An enthusiastic Turkey defeated debutants Georgia end to end to kick off the Euros in a thrilling fashion.

To the joy of the throngs of Turkish supporters, Real Madrid playmaker Arda Guler scored a magnificent goal in addition to goals from Kerem Akturkoglu and Mert Muldur.

After Georges Mikautadze levelled Muldur’s brilliantly executed opener and struck the woodwork, Georgia became a threat.

Even though Napoli star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia wasn’t playing at his best, his squad still managed to put up enough of an effort to give themselves hope for the next games against Portugal and the Czech Republic.

“It was a match worthy of the Euros, we had great support even in difficult moments. This win is also for them and the party that they’ll have,” Turkey coach Vincenzo Montella told reporters.

“It’s my 50th birthday today so it was perfect day of sport and the victory was the best present that the boys could have given me.”

The second round of group matches begins on Wednesday in Stuttgart, when host Germany takes on Hungary.

Scotland plays Switzerland in the other Group A match, hoping to win their first major event since 1996. Croatia plays Albania in Group B.

Photo by EPA/Leszek Szymanski

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Group A

GERMANY
Previous Euros: 13
Best finish: Winners (1972, 1980, 1996)

The hosts and automatically one of the favourites, even if results have been patchy in the past 12 months. Never write off a German side on home soil, especially one with quality across the park like this one. Coach Julian Nagelsmann is only in charge until the end of this tournament.

SCOTLAND
Previous Euros: 3
Best finish: Group stage (1992, 1996, 2020)

Scotland were among the first teams to qualify after an excellent preliminaries campaign and head to a second successive Euros finals. They have gone out in the pool stages in all of their three previous visits, so the target will be the round of 16.

HUNGARY
Previous Euros: 4
Best finish: Third place (1964)

Hungary are not the power of old, but there are signs they have become competitive again in recent years. They have qualified for their third Euros on the trot and will be relieved to have a better group than in 2020, when they drew France, Germany and Portugal! Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai is a key man.

SWITZERLAND
Previous Euros: 5
Best finish: Quarterfinals (2020)

A team no-one wants to face. Switzerland may not have global stars, but they are organised and structured and have enough quality to hurt anyone, as they showed when they dumped powerhouse France out in the round of 16 the last time out. They could be a dark horse.

GROUP B

SPAIN
Previous Euros: 11
Best finish: Winners (1964, 2008, 2012)

This is a new-look Spain compared to the Golden Generation of the past and while they may not have the same aura, they will be a dangerous team at the finals and one of the contenders for the title. Watch out for 16-year-old Barcelona star Lamine Yamal.

CROATIA
Previous Euros: 6
Best finish: Quarterfinals (1996, 2008)

Croatia have been top-three finishers in back-to-back World Cups but were eliminated in the round of 16 in their past two Euros finals appearances. Captain and talisman Luka Modrić could feature in his ninth major international tournament and is still a key man for the side.

ITALY
Previous Euros: 10

Best finish: Winners (1968, 2020)

The defending champions have had a few topsy-turvy years, going from Euro 2020 winners to failing to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar. Coach Luciano Spalletti’s side needed a 0–0 draw with Ukraine to book their place at the finals. This is a more workmanlike Italy than the outstanding sides of the past.

GROUP C

SLOVENIA
Previous Euros: 1
Best finish: Group stage (2000)

After a long wait for Slovenia to return to the top European stage, they have a useful squad but may battle to go beyond the group matches. RB Leipzig forward Benjamin Šeško and Udinese midfielder Sandi Lovrić are players to watch.

DENMARK
Previous Euros: 9
Best finish: Winners (1992)

The Danes claimed arguably the greatest surprise win in football finals history when they went from being on holiday at the beach to claiming the title in 1992 as last-minute replacements for Yugoslavia. Kasper Hjulmand’s (right) experienced squad reached the semifinals in 2020.

SERBIA
Previous Euros: 5
Best finish: Runners-up (1960, 1968)

Serbia last qualified in 2000 as Yugoslavia, so it has been a long wait. With an impressive squad containing the likes of Dušan Vlahović from Juventus, Fenerbahçe’s Dušan Tadić and AC Milan forward Luka Jović, they could spring a surprise.

