Four goals from Kylian Mbappe helped the defending champions France crush Kazakhstan by 8-0 match result to qualify for next year’s World Cup. Meanwhile, Belgium beat Estonia 3-1 at home to make it to the World Cup. Belgium has taken a decisive five-point lead over second-placed Wales. Wales beat Belarus 5-1 in Cardiff.
In Group D, the French team landed at the Parc des Princes stadium instead of their traditional home venue, the Stade de France. Mbappé became the first French player to score four goals in a football match since Just Fontaine at the 1958 World Cup. Scorers were Mbappe (6th, 12th, 32nd, and 87th), Karim Benzema (55th and 59th) followed by Adrien Rabiot (75th), and Antoine Griezmann (84th).
Belgium entered Group E without the injured Romelu Lukaku. Against Estonia, Christian Benteke gave the team the lead in the 11th minute. Yannick Carrasco (53rd) and Thorgan Hazard (74th) scored two other goals to ensure the team’s victory, while Estonia’s only goal was Erik Sorga.
In the other match, Finland managed to beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 3-1 despite playing 10 players for more than 50 minutes. The team has a chance to make it to the play-offs by finishing second but will face France in the final match.
Aaron Ramsey scored two goals while Neco Williams, Ben Davies, and Connor Roberts scored one goal each in Wales’ victory over Belarus. Artsyom Kantsavy scored the only goal for Belarus. In Group G, Turkey took advantage of Norway’s poor performance and thrashed Gibraltar 6–0 to move to second place on a better goal difference. Leaving star striker Erling Haaland without a hip injury, Norway was held to a goalless draw by Latvia on home soil. In the Europe group, France, Germany, Belgium, and Denmark have made it to the World Cup, finishing at the top.
