The Polish Football Association has sacked Leo Beenhakker as coach of its national team after the side’s poor showing in a loss to Slovenia that cost Poland a place in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

“The decision is irrevocable. Coach Beenhakker ceases to be Polish national team coach,” Grzegorz Lato, the president of Polish Football Association (PZPN) said in a television interview.

Poland’s 3-0 defeat on Wednesday sparked outrage in Poland, with one tabloid newspaper telling readers the side had “humiliated us.”

Former Poland striker Lato said Dutchman Beenhakker, who had coached the Polish side since 2006, would most likely be replaced by a Polish coach.

SALVADOR, Brazil (AP)—Even without four of its top players, Brazil prevented Chile from clinching a World Cup berth.

Nilmar scored three goals to lead Brazil to a 4-2 victory Wednesday night. The five-time World Cup champions were missing Kaka, Lucio and Luis Fabiano, all serving suspensions because of yellow card, and Robinho, sidelined by a right-leg muscle injury.

Nilmar scored in the 31st, 73rd and 76th minutes, and Julio Baptista got a goal in the 41st for Brazil, which last weekend ensured its 19th consecutive World Cup berth.

Chile erased an early 2-0 deficit with goals by Humberto Suazo in first-half injury time and in the 52nd. Suazo’s second goal came just three minutes after Brazil’s Felipe Melo ejected for a hard foul on Alexis Sanchez, who was sent off himself for yellow cards in the 61st and 77th minutes.

Brazil (9-1-6) leads South American qualifying with 33 points, three ahead of Paraguay (9-4-3), which clinched a berth on Wednesday.

Chile (8-5-3) has 27 points, four ahead of Ecuador (6-5-5), five in front of Argentina (6-6-4) and six ahead of Uruguay (5-5-6) and Venezuela (6-7-3).

Striker Jozy Altidore could be available for the United States’ World Cup qualifying matches in June after recent operations on both big toes. But defender Steve Cherundolo might not be able to play as he recovers from hip surgery.

The Americans face Costa Rica on June 3 and Honduras three days later.

The 19-year-old Altidore had surgery April 16 and is expected to be out a month. He had three goals when the U.S. beat Trinidad and Tobago 3-0 on April 1. Altidore plays for Spain’s Villarreal but is on loan to Xerez.

Cherundolo had surgery two weeks ago. His German club, Hannover, says he won’t resume training until mid-June.

Sven-Goran Eriksson has been sacked as Mexico boss following Wednesday’s World Cup qualifying defeat against Honduras.

Mexico’s 3-1 defeat to Honduras was their second in three qualifying matches and left them fourth in their six-team group.

If they stay fourth they will face the fifth-placed team from South America for a place in next year’s World Cup.

The former England manager was hired in June following his sacking as Manchester City manager last season.

Pressure on the 61-year-old Swede had been lifted temporarily with a convincing 2-0 win over Costa Rica on Saturday but Wednesday’s defeat resulted in his eight month reign being terminated.

Eriksson was linked with a move back to English football in February following Tony Adams’ sacking as Portsmouth coach.

Mexico’s poor form in their latest World Cup qualifying group came off the back of some bad results in the first phase of qualifying.

Mexico had won just once in seven matches following Wednesday’s defeat to Honduras.

In 2001 Eriksson became the first foreign manager to take charge of the England national team having previously coached club football in Italy and Portugal.

He spent five years at the helm as England manager leading them to three quarter-finals at major competitions before leaving his post after the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

After spending a year out of football he joined Manchester City in 2007 but spent just one season at the Premier League club.

In June 2006 Eriksson replaced Hugo Sanchez in the Mexico job, the legendary strikerhaving been sacked three months earlier.

BBC

LONDON (AP)—Defending champion Italy was held to a 1-1 draw by Ireland on Wednesday in World Cup qualifying.

European champion Spain, England and the Netherlands maintained their perfect records.

Robbie Keane scored off Caleb Folan’s header in the 89th minute to salvage a 1-1 draw for Ireland after Italy forward Giampaolo Pazzini was ejected in the third minute for elbowing John O’Shea while going up for a header, bloodying the Ireland defender’s face.

Vincenzo Iaquinta put Italy in front in the 10th minute, redirecting a pass that Fabio Grosso slid across the goalmouth.

