WC qualifiers | France beats Finland, ends a winless run

Scotland revives its hopes; Portugal, the Netherlands stay on track

Reigning champion France beat Finland 2-0 in a World Cup qualifier on Tuesday thanks to Antoine Griezmann’s double strike to snap a five-game winless streak while Scotland kept its hopes alive with a 1-0 win in Austria. In other action, Portugal and the Netherlands stayed on track to reach the finals in Qatar next year, with Memphis Depay grabbing a hat-trick for the Dutch in a 6-1 demolition of Turkey. France was roared on by 57,000 passionate spectators in Lyon where Griezmann — who ended an unhappy spell at Barcelona with a loan move back to Atletico Madrid in the transfer window — combined well with Karim Benzema as their side overcame a disjointed start.