Memphis Depay extended his record-breaking goal streak for the Netherlands as they cruised to a 4-0 win over Finland in their World Cup qualifier on Sunday.
The win left it comfortably top of Group G and one step closer to booking a place in next year’s finals in North America. It has 16 points from six games, three more than Poland.
Donyell Malen got the scoring started in the Johan Cruijff Arena with an eight-minute goal, followed nine minutes later by a header from Virgil van Dijk.
Depay tucked away a 38th-minute penalty to take his total of goals for the Dutch team to 54, having surpassed Robin van Persie’s previous record of 50 last month, before Cody Gakpo made it 4-0 six minutes before full-time.
Denmark and Scotland at the top
Scots Che Adams and Scott McTominay scored in each half to beat Belarus 2–1, level with Denmark at the top of Group D with 10 points from four games.
Denmark defeated Greece 3–1 at home to move one step closer to the 2026 World Cup as they remained unbeaten in qualifying and ended the visitors’ hopes of reaching the tournament.
Bottom side Belarus put the hosts under early pressure and earned three corners in the opening ten minutes, with Pavel Zabelin’s header going just over the bar.
But Scotland scored five minutes later when Jack Hendry’s through ball found Adams on the edge of the box for a left-foot finish. The Torino striker was initially ruled out for offside, but a VAR video review showed he was offside.
With two games left to play, Denmark leads Group C with 10 points. | Photo credit: REUTERS
With two games left to play, Denmark leads Group C with 10 points. | Photo credit: REUTERS
Napoli midfielder McTominay scored from Andy Robertson’s cross in the 84th minute as Belarus suffered its fourth straight defeat despite Gleb Kuchko’s strike in extra time, eliminating the country from the race for the top two places.
Scotland conclude their group campaign next month with matches against Greece and Denmark.
With two games to play, Denmark tops Group C with 10 points, ahead of Scotland on goal difference. The two teams will meet in their final match next month, with the group winner automatically qualifying for the tournament final and the runner-up entering the play-offs.
Greece is third with three points and no hope of progress.
Greece controlled possession early in the match, but in the 21st minute Rasmus Hojlund took advantage of a mistake by midfielder Christos Zafeiris, who misplaced a pass that allowed the Napoli forward to score with a tap-in.
Joachim Andersen doubled the lead, heading in a Mikkel Damsgaard corner in the 40th minute, and Damsgaard added a third goal a minute later after another Greek defensive error.
Greece pulled one back in the 63rd minute when Christos Tzolis shot at goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, marking the first goal Denmark had conceded in the qualifying campaign.
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The Faroe Islands astonish the Czech Republic
The Faroe Islands, ranked 136th in the world, beat the Czech Republic 2-1 thanks to a late winner from substitute Martin Agnarsson a minute after entering.
The North Atlantic archipelago of around 55,000 inhabitants had also shocked Montenegro 4-0 on Thursday and now sit third in Group L, one point below the second-placed Czechs with one match remaining.
Hanus Sorensen put the Faroe Islands ahead in the second half, while Adam Karabec equalized for the visitor in the 78th minute. Then a defensive error by the 39th-seeded Czech Republic allowed Agnarsson to fire into an empty net three minutes later, sealing the victory.
The Faroe Islands, who have won four World Cup qualifiers in one cycle for the first time, will look to keep its dream of reaching a first World Cup final alive when it visits group leaders Croatia on November 14.
Published on October 13, 2025
