PARIS: Harry Kane scored once more as England made it two wins from two in Euro 2024 qualifying by means of beating Ukraine 2-0 at Wembley on Sunday, whilst Cristiano Ronaldo prolonged his global targets list to 122 with a double as Portugal thrashed Luxembourg. Captain Kane, who broke Wayne Rooney’s all-time England goalscoring list in midweek, grew to become house his fifty fifth global target from Bukayo Saka’s pass within the thirty seventh minute.
In-form Arsenal winger Saka all however ended Ukraine’s resistance 3 mins later, turning from Jordan Henderson’s cross and curling a chic strike from out of doors the realm into the highest nook. The victory takes England 3 issues transparent on the most sensible of the early Staff C desk after profitable in Italy for the primary time since 1961 on Thursday. “Two wins out of 2 is all we requested for at first of the camp,” midfielder Jude Bellingham instructed Channel 4. “We’ve adopted up a actually just right lead to Italy with some other one this night and whilst you do this, it feels rewarding.”
Gareth Southgate’s males produced an achieved efficiency of their first house sport since an agonizing Global Cup quarter-final defeat by means of France remaining December. Kane ignored one nice early likelihood prior to he gave England the lead. Ukraine did not muster a shot on the right track and Conor Gallagher, Harry Maguire and Jack Grealish all went just about netting a 3rd for the hosts past due on. England, nonetheless looking ahead to a primary primary event name since 1966, go back to qualifying motion towards Malta and North Macedonia in June.
The highest two groups in each and every team will robotically ebook a spot in subsequent 12 months’s Ecu Championship in Germany. Reigning champions Italy bounced again from their loss to England with a simple 2-0 away win over Malta. Argentine-born ahead Mateo Retegui adopted up his debut target towards England by means of opening the scoring early on. Monza midfielder Matteo Pessina made it two prior to the 30 minutes mark and Italy with ease noticed out the victory.
Ronaldo ratings two times
Ronaldo marked his record-breaking 197th global look in midweek with two targets towards Liechtenstein and he repeated the trick as Portugal thumped Luxembourg 6-0. The 38-year-old diverted in Nuno Mendes’ headed cross to provide Roberto Martinez’s males a ninth-minute lead. Objectives from Joao Felix and Bernardo Silva put the sport to mattress inside of 18 mins, prior to Ronaldo slotted house his 2nd from Bruno Fernandes’ via ball within the thirty first minute. Ronaldo has now scored 11 targets towards Luxembourg in his profession. Overdue moves from substitutes Otavio and Rafael Leao, who additionally ignored a penalty, rounded off a high-quality efficiency from Portugal who’re already transparent on the most sensible of Staff J.
“It’s essential to play as a workforce, to open up the sport with the ball,” mentioned new Portugal trainer Roberto Martinez, who has restored Ronaldo to the beginning line-up after he used to be dropped all the way through the 2022 Global Cup. “We paintings so the avid gamers perceive what we would like and it’s been a just right get started, however we need to toughen and paintings a lot more in combination.” Somewhere else within the team, Iceland bounced again from their opening defeat by means of Bosnia and Herzegovina by means of thrashing Liechtenstein 7-0. Slovakia moved into 2nd position in the back of Portugal with a 2-0 win over the Bosnians.
Denmark stunned
Denmark blew a two-goal result in crash to a marvel 3-2 defeat in Kazakhstan. The Euro 2020 semi-finalists looked to be cruising to victory within the Staff H fit as Atalanta teenager Rasmus Hojlund netted two times within the first part after scoring a hat-trick towards Finland on Thursday. Kazakhstan had began their bid to qualify for a primary ever primary event with a house defeat by means of Slovenia. However Bakhtiyor Zaynutdinov’s 73rd-minute penalty gave the hosts hope of a well-known turnaround in Astana.
Midfielder Askhat Tagybergen crashed a long-range pressure previous a helpless Kasper Schmeichel with 4 mins of ordinary time final to equalize. Exchange Abat Aymbetov supplied the golden second for Kazakhstan—who’ve already no less than secured a Euro 2024 play-off spot during the Countries League—jumping to energy a header into the highest nook within the 89th minute. He used to be later despatched off for a 2nd yellow card however by means of then had already grabbed all 3 issues. – AFP