The Belgian goalscoring machine continues to run at full speed in the World Cup qualifiers. Kosovo was defeated 1-6, which means that the 2nd place in the group is almost in.
Match Details
Goals:
- 22′ De Caigny 0-1
- 41′ Wullaert 0-2
- 44′ Wullaert 0-3
- 54′ Wullaert 0-4
- 65′ Wullaert 0-5 (pen)
- 68′ Memeti 1-5
- 78′ Minnaert 1-6
Kosovo is no match for the Flames
Unlike last week against Albania, the Flames started this game with great eagerness. They easily created space and caught the Kosovar defenders in the back again and again. In the first 15 minutes of the game, a Red Flame was offside 7 times.
In the 22nd minute De Caigny opened the score on a pass from Wullaert. Moments later, five Flames stormed towards goal. This time it was De Caigny who provided the assist for Wullaert.
The captain put in her second of the evening before half-time. She easily outplayed the Kosovar goalkeeper and was able to easily tap in the 0-3.
Wullaert, 4 goals en 2 assists
After the break, the Belgians looked for more goals. On a pass from Teulings, Wullaert quickly completed her hat-trick in the second half. With a provoked penalty, she then put the 0-5 on the scoreboard.
Memeti managed to score in between because the Flames did not pay attention to a free kick for Kosovo. Minnaert still scored the 1-6 after Memeti’s honour-saver.
Tessa Wullaert once again played a fantastic game. She scored 4 times and is thus the top scorer of this campaign. The Anderlecht attacker was also good for 2 assists today.
Leader Norway won 2-1 against Poland tonight. Despite the Flames’ victory, they remain second in group F. Our Belgian women are sneaking further away from Poland.
If Belgium still wants to qualify directly for the World Cup, they will have to beat Norway by at least 4 goals on September 2.
Tessa Wullaert: “We have to take this confidence with us”
Tessa Wullaert had a foot in all 6 goals. Yet she remains critical. “The coach has said that we have to be positive. But I am always looking for something that we can improve. We were not allowed to swallow that goal and in the end it was also a bit of a search.”
“But with 1-6 we are doing better than Norway against Kosovo, so we should certainly not be dissatisfied.”
“Kosovo played a little higher than we initially thought, so we had to watch out for offside. We missed a few good opportunities because of this. But we made 6 anyway, so we can be happy about that. We have to take this confidence to the EC.”
Ives Serneels: “Glad that we are almost certain of the play-offs”
“I am satisfied. I think we played against a team that tried to catch us high. But we played well a few times at the beginning of the game.”
“Kosovo played a little higher than we expected, so it was a bit of adjustment for our strikers. But as the game progressed, they looked for solutions.”
“I heard that Poland lost. So I’m happy that we are already certain of the play-offs.”
“From tomorrow we will switch from a World Cup qualifier to a European Championship campaign. I think it’s just really fun to look forward to.”
