November 9 to 22, 2020 Global Futbol Matches (UEFA Nations League)A Chapter by Steve Clark The following article provides an oversight for matches and tournaments taking place in 2020. November 9 to 22, 2020 (UEFA Nations League)The European Nations League came to a conclusion this fortnight.
League D Montenegro, with top spot sewn up in Group D1, looked to continue their winning ways, while the Ukraine needed to save face after a disappointing four games. Gibraltar desired another goal in their last two games, after having scored against Montenegro.
The Ukraine started off with a goal against Gibraltar from Roman Yaremchuk in the sixth minute, setting up what looked like to be a grand display and multiple goals. However, by halftime, the hosts had more yellow cards than goals. On either side of the break, the Ukraine hit the woodwork twice, and it seemed a low score would eventuate. In time, that changed, first with Oleksandr Zinchenko pocketing a penalty, before Oleksandr Zubvov and Marlos both scored. Right at the death, Yaremchuk bookended the match to score twice and bring up his hat trick, thus mirroring the same scoreline of 6-0 as their previous encounter.
Both Albania and Montenegro started off their match attacking the goals, with both keepers ensuring the ball stayed out of the net. Then, right before halftime, Sokol Cikalleshi stepped up and scored for Albania. After the hour mark, he won for his side a penalty, which substitute Bekim Balaj coolly stepped up to take. However, his shot was slightly to the right of centre, and the Montenegrin goalkeeper easily saved it. Cikalleshi had two more shots at goal, only to miss. That gave Montenegro a sniff at the death, and substitute Vukan Savićević managed to leap above his defending opponent and snag a late equaliser.
Montenegro then flew home to score as many as they could against Gibraltar: five goals in total. Aleksandar Boljević opened the scoring as he thrusted the ball into the open net. Stevan Jovetić scored two minutes later with a brilliant run and low shot under the goalkeeper. Stefan Mugoša made it three goals by halftime, with three goals from five shots on target. Straight after the break, Marko Bakić scored twice to round out the five goals, with his first deflecting off the Gibraltar defence, and the second coming from a cheeky pass from Jovetić, who himself could easily have walked into the open net.
Albania and the Ukraine then battled for second place, with the hosts needing to win, and the Ukraine merely requiring a draw. The visitors scored in the fifth minute thanks to Zubvov, scoring his second goal in as many games. The remainder of the match was a tight affair, with defence being the winners. Right at the death, the Ukraine doubled their lead via substitute Viktor Tsygankov, thus gaining second place and some modicum of respect, even though they must remain in League D for another two years.
In Group D2, Iceland, Estonia and Kazakhstan all had a chance to advance to League C. Iceland needed a draw at least away to Estonia before hosting Monaco. If Estonia defeated Iceland, then winning or drawing against Kazakhstan at home will guarantee top spot. Kazakhstan needed wins against Monaco and Estonia and hope Iceland and Estonia draw, and Monaco then defeats Iceland in a miracle to have any chance.
Kazakhstan’s two central midfielders in Askhat Tagybergen and Aibol Abiken both scored early in their match against Monaco. Striker Aleksey Shchetkin made it three in the 25th minute, setting up what would seem a hefty scoreline. However, Kazakhstan struggled to get beyond the byline, not without trying, especially with substitute at the break Sergei Khizhnichenko creating half-chances. Khizhnichenko finally scored at the end, sending the ball into the back of the net with his right foot. The four-goal win set up the possibility of Kazakhstan progressing to League C.
Back to the west, Estonia hosted Iceland as the first half saw end-to-end football, though very little ball made its way to the goalkeepers, except for Estonia’s crosses from the right wing. After the break, Konstantin Vassiljev had the best chance of the first hour when he hit the woodwork. That propelled Estonia into gear, and Rauno Sappinen scored his third goal in three games, deftly chipping the goalkeeper. Iceland responded via Alfred Finnbogason, scoring as he had in their previous encounter. However, Estonia pulled their gameplay back and took the lead again via an injured Vassiljev, pocketing a goal after Sappinen’s initial shot. From there, Estonia held on, even with a late Icelandic attempt.
