Germany became the first team to qualify for the Football World Cup
Germany performed brilliantly, winning 7 in 8 matches. The team suffered a 1–2 upset against North Macedonia in Duisburg in March, their only loss.
Sunil Shukla 
Germany became the first country to qualify for the 2022 Football World Cup after beating North Macedonia 4-0 in Europe's Group-) World Cup qualifying match despite making several mistakes. Germany performed brilliantly, winning 7 in 8 matches. The team suffered a 1-2 upset against North Macedonia in Duisburg in March, their only loss.
Germany scored all its four goals in the second half. Timo Werner (70th and 73rd) scored two goals for the team, while Kei Havertz (50th) and Jamal Musiala (83rd) scored one goal each.
Turkey has also kept the hopes alive
Turkey also kept their qualifying hopes alive after beating Latvia 2-1 on a penalty goal from Burak Yilmaz in the ninth minute of injury time. This was the first match of Stefan Kuntz, the former coach of Germany's Under-21 team, as the coach of the Turkish team.
In Rotterdam, Memphis Depay scored two goals, helped with two goals. But missed a penalty, helping the Netherlands beat Gibraltar 6-0 to make a strong move towards qualifying. In Group G, the Netherlands has a two-point lead over Norway, while Turkey has a four-point lead.
In Group H, Croatia has decided to play at least in the playoffs with a draw and Russia winning. In Group E, Wales extended their wait for Belgium to beat Estonia 1-0 thanks to a goal from Kiefer Moor.
Wales and the Czech Republic have the same number of points, beating Belarus 2-0. However, The Czech Republic has played one match more. Belgium's team is ahead by five points and it is almost certain to qualify.
In Group G, Depay performed brilliantly for Barcelona, leaving behind a bad club season. He has 14 goals to his name for the Netherlands this year and broke Patrick Kluwert's record for the most national team goals in a calendar year with 12 goals. The Netherlands maintained a two-point lead over Norway, who beat Montenegro 2-0.
In Group H, Croatia held Slovakia to a 2-2 draw thanks to midfielder Luka Modric's goal on a free-kick. Russia has reached the top of the group after beating old rivals Slovenia 2-1.
Croatia will now have to beat Russia next month
2018 World Cup runners-up Croatia will now have to beat Russia next month to automatically qualify for the World Cup. In another match, Malta held Cyprus to a 2-2 draw.
Apart from Germany, Romania and Iceland were also successful in winning Group J. Romania beat Armenia 1-0, while Iceland beat Lichtenstein 4-0.
Romania is second in the group with 13 points. It has a one-point lead over North Macedonia and Armenia. Iceland has eight, while Lichtenstein has one point.
