Paris (AFP)

The Blues finish in style: their 2-0 success in Albania gives them the head of their group H and a more favorable draw for the Euro-2020, unlike the title holder, Portugal, who waited for the last day to clinch his ticket and 2nd place in his group B.

With Antoine Griezmann, smuggler and scorer, found and a three-way defense that has worked well, Didier Deschamps will keep fond memories of this evening in Tirana for his 100th at the head of the France team.

The Marseillaise abundantly whistled, in response to the hiccup of the go when the anthem of Andorra rather than Albania had been broadcast, then the deterioration, from the first strides, the lawn stadium Kombëtare brand new could have augured a trap match.

Griezmann, who is going through a delicate period since his transfer to Barcelona, ​​decided otherwise: the left foot, he dropped a ball on the head of Corentin Tolisso (9th) and then broke the right by cutting perfectly a center of Leo Dubois (31st).

Without Kylian Mbappé, sick and stayed on the bench, goal filled for the French world champions for their last outing of 2019.

. Portugal at the rendezvous

Mission accomplished for Portugal also, second in his group after his success in Luxembourg (2-0) Sunday, which has obtained a "qualification more difficult than expected", acknowledged the coach Fernando Santos.

A laser strike from midfielder Sporting Bruno Fernandes (39th), well served by Bernardo Silva, and a fox goal from Cristiano Ronaldo (86th), necessarily, allowed the Seleção to qualify an 11th time in a row for a competition major (Euro and World).

Taking a ball badly repulsed by the Luxembourg goalkeeper, the five-time Ballon d'Or scored his 99th goal with Portugal in 164 caps.

Already the author of a hat-trick on Thursday against Lithuania, CR7, nicely approaches Iran's Ali Daei's world record (109 goals) but will have to wait until March - he will be 35 years old - to reach the symbolic mark of 100 .

"I was not 100% and I still am not," explained after the match the star striker, permanently chasing records, to defuse the controversy around his replacement during the match with Juventus he a week ago.

. No looseness for England

His ticket for the Euro already in his pocket and the 1st place of his group insured, England did not relax in Kosovo (4-0).

Top scorer in the playoffs, his star Harry Kane scored his 12th goal (79th) of the qualifying campaign. A strike from near pure number 9, placed at the right place, at the right moment to take over a diverted center.

City striker Raheem Sterling, back with the "Three Lions" after being sidelined against Montenegro because of his altercation with Liverpool defender Joe Gomez, delivered an "assist" for Marcus Rashford (83rd). ).

And midfielder Mason Mount, 20, and revelation of Frank Lampard's Chelsea bottle-feeding class, scored his first goal in the national team (90th + 1), less than 20 minutes into the game for his sixth selection.

© 2019 AFP