Kylian Mbappe and France on Thursday booked a berth at next year’s FIFA World Cup, but Cristiano Ronaldo might be banned from Portugal’s first game there if his team finally win their European qualifying group.
Two goals from star striker Mbappe helped two-time champions France to qualify with a 4-0 home win against Ukraine, but Ronaldo was ejected for the first time in his international career and Portugal have to wait until tomorrow to secure a qualifying spot for the seventh straight time after they were stunned 2-0 by Ireland in Dublin.
Midfielder Michael Olise and substitute forward Hugo Ekitike added the other goals in a dominant second half from France, the World Cup runners-up in 2022.
Photo: AFP
Mbappe sent the penalty straight down the middle to break the deadlock in the 55th minute before Olise turned inside the penalty area to curl home the second goal in the 76th minute at Parc des Princes in Paris.
Mbappe poked in France’s third goal from close range in the 83rd minute following a goal-mouth scramble. He moved onto 55 goals and just two behind Olivier Giroud as France’s all-time top scorer.
“The French national team will always be better with him in it,” coach Didier Deschamps said about Mbappe. “He makes things easier for us. He performed his role perfectly this evening, as both a player and the captain of the national team.”
Photo: AFP
Mbappe went close to turning the brace into a hat-trick moments later, but blazed over after going clean through.
France have won Group D with 13 points, Ukraine and Iceland — who beat Azerbaijan 2-0 — are tied on seven points and are to play for second place when they meet tomorrow.
Portugal are to host last-place Armenia in the final day of qualifying tomorrow, with Hungary to host Ireland at the same time.
Photo: Reuters
Portugal are top of Group F with 10 points, two ahead of Hungary, who downed Armenia 1-0. Ireland are third with seven points.
Ronaldo was sent off for elbowing Ireland defender Dara O’Shea on the hour. The referee issued a yellow card, but upgraded it to red after a video review.
Portugal coach Roberto Martinez thought the ejection was “a bit harsh,” saying that Ronaldo “has never been sent off before in 226 [international] games.”
Ronaldo is to serve a mandatory one-game ban imposed for any red card when Portugal play Armenia. FIFA disciplinary rules require its judges to impose a ban of “at least two matches for serious foul play.”
Troy Parrott put the hosts ahead with a close-range header following a corner-kick in the 17th minute against the run of play with Portugal dominant. Parrott added his second in the final minute before the break, beating Diogo Costa with a low shot from inside the area.
Elsewhere, Erling Haaland scored twice as Norway moved closer to qualifying for the World Cup for the first time since 1998 by beating Estonia 4-1 in Oslo.
The win virtually secures a spot for the high-scoring Norway at next year’s tournament in the US, Canada and Mexico.
Italy had to rely on late goals from Gianluca Mancini and substitute Francesco Pio Esposito to win 2-0 against Moldova and are second in Group I, trailing leaders Norway by three points.
Italy are likely to settle for the playoffs, where the four-time World Cup champions were eliminated in the past two editions. They host Norway tomorrow and would have to win by a nine-goal margin to directly qualify because of Norway’s vastly superior goal difference.
Haaland has scored 14 of Norway’s 33 goals in seven group-stage games, the best record in UEFA World Cup qualifying. The Manchester City striker was born two years after Norway last reached the World Cup finals.
Already-qualified England continued to cruise, beating Serbia 2-0 at Wembley Stadium to keep a perfect record in Group K. They are yet to concede a goal.
Bukayo Saka fired England ahead on a rebound with a left-foot volley in the 28th minute after an initial shot by Nico O’Reilly was blocked. Substitute forward Eberechi Eze added the second in the 90th minute off a pass from another substitute, Phil Foden.
Albania beat Andorra 1-0 in the same group to secure the runners-up spot.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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