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Sunday WCQ Rewind: England edges Lithuania, Poland clinches WCQ berth, and more

Matchday #10 got underway on Sunday with nine matches taking place all across Europe. Groups E & F saw several teams fighting for positioning and the top spot in the group, and it came down to the wire.

England, who already clinched the top spot in the group on Thursday, defeated Lithuania 1-0 on the road. Harry Kane continued his strong form, scoring the lone goal in the slim victory. The goal came in the 27th-minute as Kane slotted home from the penalty spot. The Three Lions had four shots on goal, while Lithuania had two. With the win, England concluded qualifying with an 8-0-2 record earning 26 points.

Elsewhere on Sunday, Slovakia’s victory clinched a second-place finish in Group F, while Scotland missed out on the final day. Poland clinched the top spot in Group E after a win at home, while Germany routed Azerbaijan.

Here’s a complete rundown of all of Sunday’s World Cup Qualifiers:

Group C

Germany concluded qualifying with a perfect 10-0-0 record, defeating Azerbaijan 5-1 in Kaiserslautern. Leon Goretzka led the way with a brace for Joachim Low’s side. The Schalke man opened the scoring in the eighth-minute from a calm finish. The visitors equalizer in the 34th-minute through Ramil Saydaev’s left-footed finish. Sandro Wagner put Germany back in from in the 54th-minute from a close-range header. Antonio Rudiger’s header in the 64th-minute extended the lead to 3-1 before Goretzka netted his second on the day. Emre Can’s long-range effort capped the final score at 5-1.

Northern Ireland suffered a second-consecutive defeat, losing 1-0 on the road at Norway. An own goal in the 71st-minute by the visitors’ Chris Brunt gave Norway a three points at home. Northern Ireland had four shots on goal, but could not find a way past ∅rjan Nyland in the Norwegian goal. Norway misses out on the World Cup, but finishes fourth in the group.

Germany 5 – Azerbaijan 1

Czech Republic 5 – San Marino 0

Norway 1 – Northern Ireland 0

Group E

Poland clinched their place to Russia 2018, defeating Montenegro 4-2 in Warsaw. Krzysztof Maczynski opened the scoring in the sixth-minute from a right-footed finish. Kamil Grosicki’s left-footed finish in the 22nd-minute doubled Poland’s lead. Montenegro made things interesting scoring two goals in a five-minute span. Stefan Mugosa and Zarko Tomasevic each scored to make it 2-2. Robert Lewandowski netted a winner in the 85th-minute, before an own goal by Filip Stojkovic slammed the door shut. Montenegro was eliminated from contention with the loss.

Denmark finished second in the group, after a 1-1 draw against Romania. Christian Eriksen put the Danes in front in the 59th-minute, scoring from a penalty. Nicklas Bendtner drew a foul inside the box, which allowed the Tottenham man to score his eighth goal of qualifying. Cristian Ganea was sent off for the visitors four minutes later after seeing a second yellow. Despite being down to 10-men, Ciprian Deac scored the equalizer for Romania in the 88th-minute. Romania finished in fourth, while Denmark will await to see if they automatically qualify for Russia 2018.

Denmark 1 – Romania 1

Poland 4 – Montenegro 2

Kazakhstan 1 – Armenia 1

Group F

Scotland’s World Cup hopes ended on Sunday, after a 2-2 road draw against Slovenia. Despite a late go at three points, Gordon Strachan’s side could not find a winner. Leigh Griffiths opened the scoring in the 32nd-minute from a left-footed finish. Roman Bezjak equalized for Slovenia in the 52nd-minute from a close range finish. The halftime sub netted his second of the day, scoring in the 72nd-minute for a 2-1 lead. Robert Snodgrass pulled the Scots level in the 88th-minute, finishing Darren Fletcher’s assist to the top right corner. Bostjan Cesar was sent off late for the hosts, but the final finished at 2-2. Slovenia finished in fourth, while Scotland misses out on goal-difference.

Slovakia 3 – Malta 0

Slovenia 2 – Scotland 2

Lithuania 0 – England 1

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