1998 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 2

Group 2 consisted of five of the 50 teams entered into the European zone:{{efn|Only 49 of the entered teams actually competed in the qualification tournament: France qualified for the World Cup automatically as host.}} England, Georgia, Italy, Moldova, and Poland. These five teams competed on a home-and-away basis for two of the 15 spots in the final tournament allocated to the European zone, with the group's winner and runner-up claiming those spots.

Standings

{{#invoke:sports table|main|style=WDL

|res_col_header=Q

|team1=ENG|name_ENG={{Fb|ENG}}

|team2=ITA|name_ITA={{Fb|ITA}}

|team3=POL|name_POL={{Fb|POL}}

|team4=GEO|name_GEO={{Fb|GEO|1990}}

|team5=MDA|name_MDA={{Fb|MDA}}

|result1=WC |result2=WCPO

|col_WC=green1 |text_WC=Qualification to {{nobreak|1998 FIFA World Cup}}

|col_WCPO=blue1 |text_WCPO=Advance to {{nobreak|second round}}

|show_matches=y

|short_style=flag

|match_ENG_GEO=2–0

|match_ENG_ITA=0–1

|match_ENG_MDA=4–0

|match_ENG_POL=2–1

|match_GEO_ENG=0–2

|match_GEO_ITA=0–0

|match_GEO_MDA=2–0

|match_GEO_POL=3–0

|match_ITA_ENG=0–0

|match_ITA_GEO=1–0

|match_ITA_MDA=3–0

|match_ITA_POL=3–0

|match_MDA_ENG=0–3

|match_MDA_GEO=0–1

|match_MDA_ITA=1–3

|match_MDA_POL=0–3

|match_POL_ENG=0–2

|match_POL_GEO=4–1

|match_POL_ITA=0–0

|match_POL_MDA=2–1

|update=complete|source={{cite web |title=FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) 1998, football - table and standings |url=https://soccer365.me/competitions/739/1998/ |website=soccer365.me |access-date=9 May 2024}}

}}

Matches

{{football box |id="Moldova v England"

|date = 1 September 1996

|time = 18:00 UTC+3

|team1 = {{Fb-rt|MDA}}

|score = 0–3

|report = [http://allworldcup.narod.ru/1998/PROTOCOL/QUALIF/UEFA/G2/MOLVSENG.HTM Report]

|team2 = {{Fb|ENG}}

|goals1 =

|goals2 = Barmby {{goal|24}}
Gascoigne {{goal|26}}
Shearer {{goal|61}}

|stadium = Republican Stadium, Chişinău

|attendance = 9,500

|referee = Ilkka Koho (Finland)

}}

----

{{football box |id="Moldova v Italy"

|date = 5 October 1996

|time = 21:15 UTC+3

|team1 = {{Fb-rt|MDA}}

|score = 1–3

|report = [http://allworldcup.narod.ru/1998/PROTOCOL/QUALIF/UEFA/G2/MOLVSITA.HTM Report]

|team2 = {{Fb|ITA}}

|goals1 = Curtianu {{goal|12}}

|goals2 = Ravanelli {{goal|8||87}}
Casiraghi {{goal|67}}

|stadium = Republican Stadium, Chişinău

|attendance = 4,085

|referee = Gerd Grabher (Austria)

}}

----

{{football box |id="England v Poland"

|date = 9 October 1996

|time = 20:00 UTC+1

|team1 = {{Fb-rt|ENG}}

|score = 2–1

|report = [http://allworldcup.narod.ru/1998/PROTOCOL/QUALIF/UEFA/G2/ENGVSPOL.HTM Report]

|team2 = {{Fb|POL}}

|goals1 = Shearer {{goal|25||38}}

|goals2 = Citko {{goal|7}}

|stadium = Wembley, London

|attendance = 74,663

|referee = Hellmut Krug (Germany)

}}

{{football box |id="Italy v Georgia"

|date = 9 October 1996

|time = 20:30 UTC+2

|team1 = {{Fb-rt|ITA}}

|score = 1–0

|report = [http://allworldcup.narod.ru/1998/PROTOCOL/QUALIF/UEFA/G2/ITAVSGEO.HTM Report]

|team2 = {{Fb|GEO|1990}}

|goals1 = Ravanelli {{goal|43}}

|goals2 =

|stadium = Stadio Renato Curi, Perugia

|attendance = 14,012

|referee = Eric Blareau (Belgium)

}}

----

{{football box |id="Georgia v England"

|date = 9 November 1996

|time = 16:00 UTC+4

|team1 = {{Fb-rt|GEO|1990}}

|score = 0–2

|report = [http://allworldcup.narod.ru/1998/PROTOCOL/QUALIF/UEFA/G2/GEOVSENG.HTM Report]

|team2 = {{Fb|ENG}}

|goals1 =

|goals2 = Sheringham {{goal|15}}
Ferdinand {{goal|37}}

|stadium = Boris Paichadze Stadium, Tbilisi

|attendance = 48,000

|referee = Jorge Monteiro Coroado (Portugal)

