Play-off permutations: Croatia sneaks in, Slovakia hanging by a thread
Croatia and the Republic of Ireland clinched play-off berths Monday, producing clutch wins away from home to extend their hopes of reaching the 2018 World Cup.
Slovakia's chances of qualifying are virtually over despite Sunday's 3-0 victory over Group F bottom-feeder Malta. Only a win by Bosnia and Herzegovina - now reduced to the role of spoiler - and a slip-up by Greece against lowly Gibraltar would thrust Slovakia back into the top eight.
The play-off table reflects every result except those against the worst teams in each qualifying group. The FIFA rankings will then determine which teams are seeded for November's two-legged fixtures.
| # | Team | GP | Pts | GD | GF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portugal | 7 | 18 | +18 | 22 |
| 2 | Italy | 8 | 17 | +4 | 12 |
| 3 | Denmark | 8 | 14 | +7 | 13 |
| 4 | Croatia | 8 | 14 | +4 | 8 |
| 5 | Sweden | 7 | 13 | +10 | 17 |
| 6 | Northern Ireland | 8 | 13 | +4 | 10 |
| 7 | Greece | 8 | 13 | +4 | 9 |
| 8 | Republic of Ireland | 8 | 13 | +2 | 7 |
| 9 | Slovakia | 8 | 12 | +5 | 11 |
A pair of second-half goals from Andrej Kramaric helped Croatia avoid a disastrous end to its qualifying campaign. Monday's 2-0 victory over Ukraine erased the shame of last Friday's 1-1 draw with Finland, which led to the firing of head coach Ante Cacic on the weekend.
In very little time, replacement Zlatko Dalic managed to find the right formula for success in Kyiv.
Ireland, meanwhile, needed a win in Cardiff to assure itself of a play-off spot. James McClean provided just that, his opportunistic strike in the heart of the penalty area giving the Bhoys in Green a 1-0 victory.
There are only a few more scenarios at play Tuesday. Portugal can still secure first place in Group B - and an automatic spot in the World Cup - with a win over Switzerland.
Sweden's likely to finish as the Group A runner-up, so long as it avoids a loss by a seven-goal margin against the Netherlands.
And Greece can wrap up a play-off berth with a win or draw in a manageable match against Gibraltar. Slovakia would only have life if Greece were to lose and Bosnia defeats Estonia.
The play-off draw takes place Oct. 17, with FIFA set to release a new set of rankings the day before.