ENGLAND
Previous Euros: 10
Best finish: Runners-up (2020)

Every year, they are touted as title contenders, but fall short, though they came close on home soil in 2020 when they lost in the final to Italy on penalties. They have the talent to win it, do they have the mentality? Could this be Jude Bellingham’s tournament?

GROUP D

POLAND
Previous Euros: 4
Best finish: Quarterfinals (2016)

Poland needed the playoffs to qualify after finishing behind Albania and Czech Republic in their pool, beating Estonia and Wales. That was hardly convincing, but any side with Robert Lewandowski in the line-up is dangerous.

NETHERLANDS
Previous Euros: 10
Best finish: Winners (1988)

The Dutch are always contenders (left) and while this is certainly not their best generation, you would not write them off. Ronald Koeman is now in his second spell as coach of his nation, having already won the tournament as a player in 1988. He led them to third in the Nations League last year.

AUSTRIA
Previous Euros: 3
Best finish: Round of 16 (2020)

Coach Ralf Rangnick is German, and the bulk of his squad play in the German Bundesliga, so the Austrian players will feel right at home. Midfielders Marcel Sabitzer, Christoph Baumgartner and Konrad Laimer are all players to watch, along with veteran forward Marko Arnautović.

FRANCE
Previous Euros: 10
Best finish: Winners (1984, 2000)

Always a power on the continent, they have been to the past two World Cup finals (winning in 2018) and reached the Euros f inal in 2016 as hosts, but lost to Portugal. With quality across the park, Kylian Mbappé remains the man to watch, and he loves tournament football.

GROUP E

BELGIUM
Previous Euros: 6
Best finish: Runners-up (1980)

The Red Devils were quarterfinalists at the two most recent Euros but failed to progress from the group stage at the 2022 World Cup. However, they are unbeaten since then under coach Domenico Tedesco. Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne are key to their chances.

SLOVAKIA
Previous Euros: 5
Best finish: Winners (1976)

Slovakia have qualified for their third successive Euros, and were the winners in 1976 as part of Czechoslovakia. Napoli midfielder Stanislav Lobotka and Boavista striker Róbert Boženík are two to keep your eye on.

ROMANIA
Previous Euros: 5
Best finish: Quarterfinals (2000)

Romania have developed a very useful team and will hope to repeat their heroics of Euro 2000, when they progressed from a group containing Portugal, England and Germany before being knocked out by Italy in the quarterfinals.

UKRAINE
Previous Euros: 3
Best finish: Quarterfinals (2020)

War-torn Ukraine mounted comebacks against Bosnia & Herzegovina and Iceland to secure playoff qualification for their fourth Euros in a row. They will get lots of sympathy in Germany, but also have top players in forward Roman Yaremchuk, winger Mykhailo Mudryk and defender Vitaliy Mykolenko.

GROUP F

TURKEY
Previous Euros: 5
Best finish: Semifinals (2008)

Türkiye are back again for the third time in a row with their best previous showing a last-four tie with Germany in 2008, when they lost a thriller 3–2. They lack a bit of firepower up front but have plenty of experience, not least Inter Milan midfielder Hakan Çalhanoğlu.

GEORGIA
Previous Euros: None
Best finish: None

Willy Sagnol’s side finished fourth in their pool and then beat Luxembourg and 2004 champions Greece in the playoffs to reach a first ever major finals of any sort. Napoli forward Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is the key man and one of the form players in Europe.

PORTUGAL
Previous Euros: 8
Best finish: Winners (2016)

New head coach Roberto Martínez has qualified the side for the finals after leaving Belgium. Cristiano Ronaldo will make his sixth Euro finals appearance and holds records for the most goals (14) and appearances (25) at the tournament. Check out the goals voted the best of the Euro 2024 qualifiers!

CZECH REPUBLIC
Previous Euros: 10
Best finish: Winners (1976)

Their victory 48 years ago came as Czechoslovakia, but despite the breakup of that country, Czechia will make an eighth successive appearance at the finals. Bayer Leverkusen forward Patrik Schick is their main source of goals along with captain Tomáš Souček.

Photo by Backpagepix

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It was not even that long ago that Germany were perennial contenders and frequent winners of major competitions.

But their most recent World Cup success in 2014 has been followed by two tournaments, in Russia and Qatar, where they could not get past the first round, something that had only previously happened in 1938.

