Portugal celebrated their third victory in the European Championship qualifiers with a 3-0 win against Bosnia-Herzegovina on Saturday evening (17.06.2023). Star striker Erling Haaland faces the possibility of being a spectator again at the 2024 European Championship in Germany after Norway’s 1-2 defeat against Scotland.
Bernardo Silva (44th minute) and Bruno Fernandes (77th, 90. +3) scored the goals for the offensively strong Portuguese team, which leads Group J with a maximum of nine points. Cristiano Ronaldo captained Portugal in his 199th international match.
Portugal’s closest pursuer is Slovakia, which celebrated a 2-1 victory in Israel and climbed to second place with seven points.
Austria Stays on Top of Group F
The Austrian national football team, coached by Ralf Rangnick, remains unbeaten after a 1-1 draw in Belgium and leads Group F with a three-point advantage. The “Red Devils,” coached by Domenico Tedesco, who previously won 3-0 in Sweden and 3-2 in Cologne against the German national team, conceded their first points in their new coach’s home debut and rank second with four points from two matches.
Freiburg’s Michael Gregoritsch gave the visitors the lead with a direct shot in the 22nd minute. Record goal scorer Romelu Lukaku equalized (61st) for the Belgians, who had to make do without their injured star Kevin De Bruyne.
Haaland’s Goal Not Enough for Norway
Striker Erling Haaland and Norway face uncertainty regarding their participation in the European Championship. Norway, last seen at a major tournament during EURO 2000, lost 1-2 against Scotland and sits in fourth place in Group A with only one point from three games. Scotland leads the group with nine points, while favorite Spain (three points) has played one game less.
Haaland converted a penalty (61st) for the host’s 1-0 lead at Ullevaal Stadium in Oslo, just a week after his triumph with Manchester City in the Champions League. It was his 22nd goal in 24 international appearances for Norway. The 22-year-old was fouled earlier in the match.
However, Lyndon Dykes (87th) and Kenny McLean (89th) turned the game around in the final stages. Norway’s next opponent is Cyprus on Tuesday (20:45).
Hungary Settles for Goalless Draw in Montenegro
Hungary missed the opportunity to top Group G, as the team featuring Bundesliga professionals Willi Orban, Dominik Szoboszlai (both Leipzig), and Roland Sallai (Freiburg) could not get more than a 0-0 draw in Montenegro. With four points from two games, they sit two points behind Serbia, who did not play this round.
