Spain wins group, Portugal unblemished
The Spanish national soccer team has qualified for next year's European Championship in Germany as group winners.
Coach Luis De La Fuente's team won 3:1 (1:1) against Georgia. The goals were scored by Robin Le Normand (4th minute) and Ferran Torres (55th), while Georgia's Luka Lochoshvili scored an own goal (72nd). Chwitscha Kwarazchelia (10) had scored the equalizer in the meantime.
Spain's victory was overshadowed by a knee injury to young star Gavi. While Spain's group win means they will certainly be in Pot 1 in the draw and thus avoid hosts Germany for the time being, Georgia can still qualify for their first European Championship finals via the play-offs.
Portugal did even better than Spain in qualifying. The Portuguese also won their tenth game and remained unbeaten in Group J. Bruno Fernandes (37) and Ricardo Horta (66) scored the goals in the 2:0 (1:0) win over Iceland.
Earlier on Sunday afternoon, Serbia became the 17th team to secure a ticket to the European Championship finals with a 2-2 (1-0) draw against Bulgaria. Romelu Lukaku scored a brace for Belgium in their 5:0 (4:0) win over Azerbaijan. With 14 goals in eight games, Lukaku now clearly leads the scoring charts in European Championship qualifying.
Spain's triumph in their group ensures their direct entry into Pot 1 for the European Championship draw, potentially avoiding face-off with Germany in the initial stages. Despite Spain's victory, Portugal's dominance in European Championship qualification remains unmatched, as they remain undefeated and continue their quest for the championship.
Source: www.dpa.com
