Looking for Soccer News?

74' Aaronson squares up Ballard and charges into the Northern Ireland box. However, the defender recovers well to make an important challenge.

73' Robinson surges into the final third and he tries to offload towards Dike, but Ballard makes a good challenge before McLaughlin clears from the box.

71' Acosta runs at the Northern Ireland defence and he clips a cross towards the back post that just evades the runs of Lletget and Robinson.

68' SAVE! Charles has a charge at the USA defence and the ball sits up nicely for him to strike at goal. He powers an effort on the half-volley that Steffen has to watch all the way into his gloves.

65' CHANCE! Charles almost makes a decisive impact off the bench, but he bends his right-footed strike narrowly over the bar after being teed up by Lafferty.

64' OVER! Robinson skips past Kennedy with ease down the left flank and he sends a cutback into the middle. Aaronson guides the ball towards goal with his knee, but he sends his effort over the bar.

62' Siebatcheu wins a header against Brown, but then remains down after the fact. He has to receive treatment on the field.

59' PENALTY TO USA! Ballard brings down Pulisic on the charge and the referee points to the spot. The defender grazed the ball with his boot, but the official was adamant.

56' Reynolds has a dart at Ferguson down the right inside channel, and goes down under pressure from the wing-back. However, the referee is unmoved after the American appeals for a penalty.

53' Acosta floats a cross into the box from the right. Long rises to head at goal, but Evans is well placed to divert it wide of the right post.

52' Brown has to make an inch-perfect challenge to poke Pulisic's throughball away from Reyna on the charge in the right inside channel. The USA still have a corner to threaten from.

51' Ferguson floats a cross into the box from the left flank, but the visitors are able to clear their lines with ease.

50' Lavery continues to make probing runs and a surge down the left flank draws a foul from Long.

47' Lavery tries to latch on to a long ball forward from the back by Hazard, but he is caught offside. 

46' We're back underway at Windsor Park.

Northern Ireland have played decent football, but were undone by a piece of quality and bad luck on their count as Reyna's deflected strike found the net. The home side have created opportunities, but need to be more clinical in the final third to get back into the contest in the second half.

USA lead Northern Ireland 1-0 at the break courtesy of Giovanni Reyna's strike. The visitors went ahead in the 30th minute when Reyna produced a neat turn and strike that was deflected past Conor Hazard by Ciaron Brown. Ian Baraclough's men did have chances at the other end, but Kyle Lafferty and Shayne Lavery failed to convert in front of goal, allowing the USA to hold the advantage the interval.

45' + 1' HALF-TIME: NORTHERN IRELAND 0-1 USA

45' There will be one minute of added time.

43' Lavery makes another good run into the final third, but on this occasion Miazga gets back to produce a challenge and force the ball behind for a corner.

42' BLOCK! Reyna gets behind the Northern Ireland defence through the middle to latch on to a long ball from Long. He chests it back towards Siebatcheu, who drills an effort on the half-volley towards goal. Ballard puts his body on the line to make a vital block for the home side.

40' The home side have had two good chances, but have not been able to capitalise in front of goal.

38' SAVE! Lavery is released through on goal by Thompson and he surges into the box. He lines up a drive that is deflected by Miazga. It travels towards the bottom-left corner, but Steffen gets down to produce a solid stop.

37' Lafferty tries to send Lavery down the left flank, but Dest is there to edge out the forward and win a throw-in

35' There will be an element of frustration for the home side. They had control of the game, but one lapse and a deflection has allowed the Stars and Stripes to take the lead.

33' Steffen has to do well under pressure from a long ball over the top. He grabs and then releases the ball as he realises he will carry it over the edge of the box. Lavery was causing problems for the home side.

28' Saville clips the ankles of Pulisic on the charge, but the midfielder avoids a booking for bringing down the Chelsea man.

27' It has been a niggly game between the two teams. There have been a lot of free-kicks that have disrupted the tempo of the contest. 

25' Ballard climbs in the box to attempt to connect with Thompson's corner from the left flank, but the defender cannot guide his header on target.

25' Brown sends a throw long into the box from the left flank that Long has to head behind for a corner.

23' Ferguson gets the better of Dest down the left flank and wins a free-kick off the challenge of the Barcelona man.

