October 14, (THEWILL) – France, Belgium and Portugal all survived scare, but held on for one-goal wins on Friday night, to become the first nations to qualify for Euro 2024 in Germany.
Kylian Mbappe scored twice as France defeated the Netherlands 2-1 in Amsterdam. The Paris Saint-Germain star volleyed the opener on seven minutes and curled in a sublime second after 53 minutes to take his international tally to 42, moving above Michel Platini into fourth on the all-time list. Despite a late goal from Dutch debutant, Quilindschy Hartman, Mbappe almost completed his hat-trick but struck the bar late on.
Cristiano Ronaldo was another to net a brace as Portugal edged Slovakia 3-2 in Porto. Ronaldo’s first helped Portugal establish a 2-0 lead before the half-hour mark. Athough Slovakia threatened a comeback when David Hancko reduced the deficit in the 69th minute, Ronaldo scored his second of the match to claim victory for Portugal.
Meanwhile in Austria, Belgium were 3-0 ahead until the 72nd minute, thanks to two goals from Dod Lukebakio and one from Romelu Lukaku. However, the 10-man Belgians began to wobble in Vienna as Austria struck twice in the later stages before the visitors held on for a 3-2 victory.
The wins ensure France, Portugal and Belgium have secured qualification for next summer’s Euros with two games to spare.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.