France, Belgium and Portugal all blinked with a Euro 2024 place in their grasps but clung on for one-goal victories on Friday night which made them the first sides to qualify for next year’s tournament. Belgium led by three goals in Vienna and won 3-2 with 10 men to ensure a top-two finish in Group F and a ticket to the finals in Germany.
France led by two Kylian Mbappe goals in Amsterdam and beat the depleted Dutch 2-1. Cristiano Ronaldo was another to score twice but Portugal also wobbled with a two-goal lead before beating Slovakia 3-2 in Porto in Group J.
In Amsterdam, Mbappe leapt to hook home a volley after seven minutes and then added a second eight minutes into the second half with a sumptuous curler.
It was his 42nd international goal, overtaking French legend Michel Platini and putting him fourth in the all-time list. Quilindschy Hartman replied on his Dutch debut but Mbappe almost clinched his hat-trick, when his late drive hit the crossbar. We mustn’t get carried away, but we must appreciate and not trivialise things,” said France coach Didier Deschamps.
“To qualify with two games to go, with six wins, 13 goals scored and just one conceded, I’m very proud of what the group has achieved, both in terms of spirit and on the pitch. We got the result we wanted, we achieved our objective.
Greece won 2-0 in Dublin to eliminate Ireland and pull clear of the Dutch. Giorgos Giakoumakis and Giorgos Masouras scored in the first half for the 2004 European champions who moved three points clear of the Dutch. The two nations meet on Monday in Athens.
Source: SABC
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