Similarly in the Euros, Germany floundered during the most recent tournament, exiting in the round of 16, having thrice previously been winners, and runners-up on another three occasions.

Last year, when their warm-up results were going awry, the Germans took the unprecedented step of firing a coach, with Hansi Flick booted and Julian Nagelsmann brought in as a stopgap measure.

Whether the youth coach proves a panacea or a disappointing flash in the pan, as his previous tenure at Bayern Munich suggests he might be, remains to be seen.

Instead, the favourites for the Euros will be England, France, Portugal and Spain, with the Dutch and Belgians being credible outsiders. Portugal will likely bring Cristiano Ronaldo with them for a swansong.

He will make his sixth Euro finals appearance already holding records for the most goals (14) and appearances (25) at the tournament.

But this is a tournament tailor made for the new generation of world stars – Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and teenager Lamine Yamal from Spain.

It all gets underway in Hamburg on June 14 and concludes one month later with the final in Berlin.

GROUP A
GERMANY: This year’s hosts open the tournament against Scotland in their first competitive fixture since the 2022 World Cup in Qatar where, despite beating Costa Rica 4–2 in their final group game, they crashed out at the first hurdle.

HUNGARY: After going 44 years without qualifying for a Euros finals between 1972, when they finished fourth, and 2016, Hungary have now made it to their third tournament in a row.

SCOTLAND: They have qualified for back-to-back tournaments but have not won a game at the tournament since Euro ’96 in England.

SWITZERLAND: Their stand-out performance came in 2020, when they progressed through the group stage and stunned the French on penalties in the round of 16 before a quarterfinal exit at the hands of Spain, also on spot kicks.

GROUP B

ALBANIA: They made their debut at Euro 2016 and memorably defeated Romania 1-0 in their last group game, and this is their second appearance.

CROATIA: Captain and talisman Luka Modrić could feature in his ninth major international tournament for the World Cup semifinalists, who were eliminated during the round of 16 in their most recent two Euros finals appearances.

ITALY: The title-holders (right) started their campaign under Roberto Mancini but ended it off coached by Luciano Spalletti as they came close to missing out on the tournament.

SPAIN: Only Germany have taken part in more Euros finals than Spain (top), who will this year be making their 12th appearance at the tournament.

GROUP C

DENMARK: Coach Kasper Hjulmand’s experienced squad reached the last four at Euro 2020, their best showing at any finals since they famously won the competition in 1992.

ENGLAND: Manager Gareth Southgate will be hoping to go one better than last time, when the Three Lions lost the Euro 2020 final to Italy on penalties at Wembley.

SERBIA: With an impressive squad containing the likes of Dušan Vlahović from Juventus, Fenerbahçe’s Dušan Tadić and AC Milan forward Luka Jović, Serbia will have high hopes of making an impression.

SLOVENIA: Formerly part of Yugoslavia, Slovenia are at a major international tournament for only the fourth time, the first time since the 2010 World Cup.

GROUP D

AUSTRIA: This is Austria’s third successive Euros and their fourth in total; they co-hosted the 2008 competition, their tournament debut, with neighbours Switzerland.

FRANCE: The two-time winners have not missed a finals tournament since 1988 and were hosts in 2016, when they lost to Portugal in the final.

NETHERLANDS: Ronald Koeman is in his second spell as coach of his nation (below), having won the tournament as a player in 1988.

POLAND: Michał Probierz’s side came through the playoffs in March to qualify, booking their passage with a shootout victory against Wales after 120 goalless minutes in Cardiff.

GROUP E

BELGIUM: The Red Devils were quarterfinalists at the past two Euros but failed to progress from the group stage at the 2022 World Cup finals.

ROMANIA: They will be hoping to repeat their heroics of Euros 2000, where they progressed from a group containing Portugal, England and Germany before being knocked out by Italy in the quarterfinals.

SLOVAKIA: They qualified for their third consecutive Euros finals, with their best performance coming in 2016, when they progressed to the round of 16 before being beaten by Germany.

UKRAINE: Serhiy Rebrov’s team beat Bosnia and Herzegovina and Iceland in dramatic playoff games to secure qualification for their fourth Euros in a row.

