Holland qualify directly for 2026 World Cup; Poland advance to playoffs

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA)_Sports: Needing only one point to qualify, Holland showed their superiority from the start with an aggressive rhythm and possession of the ball. In the 16th minute, De Jong cleverly stole the ball and gave Reynders the ball in the penalty area, and the Manchester City midfielder opened the Lithuanian goal with a precise shot.

 

In the 30th minute, Reynders had a chance to score a second goal with a technical kick, but the ball went out after hitting the upright. The second half continued with the Netherlands in full control and in the 55th minute, after a VAR review, Cody Hakpo converted a penalty after the ball hit the hand of a Lithuanian defender.

 

The Netherlands scored two more goals in the final four minutes of the second half; first, Xavi Simmons scored the third goal with a precise shot and then Malen scored the fourth goal by penetrating through the middle of the field and passing the defenders, as the Netherlands won 4-0 and went on to the World Cup.

 

In the other match of the final week of qualifying, Poland was the guest of Malta and the game continued to be even until the 85th minute. Goals from Robert Lewandowski, Zielinski and Zolk gave Poland the lead, but Malta came back into the game with goals from Cardona and a penalty from Toma. In the end, Zielinski scored the winning goal for Poland and the game ended 3-2. With this result, Poland reached second place in the table and must participate in the play-offs to qualify for the World Cup.