Belgium and the Netherlands both cruised to 4-0 wins over Scotland and Estonia respectively in Euro 2020 qualifying on Monday, while Germany claimed a crucial victory over Northern Ireland in its bid to qualify for next year’s finals.
Roberto Martinez’s Belgium, the world-number-one ranked side, was not at its best but still swatted aside a poor Scotland outfit at Hampden Park to make it six wins from as many matches in Group I.
Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku gave the visitors the lead in Glasgow in only the ninth minute with his Belgian record-extending 49th international goal.
Defenders Thomas Vermaelen and Toby Alderweireld ended the game as a contest with less than 32 minutes on the clock.
Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, who had assisted each of the first three goals, completed the scoring himself with eight minutes remaining.
Russia remains in pole position to progress from Group I with Belgium, after Mario Fernandes’ 89th-minute winner sealed a 1-0 win over Kazakhstan which moved Stanislav Cherchesov’s men eight points ahead of their beaten opponent.
Babel’s brace
The Netherlands backed up its stunning 4-2 win over Germany in Hamburg last Friday by thrashing Estonia in Tallinn, as Ryan Babel scored his maiden international double.
Memphis Depay, making his 50th Netherlands appearance, grabbed the third goal, with Liverpool’s Georginio Wijnaldum also finding the net.
Ronald Koeman’s side still has work to do to reach a first major finals since making the 2014 World Cup semifinals, though, as it trails second-placed Northern Ireland by three points in Group C, albeit with a game in hand.
The Euro 1988 winner next hosts the Northern Irish on October 10 in a crucial encounter.
Germany leads the group standings after edging to a nervy 2-0 victory in Belfast.
Brilliant volley
Marcel Halstenberg’s brilliant volley broke the deadlock shortly after half-time in a tense encounter, and Serge Gnabry gave Joachim Low’s men breathing space in injury-time.
Earlier, Croatia suffered a setback in its qualifying campaign as it was held to a 1-1 draw by Azerbaijan in Baku.
The 2018 World Cup runner-up took an early lead through a Luka Modric penalty, but the host hit back with Tamkin Khalilzade’s brilliant 72nd-minute equaliser to claim its first point in Group E.
Leader Croatia is only ahead of third-placed Hungary, which it hosts on October 10, by one point, with Slovakia second on head-to-head record after winning 2-1 in Budapest.
Wales are three points further back, but having played a game fewer.
The results: Group C: Northern Ireland 0 lost to Germany 2 (Halstenberg 48, Gnabry 90+3); Estonia 0 lost to the Netherlands 4 (Babel 17, 48, Depay 76, Wijnaldum 87).
Group E: Azerbaijan 1 (Khalilzada 72) drew with Croatia 1 (Modric 11-pen); Hungary 1 (Szoboszlai 50) lost to Slovakia 2 (Mak 40, Bozenik 56).
Group G: Slovenia 3 (Verbic 43, 90, Bezjak 66) bt Israel 2 (Natcho 50, Zahavi 63); Poland 0 drew with Austria 0; Latvia 0 lost to North Macedonia 2 (Pandev 14, Bardi 17).
Group I: Scotland 0 lost to Belgium 4 (Lukaku 9, Vermaelen 24, Alderweireld 32, De Bruyne 82); San Marino 0 lost to Cyprus 4 (Kousoulos 2, 73, Papoulis 39, Artymatas 75); Russia 1 (Fernandes 89) bt Kazakhstan 0.
