1994 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA – Group 3)
Group 3 consisted of seven of the 39 teams entered into the European zone:[1] Albania, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and Spain. These seven teams competed on a home-and-away basis for two of the 12 spots in the final tournament allocated to the European zone, with the group's winner and runner-up claiming those spots. All of the games played in Spain were played in both the Pizjuan and Villamarin stadiums in Seville; this was because of the warmer weather there.
One of the most popular topics of the group was the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland being in the same group. The Republic would clinch qualification in the final round of games by drawing away to their northern rivals, while Spain's 1-0 win over Denmark meant they qualified as winners. Spain qualified with the best record among the group winners. In one of the closest qualifying groups, just one point separated the top three sides. Republic of Ireland qualified at Denmark's expense only on goals scored, as their points and goal difference were identical.
Standings
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Spain |
12 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 27 | 4 | +23 | 19 |
 Republic of Ireland |
12 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 19 | 6 | +13 | 18 |
 Denmark |
12 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 15 | 2 | +13 | 18 |
 Northern Ireland |
12 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 13 | +1 | 13 |
.svg.png){kind=small} Lithuania |
12 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 21 | −13 | 7 |
 Latvia |
12 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 21 | −17 | 5 |
 Albania |
12 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 6 | 26 | −20 | 4 |
Results
28 April 1992 |
| Northern Ireland |
2–2 | Lithuania |
|---|---|---|
Wilson  13'Taggart 16' |
Report | Narbekovas 41' Fridrikas 48' |
24 February 1993 |
| Spain |
5–0 | Lithuania |
|---|---|---|
| Cristóbal 5' Bakero 12'Beguiristain 17'Christiansen 86'Aldana 90' |
Report |
14 April 1993 |
| Lithuania |
3–1 | Albania |
|---|---|---|
| Baltušnikas 20' Sukristovas 25'Baranauskas 63' |
Report | Demollari 86' |
Notes
- ↑ Only 37 of the entered teams actually competed in the qualification tournament: Germany qualified for the World Cup automatically as defending champions and Liechtenstein withdrew before the draw was made Additionally, Yugoslavia was suspended by FIFA due to UN sanctions stemming from the Yugoslav wars.
- ↑ Other sources attribute this goal as an own goal by Baltušnikas of Lithuania.
External links
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