Netherlands and Croatia join the Euro 2020 list

Paris The Netherlands Germany and World Cup finalists Croatia became the last big hitters to qualify for Euro 2020 on Saturday as the trio booked their places at next summers finals Austria also made it through to the multihost tournament which kicks off on June 12 with 16 teams now ensured of a spot at the 24team event and only four places remaining from the main qualifying routeThey join other big names such like Spain Italy England and Belgium who will all fancy their chances come kickoff at the opening match at Romes Stadio Olimpico Ronald Koemans resurgent Dutch needed a point to qualify for their first major tournament since coming third at the 2014 World Cup and got what they needed in a scrappy goalless draw with Northern Ireland in BelfastIt means a lot for us as players Hopefully it means so much to the Dutch people Liverpool defender Van Dijk said We have to make sure we prepare very well for a big tournament We missed the last two We want to perform well However they were far from the flamboyant outfit that has so often thrilled in Group C and survived a huge scare when Steven Davis smashed a firsthalf penalty high over the barThe Dutch dominated possession and stopped the hosts from having a single shot on target but failed to create much themselves as the likes of Frenkie de Jong and Quincy Promes failed to spark Davis spotkick blunder left Michael ONeills side third and hoping for a way into the tournament via the playoffs The draw allowed fierce rivals Germany to move top in the group as Toni Kroos hit a brace in a simple 40 win over Belarus in Moenchengladbach which saw them qualify for the Euros for the 13th time in a rowGermany join the DutchA deft backheeled goal from defender Matthias Ginter just before the break and impressive finishing by Leon Goretzka and Kroos gave the Germans a comfortable threegoal lead early in the second half Captain Manuel Neuer produced a superb save to keep out Belarus striker Igor Stasevichs penalty before Kroos dribbled through the defence to claim his second goal seven minutes from time and make sure of a routine winOverall we did well but at the moment I dont include us among the favourites for the European title said Kroos echoing coach Joachim Loews comments from earlier in the week A win over Northern Ireland in Frankfurt on Tuesday will guarantee Loews newlook side first place Croatia survived a scare to secure their place in the Euros after coming from behind beat Slovakia 31 in RijekaThe World Cup runners up needed just a point to ensure qualification from Group E but Robert Bozenik stunned the home crowd when he tapped the away side ahead in the 32nd minute However it was oneway traffic in the second half and Croatias qualification was never in doubt once Nikola Vlasic drilled home the leveller Bruno Petkovic headed the hosts in front and Ivan Perisic sealed the three points with a thumping finish with 16 minutes leftThat win gives Wales a fighting chance of qualifying after their 20 victory over Azerbaijan earlier on Saturday Ryan Giggs side stay third thanks to firsthalf headed goals from Kieffer Moore and Harry Wilson and Slovakia losing against the Croats They are just one point behind secondplaced Hungary who travel to Cardiff on the final day for a winnertakesall clashAustria booked their place with a 21 win over North Macedonia that kept thirdplaced Slovenia at bay despite their 10 triumph over Latvia They are second in Group G behind Poland who had already qualified going into this round of games but maintained a threepoint lead at the top of the group thanks to a 21 win at Israel In Saint Petersburg the Hazard brothers made short work of Russia as alreadyqualified Belgium maintained their 100 percent record with a 41 win that secured them top spot in Group IEden and Thorgan Hazard put Roberto Martinezs side three goals ahead at the break before inform Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku crashed home the fourth in the 72nd minute to make absolutely sure of the resultCatch up on all the latest sports news and updates hereAlso download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updatesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever