With Scotland winning 4-2 and Spain upset 2-2, the European World Cup preliminaries come to an end: Team 1 is in disgrace

In the early morning of November 19, the European division of the World Cup ushered in a battle for the last five direct places. Scotland beat Denmark 4-2 and overtook their opponents to take the top spot in the group; Spain upset Turkey 2-2 at home and failed to finish the group stage with a victory; Belgium beat Liechtenstein 7-0 at home; Austria 1-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Switzerland 1-1 Kosovo. They did not let the upset happen and jointly qualified for the 2026 United States, Canada and Mexico World Cup. This round of competition can be called a "night of life and death". The five direct quotas have also been settled, and the play-off quotas have also been determined.

The first game: Scotland 4-2 Denmark

The most exciting and bloody battle in this round is undoubtedly Scotland versus Denmark. The format is clear: Denmark will be top of the table if they draw, Scotland must win. Therefore, from the first minute, this game felt like it had entered the play-offs ahead of schedule. In the first 3 minutes, McTominay scored a goal with a sweep in the chaos, giving Scotland a 1-0 lead. They controlled the situation firmly in the first half and brought suspense to the halftime break.

Denmark made a full counterattack in the second half. In the 57th minute, Hoylen created a penalty kick and took it personally. The score was 1-1; then the battle ended in a 2-2 tie. Until the end of 90 minutes of regular time, the score remained unchanged. It seemed that Scotland would win. It was time to play in the play-offs, but Tierney and McLean stood up in stoppage time, first scoring a go-ahead goal with a header, and then going on to win the next victory. Scotland scored two goals in just 2 minutes, beating Denmark 4-2, overtaking their opponents in points, accumulating 13 points to top the group, and heading straight to the World Cup.

Second game: Spain 2-2 Turkey

Before this round, Spain led Turkey by 3 points, and in the last round the two teams faced off head-on, and only needed a tie to secure first place. It stands to reason that this is a game where the form is greater than the content, but the result was an upset. Only 4 minutes into the game, Spain scored with a blitz. In the melee in the penalty area, Olmo seized the opportunity and extended his foot to score. Spain led 1-0. Turkey, who had no pressure, calmly pushed the ball from Deniz Gul in the penalty area in the 42nd minute to tie the score to 1-1.

After changing sides and fighting again, the Spanish defense suddenly short-circuited. In the 54th minute, Ozcan's world wave penetrated the goal, leading the opponent 2-1 again. In the 60th minute, Oyarzabal scored a goal in the chaos, bringing the score back to 2-2. In the end, the two sides shook hands and made peace. Spain successfully secured the top spot in the group with 16 points and easily advanced to the World Cup.

Game 3: Belgium 7-0 Liechtenstein

Belgium faces Liechtenstein, one of the weakest teams in Europe, in this round. It only needs to win to ensure the top spot in the group. In the 3rd minute of the game, Belgium scored with a push from Vanaken. After that, Belgium entered a full offensive performance moment. In the 34th minute, Doku received a pass from Salle Marks and scored with a shot; in the 41st minute, Doku got another chance and scored twice. 3-0 at halftime, it was declared that the game had lost its suspense. In the second half, Belgium overpowered their opponents, scoring four goals in just 7 minutes. In the end, Belgium defeated their opponents 7-0, secured first place in the group with 18 points, and headed straight to the World Cup.

The fourth game: Switzerland 1-1 Kosovo

Switzerland leads Kosovo in terms of points and goal difference. It only needs to not lose more than 6 goals to qualify. The two sides entered the halftime break 0-0 in the first half. In the second half, Vargasli took the lead in breaking the deadlock, and Kosovo grabbed a quick counterattack to equalize the score shortly afterwards. The two sides finally ended the game 1-1. Switzerland secured first place in the group with 14 points and almost won the pass.

Game 5: Austria 1-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina

The situation in this group is very clear: Austria leads by 2 points, and will qualify as the first as long as they tie; Bosnia and Herzegovina must win. In the 12th minute of the opening, Bosnia and Herzegovina scored the first goal. Harris shot into the net from the penalty area, and Bosnia and Herzegovina led 1-0. In the second half, Austria accelerated significantly. In the 77th minute, Gregorich seized the opportunity in the melee and pushed the goal to tie the score to 1-1. The final score was fixed here. Austria secured first place in the group with 19 points and successfully qualified for the World Cup.