}}

{{football box |id="Poland v Moldova"

|date = 10 November 1996

|time = 20:15 UTC+2

|team1 = {{Fb-rt|POL}}

|score = 2–1

|report = [http://allworldcup.narod.ru/1998/PROTOCOL/QUALIF/UEFA/G2/POLVSMOL.HTM Report]

|team2 = {{Fb|MDA}}

|goals1 = Bałuszyński {{goal|4}}
K. Warzycha {{goal|77|pen.}}

|goals2 = Cleşcenco {{goal|83|pen.}}

|stadium = GKS Stadium, Katowice

|attendance = 8,000

|referee = Sotirios Vorgias (Greece)

}}

----

{{football box |id="England v Italy"

|date = 12 February 1997

|time = 20:00 UTC

|team1 = {{Fb-rt|ENG}}

|score = 0–1

|report = [http://allworldcup.narod.ru/1998/PROTOCOL/QUALIF/UEFA/G2/ENGVSITA.HTM Report]

|team2 = {{Fb|ITA}}

|goals1 =

|goals2 = Zola {{goal|19}}

|stadium = Wembley, London

|attendance = 75,056

|referee = Sándor Puhl (Hungary)

}}

----

{{football box |id="Italy v Moldova"

|date = 29 March 1997

|time = 20:45 UTC+1

|team1 = {{Fb-rt|ITA}}

|score = 3–0

|report = [http://allworldcup.narod.ru/1998/PROTOCOL/QUALIF/UEFA/G2/ITAVSMOL.HTM Report]

|team2 = {{Fb|MDA}}

|goals1 = Maldini {{goal|24}}
Zola {{goal|45}}
Vieri {{goal|50}}

|goals2 =

|stadium = Nereo Rocco Stadium, Trieste

|attendance = 17,677

|referee = Gilles Veissière (France)

}}

----

{{football box |id="Poland v Italy"

|date = 2 April 1997

|time = 20:30 UTC+2

|team1 = {{Fb-rt|POL}}

|score = 0–0

|report = [http://allworldcup.narod.ru/1998/PROTOCOL/QUALIF/UEFA/G2/POLVSITA.HTM Report]

|team2 = {{Fb|ITA}}

|goals1 =

|goals2 =

|stadium = Silesian Stadium, Chorzów

|attendance = 32,000

|referee = Kim Milton Nielsen (Denmark)

}}

----

{{football box |id="England v Georgia"

|date = 30 April 1997

|time = 20:00 UTC+1

|team1 = {{Fb-rt|ENG}}

|score = 2–0

|report = [http://allworldcup.narod.ru/1998/PROTOCOL/QUALIF/UEFA/G2/ENGVSGEO.HTM Report]

|team2 = {{Fb|GEO|1990}}

|goals1 = Sheringham {{goal|42}}
Shearer {{goal|90+1}}

|goals2 =

|stadium = Wembley, London

|attendance = 71,208

|referee = Rémi Harrel (France)

}}

{{football box |id="Italy v Poland"

|date = 30 April 1997

|time = 20:30 UTC+2

|team1 = {{Fb-rt|ITA}}

|score = 3–0

|report = [http://allworldcup.narod.ru/1998/PROTOCOL/QUALIF/UEFA/G2/ITAVSPOL.HTM Report]

|team2 = {{Fb|POL}}

|goals1 = Di Matteo {{goal|24}}
Maldini {{goal|36}}
R.Baggio {{goal|62}}

|goals2 =

|stadium = San Paolo, Naples

|attendance = 35,237

|referee = José María García-Aranda (Spain)

}}

----

{{football box |id="Poland v England"

|date = 31 May 1997

|time = 20:30 UTC+2

|team1 = {{Fb-rt|POL}}

|score = 0–2

|report = [http://allworldcup.narod.ru/1998/PROTOCOL/QUALIF/UEFA/G2/POLVSENG.HTM Report]

|team2 = {{Fb|ENG}}

|goals1 =

|goals2 = Shearer {{goal|5}}
Sheringham {{goal|90}}

|stadium = Silesian Stadium, Chorzów

|attendance = 25,000

|referee = Urs Meier (Switzerland)

