UEFA WC Qualifiers Round-Up: Belgium Qualified for 2018 FIFA WC; France had a Goalless Draw; Netherlands, Sweden, Portugal, Switzerland Claimed Victories

Sep 5, 2017 at 12:11 PM

facebook iconlinkedin iconmail icontwitter iconWhatsApp iconTelegram icon
UEFA WC Qualifiers Round-Up: Belgium Qualified for 2018 FIFA WC; France had a Goalless Draw; Netherlands, Sweden, Portugal, Switzerland Claimed Victories

Group I

(Rematch)

Croatia 1 (Domagoj Vida 74′) – Kosovo 0

Croatia clinched a 1-0 victory against Kosovo in the rearranged match on Sunday, which got abandoned as football pitch was deemed unplayable due to continuous heavy rain.

In Sunday’s encounter, Croatia’s defender Domagoj Vida scored the only goal of the match in the 74th minute. Vida scored the goal through a header from the following free-kick. With this victory, Croatia retained their top spot in the Group I table.

 

Group Standings after the end of Round 7

Position Team Matches Won Drawn Lost GD Points
1 Croatia 7 5 1 1 +10 16
2 Ukraine 7 4 2 1 +6 14
3 Iceland 7 4 1 2 +2 13
4 Turkey 7 3 2 2 +3 11
5 Finland 7 1 1 5 −5 4
6 Kosovo 7 0 1 6 −16 1

(Note: GD = goals differences)

Group A

Netherlands 3 (Davy Propper 7′ & 80′; Arjen Robben 67′) – Bulgaria 1 (Georgi Kostadinov 69′)

Netherlands remain in the fight to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup after beating Bulgaria by 3-1. Davy Propper scored his first international goal in the 7th minute as Netherlands went 1-0 ahead.

Arjen Robben extended the lead for the hosts Netherlands to 2-0 on 67 minutes but immediately Georgi Kostadinov reduced the margin to 2-1 for Bulgaria through a header following a free-kick.

Propper secured the match for Netherlands with his second international goal on 80 minutes. Quincy Promes raised a cross which was sent home by unmarked Propper through a header.

 

Belarus 0 – Sweden 4 (Emil Forsberg 18′; Christoffer Nyman 24′; Marcus Berg 37′; Andreas Granqvist 84′ PEN)

In another Group A encounter, Sweden beat the hosts Belarus by 4-0. Emil Forsberg (18′), Christoffer Nyman (24′) and Marcus Berg (37’) scored once each in the first half while Andreas Granqvist scored the final goal on 84 minutes through a penalty.

 

 

France 0 – Luxembourg 0

Group A leader France stumbled in their quest for direct qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup after playing a goalless draw against Luxembourg.

Hosts France totally dominated the field as they also produced 9 shots on target in the game but failed to beat the opposing goalie.

 

Group Standings after the end of Round 8

Position Team Matches Won Drawn Lost GD Points
1 France 8 5 2 1 +10 17
2 Sweden 8 5 1 2 +11 16
3 Netherlands 8 4 1 3 +5 13
4 Bulgaria 8 4 0 4 −4 12
5 Luxembourg 8 1 2 5 −10 5
6 Belarus 8 1 2 5 −12 5

(Note: GD = goals differences)

Group B

Faroe Islands 1 (Gilli Sorensen 31′) – Andorra 0

Faroe Islands clinched their second victory in the ongoing FIFA World Cup Qualifiers after beating Andorra by 1-0. Hosts Faroe Islands’ winger Gilli Sorensen scored the only goal of the match on 31 minutes with a perfect finish which was also his first international goal.

 

 

 

Hungary 0 – Portugal 1 (Andre Silva 48′)

Portugal snatched a 1-0 victory against the 10-man hosts Hungary. Tamas Priskin was directly sent off on the half-an-hour mark after he unnecessarily hit on Pepe with his arm.

Andre Silva scored the solitary goal for Portugal on just 3 minutes of the second half. Cristiano Ronaldo produced a superb cross which was finished by Andre Silva from very close range.

With this victory, Portugal secured their place at least to the playoff for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifications.

