OneFootball
Emily Wilson·20 June 2023
OneFootball
Emily Wilson·20 June 2023
More qualifiers kicked off on Tuesday as teams look to move one step closer to reaching Euro 2024.
Here is what went down across Europe.
Scorer: McGregor 6′, McTominay 46′
After big wins over Spain and Norway, Scotland continued their incredible campaign by winning four games from four and sent a big warning they are ready to compete.
The hosts got off to a flying start when Callum McGregor broke the deadlock as their first shot on target from range blasted into the net. It’s his third goal for his country after 53 appearances, all arriving at Hampden Park in June.
However, heavy rain forced the match to be temporarily suspended, and following over a two-hour delay, the action kicked off again.
The water-logged pitch slowed play, yet Georgia remained still in the game. Napoli star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia tried to lead the way, but slipping and sliding prevented him from making a true impact.
Scotland pushed to double their lead, with Scott McTominay all but putting the game to bed minutes after the restart.
The Manchester United man made things 2-0 after a blistering run into the box and is tied for second in the qualifying scoring charts alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, Harry Kane and Zeki Amdouni.
Georgia were handed a lifeline in the dying moments when VAR awarded a penalty but Kvaratskhelia skied his efforts over the bar to sum up a frustrating night.
The result means Scotland are first, Georgia second, with Norway third, Spain fourth and Cyprus fifth.
Scorer: Ronaldo 89′
Cristiano Ronaldo made history in Iceland after becoming the first male footballer to reach 200 caps and was Portugal’s hero again.
Ronaldo, Rafael Leão, and Bernardo Silva struggled to link up in the attacking third, while Bruno Fernandes also wasn’t at his best over 90 minutes.
Instead, Iceland had better chances to break the deadlock, but they skied an effort over the bar before falling just short in front of goalkeeper Diogo Jota.
The second half was not kind to the visitors either, as Ronaldo missed three chances to strike, and a frustrated Portugal continued to argue with the referee.
Iceland were handed a late blow when Willum Þór Willumsson was sent off after two yellows with less than 10 minutes to go.
And the man advantage proved to be vital as VAR allowed Ronaldo’s late winner to stand.
Portugal therefore remain perfect with four wins from four and Iceland are fifth.
Scorers: Peetson 37′ (OG), Lukaku 40′, Bakayoko 90′
The hosts proved to be a formidable opponent during the opening half an hour, holding the visitors to only one shot.
That was until Romelu Lukaku’s magic broke the deadlock after he acrobatically forced an own goal and then slotted home Belgium’s second three minutes later.
The Inter striker now has seven goals in four games for his country and continued his streak of scoring in 15 straight qualifiers (a six-year streak).
And with the last kick of the game, Johan Bakayoko added a third for the visitors as they sit second in the group. Estonia are fourth.
Scorer: Solbakken 12′, Haaland 56′ (P), 60′; Kastanos 90+3′
Norway were on the brink of missing out with only one point after three games but managed to keep themselves in contention with a win over Cyprus.
This time around, Ola Solbakken got the party started with an early lead after he volleyed home from near the top of the box.
And while the visitors managed to stay in the game by the skin of their teeth, Manchester City’s star striker eventually turned up.
Erling Haaland doubled the lead from the penalty spot before scoring a second four minutes later to end the 2022-23 season on 56 goals. He passed Kylian Mbappé’s total of 54 for the European title.
Unfortunately, the hosts didn’t keep a clean sheet as Grigoris Kastanos scored for Cyprus with virtually the last kick of the game.
Scorers: Nicolaescu 48′, 79′, Babohlo 85′; Milik 12′, Lewandowski 34′
Poland were handed a huge blow on Tuesday despite taking control of the pitch in Moldova.
The visitors were up by two goals thanks to go-to stars Arkadiusz Milik and Robert Lewandowski before imploding in the second half.
A brace after the restart from Ion Nicolaescu beat goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny who had a tremendous performance last time out for Poland against Germany.
And as the game turned on its head, the late pressure was eventually too much from the hosts, and they managed to find a late winner through Vladyslav Babohlo.
Talk about drama!
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