Another round of European World Cup qualifiers saw several teams take a step closer to securing their qualification.
Scotland were looking to maintain their undefeated record against Belarus, while the likes of Denmark, Greece, the Netherlands and Croatia were all in action.
With the tournament now just a few months away, it was crucial for sides to pick up points and avoid unnecessary slip-ups.
Read on to see how the best of the action unfolded across the continent on Sunday evening.
Dutch delight
The Netherlands took another commanding step toward World Cup 2026 qualification with a 4-0 win over Finland in Amsterdam. Ronald Koeman’s side blew their visitors away with a ruthless first-half display, and a late Cody Gakpo strike capped off a dominant evening for the Oranje.
It took just eight minutes for Donyell Malen to open the scoring, curling home from Memphis Depay’s clever one-two. Depay then turned provider again nine minutes later, delivering a perfect free-kick for Virgil van Dijk to head in and double the lead.
Depay made it 3-0 from the penalty spot in the 38th minute after Robert Tenho handled Malen’s cut-back inside the area.
After the restart, Reijnders and Dumfries went close, while Weghorst saw a goal disallowed for offside. The Netherlands sealed the win in the 84th minute when Xavi Simons teed up Gakpo, who fired a thunderous shot into the top corner.
Denmark dominate
Denmark continued their strong qualifying form with a 3-1 win over Greece in Copenhagen.
The hosts made a flying start when Rasmus Hojlund fired home a left-footed finish into the bottom corner after 21 minutes.
Joachim Andersen doubled Denmark’s advantage shortly before half-time, heading in from close range after Mikkel Damsgaard’s corner caused chaos in the Greek box.
Damsgaard then turned scorer himself in the 41st minute, sweeping home Victor Froholdt’s clever pass to make it 3–0 before the interval and effectively put the contest to bed.
Greece improved after the break and grabbed a consolation through Christos Tzolis, who lashed Fotis Ioannidis’ assist into the top corner from the centre of the area.
No problems for Croatia
Croatia maintained their push for World Cup 2026 qualification with a routine 3-0 win over Gibraltar in Rijeka.
The hosts took control early on when Toni Fruk opened the scoring in the 30th minute, rising highest to head Marco Pasalić’s cross into the top-right corner.
Despite dominating possession, Croatia couldn’t add to their lead before the break and even missed a chance to double their advantage early in the second half when Lovro Majer’s penalty was saved by Gibraltar goalkeeper Jaylan Hankins.
Their pressure eventually paid off in the 78th minute, as Luka Sucic calmly slotted home a left-footed effort from close range to make it 2-0.
Moments later, Martin Erlic added a third, nodding Majer’s corner into the top corner to seal a comfortable victory.
Full results
Scotland 2-1 Belarus
Denmark 3-1 Greece
Netherlands 4-0 Finland
Lithuania 0-2 Poland
San Marino 0-4 Cyprus
Romania 0-0 Austria
Faroe Islands 2-1 Czech Republic
Croatia 3-0 Gibraltar