Estonia looked set to bring home the bacon with a draw over Kazakhstan being enough to progress to League C. Kazakhstan needed, meanwhile, to win by two goals to have any hope. Two early goals from Vlasiy Sinyavskiy, who scored his second goal for the tournament, and midfielder Vladislav Kreida set up a win for the hosts. Vassiljev then scored in the 56th minute with his left boot to ensure victory. Shchetkin netted a consolation goal for Kazakhstan, but it was too little, too late, as Estonia celebrated their progression to League C.
Iceland knew when they heard Estonia had scored two first-half goals that their hopes of coming first in the group were drying up fast. That continued as desperate Monaco defending kept the home side away from goal for the entire first half. Eventually, Iceland managed to find the appropriate gaps, and Birkir Bjarnason, though injured in the previous match, scored from just inside the box. Substitutes Finnbogason and Vidhar Kjartansson added to the tally; Finnbogason with his head off a corner and Kjartansson with a 360-degree turn and shoot into the back of the net. Still, it was not enough for them to advance, and they remain in the deluge of League D.
Andorra, in spite of having two home games, had no way of reaching League C from Group D3. Latvia need results from two away matches to remain ahead of Liechtenstein and the Faroe Islands. Liechtenstein and the Faroe Islands were likely to win one of their two final matches.
The match for Liechtenstein against Andorra was pivotal in their path for promotion. Neither side got a shot on target for the entire first half as the match was mostly played in the middle of the park. Eventually, Andorra gained the upper hand, and was able to snag a goal via Marcio Vieira. From there, the hosts held on for a victory after the two sides previously had played out a scoreless draw.
Similarly, hardly any shots on goal took place in the match between the Faroe Islands and Latvia. The Faroes scored in the third minute via Meinhard Olsen. Latvia’s early substitute, Alvis Jaunzems equalised in the 40th minute. However, from there, neither side could gain the advantage. The match ended 1-1.
That draw effectively ended the Faroes campaign, as their record against Latvia was a loss and draw, unless they defeated Andorra and Liechtenstein pulled off a victory, thus placing each side on ten points and goal difference coming into play. Andorra had three shots blocked early, before the Faroes scored just after the half-hour mark, taking the lead via Meinhard Olsen with his second goal in two games. After the break, Marcio Vieira won a penalty and stepped up to take it himself. However, the Faroes were not done yet, and a draw was not an option. Substitute Magnus Jacobsen managed to put the away side back in the lead and into contention for first place. However, Andorran substitute Sebastián Gómez had other ideas, and he followed up his first attempt with a block from the defender’s clearance, before pocketing the equaliser, leaving the score 2-2.
Liechtenstein, on paper, needed a win to gather first place as their own, since they had already defeated Latvia in their previous match. As the match wore on, and noticing that the Faroe Islands had the lead in the concurrent match, the hosts felt the need to amass a high number of goals to reach the top and progress to League C. However, they struggled to penetrate beyond the defence, in spite of having the better of the match. Finally, as the game neared its end, substitute Philipp Ospelt stepped up to the plate, scoring in the 87th minute. From there, Liechtenstein kept the ball down their attacking end, ensuring the single-goal victory they needed to progress to League C, once they learnt of Gómez’s equalising goal.
In Group D4, Moldova faced Malta twice in the hope of one more win, which would guarantee them top spot in the group. Malta had to win both matches and hope that Kosovo only defeated Azerbaijan once. Kosovo, meanwhile, needed two wins and relied on Malta to keep their drawing streak in check. As for Azerbaijan, they could only stop Kosovo reaching League C.
Moldova scored early in their away match to Malta. Danu Spătaru came from right wing to pick up the scraps from an initial contest and open the scoring. Malta refused to give in and kept working for a goal. That came after the break via Luke Gambin’s head. However, the Moldovan goalkeeper was able to keep any future shots away from goal, and the match ended in a draw, Malta’s fifth from five games.
Azerbaijan needed to keep Kosovo out of contention for League C with a draw or win. Mahir Emreli capped off Azerbaijan’s dominance across the park in additional time to not only win the game but deny Kosovo promotion. He worked down the left wing, then when he had the edge over his marking man, he cut back into the box and then curled the ball into the back of the net. Emreli’s goal also meant Moldova gained first place and a spot in League C.