21' Baraclough will be satisfied with the performance of his team. They've asked questions of the USA defence without being placed under pressure themselves.

19' Ireland win a free-kick down the left flank that Thompson sends into the box. Reyna clears in a jump with Saville before Evans latches on to the loose ball. He tries to strike at goal, only to send his effort comfortably wide.

17' Acosta loses out on the edge of his own box to Saville and Lavery feeds Lafferty. The skipper goes for an offload towards Saville on the charge into the penalty area, but he gets his pass all wrong sending it out for a throw-in.

16' CHANCE! Saville wins the ball in the middle of the park and he releases Lafferty through on goal. The forward takes a decent touch, but he places his right-footed strike wide of the left post.

14' Siebatcheu tries to flick a backheel towards Pulisic on the charge, but his offload is intercepted by Ballard in the home side's box.

12' BLOCK! Lafferty lines up the strike from the free-kick with a powerful low drive, but he sends his effort straight into the wall.

11' Evans remains down after the challenge and walks gingerly as he gets to his feet. His situation will need monitoring.

10' Evans is brought down by a tough challenge by Acosta on the edge of the box. It hands Northern Ireland a free-kick in a dangerous position.

7' Pulisic feeds Robinson down the left inside channel and he sends a dangerous low ball across the face of goal that evades all the white shirts in the middle.

6' Dest makes a probing run down the right flank and he forces a low cross towards Reyna, but Evans reacts in the box to steer it away from the winger.

3' Both sides are keen to get their foot on the ball in the early stages of the contest, but neither can carve out a shooting opportunity.

1' We're underway at Windsor Park.

Northern Ireland have lost just two of their last 15 friendly matches (W8 D5), winning their last two, although this is their first since October 2019 vs Czech Republic.

Berhalter has made four changes to his side from their win over Jamaica last time out. Miazga starts in place of John Brooks in the backline, while Robinson replaces Reggie Cannon. Dest switches from the left to the right side of the USA defence. Ream comes into the team in the middle of the park as Lletget drops to the bench. Siebatcheu replaces Sargent through the middle of the line to spearhead the attack.

Only Evans retains his place in the Northern Ireland starting line-up from their 2-0 defeat to Italy last time out. Baraclough rings the changes as Hazard starts ahead of Peacock-Farrell, while McLaughlin, Brown, Ballard and Ferguson start in the back four. Saville joins Evans in the middle of the park with Kennedy and Thompson operating on the wings. Lafferty leads the line alongside Lavery.

USA SUBS: Joshua Sargent, Brenden Aaronson, Luca De La Torre, Owen Otasowie, Chris Richards, Sebatian Lletget, Christian Cappis, Bryan Reynolds, Daryl Dike, Ethan Horvath, Erik Palmer-Brown, Chituru Odunze.

USA (4-3-3): Zack Steffen; Sergino Dest, Aaron Long, Matt Miazga, Antonee Robinson; Yunus Musah, Tim Ream, Kellyn Acosta; Giovanni Reyna, Jordan Siebatcheu, Christian Pulisic.

NORTHERN IRELAND SUBS: Jamal Lewis, Niall McGinn, Dion Charles, Bailey Peacock-Farrell, Stuart Dallas, Alastair McCann, Paddy McNair, Gavin Whyte, Michael Smith, Craig Cathcart, Josh Magennis, Liam Hughes.

NORTHERN IRELAND (4-4-2): Conor Hazard; Conor McLaughlin, Ciaron Brown, Danny Ballard, Shane Ferguson; Matthew Kennedy, George Saville, Corry Evans, Jordan Thompson; Shayne Lavery, Kyle Lafferty.

The USA have been in exceptional form of late, winning their last four matches. The Stars and Stripes crushed Jamaica 4-1 in their last outing as goals from Sergino Dest, Brenden Aaronson and a brace from Sebastian Lletget delivered a comfortable victory. Gregg Berhalter's men are building a solid foundation ahead of an important summer for the USMNT.   

Northern Ireland kicked off their 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign on a low note, losing 2-0 to Italy on the road. Goals from Domenico Berardi and Ciro Immobile condemned Ian Baraclough's men to defeat in Parma. Norn Iron now need to find their form against the USA to secure a win to build confidence, having gone 18 months without recording a victory in regulation. 

