Belgium win Euro qualifiers Group, Wales keep hopes alive

Belgium's Romelu Lukaku, centre, celebrates with teammates after scoring his side's fourth goal during the Euro 2020 group I qualifying soccer match against Russia at Gazprom Arena in St. Petersburg on Saturday. Photo: Dmitri Lovetsky/AP

Belgium's Romelu Lukaku, centre, celebrates with teammates after scoring his side's fourth goal during the Euro 2020 group I qualifying soccer match against Russia at Gazprom Arena in St. Petersburg on Saturday. Photo: Dmitri Lovetsky/AP

Published Nov 16, 2019

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BARCELONA - Belgium sealed their passage to Euro 2020 as

winners of Group I with a 4-1 win over Russia on Saturday, although

both teams had already qualified for next summer's tournament.

Wales kept their hopes of qualifying alive with a 2-0 win at

Azerbaijan in Group E, while Slovenia scraped a 1-0 win over Latvia

in Group G to do the same.

Thorgan Hazard broke the deadlock for Belgium before his elder

brother and Real Madrid star Eden Hazard hit a double in St

Petersburg to send the visitors in at the break with a comfortable

advantage.

Romelu Lukaku added the fourth for Roberto Martinez's rampant Red

Devils, with Georgi Dzhikiya notching a consolation for Russia.

Belgium maintained their 100 per cent record in qualifying with their

ninth win from nine, which only Group J winners Italy can match.

Goals from Ryan Christie and John McGinn earned Scotland a 2-1 win at

Cyprus in a dead rubber. 

Scotland, who will be in the play-offs in March after Nations League

success, went third thanks to Christie's fine curled opener in the

12th minute and McGinn's side-footed winner eight minutes into the

second half.

Cyprus slipped to fourth despite a brilliant volleyed equalizer in

the 47th minute by Georgios Efrem, who was unlucky early on when

officials failed to spot the ball seemingly crossing the line after

his shot struck the bar.

Kazakhstan, fifth, beat bottom of the table San Marino 3-1.

Wales took an early lead in Baku when Kieffer Moore headed home Harry

Wilson's corner with the aid of a deflection.

Wilson nodded in the second after 34 minutes when Daniel James's

curling effort hit the bar and the post and bounced back to the

Bournemouth midfielder with the goalkeeper stranded.

They are third, a point behind second-place Hungary, whom they face

in their final qualifier on Tuesday.

Igors Tarasovs's own goal gave Slovenia victory in Ljubljana but if

Austria beat North Macedonia later in Group G to go though then they

can no longer qualify.

Later Croatia can book their spot in the finals at home to Slovakia

in Group E.

Germany could also qualify at home to Belarus in Group C but only if

Northern Ireland do not beat the table-topping Netherlands in

Belfast.

DPA

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