In the final Match Day’s dead rubbers, the matches then became a fight to stay out of bottom place. Malta held out for an hour before Moldova found a way to goal. Spătaru scored again as he had done in the previous match, this time with his left foot into the bottom right-hand corner. The Moldovans held on for the win and in the process inflicted Malta’s first loss.
Kosovo scored early in both halves to gain the upper hand against Azerbaijan. Vedat Muriqi chipped the goalkeeper in the sixteenth minute. Three minutes after the break, Lirim Kastrati I powered home Kosovo’s second goal, and though they sought a third, the coach felt that was enough to take second place in the group.
League C In Group C1, Northern Ireland were in the front seat to progress to League B with two home games, while Wales needed a big win against San Marino and at least draw against Northern Ireland to have any hope of remaining in League C. For Belarus, their final match against Northern Ireland was pivotal, as with San Marino, they were unlikely to advance to League B.
Belarus had the upper hand against San Marino, though they struggled to score until additional time in the first half. Midfielder Evgeni Yablonskiy rose above the rest to snag the only goal for the game. Belarus should have had two more goals, at least, especially when, in the final twenty minutes, they hit the woodwork twice in quick succession and made some poor shots to boot. However, Belarus gained another win and placed them in with a chance at topping the group.
Wales welcomed back Gareth Bale and it was he who made the difference between them and Northern Ireland. Bale scored in the twentieth minute, though he already had a chance previously to score. In response, Northern Ireland tried in vain to equalise, but were unable to. Bale, meanwhile, won a penalty for his side, only for Chris Mepham’s spot kick to be saved by the North Irish goalkeeper. In the end, Wales still came away with three vital points.
That left Wales with a singular task to stay in League C: defeat San Marino at home. As the attacks mounted, San Marino held their own, not allowing anything beyond them. Then, right before the break, San Marino caught Wales on a fast break and Filippo Berardi rolled the ball along the ground into the back of the net. This demoralised Wales, as they could not find an effective path to goal. Daniel James had the best chance, only to hit the right-hand post. Scoring two goals seemed less and less likely as the match deepened, and with the task insurmountable, Wales caved in, and San Marino won again by a single goal. Losing to San Marino twice is a sure-fire way of finishing on the bottom of the group, and thus, Wales will be in League D in two years’ time.
As for Northern Ireland, to reach League B, they needed a 1-0 victory or a two-goal win against Belarus. Belarus, however, had other ideas, and Northern Ireland gave up an early goal again, this time Maksim Skavysh smacking the crossbar before the ball carried over the line. Stuart Dallas equalised for the home side, nailing the ball into the bottom left-hand corner of the goal. Northern Ireland then took the lead via Matthew Kennedy’s right boot. In the second half, Northern Ireland slowly played a more defensive game, keeping the 2-1 scoreline. Both sides then hit the woodwork late in the match. However, late in the game, Belarus ramped up the pressure, leading to a goal by substitute Yuri Kendysh deep in additional time. Thinking they had drawn, Belarus were caught asleep as Kennedy raced forward to score, this time with his left, and gifting Northern Ireland the win. However, it was not enough, and Belarus progressed thanks to the away goals in this match when compared with Northern Ireland.
Norway were in with the best chance to progress to League C from Group C2 at the start of the final fortnight of matches. The Norwegians were to play Romania first, and then host Luxembourg. Romania, with two home games, also had a real chance, provided they could defeat Norway in the first match. Luxembourg still had a shot, needing to equal Norway’s result on Match Day 5, before defeating Norway by two goals, while also hoping Romania did not overtake them. As for Cyprus, they had to first defeat Luxembourg and then pull off an upset against Romania.
Cyprus certainly had the upper hand in the first half against Luxembourg, including hitting the post. However, they struggled to get enough shots on target. Substitute Vasilios Papafotis had other ideas as he came on in the attacking midfielder role and pocketed two goals. His first was a sneak between the goalkeeper and the post after the goalkeeper had made an initial save. Then, with three minutes of regulation time remaining, Papafotis shot from outside the box and gave Cyprus the breathing space to win their first match of the Nations League.