Good afternoon and welcome to the live commentary of the friendly match between Northern Ireland and the USA at Windsor Park.

83' England surely have the win wrapped up here. Now it's just a case of the visitors seeing this game out.

77' Rice puts the ball out of play for the first Albanian corner of the game. Kane makes a strong header away.

76' Albania enjoy a rare spell on the ball. Hysaj's cross from the right is a dangerous one and Pope steams out to punch clear, cleaning out Maguire in the process.

75' England have been in total control in this second half. They still need to have their wits about them though and make sure they don't give Albania any silly opportunities in the final 15 minutes of this game. 

72' Ward-Prowse escapes the attentions of Gjasula to burst down the right. He's got Kane waiting in the centre but can't find his teammate as Albania get back to block.

70' England see off Albania's free-kick from the left easily enough. The visitors are about to make their first change of the game.

67' England get a free-kick outside the box as Sterling's brought down by Laci. Mount's attempted pass through for a teammate is wayward.

65' That's Mount's fourth goal for England. Three of them have been assisted by Kane. Kane's had a direct hand in 18 goals in his last 13 England appearances now. He's so crucial to this England side.

61' Berisha tries a throughball for Uzuni who's offside.

58' Berisha races out of his goal to smother the ball as Sterling looks to race onto it. Hysaj's subtle tug on Sterling makes Berisha's job earlier.

56' Sterling earns another England corner as Djimsiti slides in. The corner hits the knee of Kane at the near post and goes out for an Albania goal-kick. Albania are preparing substitutions.

55' England take the corner short and quickly, keeping possession from it. The visitors have upped their tempo greatly since the half-time break.

54' England get a corner as Walker drives into space in Albania's box and cuts back from the byline. Djimsiti is the man who blocks it for Albania.

53' England patiently thread the ball through the middle, eventually finding Walker. Walker's cross from deep is booted away but England will come right back.

52' Stones angles a pass out wide to Shaw who lays off to Mount. Mount sends Sterling through down the left who finds Foden. Berisha tips Foden's low effort onto the left-hand post and out! That was great play from England.

51' England are pressing higher up the pitch now. They seem to have a little more energy early in this second half than they did for most of the first. 

49' Broja robs Rice but can't get past Maguire. Pope booms forward for England and Rice gallops onto the second ball to keep it for the visitors.

48' Sterling tries to get the better of Hysaj who does well to keep the ball under control and get Albania out of trouble.

47' Berisha hurls the ball to Albania's right where England appeal for a push on Mount. The referee isn't interested.

45' Albania get the second half going. No changes for either team at half-time.

Kane has scored in each of his last eight away qualifying matches now, the longest ever run by an England player. At this level the England captain is a cut above his opponents. Kane's goal will have settled England's nerves but they still need to be careful in the second half with Uzuni giving them a scare early on.

Kane's downward header is the difference at the break between Albania and England. It's his first England goal since November 2019. England were sluggish for most of the first half but started to make their dominance show as half-time approached. Albania have worked hard and have had a few chances but haven't worried Pope too much.

45' HALF-TIME: ALBANIA 0-1 ENGLAND

45' Berisha catches Kane's cross from the right with Phillips waiting to get on the end of it. That'll be all for now.

43' After a slow start England appear to have woken up. The visitors' lead is timely for them as we approach the half-time break.

41' England almost make it 2-0! Sterling checks onto his right foot to cross from the left and Kane is loitering at the far post. Memolla has no clue that Kane's there and Kane smacks the ball against the crossbar. It should have been a goal.

40' Kane has now scored at 17 different stadiums while playing for England. Only Wayne Rooney (27) and Michael Owen (25) have scored at more. Kane's a man who enjoys his travels.

37' England are looking very predictable. Albania are successfully holding the visitors at arm's length at the moment.

35' Broja scampers down the right to try to latch onto a ball down the line. The midfielder's unable to stop it from going out for an England goal-kick.

34' England circulate the ball from left to right and Albania intercept. Rice trips over Cikalleshi and concedes the free-kick.

33' That Walker shot was the first shot on target in this match. It hasn't been a classic so far, it's fair to say.

32' Maguire is fouled by Broja in England's half. Walker goes for goal from distance and it bounces through to Berisha. That's England's best scoring opportunity so far, which says a lot.

