Belgium book their sheet while minnows uncover mettle

• Belgium kick Greece to sign sheet to Russia 2018
• Luxembourg jolt France to acquire point
• Switzerland say 100 per cent record

THE DAY REPLAYED – The streets of Brussels will be bouncing tonight, as Belgium became a initial organisation to swell from a European groups, apropos a sixth side to strech a 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ interjection to Romelu Lukaku’s leader in Greece.

Meanwhile, a design is most reduction transparent opposite Groups A, B and I, as France dismissed blanks opposite Luxembourg, Switzerland and Portugal sojourn relentless, and Croatia belatedly returned to tip spot.

Results
3 September
Group A: Belarus 0-4 Sweden, Netherlands 3-1 Bulgaria, France 0-0 Luxembourg
Group B: Faroe Islands 1-0 Andorra, Hungary 0-1 Portugal, Latvia 0-3 Switzerland
Group H: Estonia 1-0 Cyprus, Gibraltar 0-4 Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece 1-2 Belgium
Group I: Croatia 1-0 Kosovo

Match of a day
Greece 1-2 Belgium
Having seen Greece hold to a drab 0-0 pull to Estonia on Thursday, while Belgium dismissed 9 past Gibraltar, some would have been forgiven for awaiting Roberto Martinez and Co. to stamp their sheet with relations ease. However, a hosts they found in Piraeus were good organized an expansive, with usually a glorious fingertip save by Thibaut Courtois forcing a woodwork to rescue a qualification-chasing Belgians.

The diversion swung on a mad few mins in a second half, though. Jan Vertonghen’s fun during attack a sizzling opener was dashed when Zeca squared things adult moments later, yet Lukaku was on palm to conduct a Red Devils to Russia.

A post common by Belgian Red Devils (@belgianreddevils) on Sep 3, 2017 during 1:47pm PDT

Elsewhere
Group A
A overwhelming arrangement of resilience by Luxembourg has kept Group A good in a balance. France peppered a antithesis idea in front of a undone Toulouse crowd, yet usually to come adult brief in an implausible 0-0 pull for their little neighbours. Having handed a responsibility to France on Thursday, Sweden rediscovered their winning step with a convincing arrangement in Borisov, with Emil Forsberg assisting them to a 4-0 win over Belarus. The Netherlands bounced behind from their chastening better to Les Bleus with a Davy Propper-inspired feat opposite Bulgaria.

Group B
Switzerland kept adult their unblemished record during a tip of Group B with a clinical 3-0 win over Latvia, with Haris Seferovic stability his new good form, before Blerim Dzemaili and Ricardo Rodriguez hermetic a win. Portugal kept tabs on them though, eking out a slight 1-0 win in Budapest interjection to Andre Silva. Meanwhile, Gilli Sorensen’s initial idea for his nation saw Faroe Islands acquire their initial win on home dirt in a group, violence Andorra.

Russia, here we come #Tousensemble pic.twitter.com/bXtjUQP0Ai

— Axel Witsel (@axelwitsel28) September 3, 2017

Group H
An Edin Dzeko double saw Bosnia and Herzegovina rebound behind from their better to Cyprus with a 4-0 win over a volatile Gibraltar, who conceded twice in a final 10 minutes. Meanwhile, Estonia and Cyprus looked unfailing for a goalless draw, usually to see Mattias Kait penetrate a glorious 92nd notation bombardment to exceedingly hole a islanders slim hopes of second spot.

Group I
Croatia and Kosovo had to wait around 18 hours to finish their game, after delay due to complicated rain, yet a glanced header from Domagoj Vida warranted a slim win to send a hosts transparent in tip spot.

Player of a day
After confronting 34 shots from a star-studded corruption featuring Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe, Olivier Giroud, Alexandre Lacazette, Thomas Lemar, Paul Pogba, Kingsley Coman and Nabil Fekir opposite 90 minutes, Luxembourg goalkeeper Jonathan Joubert deserves copiousness of plaudits. “Sometimes we need to be lucky, and we were. But we played with a weapons: heart and passion. We deserved it,” he jubilantly pronounced during full-time.

The prior time France unsuccessful to kick Luxembourg (1914) Franz Ferdinand was still alive and Charles de Gaulle was in his early 20s #FRALUX

— Gracenote Live (@GracenoteLive) September 3, 2017

What they said
“I altered my mind only as we was about to take a penalty, and we should never do that. After that, we was dynamic to try and get another chance, and to make a diversion 2-0 as shortly as possible. we consider altogether we were marvellous tonight.”
Blerim Dzemaili on creation adult for his missed chastisement to measure and sign 8 wins from 8 for Switzerland

Article source: http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y=2017/m=9/news=belgium-book-their-ticket-while-minnows-show-mettle-2906743.html