In a spectacle of dominance, France scripted history with an unprecedented 14-0 victory over a 10-man Gibraltar, establishing a new men’s European Championship qualifying record. Kylian Mbappé shone with a hat-trick, while Warren Zaïre-Emery marked his debut with a goal.
By halftime in their Euro 2024 Group B qualifier, France was already 7-0 up, with Marcus Thuram, Zaïre-Emery, Mbappé, Jonathan Clauss, Kingsley Coman, and Youssouf Fofana finding the net. The 18th-minute expulsion of Gibraltar’s Ethan Santos paved the way for France’s biggest-ever win, surpassing their 10-0 victory over Azerbaijan in 1995.
Adrien Rabiot, Coman’s second strike, and Ousmane Dembélé further widened the gap, reaching the historic 10-0 milestone. Mbappé then added two more goals, and Olivier Giroud concluded the spectacle with a late double. This 14-0 triumph now stands as the most significant victory in men’s European Championship qualifying, eclipsing Germany’s 13-0 rout of San Marino in 2006.
In another crucial Euro 2024 qualifier, the Netherlands secured their berth with a 1-0 win over Ireland, thanks to Wout Weghorst’s early goal. Despite missing several regulars due to injury, the Dutch outplayed their opponents, confirming their spot in the tournament.
Switzerland secured their place in next summer’s Euro finals with a 1-1 draw against Kosovo in Group I. Ruben Vargas opened the scoring for Switzerland, but Muhamet Hyseni leveled for Kosovo late in the match. Switzerland, finishing second with 17 points, will face group leaders Romania, who also sealed qualification with a 2-1 win over Israel.
Romania came from behind after Eran Zahavi’s early goal for Israel, securing victory with goals from George Puscas and Ianis Hagi. Croatia moved closer to Euro 2024 qualification with a 2-0 victory against Latvia. Lovro Majer and Andrej Kramaric provided the early goals for Croatia, positioning them on the brink of qualification. Meanwhile, Wales’ hopes were dealt a blow with a 1-1 draw in Armenia.
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By Agencies