30' Djimsiti clears Stones' direct ball into the box. Foden and Mount are occupying similar space on the right at the moment, making things a little congested for England.

29' Sterling, who's on the left for now, gets a little nibble from Hysaj and earns a free-kick. Foden swings it in and Albania see it away.

28' Foden has been England's brightest spark so far. The midfielder fires across goal from the right. Ismajli makes sure to get rid.

27' Djimsiti reads Shaw's ball in well and stops Sterling from reaching it. That's good defending by the Atalanta defender.

26' Rice has completed all 35 of his passes so far. It's not helping England much at the moment though as they're mostly in safe areas of the pitch.

24' We're halfway through the first half and the best chance so far has gone to Albania. Ismajli has a shot from outside the box blocked and a rogue clearance by Pope goes out for an Albania throw-in. Pope is less comfortable with the ball at his feet than England's usual goalkeeper Pickford.

22' Kane slams the free-kick into the wall. Albania get a free-kick of their own due to some England jostling anyway.

20' Foden picks up possession in an inside-right position and passes to Mount who gets crunched by Ismajli and Bare. England have a free-kick just inside the D.

18' England are trying to pass through Albania but the hosts aren't giving them any space. Foden fires the ball into the penalty area looking for Kane. It's quickly cleared.

16' Maguire gets hassled by Uzuni and is awarded the free-kick. Albania are doing a decent job of frustrating England so far.

14' England get their third corner of the game down their right. Kane meets it and the ball trickles wide of the right-hand post. The whistle blows for an England foul in the box though.

13' Albania deal with the corner and look to counter. Uzuni approaches the D and lets fly but his shot goes sailing over the crossbar. That's a warning for England.

11' Foden tries to race in behind Ismajli, pressuring the defender into a header that Berisha can't keep in play. It'll be another England corner.

9' Foden takes the corner, sending it towards the far post. Stones flies in to meet it but can't keep his header down.

8' Foden takes the ball down on the left, plays a one-two with Shaw and crosses in towards Mount. England get their first corner of the game out of it.

7' Phillips draws a foul from Bare near the centre circle. Albania are sitting deep until England approach the halfway line, at which point they pounce.

5' It looks as though Foden will play on the left flank and Sterling on the right for England for now. Albania are playing a 3-5-2. Foden loses possession to Cikalleshi who himself loses his footing. England quickly get the ball back.

3' England get themselves comfortable on the ball with Albania remaining patient. Sterling drifts inside from the right and looks to play a pass to Phillips. Memolla is there to intercept.

1' Shaw bustles down the left in an attempt to create a crossing opportunity. The ball gets played off him for an Albania goal-kick.

1' England get this World Cup qualifying match underway!

The two teams are out on the pitch in Tirana. England's players drone through God Save The Queen. Albania sing Himni i Flamurit with a little more gusto.

England have won all four of their previous matches against Albania, with all four of those games coming in the qualifiers for the 1990 and 2002 World Cups. Albania have come on leaps and bounds since then though. They have the potential to make life difficult for England today.

Albania make five changes from their 1-0 win in Andorra. Their centre-back Kumbulla is missing after sustaining a knee injury. There are six changes to England from their dismissal of San Marino. Their captain Kane comes in.

SUBS: Sam Johnstone, Dean Henderson, Jude Bellingham, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Reece James, James Ward-Prowse, Jesse Lingard, Ben Chilwell, Tyrone Mings, Kieran Trippier, Ollie Watkins, Conor Coady.

ENGLAND (4-3-3): Nick Pope; Kyle Walker, John Stones, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw; Mason Mount, Kalvin Phillips, Declan Rice; Phil Foden, Harry Kane (c), Raheem Sterling.

SUBS: Ledian Memushaj, Erion Hoxhallari, Ylber Ramadani, Arlind Ajeti, Thomas Strakosha, Gentian Selmani, Rey Manaj, Klaus Gjasula, Florian Kamberi, Sherif Kallaku, Ermir Lenjani, Albi Doka.

ALBANIA (4-3-3): Etrit Berisha (c); Elseid Hysaj, Ardian Ismajli, Berat Djimsiti, Frederic Veseli; Qazim Laci, Keidi Bare, Hysen Memolla; Myrto Uzuni, Sokol Cikalleshi, Armando Broja.  

