Croatia clinch their ticket to the European Championship - resounding victory for the Dutch
World Cup bronze medallists Croatia have become the last team to secure a direct ticket to the European Football Championship in Germany.
The Croatians beat Armenia 1:0 (1:0) to secure qualification for the 2024 tournament. Ante Budimir scored the decisive goal for coach Zlatko Dalic's team in Zagreb in the 43rd minute.
The Dutch, who had already qualified in advance, secured an easy 6:0 (3:0) victory over outsiders Gibraltar in the Algarve. France had also already secured their ticket to the European Championships beforehand, concluding their qualifying campaign with a 2:2 (1:0) draw in Greece.
Ex-Frankfurt player Randal Kolo Muani (42) and Youssouf Fofana (74) scored the goals for the French. Anastasios Bakasetas (56) and Fotis Ioannidis (61) scored for Greece. However, the Greeks already had no chance of a direct ticket to the European Championship, but they can still try via the play-offs. They will first face Kazakhstan in the semi-finals next March. Their opponents in the final would be Georgia or Luxembourg.
The Dutch, who have already qualified, no longer have to take this detour. Calvin Stengs (10th/50th/62nd), Mats Wieffer (23rd), Teun Koopmeiners (38th) and Cody Gakpo (81st) scored three times in the clear victory against Gibraltar in Faro.
Croatia's victory over Armenia guarantees their spot in the EM Soccer Qualification, as they join the list of teams qualified for the 2024 tournament. Despite already securing their EM qualification, Netherlands continued their dominance in a 6-0 win against Gibraltar in their last group match.
Source: www.dpa.com
