England won the direct duel for classification in group C. The two favorites faced each other knowing that a puncture could complicate their chances, since Ukraine threatened from behind. The first half was entertaining, with chances for both sides. The Italians took the lead after fifteen minutes, with a goal from Scamacca but Kane, with a penalty, equalized before the break. Rashford put his team ahead in the second half and Kane, once again, sealed the match. At 3-1, Italy seemed powerless and England was comfortable falling back and looking for a counterattack. Spalletti’s men will play against Ukraine, who with their 1-3 victory over Malta are three points ahead of the transalpine team. The direct duel will be on the last day; If it wants to depend on itself, Italy must first defeat North Macedonia, the same team that left it out of the last World Cup.
Group A
Group A was decided with two days to go. Spain’s narrow victory against Norway left Haaland’s team with no options and at the same time gave Scotland qualification. Georgia beat Cyprus in the other group match, inconsequential for two teams that had no chance.
Group B
Greece and the Netherlands faced each other in a direct duel for second place in the group. Even though the Dutch had three points less than the Greeks, Ronald Koeman decided to speculate on the result and play for a draw, in view of the favorable duels that remain for his team (Ireland and Gibraltar). The match had as much emotion as it did controversy. The Netherlands missed a penalty in the first half and had another in stoppage time, which Van Dijk converted. Minutes later the referee awarded a new penalty, this time in favor of Greece, but he rectified it after consulting with the VAR, a decision that infuriated the Greek coach, Gustavo Poyet, who ended up expelled. With the victory, the Netherlands puts qualification on track while Greece needs a miracle to be in the Euro Cup. In the other group match, with nothing at stake, Ireland beat Gibraltar (0-4).
Group D
Türkiye will play the next Euro Cup. The 4-0 victory of the Ottomans against the weak Latvia together with the defeat of Croatia certified the passage of a team that has grown a lot under the command of Vincenzo Montella. Armenia, Wales and Croatia will play for second place, which has become difficult for the Croatians after the defeat against Wales (2-1). Armenia made a serious mistake the previous day with its defeat against Latvia; If the three teams had won they would be tied at ten points and the Armenians would depend on themselves. The favorite in any case remains Croatia, which has a more affordable schedule than its two rivals.
Group E
Poland’s draw against Moldova (1-1) seriously complicated their qualification chances. The Poles missed their star, Robert Lewandowski, who usually unclogs these types of matches. The Czech Republic narrowly defeated the Faroe Islands to regain second place in the group, which Albania continues to lead. With two days left, even Moldova continues to dream of qualifying in one of the most contested groups.
Group F
Group F was already decided before playing this penultimate matchday, with Belgium and Austria as the qualified teams. The Austrians faced Azerbaijan, and won 0-1, while the Belgians’ match against Sweden was suspended with the score 1-1 due to the murder of two people at the hands of a man armed with a Kalashnikov in what It appears to be a jihadist attack.
Group G
Group G was seen for sentencing. Montenegro was the only team that could fight with Serbia and Hungary for the pass, but they fell to their neighbors (3-1) and buried their options; They would need to win their two remaining games and for Serbia to lose to Bulgaria to take second place from them. Hungary has it easier. The Magyars had a scare against Lithuania, who went 2-0 up, but they reacted in the second half and tied the match, allowing them to maintain the lead in the group. A single point in the two remaining games would help the Hungarians ensure their presence in the next European Championship.
Group H
Slovenia and Denmark won their matches and remain, tied on points, leading group H. Both suffered, despite the fact that the rival seemed affordable. The Slovenians defeated Northern Ireland with a solitary goal after five minutes by Adam Gnezda, while the Nordic team defeated the weak San Marino (1-2) with suspense. The other duel of the day, between Kazakhstan and Finland, decided which of the two teams would fight with the Slovenians and Danes for the pass. The Kazakhs started losing, but came back in the second half (1-2) with a goal in the last minute, and are four points behind the leaders. The distance is great when there are only two games left to play, but Kazakhstan faces San Marino on the next day, while Slovenia and Denmark do so against each other; A possible Slovenian puncture would leave the Kazakhs depending on themselves in the last match to play the first European Championship in their history.
Group I
The suspension of the two matches that Israel was supposed to play during this break leaves Group I on hold. The Hebrew team has a chance of qualifying, but it is still unknown when it will be able to play its matches. In the matches that were played, Romania beat Andorra (4-0) to deprive Switzerland of first position, since the Swiss tied (3-3) against Belarus, in a match in which they lost 1-3 in the 89th minute but in which they managed to react.
Grupo J
The Luxembourg dream is over. The defeat against its direct rival, Slovakia, by 0-1, reduces to a minimum the possibilities of the small country, which would need a miracle to be in the next European Championship. Portugal, already qualified, beat Bosnia (0-5) with another double from Cristiano Ronaldo, who continues to expand his legend. In the last group match, Iceland defeated Liechtenstein 4-0 and maintains its slim chances of qualifying, which involves beating the Slovaks in the direct duel on the next day.
2023-10-17 21:24:45
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