Frank De Boer’s Netherlands recorded their first win of the campaign by beating Latvia 2-0. Croatia returned to winning ways, Turkey continued their fine run, but Portugal surrendered a two-goal lead against Serbia.
A 4-2 defeat to Turkey saw the Netherlands begin their campaign on a sour note. The Dutchmen were beaten on the night courtesy of a hat-trick by Burak Yilmaz, despite staging a second-half fightback. De Boer named much of the same starting eleven against Latvia as he did against Turkey. However, the result this time was positive, with Oranje beating their opponents 2-0.
The Netherlands went close on several occasions in the first half but were let down by poor finishing. Striker Luuk de Jong missed the most guilt-edged chances, as he somehow managed to hit the crossbar with his header despite the goal gaping. Sevilla striker would make amends in the second half as he scored what proved to be the Dutch’s insurance goal.
Steven Berghuis had given the Netherlands the lead prior to De Jong’s goal. While the European giants were let down by poor finishing at times, it was Berghuis’ stunning curling effort that had seen them take the lead. Latvia, surprisingly, did threaten the 2010 World Cup finalists on a couple of occasions but were denied a goal by a combination of good defending and smart saves.
Turkey were flying high after beating the Netherlands in their previous World Cup qualifier. Hat-trick hero against the Dutchmen, Yilmaz was once again tasked with leading the front line. However, he failed to get on the scoresheet against Erling Haaland’s Norway.
Turkey still managed to record a comfortable win, thanks to a brace by Ozan Tufan – his second goal a delightful strike from a distance. Leicester City’s Caglar Soyuncu also got on the scoresheet, while midfielder Kristian Thorstvedt saw a late red.
Montenegro join Turkey on top of Group G of the European qualifiers. The two sides have won both their fixtures in the international break and are on six points each.
The top-ranked team in the world, Belgium, were held to a surprise 1-1 draw by the Czech Republic. Roberto Martinez’s men, once again, fell behind to their opponents – a scenario they had to contend with against Wales a few days ago. They hit back through Romelu Lukaku, who scored the equalizer after going on a mazy run. Nonetheless, they were unable to find the winning goal in this match and even had fewer shots and shots on target as compared to their opponents.
Things turned out to be better this time around for Croatia, who returned to winning ways with a 1-0 victory over Cyprus. The 2018 World Cup runners-up took the lead just before the interval through Atalanta’s Mario Pasalic. While the match did not see any more goals, it held a personal significance for Luka Modric. The 2018 Ballon d’Or winner became his country’s leading appearance maker on the night (135 caps).
Modric’s ex-Real Madrid teammate, Cristiano Ronaldo, had a night to forget. Juve star was tasked with leading the attack against Serbia in their World Cup qualifier. While he did not get on the scoresheet, Portugal did manage to find a couple of goals through Diogo Jota. Serbia clawed their way back into the match. Aleksandar Mitrovic scored first, becoming Serbia’s all-time top scorer in the process (39 goals). Filip Kostic, meanwhile, completed the comeback on the hour mark.
There was to be some late drama in this one as Portugal were denied a clear winning goal. Ronaldo thought he had scored when the ball went over the goal-line. However, neither the linesman nor the referee confirmed the goal – VAR absence proving to be the critical factor in the situation.
The FIFA World Cup Qualifiers continue today, March 28, with France, England, Spain, and Germany in action.