Romania and Norway looked set to play out another scoreless draw, with neither side able to get shots on target without defenders blocking them. Eventually, Romania scored in the 74th minute with the brilliant long-range shot of Denis Alibec. From there, Romania held on for their first win, and gifting Norway their first loss.
Romania hosted again, this time taking on Cyprus, with a need to win and hope Norway drew against Luxembourg. Cyprus started with Papafotis in the hopes of him scoring again as they chased a chance to remain in League C. Romania again could not seem to find a way to goal, in spite of dominating the match. The front three all had chances to score, only for their volleys and headers to miss the mark. Cyprus had little chances, and those chances were thwarted by steely defence. Finally, as full time approached, Claudiu Keserü was found with a through ball that cut the Cypriot defence, and his left foot found the back of the net, sending every Romanian present into jubilation.
Their attention quickly turned to see the result of the match between Norway and Luxembourg. Both Joshua King and Erling Haaland had chances for the hosts in the first half, only to come up short. After the break, Norway finally found a way to goal, with Mathias Normann finishing into a semi-open goal after the Luxembourg goalkeeper needed to make a save out of position. Haaland soon made it two goals, shooting with his left boot from a through ball. The buffer gave Norway freedom to shift their side around and play out the match for the 2-0 victory and status as a League B side. This will be a small consolation after not qualifying for Euro 2020. Meanwhile, Romania will rue their early draws that left them chasing the top spot in the group. Luxembourg must return to League D after having topped their group in the first Nations League instalment.
Group C3’s Sweden looked ready progress to League B, being four points ahead of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Lithuania and Greece. A win against either Greece or Lithuania, who they have already defeated, would guarantee that. Bosnia required Sweden to, at best, draw both their final matches and in the process defeat Lithuania and Greece by a combined total of three goals. As for Lithuania, if they overcame Bosnia and then defeated Sweden by two goals, then they could still on paper top the group. Greece, with two away matches, were the likely side to drop to League D.
Sweden first played Greece, scoring twice in the second half to take the group by the horns and nullify any hope of the other teams. The first half was rather dull, as neither side could gain the advantage over the other. Eventually, the second half saw Sweden take control and substitute Robin Quaison gain the lead. Emil Forsberg’s header off a corner made it two right before the end, earning him Player of the Match after a difficult first half.
As news of the Swedish goals filtered its way to the Lithuania and Bosnia-Herzegovina match, both sides knew they were in a fight to remain in League C. Lithuania threw everything at the Bosnian defence early; goalkeeping saves and a clearance off the line kept the away side in the match. Eventually, Lithuania looked more and more dangerous as the second half deepened, and that relentless attack culminated in an 88th-minute winner by Deimantas Petravičius as he headed home a cross from the left wing. This was Bosnia’s first loss for the tournament, and now made it difficult for them to keep abreast of Greece.
Lithuania, now safe in League C, hosted Sweden in their final match. The host’s right back, Saulius Mikoliūnas, scored early when he went on the attack and then stole the ball off the defender, beating the Swedish goalkeeper to the follow up ball and netted with his left. Swedish right midfielder, Viktor Claesson, responded with a solid goal. Though Lithuania had the upper hand for the rest of the match, it was Sweden who always remained in the right places in defence and tackled with perfection to deny Lithuania a range of shots. The score ended 1-1.
Bosnia-Herzegovina needed a win or draw, whilst Greece required a win or at least a 2-2 draw to remain in League C. Greece scored in the 27th minute after the Bosnians had the early momentum, with Anastasios Bakasetas scoring in the same manner as he had in their last encounter. Bosnia-Herzegovina tried in vain to gain the equaliser. It took their stalwart striker, Edin Džeko, to come off the bench and not only power home to level the match, but then header home a cross for the winner. That helped the Bosnians remain steady in League C, while Greece will be in League D in two years’ time.
Scotland needed top spot in Group C4 as they faced North Macedonia and Belgium at home. Belgium needed to beat Armenia at home and then tackle Scotland in the final match, where a draw would help them rise to League B. North Macedonia, to have any hope of coming first, needed a two-goal victory over Scotland and hope Scotland and Belgium draw in their final match, while then thumping Armenia after they miraculously defeat Belgium. As for Armenia, with two away games, were unlikely to lift off the bottom of the group, having not scored a goal yet in their Nations League campaign this year.
