Striker Rasmus Højlund and substitute Anders Dreyer both scored twice as Denmark beat Belarus 6-0 in their World Cup qualifying clash on Thursday that keeps them top of Group C on goal difference.
Victor Froholdt gave the Danes the lead in the 14th minute and then the 19-year-old turned provider five minutes later, steering the ball into the path of Højlund for a close-range finish to make it 2-0, with the goal allowed to stand after a lengthy VAR check for offside.
Højlund doubled his tally before the break, reacting quickest as Patrick Dorgu’s shot came back off the post to steer the ball into the net, and he set up Dorgu for the fourth goal in the sixth minute of first-half stoppage time.
The second half brought no improvement in fortunes for Belarus. Dreyer added a fifth in the 66th minute, and he scored again with a shot that squirmed under the body of goalkeeper Fedor Lapoukhov 12 minutes later to complete the rout.
Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo converted two penalties while Tijjani Reijnders and Memphis Depay also scored in the Netherlands’ 4-0 win away to Malta as the Dutch opened up a three-point lead in Group G.
Gakpo converted the first spot-kick for the Dutch after 12 minutes and the second four minutes into the second half before teeing up Reijnders for their third goal in the 57th. Depay scored a header in stoppage time to wrap up the points.
Elsewhere in the same group Finland fought back from 1-1 down to win 2-1 at home to Lithuania and move level with second-placed Poland on 10 points.
In Group H, Marko Arnautovic scored four times as Austria maintained their 100% record at the top of the group by hammering San Marino 10-0. Second-placed Bosnia & Herzegovina trail Austria by two points having played a game more after they were held to a 2-2 draw in Cyprus, for whom Ioannis Pittas scored a 96th-minute equaliser.
The Czech Republic and Croatia stay level at the top of Group L on 13 points apiece after they played out a goalless draw in Prague. Meanwhile, Hanus Sørensen and Árni Frederiksberg both scored twice as the Faroe Islands thrashed Montenegro 4-0 in Tórshavn.
