Iceland and Czech Republic join France and England as the four teams who have secured a spot in EURO 2016, which kicks off next June. Check out a quick recap of today’s action, with a host of matches still to be played Monday and Tuesday.
Iceland 0-0 Kazakhstan
A scoreless draw on a rainy night in Reykjavik was enough to earn Iceland a berth in the European Championship next summer. It will be Iceland’s first appearance in a major tournament, an amazing feat for the tiny island nation with a population of less than 350,000. Iceland boasts a stellar record of 6-1-1 in qualifying, sitting atop Group A with 19 points.
Latvia 1-2 Czech Republic
Czech Republic also booked a trip to France next June thanks to an away win against Latvia. Two goals within the opening 25 minutes gave Petr Cech’s side a comfortable lead, but they were forced to hold on after a late surge from Latvia. Czech Republic also has 19 points through eight matches, sitting behind Iceland in Group A on goal differential.
[ RELATED: Netherlands continue nosedive with 3-0 loss in Turkey, sit out of qualifying position ]
Cyprus 0-1 Belgium
In Group B, Wales would have earned qualification had Belgium drawn or lost, but that wasn’t the case as Chelsea’s Eden Hazard tallied late to lead his country to a 1-0 win. It wasn’t a great performance from a Belgian side loaded with talent, but they now will almost certainly earn qualification in their next match against Andorra, a team with eight losses through eight matches.
Elsewhere in EURO 2016 qualifying
Group A
Turkey 3-0 Netherlands
Group B
Wales 0-0 Israel Bosnia & Herzegovina 3-0 Andorra
Group H
Italy 1-0 Bulgaria Norway 2-0 Croatia Malta 2-2 Azerbaijan