Belgium won the ÖFB group after a 5-0 home win

The ÖFB selection finished qualifying Group F in second place, one point behind Belgium, as the “Red Devils” showed no weakness in their 5-0 win against Azerbaijan on Sunday. Italy legionnaire Romelu Lukaku was outstanding before the break with a flawless four-pack (17th, 26th, 30th, 37th).

The 30-year-old striker is the first Belgian player in almost 30 years to score four times in a team uniform. Back then, Josip Weber even managed a five-pack in an international friendly against Zambia in June 1994. With 14 hits, the beefy attacker is clearly the most successful shooter in the qualification, which is now coming to an end. Lukaku increased his yield in the national team with his team goals numbers 80 to 83.

Lukaku headed the ball between two defenders just in front of the penalty spot after Jeremy Doku’s cross and ensured a perfect start. In the 24th minute it was a foul on Lukaku that resulted in a traffic light card for Eddy, who had only seen yellow for the first time minutes earlier. That made things even easier for the big favorite. After a header from Timothy Castagne, who was served by Doku, the free-standing Lukaku finished without any effort.

At 3-0, the Roma ace shone again with his header, this time from a Faes cross. Goal number four came after a quick switch. Lukaku took the ball after Mangala’s preparatory work and finished ice-cold with the second contact. After the break, the Belgians took it easy without the substituted match winner and controlled the action at will. Leandro Trossard provided the final point after a documentary assist (90th). In the parallel game, Sweden said goodbye to the competition with a 2-0 win against Estonia.

Austria now only has a chance of winning draw pot two. The evening outcome in Group A is relevant for this. Spain is currently in first place, and the Scots, who are two points behind, already have participation in the European Championship in their pockets. In the last game, Scotland hosts Norway in Glasgow, who will be without their star Erling Haaland with a foot injury. The Spaniards end their qualifying campaign against Georgia, a draw should be enough for “Furia roja” to take first place.

If Scotland and Austria finish second in their respective groups and both end up with 19 points, the goal difference would decide whether Rangnick’s troops or the Scots are drawn from the second pot. The five “worst” group winners and the best runner-up end up in this. Austria is at +10, Scotland is currently at +9. With a win by at least two goals, the Scots would overtake the ÖFB team in the long-distance duel. Then Austria would come into the third pot.