THE PERFECT SHOW
Les Bleus’ performance leaves Deschamps purring
FRANCE coach Didier Deschamps could not help showering his side with praise after their brilliant attack tore the Netherlands to shreds in a 4-0 win on Thursday.
Thomas Lemar scored twice either side of goals by Antoine Griezmann and man of the moment Kylian Mbappe in the key 2018 World Cup qualifying clash at a euphoric Stade de France.
“We performed very well. Apart from one header they created nothing while we had loads of chances. It is hugely satisfying to see France play so well collectively,” said Deschamps after his side took a big step towards qualifying for next year’s finals in Russia.
The Euro 2016 runners-up are now three points clear of Sweden at the top of qualifying Group A with three games to go after the Swedes — who beat France 2-1 in June — lost 3-2 in Bulgaria on Thursday.
Rather than simply make it to Russia, though, the French should be one of the contenders to win the World Cup, such is their strength in depth, particularly going forward.
Griezmann and Olivier Giroud teamed up brilliantly in attack while Monaco winger Lemar was superb aside from his two goals and Bayern Munich’s Kingsley Coman excelled in his first international appearance since the Euro final defeat to Portugal.
Mbappe started the game on the bench after his loan move to Paris Saint-Germain from Monaco had been completed shortly before kick-off, and Ousmane Dembele, the recent Barcelona signing, was not in the squad at all.
Alexandre Lacazette also came on for the French, and Deschamps’ biggest problem will be keeping all that talent happy and giving them game time.
“France have always had great attacking players. Don’t start comparing them to others who played for seven, eight, 10 years and won titles,” Deschamps insisted.
“There is lots of quality but at international level the demands are high and these performances need to be built on. But I am not going to complain about the abundance.
“We have young players who have lots of ambition, although there will perhaps be more difficult periods,” he added.
France can take another big step towards securing qualification when they face minnows Luxembourg in Toulouse tomorrow, while the Dutch are in real danger of missing a second straight major international tournament.
Absent from Euro 2016 in France, Dick Advocaat’s side now lie fourth in the qualifying group after this result, their heaviest defeat in a competitive game in more than a century.
Qualification is still on, though — the Netherlands are three points behind second-placed Sweden, whom they host in Amsterdam in October.
z PORTO: Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo struck his fifth international hat-trick, including a spectacular volleyed opener, to lead the European champions to a 5-1 win over the Faroe Islands in their World Cup qualifier on Thursday.
The 32-year-old, Portugal’s record scorer, took his haul in the current qualifying campaign to 14 goals in seven games and his overall tally to 78 in 144 international appearances.
The win left the Portuguese in second place with 18 points from seven games in Group B. Leaders Switzerland are three points clear after beating Andorra 3-0 in a game interrupted by rain. Third-placed Hungary beat Latvia 3-1 to reach 10 points.
Ronaldo needed three minutes to open his account when he met Bernardo Silva's cross with an acrobatic volley at the far post.
“I’ve been looking to score a goal like that for a while,” he said. “That sort of goal was missing from my career and now I’ve done it. It was a nice move.”
Ronaldo doubled the lead in the 29th, sending Gunnar Nielsen the wrong way with a penalty after Joao Mario was tripped by Roaldur Jakobsen, and nearly completed a hat-trick when his low shot was turned away by the Faroes' goalkeeper.
Portugal then eased up and the Faroes, who had already forced an early save from Rui Patricio, pulled one back with the simplest of goals as a long throw-in was headed on at the near post and volleyed home by Rogvi Baldvinsson.
That angered Portugal coach Fernando Santos. “We lost concentration and they scored from a move that we had studied,” he said. “I don’t like us to concede goals that way, in a loss of concentration.”
Midfielder William Carvalho gave Portugal some breathing space by heading in from Ronaldo's cross in the 58th minute.
Carvalho returned the compliment seven minutes later when he slipped the ball to Ronaldo who dummied and fired a left foot shot past Nielsen.
Portugal substitute Nelson Oliveira completed the scoring with an easy goal in the 85th minute after the Faroes defence failed to clear a Ronaldo cross.
z LIEGE: 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.
Witsel netted the home side’s fourth in the 27th minute with an acrobatic overhead kick after a pinpoint cross by the outstanding Meunier, but 14 minutes later he received his marching orders from Irish referee Neil Doyle.
The hosts were 6-0 up at halftime, with Lukaku bagging two goals and Eden Hazard, who made his first competitive start of the season after shaking off an ankle injury, also scoring.