GROUP F

CZECH REPUBLIC: The Czechs have reached the quarterfinals (twice), semifinals and final in the past seven editions as they bid for a repeat of their Antonín Panenka-inspired triumph of 1976.

GEORGIA: Willy Sagnol’s charges made history in the playoffs, defeating Luxembourg and Greece, the latter on penalties, to reach their first-ever major finals.

PORTUGAL: They were the only team (above) to qualify for the event with a 100% record.

TURKEY: They have been knocked out in the group stage in their last two appearances but memorably made it to the semifinals in 2008, when they lost 3–2 to Germany in a thriller.

Photo by EPA/ANNA SZILAGYI

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Mbappe showcased his phenomenal pace and strength on the way before finishing emphatically to put the reigning world champions ahead in the 56th minute at the Stade de France.

The recalled Olivier Giroud doubled their lead nine minutes later as France ran out deserved winners to stave off the threat of relegation from the top tier of the Nations League, a competition they won just last year.

Didier Deschamps’ side still need to win their last Group A1 game away in Denmark on Sunday to be certain of avoiding relegation, while qualification for the four-team finals next June is already out of reach.

France’s failure to win any of their four games in June is the reason for that, but the priority for Les Bleus now is the World Cup, with the first game of their title defence in Qatar exactly two months away.

Deschamps will hope to have recovered at least the majority of his crocked stars by the time that match against Australia comes around on November 22.

Those missing from this game would make up a very strong team in their own right, with the absentees including goalkeeper and captain Hugo Lloris; centre-backs Lucas Hernandez and Presnel Kimpembe; left-back Theo Hernandez; midfield lynchpin N’Golo Kante and forward Kingsley Coman.

Karim Benzema is currently out too, and then there is Paul Pogba, who faces a race against time to recover from knee surgery.

Pogba has also been in the headlines after filing a complaint with Italian prosecutors saying he was the target of a 13 million-euro ($13m) blackmail plot.

His brother Mathias is one of five people charged and detained in the case.

– Giroud closes on goals record –
Meanwhile this week began with Paris Saint-Germain superstar Mbappe refusing to take part in a photo shoot in a row with the French Football Federation over image rights.

But neither Mbappe nor his teammates appeared distracted as they outclassed Austria.

Mbappe had the ball in the net inside 90 seconds only to be denied by the offside flag, and he was a constant threat in the first half.

France should have led at the interval but Austria had goalkeeper Patrick Pentz to thank for a sensational double save in the 35th minute.

Pentz tipped Aurelien Tchouameni’s acrobatic overhead kick onto the bar and then got down low to save Antoine Griezmann’s follow-up attempt.

Before that the hosts — who gave debuts to Monaco centre-back Benoit Badiashile and his club colleague, midfielder Youssouf Fofana — saw their injury worries increase when Barcelona’s Jules Kounde limped out.

Goalkeeper Mike Maignan also came off at half-time to be replaced by West Ham United’s Alphonse Areola, and France went ahead soon after.

Mbappe collected a Giroud pass on the left before surging inside, bouncing off Austria’s Marcel Sabitzer, and lashing a shot beyond Pentz.

He celebrated by mimicking a photographer, an apparent nod to the troublesome quarrel over image rights.

Giroud then marked his return to the side by heading in Griezmann’s cross to make it 2-0 with his 49th international goal.

He is now just two shy of Thierry Henry’s French record of 51.

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The Dane, wearing the captain’s armband, struck in the 57th minute to round off Denmark’s 3-0 friendly win over Serbia in the Parken Stadium where he collapsed and nearly died in a European championship match against Finland last June.

“To come back to Parken and score a goal with the welcome I received … is something that gives you goosebumps. It makes me incredibly happy,” said Eriksen.

At Wembley, Ollie Watkins scored on his first start for England as Gareth Southgate’s rejigged side beat 10-man Ivory Coast 3-0.

A reshuffled France also sported Kylian Mbappe and Olivier Giroud on target for the world champions in a comfortable 5-0 victory over South Africa eight months before the World Cup kicks off in Doha.

European heavyweights Germany and the Netherlands played out to a 1-1 draw in Amsterdam while Italy salvaged some pride days after failing to qualify for a second consecutive World Cup, beating Turkey 3-2 in Konya.

