Italy thrashed by Norway as Belgium held in World Cup qualifying
Alexander Sorloth, Antonio Nusa and Erling Haaland all scored in the first half in pouring rain in Oslo as Norway made it a night to forget for Italy, who missed out on the last two World Cups.
Italy are playing catch-up with Norway, the Group I leaders with a maximum nine points after wins over Moldova and Israel in March when the Azzurri were still involved in the UEFA Nations League.
Israel are second on six points after a 3-1 win over Estonia in Tallinn, where Norway will head for their next game on Monday. Italy return home to face Moldova in Reggio Emilia in their second game.
Belgium kicked off their qualifying bid in Group J with a 1-1 draw against North Macedonia.
Maxim De Cuyper gave Belgium the lead after Romelu Lukaku's shot was blocked but former Leeds man Ezgjan Alioski volleyed in the equaliser with four minutes to play in Skopje.
North Macedonia are unbeaten through three matches but trail Wales, who top the pile on seven points following a 3-0 home win over Liechtenstein.
Joe Rodon, Harry Wilson and Kieffer Moore struck in Cardiff to keep Wales unbeaten since the appointment last year of Craig Bellamy, whose side head to Brussels next week.
Croatia hammered Gibraltar 7-0 in their opening match in Group J.
Substitutes Franjo Ivanovic and Andrej Kramaric both scored twice, with Marco Pasalic, Ante Budimir and Ivan Perisic also on target in the Algarve.
Czech Republic are the pacesetters in the section with three wins from three after a 2-0 victory at home to Montenegro. Adam Hlozek and Patrik Schick got the goals for the hosts.
The 12 group winners qualify automatically for next year's expanded 48-team tournament, while the runners-up head into the play-offs which will decide the final four qualifiers from Europe.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
20 hours ago
- France 24
Italy thrashed by Norway as Belgium held in World Cup qualifying
Alexander Sorloth, Antonio Nusa and Erling Haaland all scored in the first half in pouring rain in Oslo as Norway made it a night to forget for Italy, who missed out on the last two World Cups. Italy are playing catch-up with Norway, the Group I leaders with a maximum nine points after wins over Moldova and Israel in March when the Azzurri were still involved in the UEFA Nations League. Israel are second on six points after a 3-1 win over Estonia in Tallinn, where Norway will head for their next game on Monday. Italy return home to face Moldova in Reggio Emilia in their second game. Belgium kicked off their qualifying bid in Group J with a 1-1 draw against North Macedonia. Maxim De Cuyper gave Belgium the lead after Romelu Lukaku's shot was blocked but former Leeds man Ezgjan Alioski volleyed in the equaliser with four minutes to play in Skopje. North Macedonia are unbeaten through three matches but trail Wales, who top the pile on seven points following a 3-0 home win over Liechtenstein. Joe Rodon, Harry Wilson and Kieffer Moore struck in Cardiff to keep Wales unbeaten since the appointment last year of Craig Bellamy, whose side head to Brussels next week. Croatia hammered Gibraltar 7-0 in their opening match in Group J. Substitutes Franjo Ivanovic and Andrej Kramaric both scored twice, with Marco Pasalic, Ante Budimir and Ivan Perisic also on target in the Algarve. Czech Republic are the pacesetters in the section with three wins from three after a 2-0 victory at home to Montenegro. Adam Hlozek and Patrik Schick got the goals for the hosts. The 12 group winners qualify automatically for next year's expanded 48-team tournament, while the runners-up head into the play-offs which will decide the final four qualifiers from Europe.
France 24
a day ago
- France 24
Spain beat France in a 9-goal thriller to book a spot in Nations League final
Sport 05:49 Despite a match full of twists and turns and a spirited comeback right up to the final minutes, France conceded another semi-final defeat to Spain. Lamine Yamal distinguished himself once again with two goals. Meanwhile, in Italy, after missing out on two World Cups, the team are eager to return to the greatest competition of all. They start their qualifying campaign today. In other news, Loïs Boisson's dream has come to an end. The Frenchwoman, who was given a wildcard to play at Roland-Garros, failed to reach the final. She was no match for Coco Gauff, who made it to the final.
France 24
2 days ago
- France 24
No England crisis ahead of Euros despite absence of star trio: Wiegman
It has been a tumultuous period for Wiegman after Earps and Kirby announced shock retirements from international football and Chelsea captain Bright made herself unavailable for the Euros. The trio started every game when England's women secured their first major silverware at the 2022 Euros. Speaking after naming her squad for the title defence in Switzerland, Wiegman was adamant the Lionesses will rise to the challenge of replacing such accomplished players. "They've done so much for us, so much for England. They've been playing the tournaments since I've been here, so it's hard to replace them," Wiegman told reporters on Thursday. "But there are also other players who have done really well and now those players get the opportunity to step up. So you have to move on. "My experience before tournaments is that there is always noise. We expect noise until we go into the tournament. It doesn't feel like a crisis at all." Bright, who captained England to the World Cup final two years ago, said she felt unable "to give 100 percent mentally or physically" and needed a break from the international stage. "In the last couple of days I found out. It's sad, it's disappointing. It's not nice and I hope she feels well very soon," Wiegman said. Amid claims that Wiegman's managerial style had irked some of England's stars, the Dutch coach hit back at the critics. "It is not an unhappy group. You see parts of it. You are not in our environment all the time," she said. "I can assure you the training sessions were very good last week. I have seen what has happened on pitch and off the pitch with the team. I'm really happy with where we are now." James fit Earps reportedly stepped down after being told she was no longer guaranteed to be the first-choice keeper. Defending her approach to the delicate situation, Wiegman said: "For me, it's really important that I am honest and treat people in the right way. Sometimes you have good news and sometimes you have bad news. "I don't beat around the bush. I can't always control how people respond to that but afterwards we can just offer them support." Wiegman received a boost as Chelsea forward Lauren James was declared fit to feature at the Euros. The 23-year-old has not played since she suffered a hamstring injury during England's Nations League win over Belgium in April. James was a key figure when the Lionesses finished as World Cup runners-up to Spain in 2023. "It's not a risk. She's training really well at her club and she's at the point we hoped she would be at this stage. She keeps progressing," Wiegman said. Arsenal's Michelle Agyemang, a 19-year-old forward who scored just 41 seconds into her England debut in April, also made the squad despite playing only 10 minutes of international football. "She brings something different. I hope she can show it in the summer. We all remember her goal against Belgium," Wiegman said. Agyemang is one of seven players making their major tournament debuts, while Chelsea defender Lucy Bronze is set for her seventh, including four consecutive Euros.
