With Italy's 5-0 triumph, France's 2-0 win, and Iceland's 5-0 victory, the European World Cup qualifying standings have been released.

On September 6th Beijing time, the fifth round of the European World Cup qualifiers continued fiercely. In several highly anticipated matches, European powerhouse Italy crushed Estonia 5-0, World Cup champions France shut out Ukraine 2-0, and the European Championship dark horse Iceland unleashed their offense to sweep Azerbaijan 5-0. As a result, the latest standings have been updated, with Iceland overtaking France to top the group, while Italy sits only in third place!

Italy vs. Estonia. Italy is a European giant but has declined rapidly, lacking offensive strength and missing the last two World Cups. Their start to this tournament was also poor. Norway is their biggest group rival. Against the weak Estonia, Italy went all out, abandoning their usual counter-attacking style to play aggressive football. They dominated possession and fired 40 shots at Estonia. Although they failed to score in the first half, they exploded with 5 goals in the second half, crushing Estonia 5-0 and creating a complete rout!

France vs. Ukraine. France, the World Cup champions and traditional powerhouse, are very strong. Their goal in this round against Ukraine was to secure a winning start. Just 10 minutes into the match, Barcola advanced with the ball, evaded defenders, and assisted Olise, who scored to give France an early lead. Both teams had chances afterward but no goals until the 80th minute when France launched a quick counterattack. Tchouaméni delivered a precise long pass that split Ukraine’s defense to the front, where Mbappé sprinted forward, dribbled past a defender, and scored in a one-on-one situation. France won 2-0, easily securing their first group victory. Tchouaméni’s passing was truly exquisite, effortlessly breaking through the defense!

Iceland vs. Azerbaijan. Iceland, a small nation that once emerged as a European Championship dark horse, now has many players competing in the top five leagues and is a force to be reckoned with. In this match, Iceland clearly went all out, unleashing their full firepower and completely dominating their opponent, who did not manage a single shot. Ultimately, Iceland blasted in 5 goals to sweep Azerbaijan 5-0, winning comfortably and stylishly!

Additionally, there were several other heavy defeats: Greece surged to a 5-1 thrashing of Belarus, Israel scored multiple goals to overpower Moldova 4-0, and Switzerland’s relentless attack stunned the weak Kosovo team with a 4-0 victory!

Written by / Sports Novels