England are also looking to make it two wins from two after comfortably seeing off San Marino 5-0 at Wembley a few days ago. Gareth Southgate's side are still favourites to win here - England last lost away from home in a World Cup qualifier way back in 2009 to Ukraine - but this game is by no means a walkover.

It's 20 years to the day since England last played away at Albania, winning 3-1 in Tirana in March 2001. Albania have grown in recent years though. Edoardo Reja's team have won their last four consecutive matches and are looking to start their World Cup qualifying campaign with two wins after beating Andorra 1-0 last time out.

Hello! Welcome to our live text commentary of this 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA group I match between Albania and England at Air Albania Stadium, Tirana.

81' Torres has scored four of Spain's last seven goals, with three of them coming in the second half of games.

77' CHANCE! Alba cuts inside from the left and lays the ball off to Olmo. He has his back to goal, so turns away from Dvali before drilling a low shot towards the far bottom corner, but he drags it well wide of the post.

75' It's a good move from Spain as Pedri slides the ball out to Alba on the left and he fizzes a first-time cross into the six-yard box. Morata is running onto it through the middle, but Loria is quickly off his line to cut it out at the near post.

69' Georgia break quickly again with Lobzhanidze leading the counter-attack down the right this time. He fizzes a low cross into Kvilitaia on the edge of the box, but Martinez is there for Spain again to clear the danger.

67' Kankava sees Kvaratskhelia breaking down the right for Georgia after they win the ball back on the edge of their own box and he tries to set him on the counter with a long ball over the top. Martinez reads it well though and makes the interception for Spain.

64' Martinez plays a good throughball into Pedri and he rides the challenge from Kankava before driving towards the box. He touches it out to Olmo on the left and he can't keep hold of it under pressure from Kashia.

60' It's played out to Alba on the left again and he tries to whip his cross to Torres on the edge of the box, but it's blocked by Gvilia. There are some half-hearted shouts for a penalty for handball, but the referee waves away the claims.

58' Georgia are pushing forward in an attempt to get their lead back and it's frantic at the back for Spain as a corner is swung into the box. Simon just manages to reach it ahead of Zivzivadze and he gets some distance on his punch.

54' Ruiz takes the corner quickly, trying to catch out Georgia by drilling it into the near post, but it's cleared back to him by Kashia. He floats his second cross into the middle for Garcia, but he can't head his effort on goal.

52' Alba is trying to make something happen down the left, but just like in the first half, the final pass is letting Spain down. He gets away from Kakabadze but then swings his cross straight to Dvali in the middle.

50' Georgia have everyone sitting deep as Spain push forward again and the visitors just can't find a way through their defence. Torres tries to have a go from range, but his effort loops up off Giorbelidze and Loria comes off his line to collect it.

48' Spain have made a bright start to the second half and are putting Georgia under a lot of early pressure here. It's worked out to Porro on the left and he's looking for Morata with his cross, but it's flicked out for a corner by Kakabadze.

46' Spain get us back underway for the second half!

Spain dominated possession in the first half, but their play in the final third let them down a lot and they barely troubled Loria, which Enrique will want to see that change in the second half. Georgia looked dangerous every time they broke forward though, with Kvaratskhelia causing the most problems, and Sagnol will be very pleased with his team so far.

Georgia take a 1-0 lead over Spain into the break. It's been a game of few chances and Spain had the best one early on when Torres curled a shot towards the near post which was saved by Loria. Kashia saw a header pushed away by Simon at the other end and Kvaratskhelia gave them the lead just before half-time when he drilled his low shot across goal and into the far bottom corner.

45' HALF-TIME: GEORGIA 1-0 SPAIN.

42' CHANCE! Gil is picked out in space on the edge of the box but he chooses to pick out Alba instead of having a shot. They work it back to Torres in the middle but he leans back as he hits the shot and fires it high over the bar.

40' It looks like Ruiz has overrun the ball, but he does well to keep it in play and touch it back to Porro, who swings a good cross into the box. Morata meets it in the middle, but his first touch is poor and he gifts it to Kashia.

38' Spain's frustration is starting to show after a free-kick is given against Morata for a handball. Enrique isn't happy with the decisions going against his side and he's making his feelings clear on the sideline.

