France seal it on night of emotion

Ronaldo sees red as Portugal made to wait

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France head coach Didier Deschamps, centre, celebrates with his players after they beat Ukraine 4-0 to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

(AFP)

France reached the 2026 World Cup with a 4-0 win over Ukraine on Thursday as the country marked the 10th anniversary of the 2015 Paris attacks, while Portugal were made to wait after losing 2-0 in Dublin as Cristiano Ronaldo saw red.

Norway must also be patient after Italy struck late in Moldova to prevent them from stamping their ticket to next year’s tournament in North America.

France's victory came in an emotionally-charged Parc des Princes, which observed a minute’s silence to mark the 10th anniversary of the attacks in and around Paris on Friday, Nov 13, 2015.

Most of the 130 people killed in the attacks lost their lives at the Bataclan concert hall in the capital, where they were attending a concert.

But one person died near the Stade de France in the northern Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, where multiple explosions took place as suicide bombers attempted to enter the ground during a friendly between Les Bleus and Germany.

Didier Deschamps was the coach then and remains in charge now, with the approaching World Cup to be his final tournament before stepping down.

“Given the context tonight, we are pleased to have put some smiles on faces by securing qualification,” said Deschamps.