In Copenhagen, taking to the pitch, Eriksen was handed the captain’s armband and received a huge wave of applause from the home crowd.

“Welcome home Eriksen” and “Welcome home Christian” banners were unfurled by fans as the players came on to the pitch at the capital’s national stadium.

Joakim Maehle opened the scoring for Denmark after quarter of an hour with Jesper Lindstrom adding a second eight minutes after the break.

Eriksen, who has relaunched his club career with Brentford in the Premier League, scored the third with a shot from outside the box for his 38th goal in 111 appearances.

The 30-year-old was substituted after 80 minutes, leaving the field to a standing ovation and was later named Man of the Match.

In London, Southgate’s new-look home team took time to settle but first-half strikes from Watkins and captain Raheem Sterling either side of a red card for the visitors put them in total control.

The game fizzled out as a sporting contest as England lost their rhythm, but Tyrone Mings headed home from a corner in stoppage time to add gloss to the scoreline for the Euro 2020 runners-up in the final match before the World Cup draw on Friday.

European champions Italy also rung the changes days after their shock defeat by North Macedonia that denied them a World Cup berth.

Bryan Cristante’s 35th-minute header and a Giacomo Raspadori brace gave the European champions the win after Cengiz Under had given the hosts a fourth-minute lead.

Serdar Dursun pulled one back with seven minutes left but Gianluigi Donnarumma, who had a wobbly evening, stopped the Fenerbahce forward from heading Turkey level moments later with a superb save.

“It was the first time that they all played together, so it wasn’t easy for them,” added Mancini.

“They’re all young lads, they need time. It wasn’t easy even if the match itself wasn’t worth very match. They were good and that makes me happy for them.”

Dominant France

In Lille, Giroud scored either side of a Mbappe brace for his 48th goal for Les Bleus to close in on Thierry Henry’s record of 51.

Mbappe curled in France’s opening goal after 23 minutes off an Antoine Griezmann cross with the Atletico Madrid forward also involved in Giroud’s second.

Mbappe got the third with quarter of an hour to go from the penalty spot with Wissam Ben Yedder and Matteo Guendouzi adding two as South Africa played a man down after Khuliso Mudau’s late sending-off.

In Amsterdam, Tottenham forward Steven Bergwijn came off the bench to equalise for the Netherlands after Thomas Mueller had put the Germans ahead just before the break.

“Heading into Qatar, we have to use every international match and that was valuable,” said Germany captain Manuel Neuer.

“We were decent for long stretches and the bottom line is that the team is on a very good path.”

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Italy 0-1 Nort Macedonia

Italy will miss their second World Cup in a row after slumping to a shock 1-0 play-off semi-final defeat to North Macedonia on Thursday.

Aleksandar Trajkovski’s low drive in the second minute of stoppage time stunned the European champions in Palermo and set-up a qualifying final with Portugal in Porto on Tuesday for a chance to be in Qatar in November.

watch the highlights:

Portugal 3-1 Turkey

Portugal are through to a decisive World Cup qualifying play-off final next week after beating Turkey 3-1 in Porto on Thursday, but only after Burak Yilmaz missed a crucial late penalty for the visitors.

The home side were cruising at the Estadio do Dragao thanks to first-half goals by Brazilian-born midfielder Otavio and Liverpool forward Diogo Jota.

But Turkey’s veteran skipper Yilmaz pulled a goal back in the 65th minute, setting up a tense finish.

Turkey were then awarded a late penalty when a foul on Enes Unal was detected by the German referee following a VAR review, but Yilmaz put the spot-kick over the bar and Matheus Nunes secured Portugal’s victory in stoppage time.

Watch the highlights:

Sweden 1-0 Czech Republic

Sweden are through to a World Cup qualifying play-off final against Poland next week after an extra-time strike by Robin Quaison gave them a 1-0 win over the Czech Republic in Solna on Thursday.

Quarter-finalists in 2018, Sweden will now face Poland away on Tuesday to decide who goes through to the finals in Qatar.

Poland received a bye to the play-off final after would-be opponents Russia were suspended from all international competition until further notice.

Wales 2-1 Austria

A brilliant double from Gareth Bale took Wales to the brink of a first World Cup since 1958 thanks to a 2-1 win over Austria in Cardiff on Thursday.

