France remained top of European qualifying Group A and inched closer to punching a ticket for the 2018 World Cup after Blaise Matuidi’s early goal saw off Bulgaria 1-0 on Saturday.
Juventus midfielder Matuidi, in for the injured Paul Pogba, gave Les Blues the lead in only the third minute with a fantastic shot from a tight angle into the far top corner.
Hugo Lloris produced a huge save later on to deny Georgi Kostadinov as Bulgaria looked to repeat the famous win over France that sent them to the 1994 World Cup, and Didier Deschamps’s men can now seal a spot with three points at home to Belarus on Tuesday.
Netherlands’ hopes of a playoff berth are fast fading despite a 3-1 win at Belarus on Saturday.
Sweden’s 8-0 bashing of Luxembourg now means the Dutch – must pull off a massive victory over Sweden in Amsterdam next week to stand a chance.
Cristiano Ronaldo came off the bench to spare Portugal’s blushes in a 2-0 win over lowly Andorra, with AC Milan’s Andre Silva netting a late second.
The European champions will now go head-to-head with group leaders Switzerland in a winner-takes-all in Lisbon on Tuesday.
In the CAF qualifying zone, Ghana would not be joining neighbours Nigeria at the Mundial after managing only a 0-0 draw at Uganda that saw them eliminated.
The result means Egypt can join the Super Eagles with victory at home to winless Congo on Sunday.
South Africa recorded their first win in Group D with a 3-1 success against Burkina Faso despite losing Bongani Zungu to a red card in the second-half, but Senegal top group D after late goals from Diafra Sakho and Cheikh N’Doye earned them a 2-0 win at Cape Verde.
The Teranga Lions of Senegal now need to win one of next month’s double-header against Bafana Bafana to book a spot.
Group A will go down to the wire after DR Congo’s 2-1 win in Libya, although Tunisia need only a point at home to Libya in the final day to secure qualification after Youssef M’Sakni’s hat-trick helped them to a 4-1 win at Guinea.
Khalid Boutaib grabbed a hat-trick as Morocco romped to a 3-0 win over already eliminated Gabon.
The result means Ivory Coast – held to a 0-0 in Mali – host Morocco in a winner-takes-all clash in November.
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