The draw put Ireland two points behind Italy at the top of Group 8.

Spain got a late goal from Albert Riera to beat Turkey 2-1. Dirk Kuyt scored twice to lead the Netherlands over Macedonia 4-0, and John Terry put in the winning goal in the 85th minute to give England a 2-1 win over Ukraine.

Also, Germany maintained its four-point lead atop Group 4 with a 2-0 win at Wales, while Franck Ribery scored his second goal in five days against Lithuania to lead France to a 1-0 win in Group 7.

Spain trailed Turkey after Semih Senturk scored in the 26th minute, but Xabi Alonso equalized on a penalty kick in the 62nd after defender Ibrahim Uzulmez blocked the ball with his hand during a rough challenge just in front of the net.

Riera benefited from a gap in the Turkish defense to score in the second minute of injury time from a pass by Daniel Guiza to put the European champions six points ahead of Bosnia-Herzegovina in Group 5.

Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Edin Dzeko scored twice in a 2-1 win over Belgium. Estonia beat Armenia 1-0.

At Wembley Stadium, Peter Crouch’s goal put England ahead in the 29th minute, but substitute Andriy Shevchenko tied it in the 74th with a half-volley after the home side failed to clear a free kick.

Terry produced the late winner from close range after Steven Gerrard touched on David Beckham’s free kick.

“We were disappointed to concede a goal late on, but showed great character to come back and win the game, so there are some real positives,” Terry said. “There was some great fight and desire from the lads—`We’re not settling for 1-1’—and we went on to win the game.”

Also in Group 6, Belarus routed Kazakstan 5-1, and Croatia beat Andorra 2-0.

The Netherlands also took a major step toward qualifying for South Africa 2010 with its win in Group 9. The Dutch team has an eight-point lead over Scotland, which beat Iceland 2-1.

In Group 3, Poland routed San Marino 10-0 and remained three points behind leader Northern Ireland, which beat Slovenia 1-0. Poland has a game in hand.

Denmark and Hungary remained at the top of Group 1 after both won 3-0. But Denmark, which beat Albania, has played one game less than Hungary, which defeated Malta.

In Group 2, Dimitris Salpigidis and substitute Georgios Samaras scored a goal each to help Greece beat Israel 2-1 and remain even with Switzerland at the top of Group 2. The Swiss beat last-place Moldova 2-0.

The United States remained atop CONCACAF’s final round as Jozy Altidore became the youngest American with an international hat trick in a 3-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago. Making just his fourth international start, Altidore connected in the 13th, 71st and 89th minutes, all three times off passes from Landon Donovan.

Mexico fell at Honduras 3-1, with Carlo Costly scoring twice. Costa Rica beat El Salvador 1-0.

In South America, Argentina took its worst defeat in World Cup qualifying when it wilted 6-1 against Bolivia at high-altitude La Paz. The result eclipsed the 5-0 loss against Colombia in 1993 and ruined the early promise shown under coach Diego Maradona, who had earned three victories in three games with no goals allowed since he took over last November.

Joaquin Botero scored three times, in the 33rd, 56th and 66th minutes, for Bolivia in its first win against Argentina in 12 years.

Brazil moved into second place in South American qualifying with a 3-0 victory over Peru, one of the weaker teams in the region. The return to the lineup of star forward Kaka and the scoring of Luis Fabiano lifted the five-time world champions. Fabiano had two goals, one on a penalty kick after Kaka was fouled.

Edgar Benitez rescued Paraguay’s 1-1 draw with Ecuador with a last-second goal. Benitez, a substitute, made it 1-1 after latching onto a cross from Salvador Cabanas that caused confusion in front of the net. Ecuador’s goal after 63 minutes was by Cristian Noboa, who headed in Edison Mendez’s free kick.

Chile, playing most of the time one man down, held Uruguay to a 0-0 tie.

In Asian qualifying, Australia almost became the first to secure a place in South Africa by beating Uzbekistan 2-0. All the Aussies needed was for the Group A match between Bahrain and Qatar to end in a draw, but Fouzi Aaish’s curling free kick gave Bahrain a 1-0 win in Manama.

Also, South Korea beat North Korea 1-0 and Saudi Arabia defeated the United Arab Emirates 3-2.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)—Jozy Altidore made the most of his chance.

After sitting on the bench for European clubs during most of the season, the 19-year-old became the youngest American with an international hat trick, leading the United States over Trinidad and Tobago 3-0 in a World Cup qualifier on Wednesday night.

He was acquired by Spain’s Villarreal from Major League Soccer’s Red Bulls last June, scored one goal in six matches and then was loaned in January to second division Xerez.

“Anywhere you go, I think you have to learn that you have to earn it from Day 1, and it’s a tough lesson, I think, for a lot of young players to learn, including myself,” he said. “I think I’m finally understanding, you know, what’s needed to be successful there. It’s going to be a process. It’s a work in progress. It’s not going to happen overnight.”

Making just his fourth international start, Altidore connected in the 13th, 71st and 89th minutes, all three times off passes from Landon Donovan. He also scored as a substitute in the 77th minute last Saturday to start the U.S. comeback from a two-goal deficit in a 2-2 tie at El Salvador.

“He’s a player that, you know, we have known for a while is going to be a big part of our team going forward, but things need to be earned. Things need to come at the right time,” U.S. coach Bob Bradley said.

Bradley has six goals in nine international appearances. He eclipsed the mark for youngest hat trick set in 2004, when 20-year-old Eddie Johnson scored three times as a substitute in a 6-0 win over Panama in the semifinals of qualifying.

Teammates praised him, but made clear he’s just starting out.

“It’s one game, so let’s not get carried away,” Donovan said. “We’re happy for him, but there’s a lot of guys that have been doing that for a long time.”

The United States (2-0-1), seeking its sixth straight World Cup berth, leads the final round of North and Central American and Caribbean qualifying with seven points, followed by Costa Rica (2-1) with six after a 1-0 victory over El Salvador. Honduras (1-1-1) has four following a 3-1 win over visiting Mexico (1-2), which has three. El Salvador and T&T (both 0-1-2) have two points each.

The top three nations qualify, and No. 4 goes to a playoff.

“This is a big setback,” Trinidad’s Carlos Edwards said. “We need to polish up on our mistakes.”

Bradley made four lineup changes, inserting Altidore, goalkeeper Tim Howard, midfielder Pablo Mastroeni and defender Oguchi Onyewu. He dropped DaMarcus Beasley from midfield to defender in place of Heath Pearce.

“This is my first time ever playing left back for 90 minutes, so it was different,” Beasley said. “It’s not something I’ve ever thought about playing. But Bob asked me to play that position, and wherever he wants me on the field, I’ll play.”

Altidore was paired up front with Brian Ching. Donovan (left) and Clint Dempsey (right) were in advanced midfield roles.

“Jozy is more of a presence up there than Landon as far as physically, being able to win balls in the air and hold the ball up a little bit more,” Dempsey said. “I think Landon is a player that is better at going at people than playing with his back to goal.”

No. 75 Trinidad and Tobago had just one shot on goal against the world’s 17th-ranked team, Keon Daniel’s attempt on a rebound after a free kick bounced off a defensive wall in the 63rd minute.

“We just weren’t very good tonight,” Soca Warriors captain Dennis Lawrence said. “When you come to the U.S., and you don’t perform up to your capabilities, that’s the result you’re going to be leaving with.”

Before a pro-American crowd of 27,959 that was the largest to attend a soccer match in Tennessee, Howard returned from a one-game suspension for yellow cards. He sent a free kick right at Stern John in the sixth minute, but it bounced off the forward and went wide.

“I tried to catch it on a hop, but I ended up catching it when it was down,” Howard said. “Good think I hit it hard. Otherwise we could have been in danger. But those crazy things happen.”

Seven minutes later, Bocanegra played a long ball up the left to Ching. He headed it to Donovan, who chested the ball, then crossed to Altidore. He broke free of Aklie Edwards and beat goalkeeper Clayton Ince from 6 yards.

He got the second goal after taking a pass from Donovan and faking out Lawrence. On the final goal, Michael Bradley received a long pass and played the ball into the penalty area to Donovan, who bent it back to Altidore. His shot from 19 yards bounced in either off the hands of Ince or past the goalkeeper’s arms.

“On the first goal, I thought it was good movement by our team, a great ball in by Landon. All he had to do was put his foot in on it,” Dempsey said. “On his third goal, you know, he was a little bit lucky, getting under the keeper. I think the most impressive thing about Jozy tonight was his second goal. It just showed that it’s a world-class finish. And it’s just good that a player at his age is able to do those type of things.”

Notes

U.S. Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati said letters will soon be going out to about 65 cities, stadium authorities and sports commissions inquiring about interest in hosting matches at the 2018 or 2022 World Cups, should the U.S. be awarded hosting rights next year.

Associated Press Writer Erik Schelzig contributed to this report.

ZURICH, Switzerland (AP)—Soccer’s governing body is investigating two World Cup qualifiers in which a linesman was struck by coin in Northern Ireland and flares were tossed on the field in Belgium.

FIFA said Monday it has received reports from the referees and game commissioners of both Saturday games and will study them before ruling.

The game between Northern Ireland and Poland in Belfast was held up for several minutes while the Swedish linesman was treated for a head injury.

The coin appeared to be thrown from a section of Northern Irish fans shortly after the Poles scored to make it 1-1 in the first half. Northern Ireland won 3-2 to lead Group 3 in European qualifying for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

The game between Belgium and Bosnia-Herzegovina in Genk was interrupted for 10 minutes in the second half. Flares were hurled from a section occupied by visiting Bosnian fans.

Belgium had evened the score at 1-1 but the home players then left the field after thick smoke enveloped the stadium. Bosnia coach Miroslav Blazevic addressed his team’s fans to try to restore calm.

When play resumed, Bosnia scored three goals in the final 16 minutes to complete a 4-2 upset that put it above Belgium into second place in Group 5. The teams play again Wednesday in Zenica, Bosnia.

England captain John Terry has warned his international colleagues not to underestimate former Chelsea team-mate Andriy Shevchenko in Wednesday night’s World Cup qualifier as the Ukraine striker will be hungry to prove people wrong.

Shevchenko endured a miserable two years at Stamford Bridge before returning to AC Milan, where he had scored 127 goals in 208 matches, but Terry is wary of the 32-year-old undermining England’s perfect start in qualifiers on the road to South Africa next year.

“Things didn’t go too well for him at Chelsea but he is a quality player, a great finisher and, when you forget about him, he pops up with a goal,” Terry said. “He has a first-class touch and a great finish. We need to be very aware of him. He is a big player over there so, when he plays there, he says the pressure is on him and he always want to do well.

“He’ll be coming here for two reasons: to prove Chelsea (wrong) and to prove himself.”

Shevchenko is still Ukraine’s most famous footballer, with an international strike rate of roughly a goal every two games, and coach Olexiy Mykhaylychenko is hoping the striker can shake off his poor form to lead his side to victory.

“Shevchenko has played very little this year - he had lots of injuries, some poor matches, but his experience and desire are priceless for us,” Mykhaylychenko said. “Young players will progress faster with him nearby.”

The striker himself is grateful to Mykhaylychenko for showing faith in his abilities and said: “The national team gives me an opportunity to do what I love doing, which is to play football. But for the national team coach it is not easy to put a player on the pitch who isn’t playing.”

Schevchenko added: “I dream of scoring at Wembley because it would be my 40th goal with the national team. I dream especially of scoring a goal that allows us to qualify.”

England warmed up for the Ukraine clash with a 4-0 friendly win against Slovakia on Saturday, but Wednesday’s visitors to Wembley are unbeaten in qualifying, five points behind leaders England with a game in hand and lie in third place in Group Six.

And Mykhaylychenko is undaunted by Wednesday’s clash. “I perfectly realise how strong our opponents are but now there are no invincible teams in the world,” he said. “We have chances of acquiring the first place in our group.”

England boss Fabio Capello goes into the match expecting a tough game and is wary of the threat of a Ukraine side that appear to be re-emerging after a post-2006 World Cup slump.

“Ukraine are a good team,” the Italian said. “When they drew against Croatia they defended very well. It will not be any easier for us.”

ESPN Soccetnet

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP)—Two goals down and 20 minutes from what would have been one of the worst defeats to a regional rival in years, the United States rallied for a dramatic draw.

Jozy Altidore started the comeback in the 77th minute and Frankie Hejduk scored the tying goal in the 88th, giving the Americans a 2-2 tie at El Salvador in a World Cup qualifier on Saturday night.

Brian Ching had a chance to win it for the United States seven minutes into injury time but was stopped on an open bicycle kick by defender Mardoqueo Henriquez.

“El Salvador played with a tremendous about of energy. It was our challenge to match it,” U.S. coach Bob Bradley said. “When we found ourselves behind, it took a great effort from our players to fight back and come away with a point. We prepared for this game knowing that El Salvador would be difficult. We found ourselves behind, and that was not part of the plan.”

Seeking its sixth straight World Cup berth, the United States (1-0-1) leads the final round of the North and Central American and Caribbean region with four points heading into Wednesday’s qualifier at Nashville, Tenn., against Trinidad and Tobago (0-0-2), which rallied at home for a 1-1 tie against Honduras (0-1-1).

Mexico and Costa Rica (1-1) are one point back following El Tri’s 2-0 victory over Costa Rica in Mexico City. El Salvador (0-0-2) has two points.

Altidore entered in the 61st minute and beat backup goalkeeper Juan Jose Gomez, who entered two minutes earlier after cramps felled Miguel Montes for the second time. Altidore scored on a header from 3 yards off a cross from Hejduk, who made an overlapping run and took a feed from Ching, who had taken a headed pass from Clint Dempsey.

“The ball came to the back post, and I was just at the right place at the right time,” said Altidore, who scored his three goal in eight international appearances. “I was just trying to put in on frame. When you are that close, you don’t have to place it that well.”

Hejduk scored his seventh international goal on an open 3-yard header—his first goal in qualifying since a 1996 match against Guatemala in El Salvador— after Landon Donovan’s corner kick bounded off defender Marvin Gonzalez.

“Typically at that point I don’t go up on corner kicks, but it was the dying moments,” Hejduk said. “I made a near post run and then ducked to the far post and no one was with me. I don’t know what happened, but the ball came to the back post and next thing you know it was on my head.”

The United States had been 13-1-4 vs. El Salvador, outscoring the Cuscatlecos 41-10. But Quintanilla, who had five goals in 27 games for Major League Soccer’s D.C. United in 2002-3, scored on a play that began with a giveaway by DaMarcus Beasley. Quintanilla got past the defense, took a pass from Osrael Romero and beat goalkeeper Brad Guzan, sliding the ball inside the far post.

Rodolfo Zelaya got past Beasley on the flank to create the second goal and crossed to the top of the penalty area, where Castillo got free of Hejduk and bounced a header past Guzan.

Guzan started in place of No. 1 goalkeeper Tim Howard, who picked up his second yellow card of qualifying for time-wasting during last month’s 2-0 victory over Mexico at Columbus, Ohio. The U.S. also was without central defender Oguchi Onyewu, who sprained a knee during training Wednesday and was replaced by Danny Califf.

Hejduk started his second straight qualifier at right back in place of Steve Cherundolo, still recovering from a hip injury.

Ching put the ball in the net for the United States in the 43rd minute, but as many as five Americans might have been caught by an offsides trap.

The United States had won its previous seven matches against El Salvador and had shut out the Cuscatlecos six straight times since 1997. The Americans had not even fallen behind El Salvador during a match in 16 years.

“We knew we had to fight back, and credit to the guys that we did it,” U.S. captain Carlos Bocanegra said. “With this team, we never feel like we are out of the game.”

Ranked just 106th in the world, El Salvador built a 2-0 lead against the No. 17 Americans before a boisterous crowd of 30,500 at Estadio Cuscatlan on goals by Eliseo Quintanilla in the 15th minute and Cristian Castillo in the 72nd.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP)—Iran’s state television says that Ali Daei has been fired as the national soccer coach after his team lost to Saudi Arabia in a World Cup qualifier.

The report on Sunday said that Daei was dismissed after “weak results in the World Cup qualifiers.” He was appointed in March 2008.

On Saturday, Iran lost 2-1 to Saudi Arabia in front of 100,000 people in Tehran, resulting in fans chanting for Daei’s resignation.

Iran is fourth in the five-team Group B of Asian World Cup qualifiers with six points from five games. North Korea leads the group with 10 points, followed by South Korea with eight and Saudi Arabia with 7.