Ronaldo powers Portugal to win
A dominant Portuguese side make light work of Faroe Islands in 2018 World Cup qualifiers
Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat trick to move past Pele on the list of all-time international goalscorers as Portugal beat Faeroe Islands 5-1 to stay close to Switzerland at the top of Group B in World Cup European qualifying.
Ronaldo netted with a neat volley from inside the area then added two other goals to surpass the Brazil great and move into second place on the list of Europe’s all-time scorers with 78 goals. He’s six behind Hungary great Ferenc Puskas.
Pele scored 77 goals for Brazil.
Switzerland stayed perfect in qualifying by defeating Andorra 3-0 in a match interrupted by poor pitch conditions under heavy rain in St. Gallen.
The Swiss reached 21 points, three more than second- placed Portugal, and are guaranteed to finish first or second in the group.
FRANCE TROUNCE THE NETHERLANDS
Kylian Mbappe scored the final goal as France cruised to a 4-0 win over 10-man Netherlands in a key 2018 World Cup qualifier on Thursday. Antoine Griezmann put the home side ahead inside 14 minutes at the Stade de France before Kevin Strootman’s sending-off led to the Dutch being overwhelmed in the final half hour.
Thomas Lemar scored twice, the first from a stunning volley, and Mbappe capped an already memorable day on a personal level by netting his first international goal at the death.
A far superior French side are firmly back on track in their quest to make it to Russia next year after their shock 2-1 defeat in Sweden in June.
BELGIUM MAUL ABJECT GIBRALTAR
Belgium stayed firmly on course to reach the 2018 World Cup after midfielder Thomas Meunier scored three goals and delivered as many assists in their 9-0 Group H qualifying demolition of Gibraltar on Thursday.
Romelu Lukaku also scored a hat-trick as the Belgians remained in the group’s driving seat with 19 points from seven games, six more than secondplaced Greece who were held to a 0-0 home draw by Estonia.
Belgium’s victory matched their biggest competitive margin -- a 10-1 mauling of San Marino in a 2002 World Cup qualifier.
And they might have made history but for a moment of madness from their midfielder Axel Witsel, who was sent off for a wild lunge on San Marino’s Jamie Bosio near the centre circle after scoring the game’s most spectacular goal.