36' Spain's passing into the final third is letting them down at the moment and making it hard for them to get in behind Georgia. Llorente tries to pick out Porro down the right, but there's too much on the throughball and it goes straight out of play.

34' Gil goes to ground in the box after stretching to try and meet Porro's low cross and he's asking for a penalty. There was a coming together between him and Dvali, but there was nothing in it and the referee waves play on.

32' It's a great ball over the top from Garcia to pick out Porro and none of the Georgia defenders have spotted his run down the right. His first touch lets him down though and Giorbelidze is quickly across to win it back.

30' Yet again, Spain are keeping the ball well which means Georgia have dropped deep in their own half to close down the space. Ruiz is looking for Morata with his throughball into the box, but it's collected by Loria.

28' Lobzhanidze intercepts Busquets' pass and sets Georgia off on another quick break. He has a lot of support up with him, but he chooses to go for goal himself, cutting inside and drilling a shot on goal from outside the box, but it's blocked by Llorente.

26' Spain don't get their lines clear following a Georgia corner and the hosts are on the attack again. Kiteishvili's first touch is heavy, but it bounces to Kvaratskhelia, who takes the shot first time, only to see it blocked by Garcia.

24' Spain switch play out to the right with Torres and he plays a one-two with Ruiz to try and open up some space in behind Giorbelidze. He sets off too early for the return pass though and the flag goes up against him.

22' Again, Alba and Gil link up well down the left wing and the defender fizzes a dangerous cross into the six-yard box. Dvali misses it as he dives in but he managed to put off Torres and he misses the ball and the chance for a tap-in.

20' Morata peels off the back of Kashia and Busquets spots the run early so he plays a long ball over the top to try and pick out the run. The defender recovers well though and manages to hook it away from Morata at the near post.

18' GOOD SAVE! It's a great cross in from the corner and Kashia reacts quickest in the middle to flick his header on goal. He sends it into the ground and  Simon gets down quickly to smother his effort.

17' Georgia are causing Spain real problems every time they break forward and Kvaratskhelia is at the heart of it at the moment. He plays it in towards Zivzivadze in the middle, but Garcia cuts out the cross. 

15' It's Kvaratskhelia that steps up to take the free-kick and he swings a cross into the crowd waiting in the middle. None of the Georgia players attack the ball though and Simon comes off his line to punch it away.

11' GOOD SAVE! Gil's first touch takes the ball away from him and he ends up running into Kashia just inside the box. He goes down but it falls kindly for Torres who hits a shot on goal, but it's pushed away at the near post by Loria.

10' Spain are still finding a lot of joy down their left side, with Alba making another overlapping run to get into space. He curls a cross into the middle towards Morata, but it's blocked by Dvali.

8' Torres does well to weave his way between the two Georgia defenders closing him down on the right and he drives into the box before trying to pick out Morata. Kashia reads it well though and gets back to intercept the cross.

4' Georgia have everyone sitting back in their own box and trying to block the space ahead of Spain. Ruiz manages to pick out Torres on the edge of the box and he drills a shot on goal which is deflected out for a corner by Dvali.

2' Spain are seeing a lot of the ball in the opening minutes here and Alba has already made a couple of good runs down the left side. He drives forward again, getting away from Giorbelidze but then hits his cross against Dvali.

1' Kiteishvili gets the game underway for Georgia! 

The teams are out on the pitch now, with kick-off just moments away.

Spain have won two of their three games against Georgia, both in the 2014 World Cup Qualifiers. Their only defeat against them was in a friendly match in June 2016.

Luis Enrique makes seven changes to his team after their draw with Greece last time out, with only Simon, Garcia, Torres and Morata retaining their places from that game.

Willy Sagnol makes four changes to the side that lost to Sweden on Thursday, as he brings in Kakabadze, Gvilia, Kiteishvili and Zivzivadze. Chabradze, Aburjania, Kvekveskiri and Kvilitaia drop to the bench.

SPAIN SUBS: Marcos Llorente, Koke, Rodrigo, Dani Olmo, Thiago Alcantara, Sergio Ramos, Inigo Martinez, Sergio Canales, Jose Gaya, David de Gea, Robert Sanchez, Mikel Oyarzabal.

