Daniel Agger’s lack of first-team action for Liverpool didn’t stop the central defender from helping Denmark clinch their place in the 2010 World Cup with a 1-0 win over Scandinavian rivals Sweden in Copenhagen.

One player competing with Agger for a regular place in Liverpool’s defence is Slovakian Martin Skrtel, but his country’s hopes of automatic qualification for next summer’s finals in South Africa are still in the balance after slipping to a 2-0 defeat at home to Slovenia. Skrtel played the entire 90 minutes for the Slovaks in Bratislava but they will have to go to Poland on Wednesday to get a result to have a chance of topping their group, as Slovenia will be expected to overcome minnows San Marino in their final game.

English pair Steven Gerrard and Glen Johnson featured for their country as their 100% qualification record came to an end with a 1-0 loss away to play-off chasers Ukraine. Reds’ captain Gerrard was taken off at half-time due to a groin strain, while Glen Johnson was one of England’s best attacking players but Fabio Capello’s side played the majority of the game with ten men after Robert Green’s early dismissal.

 

Spain made it nine wins from nine with the help of Fernando Torres and Pepe Reina. The reigning European champions won 2-1 in Armenia, while Albert Riera was left on the bench.

Yossi Benayoun captained Israel to a 3-1 win over Moldova but it is unlikely to be enough for a play-off place, with Sotirious Kriyakos’s Greece, who trounced Latvia 5-2, strong favourites to finish just ahead of them in second.

In South America, Javier Mascherano’s terrible mistake in his own penalty area very nearly cost Argentina a much-needed victory against outsiders Peru in Buenos Aires.

The midfielder’s poor attempt at a clearance allowed the visitors to equalise in the 90^th minute, but fortunately for the former West Ham star Martin Palermo’s last-gasp strike spared Argentina’s blushes to keep their hopes of automatic qualification alive with a 2-1 win. Emiliano Insua was also handed a first cap by under fire coach Diego Maradona.

The Merseyside based players will now travel with the rest of the Argentine squad to Montevideo for a showdown with Uruguay on Wednesday to decide who clinches the final automatic spot.