Robert Page’s men will face Scotland or Ukraine for a place in Qatar later this year after Bale rolled back the years to again produce his best form for his country.

Watch the highlights: 

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The home side were cruising at the Estadio do Dragao thanks to first-half goals by Brazilian-born midfielder Otavio and Liverpool forward Diogo Jota.

But Turkey’s veteran skipper Yilmaz pulled a goal back in the 65th minute, setting up a tense finish.

Turkey were then awarded a late penalty when a foul on Enes Unal was detected by the German referee following a VAR review, but Yilmaz put the spot-kick over the bar and Matheus Nunes secured Portugal’s victory in stoppage time.

The 36-year-old Yilmaz may now never get the chance to play at a World Cup as Turkey’s wait to return to the finals goes on.

They have not appeared at the World Cup since coming third in Japan and South Korea in 2002.

Portugal have not missed out on the tournament since 1998 and they will now expect to secure a spot in Qatar when they host North Macedonia in a play-off decider next Tuesday.

At 37, Cristiano Ronaldo’s dream of World Cup glory remains alive and few sides in international football can match the attacking threat of Fernando Santos’s team.

Here Santos left Joao Felix on the bench and handed a surprise start to Otavio, the Brazilian-born Porto winger.

The 2016 European champions started strongly and went ahead on the quarter-hour mark as a Bernardo Silva shot hit the post and Otavio, winning just his third cap, netted the follow-up.

The second goal arrived three minutes before the interval at the end of a flowing move, as Otavio clipped a cross from the edge of the box for Jota to head in at the back post.

Portugal were cruising but then Turkey pulled one back in the 65th minute as Cengiz Under slipped a pass in for Lille forward Yilmaz to score.

The home side, missing their first-choice centre-back pairing of Pepe and Ruben Dias due to Covid-19 and injury respectively, began to look shaky and Turkey took advantage.

Jose Fonte’s contact with Unal in the box was initially missed by referee Daniel Siebert but he awarded a penalty after reviewing the images, despite the Turkey player clearly exaggerating the impact of the challenge.

Yilmaz could have forced extra time but his 85th-minute kick grazed the bar and flew over, to the relief of the home crowd.

Substitute Nunes, also born in Brazil, made it 3-1 in the fourth minute of stoppage time, in which all-time top international goal-scorer Ronaldo also hit the bar as Portugal progress.

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A potential clash in Porto between the Euro 2016 winners, captained by Cristiano Ronaldo, and an Italy team who succeeded them as continental champions last year is a mouthwatering prospect.

However, both must first come through semi-finals on Thursday that are far from foregone conclusions, with Portugal hosting Turkey and Italy facing North Macedonia.

Failure to reach this year’s World Cup would be a catastrophe for the Azzurri, who had gone to every finals since 1958 until missing out in 2018 when they lost a playoff to Sweden.

It would be all the more remarkable given that they bounced back from that under Roberto Mancini to win Euro 2020 while on a world- record 37-game unbeaten run.

Yet, four draws in their past five World Cup qualifiers last autumn had them finish second in their group to Switzerland, and now they must come through these two one-off ties to secure a place in the 1 April draw in Doha.

“Our goal is to win the World Cup, and to win the World Cup we have to win these two matches. There’s nothing else to say,” Mancini said on Monday.

The #Azzurri in action at Coverciano today 💪#VivoAzzurro #WCQ pic.twitter.com/dbohHbTV1x

— Italy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@Azzurri_En) March 22, 2022

North Macedonia plot shock

Italy host North Macedonia in Palermo, and they will know not to take the Balkan nation of two million people lightly.

After all, they beat Germany away in qualifying last year before appearing at their first major tournament at Euro 2020, and they also held Italy to a damaging draw in Turin in qualifying for the last World Cup.

“We are not going to Italy as tourists, but to outplay [them] and to win,” said coach Bobi Milevski, who is aiming to take North Macedonia – born in 1991 out of the break-up of Yugoslavia – to their first World Cup.

Portugal skipper Ronaldo will be 41 come 2026, so Qatar surely represents his last chance to win the World Cup. Missing out altogether is unthinkable for the all-time top-scorer in international football with 115 goals.

