Lukaku scores four as Belgium thrash Azerbaijan, Sweden ease past Estonia
Belgium 5-0 Azerbaijan
Four goals from Romelu Lukaku made easy work of Azerbaijan, as Belgium eased to a 5-0 victory to secure top spot in Group F of UEFA European Championship Qualifying (ECQ) and extend their unbeaten head-to-head record to six games (W5, D1).
Despite a sluggish start from Domenico Tedesco’s men, they still managed to take an early lead in the game. Jérémy Doku received the ball on the left wing and floated a perfect cross into the path of Lukaku, and Belgium's record goalscorer made it look easy as he directed the ball into the bottom left corner.
Eddy Israfilov then made an uphill battle for the visitors even tougher, as he received a second yellow card for a clumsy challenge that reduced his side to 10 men.
Lukaku was soon on the scoresheet again, as Timothy Castagne unselfishly squared the ball to the Roma man who simply slotted home.
In their next attack forward, Wout Faes played a similar cross to Doku’s for the first goal, and in the same simplistic fashion, Lukaku headed the ball into the bottom left for his and his country’s third goal, all within the first 30 minutes of play. Showing no signs of slowing down, Belgium soon had their fourth, with Orel Mangala reacting to a loose ball to play Lukaku through for his fourth goal of the game.
Lukaku was replaced at the break with his work done, and thankfully for Azerbaijan, the Belgian foot came off the gas pedal. The visitors looked improved after the break, but it didn’t take long for the Red Devils to regain control.
Despite the efforts of Doku, Leandro Trossard and a host of attacking substitutions Belgium struggled to find a way to get through what had become a very stubborn Azerbaijani defence. That was until the final minutes of the game, when Doku burst into the box and cut back to Trossard who easily slotted the ball home for the fifth and final goal of the game.
The win also sees Belgium go unbeaten in ECQ and confirm their place in pot 1 for the group stage draw. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan can take pride in a campaign that saw them win two games for only the second time in their history, which is a step forward regardless of today’s result.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Romelu Lukaku (Belgium)
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Sweden 2-0 Estonia
Sweden ended a disappointing UEFA European Championship qualifying campaign with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Estonia to give outgoing head coach Janne Andersson a winning send-off.
After mustering just seven points from five games, Sweden came into the contest knowing they were already going to miss a European Championships for the first time since 1996. Despite enduring a woeful campaign, they were still determined to claim all three points in the final game of Andersson’s seven-year tenure.
The hosts went close to breaking the deadlock in the opening stages when Viktor Gyokeres and Viktor Claesson hit the crossbar in quick succession. Claesson’s close-range miss was particularly galling, but he made amends in the 22nd minute, rising high to head home from Ludwig Augustinsson’s inviting delivery.
Claesson’s 15th international goal left Estonia with a mountain to climb, especially as they had failed to find the net in their previous five matches.
There seemed little chance of their barren run ending here, with Artur Pikk’s wayward effort representing their only shot of the first period. Estonia’s hopes of avoiding a sixth consecutive qualifying defeat were effectively ended by Emil Forsberg’s 55th-minute effort.
The RB Leipzig attacker played a couple of quick one-twos before stroking the ball past the helpless Karl Hein.
As the contest moved into the final 20 minutes, those in attendance at the Friends Arena rose to their feet to applaud Albin Ekdal, who made way in his 70th and final international appearance.
Meanwhile, on the pitch, the contest meandered to its conclusion, ensuring Sweden finished in third place in Group B, while Estonia prop up the standings. There is some hope for the visitors, though, as they are currently poised to feature in the qualifying play-offs due to their successful UEFA Nations League campaign.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Viktor Claesson (Sweden)
