On Thursday, the 2020 European Championship qualifying group stage matches started in the Old Continent.
The World vice-champions from Croatia had a hard time at home against Azerbaijan. The opponents first gained an advantage, but Croatia bounced back and achieved a victory with a score of 2:1.
Precise strikes from Borna Barisic and Andrej Kramaric led the Croats to victory.
Having no trouble in front of their fans, the Netherlands defeated Belarus with a score of 4:0. Two goals for the Dutch were scored by Memphis Depay, and the "Liverpool" duo - Georginio Wijnaldum and Virgil van Dijk - added one each.
Also, led by Eden Hazard, the Belgium national team started their qualifying campaign successfully. After an equalizing goal by Russia due to a Thibaut Courtois mistake, it was the "Chelsea" star who said the final word. Youri Tielemans first put Belgium ahead, and Hazard secured the victory with a double.
In other matches, predicted victories were achieved by Slovakia, Northern Ireland, Macedonia, Poland, and Cyprus. Kazakhstan surprised local fans by defeating Scotland with a score of 3:0. Meanwhile, Israel celebrated with a draw against Slovenia.
All results:
Belgium 3 - 1 Russia
Croatia 2 - 1 Azerbaijan
Netherlands 4 - 0 Belarus
Kazakhstan 3 - 0 Scotland
Cyprus 5 - 0 San Marino
Austria 0 - 1 Poland
Israel 1 - 1 Slovenia
Macedonia 3 - 1 Latvia
Northern Ireland 2 - 0 Estonia
Slovakia 2 - 0 Hungary