SPAIN STARTING XI (4-1-4-1): Unai Simon; Pedro Porro, Eric Garcia, Diego Llorente, Jordi Alba; Sergio Busquets; Ferran Torres, Fabian Ruiz, Pedri, Bryan Gil; Alvaro Morata.

GEORGIA SUBS: Lazare Kupatadze, Giorgi Aburjania, Giorgi Mamardashvili, Nika Kvekveskiri, Lasha Paranashvili, Jambul Jigauri, Giorgi Beridze, Grigol Chabradze, Gia Grigalava, Levan Shengelia, Giorgi Kvilitaia, Mamuka Kobakhidze.

GEORGIA STARTING XI (4-2-3-1): Giorgi Loria; Guram Giorbelidze, Lasha Dvali, Guram Kashia, Otar Kakabadze; Jaba Kankava, Valeriane Gvilia; Saba Lobzhanidze, Otar Kiteishvili, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia; Budu Zivzivadze.

Spain couldn't get off to a winning start in the group after Greece came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw in the opening game on Thursday, with Luis Enrique's side having won just one of their last four in all competitions (D2 L1). Georgia's qualifying campaign didn't get off to a good start either as they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Sweden, and they come into this match winless in their last six in all competitions (D3 L3).

Hello and welcome to live coverage of the World Cup Qualifier in Group B between Georgia and Spain at the Boris Paichadze Stadium!

46' France get us back underway for the second half! 

For all of France's possession in the first half, they didn't actually create many clear cut chances, with their only shot on target being Dembele's goal. Deschamps will be happy with the lead, but he'll still want to see an improvement going forward. As for Kazakhstan, they've done well to limit France's chances, and Baysufinov won't be too disappointed with their performance so far.

France take a 2-0 lead over Kazakhstan into the break. It's been a game of few chances at both ends, with Dembele breaking the deadlock 19 minutes in when he was played in by Martial just inside the box and he drilled his shot into the far bottom corner. They doubled their lead just before half-time when Maliy headed a corner into the back of his own net.

45' + 1' HALF-TIME: KAZAKHSTAN 0-2 FRANCE.

43' GREAT BLOCK! Mokin rushes off his line to close down Lemar on the left of the box, but he chips a cross over him and Alip towards Martial in the middle. Maliy races back into his box and just gets there in time to take it off the forward's head.

41' Vassilev cuts inside from the left, wrongfooting Dubois, and picking out Muzhikov who has space to run into. He takes too long to decide what he wants to do though which gives Zouma chance to win it back for France.

39' Kazakhstan still have everyone sitting back in their own half as France patiently play out from the back and Ndombele tries to speed things up by playing in Griezmann. He lays it off to Digne, but Nurgaliev cuts it out for the hosts.

37' Lenglet spots Dembele's run as he gets in between the Kazakhstan defenders and into the box, so he plays a long ball over the top towards him. He brings it down on the stretch, only for the offside flag to go up against him.

35' Kazakhstan are keeping possession in their own half at the moment, just knocking it around between their defenders as France sit back and invite them forward, but the hosts are in no hurry to mount an attack.

33' France break quickly on the counter with Ndombele picking out Ndombele's run down the left of the box. He holds it up well before trying to square it to Griezmann, but Bystrov is there to cut it out for Kazakhstan.

31' France are moving the ball upfield a lot quicker now and Pogba turns to play a throughball into Martial, who cuts into the box from the left. There's too much on the pass though and he can't keep it in play at the near post.

29' The initial free-kick is cleared by France, but Kazakhstan win it back and Valiullin is picked out in space just outside the box. He takes the shot first time, but slices at it and his effort flies high and wide of the near post.

27' Valiullin gets the better of Dubois down the left and he plays a one-two with Vassiljev to try and open up more space. Pogba and Ndombele both get back to help out and the wing-back gets sandwiched between the two to win a free-kick.

25' Lemar is caught on the ball by Vassiljev and he instantly plays a throughball into Fedin, who turns away from Dubois. He has no one up in support with him though and Lenglet gets back to nick it off him while he tries to hold it up.

23' Fedin's loose back pass to Tagybergen is picked off by Dembele and he turns away from the midfielder to run on goal. He tries to play in Martial ahead of him, but Alip is covering and comes away with the ball.

