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Agence France-Presse

England and defending champions Germany remained on course for the 2018 World Cup on Sunday while Danny Blind was sacked as Dutch coach after his misfiring team faced missing a second straight major finals.
At Wembley, Jermain Defoe marked his international comeback with a goal as England toiled to a 2-0 victory over Lithuania.
Defoe, 34, who was making his first England appearance since November 2013, hit the target midway through the second half for his 20th international goal.
Substitute Jamie Vardy added a second as England tightened their grip on first place in group F.
Gareth Southgate’s side are now the last team in European qualifying yet to have conceded a goal.
England have 13 points, four ahead of Slovakia with just the nine group winners in Europe guaranteed a place at the finals in Russia in 2018.
“We’d have liked a bit more, but I think really only one team came to win the game and it’s always difficult to break down a packed defence,” said Southgate.
Slovakia went second in the group with a 3-1 win at Malta while Scotland are six points off the pace after substitute Chris Martin scored an 88th-minute winner against Slovenia in Glasgow.
Germany maintained their 100 per cent record with a 4-1 win over Azerbaijan in Baku as they moved to 15 points in group C.
Wales boss defends players as Ireland’s captain suffers horror leg-break in brutal World Cup qualifier
The world champions and Switzerland are the only two teams in Europe to still have perfect records.
A brace from Andre Schuerrle and goals from Thomas Mueller and Mario Gomez saw Germany take their unbeaten away run in World Cup qualifying to 44 games.
Azerbaijan midfielder Dimitrij Nazarov, who plays in Germany, had netted an early equaliser to the delight of the home crowd before Joachim Loew’s team stepped on the accelerator.
“It does me good to score goals, but it’s up to me to take my performances back to Germany and repeat them for Dortmund,” said Schuerrle.
Meanwhile, Blind was sacked as Netherlands coach after a 2-0 defeat to Bulgaria 24 hours earlier left the team’s chances of reaching the finals hanging by the slenderest of threads.
Blind, 55, had been in charge since July 2015, but Saturday’s loss in Sofia left the Dutch in fourth place in group A, six points behind leaders France.
“It’s a pity that it ends like this,” said Blind.
Flares halt Albania-Italy World Cup qualifier as Gianluigi Buffon celebrates his 1000th game
The Dutch are three-time runners-up at the World Cup but the likelihood of missing out on the finals would be a bitter pill to swallow after they also failed to qualify for Euro 2016.
Northern Ireland stayed second in group C, five points behind Germany, after a Jamie Ward goal in just the second minute and a Conor Washington strike on the half hour gave their team a 2-0 win over Norway in Belfast.
The Czech Republic are two points further back after trouncing San Marino 6-0.
The Czechs had already beaten San Marino 7-0 on two previous occasions and they were on their way to another rout on Sunday by leading 5-0 at the break with four goals coming in a devastating eight-minute spell.
Antonin Barak scored in the 17th and 24th minutes, sandwiching a Vladimir Darida strike.
China’s World Cup fire is alive after South Korea win, but there is still a long way to go: Marcello Lippi
Fullback Theodor Gebre Selassie added the fourth after 25 minutes before Michal Krmencik made it 5-0 just before the interval.
Darida hit the post twice in the closing moments of the first period but the Hertha Berlin midfielder was back on the scoresheet with a penalty after 77 minutes to make it 6-0.
Poland extended their lead in group E to six points after Robert Lewandowski and Lukasz Piszczek scored in a 2-1 win at Montenegro.
In the same pool, Manchester United’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan was on target in Armenia’s 2-0 win over Kazakhstan to keep up their hopes of taking the runners-up place.


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2018 Fifa World Cup European qualifying

England and Germany stay on course for World Cup qualification as Holland axe manager Blind

England are the only team in European World Cup qualifying yet to concede a goal. Photo: Xinhua

In this Friday, Oct. 7, 2016, image Netherlands' coach Danny Blind gestures to his players as the ball goes out during the World Cup Group A qualifying soccer match against Belarus in De Kuip stadium Rotterdam, Netherlands. The Dutch football association fired national coach Danny Blind on Sunday, a day after his team's humiliating 2-0 defeat to Bulgaria in a World Cup qualifier in Sofia. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Football Soccer - Azerbaijan v Germany - Group C - World Cup 2018 Qualifiers - Tofig Bahramov Republican stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan - 26/3/17 - Azerbaijan's goalkeeper Kamran Agayev fails to save a goal. REUTERS/David Mdzinarishvili

Lithuania's goalkeeper Ernestas Setkus prepares to gather the ball after England's midfielder Raheem Sterling (L) falls over during the World Cup 2018 qualification football match between England and Lithuania at Wembley Stadium in London on March 26, 2017. England won the game 2-0. / AFP PHOTO / Adrian DENNIS / NOT FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING USE / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE

Scotland's striker Chris Martin (2nd R) celebrates with teammates after scoring the only goal of the World Cup 2018 qualification football match between Scotland and Slovenia at Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland on March 26, 2017. Scotland won the game 1-0. / AFP PHOTO / ANDY BUCHANAN

Sport

Football

England and defending champions Germany remain on course for Russia while Blind is sacked after his misfiring team face missing a second straight major finals
