Although defending European champion France appears to be running away with Group 1 with five wins from five games, Slovenia holds second place with Israel two points behind. Russia's loss could mean the departure of coach Valery Gazzayev.
The poor performance of the team, which hasn't won a match since it beat Romania in a friendly in February, drew sharp criticism from Russian Soccer Union president Vyacheslav Koloskov. He said he would meet Gazzayev on Thursday and accept his resignation if it is offered.
Armenia's home game against Turkmenistan was called off because the visitor failed to show up. Armenia had declined offers from Jordan and Portugal because of the planned Turkmenistan match, said Albert Minasian, executive director of the Armenian soccer federation. The would-be visitor sent a letter saying the players couldn't get visas in time for the game in Yerevan and officials were unable to get a direct flight.
Uzbekistan gained a surprise 3-0 win at Latvia while Belarus edged Iran 2-1 in other friendlies. Velizar Dimitrov scored twice as Bulgaria outplayed Lithuania 3-0 in Sofia.
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