The last four spots from Europe were contested in fierce battles <\/p>\n
On March 31, the final matches of the playoff for the European qualifying round for the 2026 World Cup took place. Two series of penalties were needed to determine the finalists.<\/p>\n
RBK-Ukraine reports on the results of the matches, citing broadcasts on the media service MEGOGO.<\/p>\n
Also read:<\/strong> Ukraine – Albania: Rebrov’s team claimed victory in the clash of the underachievers Sweden – Poland – 3:2<\/strong><\/p>\n Goals:<\/strong> Elanga, 19, Lagerbielke, 44, Djokeresh, 88 – Zalewski, 33, Swiderski, 55<\/p>\n The Swedish national team, which stopped Ukraine in the semifinals, snatched a hard-fought victory over Poland.<\/p>\n The Poles found the strength to equalize twice, responding to the precise strikes from Anthony Elanga and Gustav Lagerbielke. However, the final word belonged to Viktor Djokeresh – his goal in the 88th minute proved decisive. Recall that in the previous match, the forward made history with a hat-trick against the Ukrainian team.<\/p>\n Thus, there will be a “blue-yellow” team at the 2026 World Cup, although not quite the one we dreamed of. In the final tournament, the Scandinavians will play in Group F – against the Netherlands, Japan, and Tunisia.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Turkey’s return to the World Cup<\/p>\n Kosovo – Turkey – 0:1<\/strong><\/p>\n Goal:<\/strong> Akt\u00fcrko\u011flu, 53<\/p>\n The Turkish national team secured a spot in the 2026 World Cup by defeating Kosovo in a decisive qualifying match. The fate of the encounter was decided by a solitary goal from Kerem Akt\u00fcrko\u011flu.<\/p>\n This success was historic for the Turkish team, as it marks their first successful qualification for the World Cup since 2002. At that tournament in Japan and South Korea, the Turks sensationally claimed bronze medals.<\/p>\n As a result of the draw, Turkey will be in Group D at the 2026 World Cup. Their opponents will be the tournament hosts – the United States, as well as Australia and Paraguay.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Czech victory in the penalty shootout<\/p>\n Czech Republic – Denmark – 2:2, penalties – 3:1<\/strong><\/p>\n Goals:<\/strong> Schulz, 3, Krej\u010d\u00ed, 100 – Andersen, 72, Hegg, 112<\/p>\n A quick goal by Czech player Pavel Schulz in the 3rd minute set the tone for the match. After that, the hosts focused on defense, successfully repelling Denmark’s mass attacks.<\/p>\n However, in the 72nd minute, Denmark equalized: Joachim Andersen capitalized on a goalkeeper error during a free-kick cross and headed the ball into the net (1:1). The game went into extra time, where tensions flared anew. In the 101st minute, Ladislav Krej\u010d\u00ed put the Czechs ahead again – 2:1. Denmark responded with a goal from Kasper Hegg in the 112th minute.<\/p>\n The fate of the World Cup spot was decided by a penalty shootout, where the hosts were cooler under pressure – 3:1. They will play in Group A at the World Cup, alongside Mexico, South Korea, and South Africa.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Madness in Bosnia<\/p>\n Bosnia and Herzegovina – Italy – 1:1, penalties – 4:1<\/strong><\/p>\n Goals:<\/strong> Tabakovi\u0107, 79 – Kean, 15<\/p>\n Red card:<\/strong> Bastoni (Italy), 40 (straight red)<\/p>\n The final battle began according to the guests’ script: Moise Kean once again confirmed his status as a leader, scoring his eighth goal in seven recent matches for the national team.<\/p>\n However, the four-time world champions were hindered by discipline. At the end of the first half, Alessandro Bastoni left Gennaro Gattuso’s team with ten men, receiving a straight red card for a rough tackle. The Bosnians took advantage of their numerical superiority and managed to equalize in the 80th minute: Haris Tabakovi\u0107 found the net.<\/p>\n The fate of the World Cup spot was decided by a lottery, where Bosnia proved to be head and shoulders above (4:1). Failed attempts by Francesco Esposito and Bryan Cristante from the spot left “La Nazionale” out of the World Cup. The Italians missed their third consecutive World Cup.<\/p>\n Thanks to this historic victory, Bosnia and Herzegovina will participate in the global forum in Group B, where their opponents will be Canada, Qatar, and Switzerland.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Earlier, we reported that a Ukrainian club made an official statement regarding interest in Rebrov.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The last four spots from Europe were contested in fierce battles. On March 31, the final matches of the playoff for the 2026 World Cup European qualifiers took place. Two series of penalties were needed to determine the finalists.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":66489,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"magazine_newspaper_sidebar_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[74],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-66990","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport-en"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nThe success of Ukraine’s tormentors<\/p>\n