WC 2014 Qualifiers: Spain Beat Georgia 1-0; France Beat Belarus 3-1

World Champions Spain defeated Georgia 1-0 in their opening WC qualifying match at the Boris Paichadze National Stadium, Tbilisi on Sept 11, 2012 thanks to Valencia’s Roberto Soldado late strike in the 86th minute. After the match, Spain’s defender Sergio Ramos blamed Georgia’s defensive tactics and bad pitch for La Roja’s narrow victory.

In another WC qualifying match, France had a comprehensive 3-1 victory over Belarus at Stade de France, Paris. Etienne Capoue, Christophe Jallet and Ribéry found the net for Les Bleus.