UEFA WC Qualifiers Round-Up: Belgium Qualified for 2018 FIFA WC; France had a Goalless Draw; Netherlands, Sweden, Portugal, Switzerland Claimed Victories 1

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)