FIFA World Cup qualifers: Big wins for Netherlands and Belgium, Ronaldo scores as Portugal survive scare

Belgium slammed eight goals against Belarus and the Netherlands crashed seven past Gibraltar but Portugal suffered a scare before beating Luxembourg in the World Cup qualifying matches on Tuesday.

Belgium and the Netherlands registered crushing wins over Belarus and Gibraltar in the World Cup qualifying matches on Tuesday, while Portugal survived a rare scare before beating Luxembourg. Belgium crushed Belarus 8-0 to stay at the top in Group E, while the Dutch trashed Gibraltar 7-0 to go second behind Turkey in Group G. After being held scoreless in the first two qualifiers this year, Ronaldo scored his 31st goal in World Cup qualifying early in the second half in Portugal's victory at Luxembourg. Croatia, Serbia and Norway also won their group matches while Slovakia shocked Russia and Wales got their campaign up and running with a late winner against the Czech Republic. Belgium had been held 1-1 by the Czechs at the weekend but claimed their second Group E win in emphatic fashion.