2018 QUALIFIERS
Portugal and France head for 2018 World Cup finals in Russia
Paris — Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal and Antoine Griezmann’s France booked spots at the 2018 World Cup finals on Tuesday, while the Netherlands crashed out. Portugal beat Switzerland 2-0 in Lisbon, thanks to a Johan Djourou own goal and an Andre Silva strike. France needed goals from Griezmann and Olivier Giroud in a hard-fought 2-1 win over Belarus at the Stade de France. After a stuttering campaign, France’s achievement in beating Bulgaria and Belarus in their final two qualifiers means they avoid the playoffs having had to go through that route for the past two finals. "We have had a difficult route and tonight wasn’t easy either, but we’ve achieved our aim," coach Didier Deschamps said. Giroud said he was delighted to have avoided the tension of the playoffs. "We’re all relieved tonight to have ended the campaign with automatic qualification," the Arsenal forward said.
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