Big winning bets from Monday's WC qualifiers

Was the 10-0 win in San Marino a record for the England national team?

Gareth Southgate’s team only needed a point to confirm their place in next year’s Qatar World Cup, but they did it in style, hitting double figures for the first time in over 50 years and the first time ever in a competitive fixture. Not only was this the biggest win since the 10-0 win over USA in 1964, it could have been better, with both Jude Bellingham and Tammy Abraham having what looked like good goals disallowed late on. Just like against Albania on Friday, England set about their work early, with Harry Kane scoring a hat-trick in a big first half. But where the skipper got three in a 5-0 half on Friday, he got four in a 6-0 opening period last night. Once again Harry Maguire had opened the scoring, but Kane took over after an own goal, scoring two penalties and adding two neat finishes. In the second half, Emile Smith Rowe and Tyrone Mings got their first England goals, while Abraham and Bukayo Saka piled on the misery for the hosts.

Trent Alexander-Arnold Assist Minutes (settled at 226)

Even though England were expected to thrash San Marino, ranked last in the FIFA world rankings, the 10-0 scoreline was still a surprise. Most of the goals and scoring markets went over their spreads, but one that brought some interest was the Assist Minutes for right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold. The Liverpool defender is a favourite of fantasy football managers who see him set up goal after goal for the Reds, and he brought that form to the national team yesterday, notching a hat-trick of assists. Trent’s Assist Minutes spread was set at 39-43, meaning buyers made a profit of 183 times their bet.

Who will Scotland face in the World Cup play-offs?

Scotland made their qualification route that much easier with an impressive 2-0 win over Denmark, their sixth straight victory. The Danes had won nine out of nine in Group F to wrap up top spot and the automatic place in Qatar, but Scotland’s victory last night, thanks to goals from John Souttar and Che Adams, means they’re seeded in the play-offs and get a home tie next March. In a game of redemption, Souttar headed the opener on his first appearance for his country since being sent off in a 2018 defeat against Israel.

Total Goal Minutes x Corners (settled at 1936)

Denmark were already set in their position atop the group and in the automatic qualifying spot, but Scotland made sure they didn’t join the Danes in taking their foot off the gas, with that all important play-off seeding at stake. Souttar’s 35^th minute opener coupled with Adams’s late exclamation mark, multiplied by the 16 corners in the game gave a Total Goal Minutes x Corners outcome of 1936. Before the game the spread was set at 900-1000, meaning buyers won 936 times their bet.

How have Italy ended up in the World Cup play-offs?

Plucky Northern Ireland held mighty Italy to a goalless draw that sees the Euro 2020 champions head to the play-offs and Switzerland claim the automatic qualification for the World Cup as group winners. Ian Baraclough went into this game determined that his Northern Ireland team would have a go at the big boys, knowing that while they couldn’t make even the play-offs, wrapping up third place would be extremely beneficial when it comes to seedings for future qualification campaigns. Conor Washington almost won it late on as Italy, who were level on points but two goals better off that Switzerland, failed to get the job done as the Swiss battered Bulgaria 4-0.

Goals x Corners x Bookings (settled at 0)

We told in yesterday’s blog how we’d seen action in the Goals x Corners x Bookings market, with the always solid Italians unsure how they needed to play, given they had the goal difference advantage over Switzerland. As the Swiss went ahead against Bulgaria, it became obvious that Italy would need to come out of their shell, but a lack of firepower coupled with the improved performance of Northern Ireland stifled that. With no goals in the game, this market settled at 0 meaning a maximum profit of 1280 times their bet for sellers pre-match, when the spread was 1280-1380.