21' Kazakhstan just can't get a touch on the ball at the moment as France push forward again. The hosts are trying to close them down quickly, but Dubois just ghosts past Valiullin down the right.

18' It's a rare chance for Kazakhstan to break forward with Valiullin chasing down Muzhikov's pass down the left, but he has Dubois with him all the way. He hits his cross against the defender and France have it back again.

16' It's a great ball over the top from Ndombele to pick out Digne's run into the box and he hooks it back from the byline. He put it into a good area, but Griezmann didn't gamble on it and Erlanov clears his lines.

14' Martial drives into the box from the right and he has Griezmann with him in support, but he chooses to go for goal himself. He drills a shot towards the near post, but Alip gets back quickly to block it.

12' Pogba's throughball somehow gets through to Martial and he does well to hold off Erlanov as he turns to get a sight of goal. Maliy is closing him down as well though and he stops him from getting a shot away.

10' Still, France are keeping possession well and keeping Kazakhstan penned back in their own half, but they're not in any hurry to get into the final third. Pogba lays it off to Digne before continuing his run into the box, but the left-back chooses to go back to Lenglet.

8' Kazakhstan win a free-kick on the right and Bystrov takes it short to Muzhikov before getting it back. He swings a deep cross into the far post, but Lloris is there to collect it ahead of Fedin.

6' Lloris almost plays himself into trouble in his own six-yard box after he takes a poor first touch after Lenglet plays it back to him. Fedin is quick to close him down but the goalkeeper just manages to hook it clear of his goal.

4' It's well worked by France with a series of one-two passes to switch play from right to left and open up some space in behind Kazakhstan. Griezmann tries to pick out Lemar's run into the box, with a throughball, but it's intercepted by Maliy.

2' France are seeing a lot of the ball in the opening minutes and Pogba spots Martial peeling away from Alip on the edge of the box. He tries to pick him out with a long pass over the top, but the forward can't reach it on the stretch.

1' Fedin gets the game underway for Kazakhstan!

The teams are out on the pitch now, with kick-off just moments away.

Griezmann has played the last 45 games for the French national team - the longest streak for a Les Bleus player since the post-war era.

Didier Deschamps also makes nine changes after his side's draw with Ukraine on Thursday, with only Lloris and Griezmann staying in the line-up today.

Talgat Baysufinov makes nine changes from the team that played in their last outing against Lithuania in the Nations League in November, with only Alip and Tagybergen retaining their places.

FRANCE SUBS: Olivier Giroud, Raphael Varane, Mike Maignan, Adrien Rabiot, Moussa Sissoko, Steve Mandanda, Benjamin Pavard, Ferland Mendy, Lucas Hernandez, Kylian Mbappe, Wissam Ben Yedder, Kingsley Coman.

FRANCE STARTING XI (4-2-3-1): Hugo Lloris; Leo Dubois, Kurt Zouma, Clement Lenglet, Lucas Digne; Paul Pogba, Tanguy Ndombele; Thomas Lemar, Antoine Griezmann, Ousmane Dembele; Anthony Martial.

KAZAKHSTAN SUBS: Daniar Usenov, Ramazan Orazov, Stas Pokatilov, Ramazan Karimov, Abzal Beysebekov, Elkhan Astanov, Aleksandr Marochkin, Maksim Samorodov, Yerkebulan Tungyshbayev, Mukhamedjan Seysen, Timur Dosmagambetov, Yan Vorogovskiy.

KAZAKHSTAN STARTING XI (5-4-1): Alexandr Mokin; Marat Bystrov, Temirlan Erlanov, Sergiy Maliy, Nuraly Alip, Ruslan Valiullin; Serikzhan Muzhikov, Askhat Tagybergen, Vladislav Vassiljev, Azat Nurgaliev; Maxim Fedin.

France were left shocked in their opening qualifier when a second-half own goal sealed a 1-1 draw with Ukraine for the current World Champions. As for Kazakhstan, they're the last ones in the group to get their qualification campaign underway. It's their first match in 2021 and they're winless in their last five competitive outings (D1 L4), with their last win coming in their opening Nations League game in September last year.

Hello and welcome to live coverage of the World Cup Qualifier in Group D between Kazakhstan and France at the Astana Arena!