UEFA World Cup qualifying
UEFA World Cup qualifying — Croatia, Faroe Islands, Italy and North Macedonia qualified.
Belgium let a three-goal lead slip before eventually winning a topsy-turvy match with Wales to clinch their first win of UEFA qualifying for the FIFA World Cup 26™.
Four-time World Cup champions Italy also opened their account by defeating Moldova 2-0, while Erling Haaland scored his fourth goal in as many qualifiers to keep Norway perfect in Group I. Croatia ended Czechia’s winning run with a thumping 5-1 win, as the Faroe Islands secured just their ninth qualifying victory by sinking Gibraltar. Elsewhere, North Macedonia continued their surge to a first-ever World Cup with a win in Kazakhstan
The first round will follow a familiar format, with 12 groups of four or five teams, and the section winners securing World Cup slots. The continent’s four remaining berths will then be settled in a 16-team UEFA play-off competition involving the 12 group runners-up and four best-ranked UEFA Nations League section winners.
Group I
Estonia 0-1 Norway
Norway goal: Haaland (62)
Norway maintained their 100-per-cent-record with a 1-0 win over Estonia in Tallinn.
The visitors dominated the first half but had to wait until the 62nd minute when Erling Haaland finally made one of Norway’s glut of chances count. The forward’s initial effort came off the crossbar but he reacted quickest to turn home the rebound and seal a joint-best fourth goal in UEFA qualifying.
Stale Solbakken’s men sit top of Group I, six points ahead of chasing Israel while Estonia remain on three points just above bottom-placed Moldova.
Italy 2-0 Moldova
Italy goals: Raspadori (40), Cambiaso (50)
Italy maintained their perfect record against Moldova, defeating the visitors 2-0 in Reggio Emilia in coach Luciano Spalletti’s final match.
Moldova almost took a shock lead within ten minutes when striker Ion Nicolaescu flicked a beautiful header inside the far post. However, VAR saved the Italians’ blushes. With the half winding down Napoli forward Giacomo Raspadori hit a sweet volley low to the near post, giving Italy a 1-0 lead going into the break.
Shortly after the interval, Italy doubled their lead through Andrea Cambiaso. The Juventus midfielder calmly finished inside the penalty area after Sandro Tonali failed to make contact with Ricardo Orsolini’s cut-back from the byline.
Group J
Kazakhstan 0-1 North Macedonia
North Macedonia goal: Trajkovski (33)
North Macedonia followed up their impressive draw with Belgium last time out by winning in Kazakhstan to soar to the summit of Group J.
The away side took the lead just after the half-hour mark as Aleksandar Trajkovski volleyed home his second goal of the qualifiers from the left side of the area. Kazakhstan pushed for a leveller, and while Maxim Samorodov smacked the bar and Askhat Tagybergen came close, it never arrived.
North Macedonia move to eight points, a point and a place ahead of Wales. Kazakhstan, meanwhile, remain third after their second defeat of the section.
Belgium 4-3 Wales
Belgium goals: Lukaku pen (15) Tielemans (19), Doku (27), De Bruyne (88) Wales goals: Wilson pen (45+7), Thomas (51), Johnson (69)
Belgium survived a major scare to edge by a spirited Wales side in Brussels.
A Romelu Lukaku penalty and further strikes by Youri Tielemens and Jeremy Doku gave the Red Devils a deserved lead inside the opening half an hour. Wales spent most of the opening period penned inside their own half but found a route back into the game through a spot-kick of their own, as Harry Wilson netted in stoppage time.
Craig Bellamy’s side were quickest out of the blocks after the break and reduced the arrears further when Brennan Johnson and Wilson combined down the right and fed Sorba Thomas to side-foot home. That trio linked up again in the 69th minute, as Thomas headed Wilson’s cross into the path of Johnson to nod in an improbable equaliser.
Lukaku looked to have won it for Belgium when he scored with ten minutes to go, but his strike was disallowed following a lengthy VAR review. It wouldn’t matter, however, as Kevin De Bruyne stole in at the far post and volleyed in Belgium’s winner with less than three minutes on the clock. Rudi Garcia’s side move up to third and just three points behind their opponents who have played two games more.
Group L
Croatia 5-1 Czechia
Croatia goals: Kramaric (42, 75), Modric pen (62), Perisic (68), Budimir (72) Czechia goal: Soucek (58)
Croatia have scored 12 goals in their opening two qualifiers after they followed up a 7-0 victory over Gibraltar with an equally dominant display over Czechia, whose 100-per-cent record came to a crashing end.
Andrej Kramaric broke the deadlock in the 42nd minute when Josko Gvardiol headed the ball across goal into his path and found the net with a header of his own. Czechia then equalised with a replica effort as Tomas Soucek headed in from close range after Ladislav Krejci headed a corner from Vaclav Cerny across the face of the goal.
Croatia immediately bounced back, scoring four goals in a thrilling 13-minute spell. Luka Modric scored from the spot in the 62nd minute, with Ivan Perisic striking home from 15 yards moments later. Modric then handed over the penalty-taking duties to Ante Budimir who made it 4-1, as Kramaric slotted in his second of the game to seal the rout.
Faroe Islands 2-1 Gibraltar
Faroe Islands goals: Frederiksberg (71), Johannesen (86) Gibraltar goal: Scanlon (23)
Faroe Islands rallied from a late deficit to deny Gibraltar a history-making result in Torshavn. Manchester United youngster James Scanlon’s first-half goal had the visitors dreaming of a first-ever World Cup qualifying result, but a pair of goals in the final 20 minutes swung all the points to the home side.
Gibraltar struck first when Dan Bent did exceptionally well to control a long ball with his chest and then feed Louis Annesley, who laid off for Scanlon to rip a shot into net.
As time ticked away in the second stanza, the pressure from Faroe Islands increased and they finally broke through in scintillating fashion, with Arni Frederiksberg scoring directly from a corner kick. It was an avalanche of chances for Faroe Islands in the closing minutes, and they carved out the winner minutes from time when Patrik Johannesen polished off a slick combination with Joannes Danielsen to earn the hosts the victory.
