Sweden shock France, Ronaldo helps Portugal prevail
Friday, June 9, 2017
Article summary
France were stunned by a last-minute Sweden winner, while Cristiano Ronaldo took his goal tally to 11 and Andorra recorded a famous victory, ending 66 matches without a win.
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- Sweden beat France with last-gasp Toivonen goal from halfway line
- Cristiano Ronaldo takes his goal tally to 11 as Portugal in in Latvia
- Andorra end 66-match winless run by beating Hungary
- Standings
- Next games in these groups on 31 August
Group A
Sweden 2-1 France
Sweden came from behind in Stockholm to inflict a first defeat on leaders France, Ola Toivonen returning a loose clearance from goalkeeper Hugo Lloris with a first-time shot from the halfway line with the game's final kick to win the points in memorable fashion. France had taken the lead eight minutes before half-time with a stunning strike from Olivier Giroud, the forward thumping a swerving shot inside the far post from the edge of the area. Sweden swiftly levelled, Jimmy Durmaz – who, like Toivonen, plays his club football in France – slotting in with a composed finish, setting the stage for Toivonen's late stunner that left the teams level on 13 points.
Netherlands 5-0 Luxembourg
The Oranje rose to third, three points off the summit, as Dick Advocaat started his third spell at the helm with a resounding victory against Luxembourg in Rotterdam. Wesley Hoedt released Arjen Robben to steer the Dutch in front before Wesley Sneijder thumped in the second on the night he earned a Dutch-record 131st cap. Georginio Wijnaldum fired in number three, Quincy Promes headed the fourth and Vincent Janssen completed the scoring by converting the penalty he had won.
Belarus 2-1 Bulgaria
Belarus claimed their first victory of the campaign and dented Bulgaria's qualifying hopes in the process. Mikhail Sivakov's penalty sneaked under goalkeeper Nikolay Mihaylov to secure a 33rd-minute advantage, which Pavel Savitski's superb chip extended with ten minutes to go in Borisov. Georgi Kostadinov's late reply was in vain as the visitors dropped to fourth in the section.
Group B
Faroe Islands 0-2 Switzerland
Leaders Switzerland made it six wins out of six in this section with a comfortable victory over the Faroe Islands in Torshavn. Granit Xhaka's first-half strike from the edge of the box put them on their way to another maximum points' haul, which Xherdan Shaqiri sealed on the counterattack after the interval. Vladimir Petković's side stay three clear of their main threat for top spot, Portugal.
Latvia 0-3 Portugal
Qualifying top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo made it ten already for the campaign with the opening goal just before the break, heading in from virtually the goalline after José Fonte's header had hit the post. The Portugal captain made it two in the 63rd minute, again with a close-range header, before André Silva's determination gave William Carvalho and Ronaldo the chance to set him up for a third. Portugal have now won their last five fixtures and within a win of pace-setting Switzerland; Andorra's victory means Latvia drop to the bottom of the table.
Andorra 1-0 Hungary
Andorra's triumph over last summer's EURO finalists Hungary was a stand-out result of the night. Marc Rebés' 26th-minute header from a Chus Rubio cross secured not only the hosts' first success in this section but also just their second-ever win in 101 qualifiers. It also ended the principality team's 'recent' 66-game wait for a competitive victory. While the Andorrans – whose 0-0 draw with the Faroes in March had marked their first qualifying point since 2005 – moved off the foot of the table, Hungary lost ground on the top two.
Group H
Estonia 0-2 Belgium
Belgium stretched their advantage at the group summit to four points by beating ten-man Estonia. Dries Mertens tapped in the opener after Mihkel Aksalu failed to hold Kevin De Bruyne's cross before Artjom Dmitrijev was given a 44th-minute red card for a challenge on Marouane Fellaini. Aksalu, who had conceded eight in the reverse fixture, denied Fellaini, Yannick Carrasco and De Bruyne before Nacer Chadli fired in De Bruyne's pass to rubber-stamp victory.
Bosnia and Herzegovina 0-0 Greece
Bosnia and Herzegovina and Greece are still separated by a single point after drawing a blank in Zenica, although both sides had their chances. Greece, who have drawn their last three qualifiers, now have 12 points and sit second in the standings behind Belgium; Bosnia and Herzegovina failed to win at home for the first time in this campaign.
Gibraltar 1-2 Cyprus
Pieros Sotiriou nodded a late winner from Jason Demetriou's cross to deny Gibraltar a first-ever qualifying point at the 16th attempt. Roy Chipolina had headed over own his goalkeeper to give Cyprus the lead but Anthony Hernandez finished clinically from a cute Liam Walker pass to give the hosts hope of a landmark draw. Cyprus are now fourth in the section, five points behind second-place Greece, after picking up seven points from their last three fixtures.