Soccer

Spain, Scotland and Turkey qualify for Euro 2024

Gavi’s goal to eliminate Norway and secure Spain’s qualification also sent Scotland through to Euro 2024 (Nick Potts/PA)
Gavi’s goal to eliminate Norway and secure Spain’s qualification also sent Scotland through to Euro 2024 (Nick Potts/PA) Gavi’s goal to eliminate Norway and secure Spain’s qualification also sent Scotland through to Euro 2024 (Nick Potts/PA)
By PA Sport Staff

Teenager Gavi’s solitary goal was enough for Spain to secure their Euro 2024 qualification with a 1-0 victory over Norway.

The 19-year-old midfielder scored his fifth international goal in his last 25 matches to put the 2008 and 2012 champions through, while also ending Norway’s hopes with Scotland the major beneficiaries of the result as they too qualified.

Georgia’s earlier 4-0 win over Cyprus had kept alive their slim hopes of staying in contention in Group A but Spain’s result ended that prospect.

Turkey qualified from Group D after a resounding 4-0 win over Latvia, with former Everton striker Cenk Tosun scoring two late goals.

However, Croatia slipped below Wales into third after Mario Pasalic’s 75th-minute goal was not enough to spark the comeback needed after Harry Wilson scored either side of half-time.

West Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek’s 76th-minute penalty was enough for the Czech Republic to beat the Faroe Islands 1-0 in Group E.

But the group is still in the balance as Poland’s 1-1 draw at home to Moldova – Karol Swiderski cancelling out Ion Nicolaescu’s opener – kept them in in touch in third and fourth respectively.

Belarus’ hopes of finishing in the top two in Group I were ended after Switzerland scored twice in the last two minutes of normal time to snatch a 3-3 draw.

Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji and Burnley’s Zeki Amdouni both struck late on for the Swiss, who had taken a 28th-minute lead through Xherdan Shaqiri, to maintain their unbeaten record after Max Ebong, Denis Polyakov and Dmitri Antilevski appeared to have done enough to keep Belarus in the hunt.

Switzerland’s Manuel Akanji scores
Switzerland’s Manuel Akanji scores Manuel Akanji scored in a late Switzerland fightback against Belarus (Gian Ehrenzeller/Keystone via AP)

Romania went top with a 4-0 victory over Andorra in which Alaves’ on-loan Rangers winger Ianis Hagi was on target.