France qualifies for World Cup; but Netherlands fails again
SAINT-DENIS, France — Antoine Griezmann scored one goal and made the other as France beat Belarus 2-1 to qualify for next year’s World Cup, while a 2-0 home win for the Netherlands against Sweden was in vain as it failed to reach its second straight major tournament.
France won Group A with 23 points, four clear of the Netherlands and Sweden, which advances to the playoffs on goal difference. Bulgaria finished fourth ahead of Luxembourg and Belarus.
To add to the Dutch disappointment, star winger Arjen Robben announced his retirement from international football after the game.
France was relatively comfortable throughout qualifying, but is not playing as well as when it reached the Euro 2016 final.