Ramsay returns to earn Wales place at Euro 2020
AARON RAMSEY fired Wales to Euro 2020 as a 2-0 victory over Hungary in Cardiff sealed their place in next summer’s finals.
Ramsey, making his first Wales start in over a year after being dogged by injuries, scored in each half as Ryan Giggs’s side leapfrogged Hungary into second spot in Group E.
The Juventus midfielder headed Wales into a 15th-minute lead to settle the nerves of a capacity Cardiff City Stadium crowd.
Ramsey’s second just after the restart was his 16th international goal, taking him past the great John Charles on the all-time Wales scoring list and into jointseventh place.
Victory secured Wales’ third appearance at a major tournament, coming just four years after their second when the Dragons reached the semi-finals of Euro 2016.
Serge Gnabry’s hat-trick condemned Northern Ireland to a 6-1 defeat to Germany in their final Group C fixture.
Michael Smith’s first international goal gave Northern Ireland a shock lead just seven minutes in at the Commerzbank Arena in Frankfurt, but it proved a false dawn.
Serge Gnabry failed to make the grade at Arsenal and even West Brom but is flourishing with Bayern Munich and he moved on to 13 goals in as many international appearances with a brilliantly-taken hat-trick, while Leon Goretzka scored a brace and Julian Brandt added a sixth late on.
Scotland required a secondhalf fightback to conclude their doomed qualifying campaign with 3-1 win over Kazakhstan at Hampden Park.
The Scots lost 3-0 to their opponents in their Group I opener in Nur-Sultan March, and attacker Baktiyor Zainutdinov stunned the home side with a terrific opener in the 34th minute.
Scotland stepped up the pace after the break and midfielder John McGinn levelled three minutes into the second half with a deflected free-kick before captain Steven Naismith headed in a second in the 64th minute.
McGinn scored again in the 90th minute to keep Scotland third in their section and now must face the play-offs in March. ■ A superb stoppage-time freekick from Javairo Dilrosun saw England’s Under-21s lose 2-1 to Holland in Doetinchem.
Mason Greenwood’s first Under-21 goal looked to have earned Aidy Boothroyd’s Young Lions a draw before Dilrosun bent in a last-gasp winner to give the hosts a 2-1 victory.