“We know the road will not be easy and we have full respect for our opponents, who share the same objective as us. But together we will fight to take Portugal where we belong,” Ronaldo posted on Instagram this week.

🔥 Skills + armband = @Cristiano@selecaoportugal | #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/fzNic4952a

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) March 12, 2022

Portugal, who are ranked eighth in the world, two places behind Italy, must beat Turkey in Porto to reach the playoff final, in which they would have home advantage.

However, their two first-choice centre backs have been ruled out – Manchester City’s Ruben Dias succumbed to injury before 39-year-old veteran Pepe tested positive for coronavirus.

Russia excluded, Ukraine game postponed

Three World Cup berths from Europe remain up for grabs, with 10 teams led by holders France having already qualified.

The playoffs were meant to feature 12 teams, split into three separate paths, but they have been impacted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with both of those countries initially due to take part.

Hosts of the 2018 World Cup, Russia were excluded after being suspended by Fifa and Uefa until further notice.

That meant Poland getting a walkover to a final against either 2018 quarter-finalists Sweden or the Czech Republic, who meet in Solna on Thursday.

Ukraine were due to face Scotland in Glasgow, but that match has been postponed until June.

Therefor, whoever wins Thursday’s clash between Wales and Austria in Cardiff will also have to wait until June for their playoff final.

Wales have been impressive at the last two European Championships but have not been to the World Cup since 1958.

They made the playoffs after finishing second in their qualifying group behind the world’s top-ranked side Belgium.

“It’s massive. It’s been a long wait, a long time since Wales qualified for a World Cup,” Neco Williams, currently on loan at Fulham from Liverpool, told the BBC.

Wales coach Robert Page is hoping Gareth Bale can play although the Real Madrid man missed his club’s defeat by Barcelona at the weekend reportedly due to illness.

He has only played five times for Madrid this season, and just twice since August.

© Agence France-Presse

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Coach Fernando Santos called up Lille centre back Tiago Djalo (21) to replace the 39-year-old Porto player, with the 2016 European champions also without injured Manchester City defender Ruben Dias.

Portugal play Turkey on Thursday in Porto and, if they win, will next play either Italy or North Macedonia.

Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates joined the national side’s training camp at Oeiras, near Lisbon on Monday.

Portugal last failed to qualify for the World Cup in 1998, playing in each of the past five editions.

𝙁𝙤𝙘𝙖𝙙𝙤𝙨 𝙣𝙤 𝙟𝙤𝙜𝙤! 👊

🏆 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘊𝘶𝘱 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘺-𝘖𝘧𝘧𝘴
🇵🇹✖🇹🇷
🗓 5ª feira às 19h45 (PT) pic.twitter.com/Jtn2YCB3AE

— Portugal (@selecaoportugal) March 22, 2022

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Just months after they slumped to a shock 2-1 defeat by the same opponent on home soil, Germany cruised to a dominant win in Skopje to increase their lead at the top of Group J to eight points and secure their berth at next year’s tournament in Qatar.

Werner’s Chelsea teammate Kai Havertz also got on the scoresheet and Jamal Musiala scored his first international goal as Germany made it five wins out of five under Flick, who took over from Joachim Loew after Euro 2020.

Germany were wasteful in the first half, with striker Werner squandering several chances and Joshua Kimmich and Serge Gnabry forcing saves from North Macedonian goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski.

Havertz finally opened the scoring just after the break, slotting into an empty net after a lightning counter-attack.

Werner doubled the lead with a sharp volley on 70 minutes, before curling a third into the bottom corner a few minutes later.

Seven minutes from time, and shortly after coming on to replace Werner, Musiala fired a low shot past Dimitrievski.

Meanwhile, Memphis Depay struck twice as the Netherlands eased past Gibraltar 6-0 to remain top of the Group G standings following their comfortable win in De Kuip, Rotterdam.

In other Fifa World Cup qualifier results:

Netherlands 6-0 Gibraltar
Cyprus 2-2 Malta
Romania 1-0 Armenia
Belarus 0-2 Czech Republic
Estonia 0-1 Wales
Iceland 4-0 Liechtenstein
Croatia 2-2 Slovakia
North Macedonia 0-4 Germany
Slovenia 1-2 Russia
Latvia 1-2 Turkey
Norway 2-0 Montenegro

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