The Republic of Ireland’s terrible season finished with a whimper, while Wout Weghorst scored the winning goal that sent the Netherlands to the Euro 2024 finals.

The on-loan Hoffenheim forward for Burnley scored the game-winning goal in Dublin in September, giving Ireland a tough task. He scored again in Amsterdam, securing a 1-0 win that was much more thorough than the scoreline suggested.

This put the Dutch in second place in Group B, behind France, who beat Gibraltar by 14 runs without answering.

Stephen Kenny’s team has only won six of the 29 competitive games they have played since taking over. They didn’t even come close to beating a much better team at the Johan Cruyff Arena, where the roof was closed off. That night, they had hoped to beat one of Europe’s traditional big guns.

Their faint dreams of getting into the play-offs through the Nations League were officially dashed on Thursday night when Slovakia beat Iceland 4–2. They had already lost the chance to automatically qualify for the playoffs a long time ago.

Harvey Elliott scored a great goal for England U21s on Saturday, and Cody Gakpo and Virgil van Dijk helped the Netherlands make it to Euro 2024.

Gakpo and Van Dijk both started for the Dutch in their game against the Republic of Ireland in Amsterdam. Caoimhin Kelleher came on as a replacement but did not play.

Wout Weghorst’s early goal was enough to separate the teams and earn a win that keeps the Netherlands in the tournament next year.

Elliott sealed a 3-0 win for the Young Lions against Serbia away from home in their qualifying game for the U21 European Championship.

The defender for Liverpool picked up the ball about 25 yards from goal and put a sharp shot into the bottom right corner.

Elliott played the whole game in Backa Topola, and Tyler Morton and Jarell Quansah, who were on loan, came off the bench in the second half.

Calum Scanlon was a big reason why England beat Japan 3-2 in the second of their three games in Marbella as an U19 player.

When Scanlon came on as a replacement just after the hour mark, he set up Jamie Donley’s goal in the last minute, which won the game.

Sadio Mane scored two goals in Senegal’s 4-0 win over South Sudan at home on Saturday, which was his 100th game for the country. Senegal is now in the qualifying rounds for the 2022 World Cup.

South Africa beat Benin 2-1 at home in Durban, and Tanzania beat Niger 1-0 away from home.

The first goal was scored by Pape Matar Sarr thanks to a pass from Mane, who has been named African Footballer of the Year twice. Mane scored the second goal five minutes later, with Idrissa Gana Gueye setting him up.

At the very end of the first half of the Group B match in Dakar, 19-year-old Lamine Camara scored a third goal by stealing the ball from the visitor defense on the edge of the penalty area and hammering it home.

Mane, who is 31 years old and made his debut for Senegal in 2012, scored the fourth goal from the penalty spot 12 minutes into the second half. He was taken off after 63 minutes so that he would be fresh for Tuesday’s playoff in Togo.