand.

8.20pm This isn’t bad is it? Iran’s goal against Ireland’s group leaders Russia was pretty, pretty good.

8.19pm GOAL! Scotland go two up down in Dublin 4.

According to the BBC: “James McArthur, earning only his second cap, scores in his first start for Scotland to extend the lead in Dublin, but it looks like a bit of a fluke. The Wigan midfielder looks to be aiming for a team-mate at the back post with his chip, but it dips over goalkeeper Jonny Tuffey and nestles into the back of the net.”

GOAL! Klose has put Germany one-up against Italy in Dortmund. I was caught napping on that one.

8.12pm I’m now watching Argentina and Portugal while Alan Shearer talks tripe on the weird stream I have going about the England game. Ray Wilkins says ‘we’re in a game here’.

The South Americans have dropepd Carlos Tevez because he ducked out of the game with Brazil in Doha last year. I can’t understand the Spanish commentary. Yet.

8.03pm GOAL! Sorry, not much happened there until Lampard back-heeled a cross into the net from an offside position. Insert own fat joke. Kenny miller has Scotland one up at the Aviva; it’s his first time captaining the  Scots.

7.41 AFP’s Tom Williams writes from Paris:At Stade de France for France-Brazil. Laurent Blanc complained about the pitch following the Six Nations game here and it does look patchy.” It’s currently 0-0 after five minutes; we’d settle for something like this:

7.36pm Despite the scores of Scottish men in kilts that have milled around outside our office doors for the past two days, it doesn’t look like the Aviva will be even close to full tonight.

Will Downing (@WillDowningComm) has tweeted this pic ahead of the kick-off in Ballsbridge.

7.32pm It’s half-time in Sweden’s game at home to Ukraine with the score 1-1. For those of us who pore over the site’s Fantasy Football column, Johann Elmander’s first-half goal is noteworthy.

7.29pm GOAL! Denmark 1 England 1 Theo Walcott put it on a plate for Darren Bent who tapped in from two yards. Game on, Ger.

7.27pm GOAL! Denmark 1 England 0 Liverpool’s Daniel Agger heads in his fourth goal for his country after seven and a half minutes. Boom

7.23pm After the Danes piled on the pressure in the opening three minutes, Rooney took advantage of a mix-up in the Danish defence. The United striker got a shot on goal but it was cleared off the line. Should be 1-0 England.

7.18pm We’ve just had national anthems in Copehangen. Here’s the line-ups if interested.

Denmark: Sorensen, Christian Poulsen, Jorgensen, Agger, Simon Poulsen, Jacobsen, Kvist, Eriksen, Krohn-Delhi, Rommedahl, Bendtner.
Subs: Lindegaard, Wass, Kjaer, Silberbauer, Schone, Vingaard, Junker, Lorentzen, Enevoldsen, Pedersen.

England: Hart, Johnson, Dawson, Terry, Ashley Cole, Lampard, Wilshere, Walcott, Rooney, Milner, Bent.
Subs: Green, Walker, Cahill, Lescott, Baines, Downing, Parker, Barry, Young, Defoe, Carlton Cole, Stockdale.

You never call no more: Let us know your thoughts throughout the evening  by emailing adrianrussell@thescore.ie, leave a Facebook message or use the Twitter.

7.10pm I’m back from a run to Dunnes for the tuck (Cully and Sully Irish Stew effort and two a creamy cake FYI) and ready to rock for the night.

While we’ve been gone Croatia beat the Czechs 4-2. According to 101greatgoals:

Croatia got off to a fantastic start as strikers Eduardo Da Silva and Nikola Kalinic had the hosts 2-up inside 13 minutes. The Czechs however rallied before the break, Tomas Sivok halved the deficit with a header before Arsenal’s Tomas Rosickyequalised with a powerful drive from 8-yards. Ivan Klasnic restored Croatia’s lead just after the hour, while Ivo Ilicevic killed the match 15 minutes from time.

Here’s Eduardo’s first goal:

6.30pm Because, essentially, the earth is curved some matches have already taken place. And three hold some interest for Irish fans.

Euro 2012 Group B leaders Russia were beaten 1-0 by Iran in Dubai earlier. Surprising, no?

It’s a second successive defeat for Dick Advocaat’s men.

Ireland’s next opponents on the path to the Euros, Macedonia, were beaten 1-0 by Cameroon.

Elsewhere, Armenia, who have as many points as Ireland in the pool at present, were defeated 2-1 at home to Georgia.

Good evening, fellow Europeans! Welcome to our minute-by-minute report of what is a really busy international Wednesday night.

Amongst a host of mouth-watering ties, Denmark welcome a Frank Lampard Jr-led England for a friendly.

It’s a repeat of the ’98 World Cup final with France entertaining the boys from Brazil. And Germany face Italy in what is an opportunity to exorcise the demons of 2006 in Dortmund.

But let’s be honest. We’ll be flicking over – if that’s the right verb – for Ronaldo v Messi. The last two winners of the Ballon D’Or meet as Argentina take on Portugal. Let’s hope for a lot of this…

Send us your comments and thought to adrianrussell@thescore.ie, leave a Facebook message or use the Twitter.