Kazakhstan vs Denmark. European Championship Qualifying Group H.
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Rasmus Hojlund scored twice to put Denmark in commanding position but hosts Kazakhstan recovered to seal stunning 3-2 comeback victory; Baktiyor Zainutdinov pulled goal back and Askhat Tagybergen scored equaliser before striker Abat Aimbetov headed in 89th-minute winner
Sunday 26 March 2023 22:38, UK
Kazakhstan scored three times in the final 17 minutes to complete a remarkable 3-2 comeback win over Denmark in Group H of their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign on Sunday.
Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojlund, who netted a hat-trick as Denmark beat Finland 3-1 on Thursday, was again the driving force in attack, scoring twice in the first half to send the visitors into the break with a comfortable 2-0 lead.
Baktiyor Zainutdinov scored a penalty after a foul by Denmark's Jonas Wind in the 73rd minute to give the hosts hope, but it looked like Denmark would hold on.
Askhat Tagybergen then equalised in the 86th minute with a shot from outside the box before striker Abat Aimbetov headed in one minute before time to complete the comeback for the side ranked 115th in the world.
Six minutes into stoppage time, Aimbetov received his second yellow card and was sent off after elbowing a Danish player.
Cristiano Ronaldo extended his goals and appearances records as Portugal enjoyed a 6-0 win over Luxembourg.
Ronaldo made a world-record 197th appearance - overhauling the previous record set by Kuwait striker Bader Al-Mutawa - in Thursday's win over Liechtenstein, scoring twice in the 4-0 success.
And the former Manchester United forward found the net twice more against Luxembourg on Sunday, taking his record international tally to 122.
Ronaldo opened the scoring after nine minutes and grabbed his second just after the half hour, with Chelsea's Joao Felix and Manchester City's Bernardo Silva having made it 3-0 to the visitors inside 18 minutes.
Second-half substitute Otavio made it 5-0 just two minutes after coming on and Rafael Leao completed the scoring in the 88th minute, having missed a penalty shortly beforehand.
Italy bounced back from their loss to England with a 2-0 win in Malta courtesy of first-half goals from Mateo Retegui and Matteo Pessina.
Elsewhere, former Coventry and Cardiff midfielder Aron Gunnarsson hit a 35-minute hat-trick as Iceland thumped Liechtenstein 7-0 at the Rheinpark Stadion.
David Olafsson, Hakon Haraldsson, Andri Gudjohnsen and Mikael Ellertsson were also on target as Arnar Vidarsson's side bounced back from Thursday's 3-0 defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina to record the biggest official win in the nation's history.
In Group H, a striker from Red Bull Salzburg striker Benjamin Sesko and an own goal from Roberto Di Maio earned Slovenia a 2-0 win over San Marino while in Group J, Slovakia beat Bosnia and Herzegovina by the same scoreline, thanks to first half goals from Robert Mak and Lukas Haraslin.
Harry Kane underlined his status as England's greatest international goalscorer and Bukayo Saka dazzled again in a comfortable 2-0 win over Ukraine to put Gareth Southgate's team in control of Euro 2024 qualifying Group C on Sunday.
Fresh from scoring his 54th goal in the 2-1 victory over Italy on Thursday, Kane made up for a couple of missed chances to break the stalemate in the 37th minute.
Arsenal youngster Saka, again England's brightest spark, then doubled the lead before halftime with a sensational curler that left the visitors and their 4,000 fans deflated.
Ukraine had their moments and enjoyed some pressure after the interval but never really looked capable of claiming only a second victory over England in 10 attempts.
Northern Ireland could not produce a performance to match the occasion as Michael O'Neill's first home game back at Windsor Park ended in a 1-0 defeat to Finland.
After Thursday's 2-0 win over San Marino, this was a more sobering night against stronger opposition, and a result which deals a significant blow to hopes of reaching Euro 2024 even at this early stage of the campaign.
Northern Ireland appeared off the pace before Benjamin Kallman fired Finland in front with 28 minutes gone, and although the hosts improved while chasing the game, they could not find an equaliser as Dion Charles had a 62nd-minute goal ruled out for handball.
It was hardly the night O'Neill would have been hoping for on his return to a ground where so many memories were made during his first reign.
France started their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign with a 4-0 win against the Netherlands and Kylian Mbappe will be looking to reach new heights as Les Bleus face Republic of Ireland away in Group B on Monday.
Mbappe has scored 38 goals for France and sits in fifth place overall in the list of the country's top scorers, three shy of former great Michel Platini and 15 behind all-time leader Olivier Giroud.
"It's an honour to be right here behind him but he's the next target to shoot down as I continue my way towards the top," Mbappe, who is France's new captain since Hugo Lloris's international retirement in January, told a news conference on Sunday.
"Michel, however, is a legend and will always be a legend. Whether I beat him tomorrow or another day, he will remain Michel Platini."
Mbappe netted a double at the Stade de France on Friday as France crushed the Netherlands in seemingly casual, yet brutal fashion.
They do not intend to stop there.
"We want to show we can be a great team, that's the identity of this generation - this desire for greatness, a lot of players have that," said the 24-year-old.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward, who almost single-handedly turned the World Cup final when France were 2-0 down against Argentina before losing on penalties, believes Ireland will be a tough nut to crack at the Aviva Stadium.
"This game will not be as easy as people might think," he warned.
Asked about the 18-year-old Evan Ferguson, who scored his first international goal in a 3-2 friendly win against Latvia last week, Mbappe said: "Let's hope he is quiet. If he is, it means we will have done a good job."
To do that, France will rely on their pair of centre backs after Dayot Upamecano and Ibrahima Konate proved unbreakable last Friday.
"They have played a lot of games together, and as time goes by there is always room for improvement," said coach Didier Deschamps when asked about the pair, who played together at RB Leipzig from 2017-21.
"They are young players are at the highest level with their clubs. They were there at the World Cup, even if Dayot played more than Konate. They have a lot of qualities and they need to confirm before they can be compared to others."
The Netherlands host Gibraltar in the other Group B game on Monday.