}}

----

{{football box |id="Georgia v Moldova"

|date = 7 June 1997

|time = 19:15 UTC+4

|team1 = {{Fb-rt|GEO|1990}}

|score = 2–0

|report = [http://allworldcup.narod.ru/1998/PROTOCOL/QUALIF/UEFA/G2/GEOVSMOL.HTM Report]

|team2 = {{Fb|MDA}}

|goals1 = S. Arveladze {{goal|27}}
Kinkladze {{goal|51}}

|goals2 =

|stadium = Central Stadium, Batumi

|attendance = 12,500

|referee = Charles Agius (Malta)

}}

----

{{football box |id="Poland v Georgia"

|date = 14 June 1997

|time = 20:30 UTC+2

|team1 = {{Fb-rt|POL}}

|score = 4–1

|report = [http://allworldcup.narod.ru/1998/PROTOCOL/QUALIF/UEFA/G2/POLVSGEO.HTM Report]

|team2 = {{Fb|GEO|1990}}

|goals1 = Ledwoń {{goal|32}}
Trzeciak {{goal|34}}
Bukalski {{goal|74|pen.}}
K. Nowak {{goal|90}}

|goals2 = S. Arveladze {{goal|24}}

|stadium = GKS Stadium, Katowice

|attendance = 1,022

|referee = Günter Benkö (Austria)

}}

----

{{football box |id="England v Moldova"

|date = 10 September 1997

|time = 20:00 UTC+1

|team1 = {{Fb-rt|ENG}}

|score = 4–0

|report = [http://allworldcup.narod.ru/1998/PROTOCOL/QUALIF/UEFA/G2/ENGVSMOL.HTM Report]

|team2 = {{Fb|MDA}}

|goals1 = Scholes {{goal|29}}
Wright {{goal|46||90}}
Gascoigne {{goal|81}}

|goals2 =

|stadium = Wembley, London

|attendance = 74,102

|referee = Karl-Erik Nilsson (Sweden)

}}

{{football box |id="Georgia v Italy"

|date = 10 September 1997

|time = 21:00 UTC+4

|team1 = {{Fb-rt|GEO|1990}}

|score = 0–0

|report = [http://allworldcup.narod.ru/1998/PROTOCOL/QUALIF/UEFA/G2/GEOVSITA.HTM Report]

|team2 = {{Fb|ITA}}

|goals1 =

|goals2 =

|stadium = Boris Paichadze Stadium, Tbilisi

|attendance = 51,117

|referee = Rune Pedersen (Norway)

}}

----

{{football box |id="Moldova v Georgia"

|date = 24 September 1997

|time = 19:00 UTC+3

|team1 = {{Fb-rt|MDA}}

|score = 0–1

|report = [http://allworldcup.narod.ru/1998/PROTOCOL/QUALIF/UEFA/G2/MOLVSGEO.HTM Report]

|team2 = {{Fb|GEO|1990}}

|goals1 =

|goals2 = Ketsbaia {{goal|10}}

|stadium = Republican Stadium, Chişinău

|attendance = 5,300

|referee = Dani Koren (Israel)

}}

----

{{football box |id="Moldova v Poland"

|date = 7 October 1997

|time = 19:00 UTC+3

|team1 = {{Fb-rt|MDA}}

|score = 0–3

|report = [http://allworldcup.narod.ru/1998/PROTOCOL/QUALIF/UEFA/G2/MOLVSPOL.HTM Report (incorrect substitutions)]
[http://eu-football.info/_match.php?id=10838 Report]

|team2 = {{Fb|POL}}

|goals1 =

|goals2 = Juskowiak {{goal|23||56||60}}

|stadium = Republican Stadium, Chişinău

|attendance = 8,000

|referee = Metin Tokat (Turkey)

}}

----

{{football box |id="Italy v England"

|date = 11 October 1997

|time = 20:45 UTC+2

|team1 = {{Fb-rt|ITA}}

|score = 0–0

|report = [http://allworldcup.narod.ru/1998/PROTOCOL/QUALIF/UEFA/G2/ITAVSENG.HTM Report]

|team2 = {{Fb|ENG}}

|goals1 =

|goals2 =

|stadium = Olimpic Stadium, Rome

|attendance = 65,892

|referee = Mario van der Ende (Netherlands)

}}

{{football box |id="Georgia v Poland"

|date = 11 October 1997

|time = 16:00 UTC+4

|team1 = {{Fb-rt|GEO|1990}}

|score = 3–0

|report = [http://allworldcup.narod.ru/1998/PROTOCOL/QUALIF/UEFA/G2/GEOVSPOL.HTM Report (incorrect substitutions)]
[http://eu-football.info/_match.php?id=10871 Report]

|team2 = {{Fb|POL}}

|goals1 = A. Arveladze {{goal|55}}
Tskhadadze {{goal|68}}
Ketsbaia {{goal|74}}

|goals2 =

|stadium = Boris Paichadze Stadium, Tbilisi

|attendance = 15,000

|referee = Ľuboš Micheľ (Slovakia)

}}