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It was another roller-coaster, action-paced international week in the UEFA zone. The competition for places at the 2022 FIFA World Cup has intensified after the latest pair of qualifiers.
Germany and Denmark became the first two teams to book their tickets to Qatar, but with 11 spots still up for grabs, all's not over yet. There are two more rounds for most European teams before their fate is decided. With a handful of major teams yet to qualify for the mega event, November is going to be epic.
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We were treated to many epic moments in the past week that it's impossible to turn the page without reminiscing over some of them. On that note, here's a look at the five best performers from this month's qualifiers:
Honourable mentions: Sandi Lovric (Slovenia), Dusan Vlahovic (Serbia), Eran Zahavi (Israel) and Aleksandar Isak (Sweden).
#5 Josip Illicic (Slovenia) - 3 goals
Arguably the best Slovenian player in modern history, Josip Illicic starred for his team once again this month with three goals in two qualifying games. He started with a brace in the 4-0 drubbing of Malta before netting the only goal in Slovenians' 2-1 loss to Russia, which unfortunately ended their qualifying hopes.
The Falcons subsequently dropped to fourth place with only ten points after eight games, seven behind Croatia and nine adrift of Russia. But their job would've been a lot harder without Illicic, who has accounted for exactly half of Slovenia's ten qualifying goals so far, netting four and assisting one.
#4 Teemu Pukki (Finland) - 3 goals
What Illicic is to Slovenia, Teemu Pukki is to Finland. The Norwich City striker guided his team to Euro 2020 with his blistering exploits. He is now keeping his team alive in the race for a first-ever FIFA World Cup participation.
Get this - the Huuhkajat have only managed seven goals in the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers, six of which have been scored by Pukki, including three in the last week. His effort against Ukraine didn't yield dividends, as Finland lost 2-1. But the 31-year-old made amends by scoring both their goals in his team's 2-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Kazakhstan.
It brought the Nordic outfit up to eight points in Group D, just one behind second-placed Ukraine. So they still realistically have a chance of progressing into the FIFA World Cup playoffs next month.
#3 Breel Embolo (Switzerland) - 2 goals and 2 assists
Switzerland have an incredibly talented group of players. It was there for all to see that at Euro 2020. The team eliminated reigning world champions France to reach the quarter-finals, and lost only once in the tournament.
Now, the Nati are cruising towards the FIFA World Cup, and the key player behind their fine campaign is Breel Embolo. He has helped them clinch six points from six this month.
The Borussia Monchengladbach star assisted both his team's goals in their 2-0 win over Northern Ireland last week. He then got on the scoresheet against Lithuania with a fine double.
He's currently their top-scorer as well as the top assist-provider in the ongoing FIFA World Cup qualifiers. With three goals and as many assists, the 24-year-old has been an indispensable player for Switzerland.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) - 3 goals
Portugal played only one FIFA World Cup qualifier this month, which saw them emerge victorious by 5-0 victory against minnows Luxembourg. The Euro 2016 winners played an international friendly against Qatar last week,
The key player for Portugal this week? Obviously, Cristiano Ronaldo. The record international scorer in men's football added another feather to his bag. He bagged a hat-trick on the night, the only player to do so in Europe this month.
His first two were a pair of quickfire penalties, the second of which he won himself, as the Manchester United striker gave Portugal early momentum.
After missing a few chances to get his third and watching a spectacular bicycle-kick saved, Ronaldo brought his treble in the 86th minute with a close-range header.
It was a record tenth international hat-trick as he extended his tally in international football to 115.
#1 Memphis Depay (Netherlands) - 2 goals and 3 assists
Memphis Depay continued his blistering run of form in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers with more exploits for The Netherlands this month. He contributed five of their seven goals this month.
In the match in Latvia, the Barcelona striker provided a moment of inspiration by setting up Davy Klaassen for the Netherlands' only goal of the match.
Louis van Gaal's side, though, bounced back in resounding fashion against Gibraltar on home soil on Monday, routing the 197th-ranked minnows 6-0 in Rotterdam.
Depay was the architect of their victory once again, scoring and assisting twice apiece on the night to cap off a fine international week. He could've had a hat-trick if not for a first-half penalty miss.
He's the leading scorer (nine goals) as well as the leading assist-provider (6) in the ongoing FIFA World Cup qualifiers for the UEFA zone. He has also set the record for the most goals in a calendar year by a Dutch player (14).
