Mbappe helps France crush Netherlands; Lukaku scores hat-trick in EURO qualifiers

Mbappe helps France crush the Netherlands

Mbappe scored twice in his first match as captain of the French team. Photo:Shutterstock

In the second minute, Mbappe assisted the opening goal. Taking advantage of the opponent's slowness, Griezmann took the ball from Kenneth Taylor's feet before finishing with one touch from his junior's cross, beating Jasper Cillessen. In the eighth minute, Griezmann once again made his mark with a free kick that caused Cillessen to make a mistake, allowing Dayot Upamecano to tap into an empty net.

While struggling to find an equalizer, the Netherlands received another fatal blow. Mbappe rushed from midfield to receive a through ball from Aurelien Tchouameni. The Dutch defense was stopped by Randal Kolo Muani's slight touch and could only watch helplessly as Mbappe easily defeated Cillessen. The new French captain was very excited after this goal and so were the stands at the Stade de France.

Koeman’s adjustments seemed to bring more balance to the Dutch team. But the visitors’ 58% possession in the match was not converted into goals as they rarely troubled Maignan. Two minutes from time, the visitors made another mistake when Depay passed to Mbappe. This time, the home striker fired a powerful, cross-angle shot to seal the win.

The Netherlands had a chance to redeem themselves in the fifth minute of stoppage time when they were awarded a penalty for Upamecano's handball. But Depay could not beat Maignan despite two consecutive shots, adding to the visitors' disastrous performance.

Lukaku scores hat-trick in EURO qualifiers

In the 35th minute, the striker born in 1993 pressed the ball fiercely before heading it past the goalkeeper. In the 49th minute, "Big Rom" completed his double with a close-range finish. Both of Lukaku's goals were assisted by Dodi Lukebakio, a player currently playing for Hertha Berlin.

Sweden fought back strongly after conceding two goals. However, the yellow players kept slipping, even when the Belgian goal was wide open. Zlatan Ibrahimovic also came on the field but the 41-year-old veteran's mark was too faint.

Lukaku has 71 goals for Belgium, an achievement that no other countryman can reach.

The home team wasted the opportunity, only to pay the price with a third goal in the 83rd minute. Tiemoue Bakayoko broke through strongly on the right wing, before crossing for Lukaku to complete his first hat-trick for the national team in 6 years.

Girlfriend reveals Ronaldo's future

Asked if Rodriguez and Ronaldo plan to live full-time in the Spanish capital after the striker retires, the beauty said: "We want to keep a house in Madrid running because you never know. We have a lot of children. Junior is getting older and wants to be a professional footballer. We really don't know what the future holds."

The 29-year-old model also revealed that renovations to their mansion just outside Madrid are complete and she thinks Ronaldo's 12-year-old son Junior has a good chance of becoming a professional footballer.

Georgina Rodriguez reveals Ronaldo's future after he leaves Saudi Arabia.

Last summer, the 38-year-old was linked with Atletico Madrid, with Ronaldo looking to secure Champions League football. But the Argentine has revealed that he never intended to sign for the La Liga side before moving to Al-Nassr.

In the famous Spanish show El Hormiguero, the 9X beauty also said that moving to Saudi Arabia changed their family's habits: "Here, the club trains later because of the climate. In Manchester, we all woke up at the same time and had breakfast together before the kids went to school. Now I wake up at 6:30 a.m., take the kids to school before going home, and Cristiano wakes up later."

Rodriguez openly admits that she is not a football fan, adding: “I don’t like football. And because of my schedule, I can never watch the matches.”