Spain, Scotland and Turkey lock up Euro 2024 spots
![Spain, Scotland and Turkey lock up Euro 2024 spots Spain, Scotland and Turkey lock up Euro 2024 spots](https://citizentv.obs.af-south-1.myhuaweicloud.com/110109/conversions/33YC6XY-highres-og_image.webp)
Turkey's forward Cenk Tosun (hidden) is congratulated after scoring his team's fourth goal during the UEFA Euro 2024 Group D qualification football match between Turkey and Latvia at the Konya Buyuksehir Belediye stadium in Konya, on October 15, 2023. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP)
Spain
clinched their place at Euro 2024 on Sunday after a 1-0 win away to Norway,
also sending Scotland through from Group A as Turkey joined the growing ranks
of qualifiers.
Barcelona
midfielder Gavi scored the only goal early in the second half in Oslo, bouncing
a shot into the corner to help Spain qualify for next year's finals in Germany
with two games to spare.
"We are
very happy because the team has grown a lot and has a great future," said
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente. "We have worked to get to this
moment."
They moved
top of Group A on goal difference, but the result ensured Scotland punched
their ticket to the tournament as well, with Norway five points adrift going
into their last match next month.
"When
we qualified via the play-offs last time, we set ourselves a target of doing it
automatically next time – so that's the first mission accomplished," said
Scotland captain Andy Robertson.
Norway have
not qualified for a major competition since Euro 2000, but a team featuring
Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard still has hope of advancing to the
play-offs.
Georgia
thrashed Cyprus 4-0 in the other game in that group.
Turkey
capped off a momentous week in which they were announced as co-hosts of Euro
2032 with Italy, by turning on the style in the closing minutes to beat Latvia
4-0 and book their place at the finals.
Yunus Akgun
broke the deadlock just before the hour and former Everton forward Cenk Tosun
grabbed two late goals either side of a Kerem Akturkoglu strike to complete the
victory for the Group D leaders.
"I am
very happy that we confirmed (qualification) tonight with this win,"
Turkey coach Vincenzo Montella told UEFA.com.
"I am
perhaps the happiest coach in the world right now. That's why I'll enjoy it
first, and then we'll continue our preparations immediately."
Turkey sit
six points clear of Wales, who leapfrogged Croatia into second as Harry Wilson
got both goals in a 2-1 victory over last year's World Cup semi-finalists in
Cardiff.
Wilson
outran the Croatia defence to loft in the opening goal shortly after half-time
and then glanced in a Dan James cross for the second.
Mario
Pasalic reduced the deficit but Wales now have control of their own destiny
heading into the concluding rounds of qualifying games in November.
Croatia find
themselves at risk of missing a major tournament for the first time since the
2010 World Cup after back-to-back defeats.
Switzerland
needed two late goals at home to Belarus to rescue a 3-3 draw but surrendered
first place in Group I to Romania.
Xherdan
Shaqiri curled the Swiss ahead in St Gallen before Belarus, beaten 5-0 by the
same opponents in March, levelled through Max Ebong.
Denis
Polyakov nodded Belarus in front at a corner and the visitors looked on course
for a shock win when Dmitri Antilevski struck a third in the 84th minute.
Manuel
Akanji tapped in from a Shaqiri free-kick to spark the last-ditch comeback for
the hosts as substitute Zeki Amdouni saved Switzerland's blushes, scrambling in
a 90th-minute equaliser.
Romania
eased to a 4-0 victory over Andorra to move a point clear, but the Swiss have a
game in hand after Thursday's trip to Tel Aviv was postponed due to the war
between Israel and Hamas.
Sunday's
match between Kosovo and Israel was also called off because of the conflict.
In Plzen, Tomas
Soucek's 76th-minute penalty earned the Czech Republic a narrow 1-0 win over
the Faroe Islands, bumping his team up to second in Group E behind Albania.
Poland
struggled in the absence of injured striker Robert Lewandowski and had to come
from behind to salvage a 1-1 draw against Moldova in Warsaw.
The Poles
are third in the section but have played a game more than the top two. They
host the Czechs in a must-win game on November 17.
Seven of the
24 slots have now been filled. Germany qualified automatically as hosts while
France, Portugal and Belgium all wrapped up their places on Friday.
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