England, France among 4 to reach Euro 2020

England qualified in style for the 2020 European Championship, while the Czech Republic, France and Turkey also booked their places at next year’s tournament.

England only needed a draw to qualify but Harry Kane scored a hat trick in a 70 win over Montenegro, and the Czech Republic also advanced from Group A by beating Kosovo 21.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat trick in Portugal’s 60 win over Lithuania to keep the defending champion in contention for one of the top two spots in Group B.

Iceland’s earlier draw in Istanbul had already ensured France and Turkey were through from Group H.

College football: Robert Mathis of Alabama A&M, Erik Williams of Central State University and coach Joe Taylor have been selected for induction to the Black College Football Hall of Fame.

Quarterback Earl Harvey of North Carolina Central, defensive back James Hunter of Grambling State and Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Commissioner Dennis Thomas round out the class. The induction ceremony will be held Feb. 22 at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.

Mathis set a Division IAA record with 20 sacks in 2002 before being drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in 2003. He was a fivetime Pro Bowl selection in the NFL. Williams was an offensive lineman on Central State’s NAIA national championship team in 1990 and had a long career with the Dallas Cowboys. Taylor was among the most successful coaches in MEAC history. He was 232974 at Howard, Virginia Union, Hampton and Florida A&M.

Golf: Louis Oosthuizen had to make a trip to the hospital this week because of kidney stones. On Thursday, he shot a bogeyfree, 9underpar 63 to take a threeshot lead after the opening round of the European Tour’s Nedbank Golf Challenge at Sun City, South Africa.

Heavy rain in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, postponed the opening round of the PGA Tour’s Mayakoba Golf Classic.

Stadiums: The state board that oversees Louisiana’s Superdome approved a contract for the first phase of a $450 million renovation of the 44yearold New Orleans landmark that became a symbol of the city’s rebirth following Hurricane Katrina.

The renovations will be the most extensive since 2005, when the dome became a lastresort haven for thousands of Hurricane Katrina’s victims despite being heavily damaged. The upgrade is seen as a key element in getting a new longterm commitment from the Saints to keep the NFL franchise in New Orleans, and to attract future Super Bowls and other major events.