 

Latvia 0 – Switzerland 3 (Andris Vanins 9′ OG; Blerim Dzemaili 54′; Ricardo Rodriguez 58′ PEN)

Group B topper Switzerland strengthen their position to direct qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup after beating Latvia by 3-0. Switzerland went ahead by 1-0 in just 9th minutes through an own goal from the Latvian goalie Andris Vanins.

Blerim Dzemaili made a 2-0 scoreline for Switzerland on 54 minutes which was more stretched by Ricardo Rodriguez on 58 minutes through a penalty.

 

 

Group Standings after the end of Round 8

Position Team Matches Won Drawn Lost GD Points
1 Switzerland 8 8 0 0 +15 24
2 Portugal 8 7 0 1 +24 21
3 Hungary 8 3 1 4 +2 10
4 Faroe Islands 8 2 2 4 −11 8
5 Andorra 8 1 1 6 −15 4
6 Latvia 8 1 0 7 −15 3

(Note: GD = goals differences)

Group H

Estonia 1 (Mattias Kait 90’+2′) – Cyprus 0

Hosts Estonia beat Cyprus through the only goal by Mattias Kait in the injury time of the match.

 

 

Greece 1 (Zeca 73′) – Belgium 2 (Jan Vertonghen 70′; Romelu Lukaku 74′)

Apart from Hosts Russia, Belgium becomes the first UEFA side to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup after beating Greece by 2-1.

Jan Vertonghen put Belgium 1-0 ahead with a superb finish on 70 minutes. However, 3 minutes later, Zeca equalised the scoreline for the hosts Greece after he netted a Georgios Tzavellas’ delivery.

In the very next minute, Romelu Lukaku scored the decisive goal for Belgium which also secured their berth for 2018 FIFA World Cup. Romelu Lukaku produced a header from Thomas Meunier’s cross which hit the net.

 

Gibraltar 0 – Bosnia and Herzegovina 4 (Edin Dzeko 35′, 85′; Kenan Kodro 65′; Senad Lulic 83′) 

Bosnia and Herzegovina claimed the second position in the points table after beating the hosts Gibraltar by 4-0. Former Manchester City forward Edin Dzeko opened the account for the visitors on 35 minutes which was followed by Kennan Kodro (65’) and Senad Lulic (83’) before Dzeko’s second goal of the match (85’).

 

Group Standings after the end of Round 8

Position Team Matches Won Drawn Lost GD Points
1 Belgium 8 7 1 0 +32 22
2 Bosnia and Herzegovina 8 4 2 2 +11 14
3 Greece 8 3 4 1 +6 13
4 Cyprus 8 3 1 4 −4 10
5 Estonia 8 2 2 4 −11 8
6 Gibraltar 8 0 0 8 −34 0

(Note: GD = goals differences)

Related Article
Who is Champions League Referee Szymon Marciniak And Here’s Why UEFA Was Considering Dropping Him
Who is Champions League Referee Szymon Marciniak And Here’s Why UEFA Was Considering Dropping Him

Jun 2, 2023, 7:11 PM


Why Liverpool Fans Booed The Champions League Anthem During Their Last-16 Clash Against Real Madrid At Anfield
Why Liverpool Fans Booed The Champions League Anthem During Their Last-16 Clash Against Real Madrid At Anfield

Feb 22, 2023, 2:41 PM


Chelsea Have Placed Themselves Under UEFA’s Scanner As The Football Governing Body Looks To Curb The Blues’ Transfer Splurge By Blocking A Loophole
Chelsea Have Placed Themselves Under UEFA’s Scanner As The Football Governing Body Looks To Curb The Blues’ Transfer Splurge By Blocking A Loophole

Jan 24, 2023, 2:02 PM


VAR To Be Available In UEFA Champions League From 2019/20
VAR To Be Available In UEFA Champions League From 2019/20

Sep 28, 2018, 7:45 AM


France’s Samir Nasri’s Ban Increased to 18 Months
France’s Samir Nasri’s Ban Increased to 18 Months

Aug 3, 2018, 6:39 PM


Real Madrid end 2017 atop UEFA rankings
Real Madrid end 2017 atop UEFA rankings

Dec 26, 2017, 4:50 PM


Desktop Banner
Mobile Banner