Lukas Haraslin of Slovakia celebrates scoring during the UEFA Euro 2024 Group J qualification match against Iceland, Nov. 16, 2023. (Photo courtesy of UEFA)
Slovakia and Hungary have booked their spots in Euro 2024, along with eight other teams.
PARIS, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Slovakia and Hungary are the latest two teams to have qualified for Euro 2024, achieving this milestone on Thursday.
Slovakia staged a comeback, recovering from a goal down to defeat Iceland 4-2 at home in Group J. Meanwhile, Hungary secured their spot with a game to spare, following a last-gasp own goal from Alex Petkov that resulted in a 2-2 draw away against Bulgaria in Group G.
Spain and Portugal, who had already secured their spots in the finals, recorded victories as well.
After Portugal faced challenges against Liechtenstein in the first half, veteran Cristiano Ronaldo broke the deadlock in the first minute of the second half with an unstoppable left-footed shot. This goal extended his lead as the all-time top scorer in international football, with 128 goals in 204 matches. Joao Cancelo scored a superb, angled goal in the 57th minute, aiding Portugal in sealing a 2-0 win.
Lamine Yamal (L) of Spain celebrates his goal with teammate Gavi during the UEFA Euro 2024 Group A qualification match against Cyprus and Spain in Limassol, Cyprus, Nov. 16, 2023. (Photo by George Christophorou/Xinhua)
In Group A, Spain edged closer to clinching the top spot after cruising to a 3-1 away victory over Cyprus. They are now two points ahead of second-placed Scotland, who had also qualified and played to a 2-2 draw with Georgia on Thursday.
16-year-old Lamine Yamal inaugurated the scoring for Spain in the fifth minute, followed by Mikel Oyarzabal amplifying the lead in the 22nd minute. Real Madrid forward Joselu then capped off the scoring six minutes later with a first-touch finish from a corner. ■