Belgium had all the attack against Armenia in their match, only not scoring as they desired. Eventually, Romelu Lukaku finally scored from a through ball right before the break. Belgium kept attacking in the second half, only it took until the 75th minute for substitute Dennis Praet to score with his left; his powerful shot too wide and strong for the Armenian goalkeeper.
Scotland faced North Macedonia, with one change for the hosts, while North Macedonia made a range of alterations to their starting eleven. The first half was full of goals, starting with a chip-and-follow-up goal by Scotland’s Lyndon Dykes. Oliver McBurnie then powered home Scotland’s second goal. North Macedonia did peg one back via Ivan Trichkovski’s head, only for Scott McTominay to restore the two-goal lead. The second half was a tighter affair, with only the visitors’ Ilija Nestorovski scoring with seconds remaining to give Scotland a scare, before the referee blew a relieving whistle for a 3-2 scoreline.
Scotland hosted Belgium in the match to determine the winner of the group, with three points the only option for Scotland, while Belgium would still advance with a draw. Though Scotland had the better of the first half, both sides had multiple efforts saved on the line. In the 57th minute, as the match looked set to remain a scoreless draw, Dykes pushed for a goal constantly. His shot was saved, only for Andrew Robertson to back him up by reaching the ball first and snagging the winning goal. Belgium tried to level the score, but without any luck. In the end, Scotland surpassed all expectations and gained League B status, while Belgium will rue their early chances in the match and must remain in League C for two more years.
North Macedonia only needed a draw to remain in the third division, while Armenia knew an away win would be their saving grace. Trichkovski scored again as he had done the previous match, this time in the eleventh minute, firing with his right. However, Armenia looked dangerous going forward, and Tigran Barseghyan scored their first goal for the Nations League. North Macedonian Vlatko Stojanovski quickly restored the lead, stealing the ball off the defence and scoring with his left. Trichkovski bagged his brace right before halftime, and after the break, the hosts kept up the pressure, though another goal did not come their way. Still, the win was enough to see Armenia drop to League D.
League B Group B1 came down to the final two games, where Finland would leap to League A with a draw against Slovakia, while Russia had a must win game to stay in League B.
Finland started the match against Slovakia with honourable intent on scoring early. The pressure became too great for the Slovakian defence as Teemu Pukki scored his fourth goal for the tournament, one in each of the four matches. With the lead, Finland looked set to settle in defence, only allowing Slovakia long-range and weak shots in the rest of the first half. After the break, Slovakia had chances to equalise but the Finnish goalkeeper held firm. A solid away win ensured Finland’s place in League A for the next instalment.
Meanwhile, Slovakia flew to Russia, hoping to rectify their poor performance and at least gain a draw against the mighty side. Without Dzyuba, would Russia be able to score the goals necessary? Aleksey Miranchuk proved pivotal early as he set up Anton Zabolotny for the goal in the 40th minute after the Russians were the first to settle. Slovakia again struggled against a back three formation, not giving their striker any chance to score. Russia took hold of the match in the final minutes, culminating in a goal by substitute Alexei Ionov, who outran the Slovakian defence into the box and slid the ball home with five minutes remaining. That win ensured Russia remains in League B for another two years, while Slovakia will grace League C.
Croatia had a game in hand in Group B2, and needed to defeat Turkey, before flying to Ireland and ensuring a draw to gain promotion to League A. Turkey, with an away win, would guarantee their place in the top league. As for Ireland, they required Croatia to defeat Turkey and then defeat Croatia by at least three goals. Anything less and relegation to League C was on the cards.
Croatia had the upper hand in their match against Turkey, culminating in a Luka Modrić cross to Nikola Vlašić, who made no mistake with his head. Mario Pašalić then lifted the ball in the 57th minute into the corner of the goal, doubling the lead and giving Croatia the better goal difference after the eight-goal romp in their previous encounter. Turkey’s only close effort came off a free kick, hitting the top of the crossbar and out of play. From there, Croatia held on for the 2-0 victory.
That meant Ireland needed a two-goal victory to win the group, whereas a draw would be enough for Croatia to progress. Ireland scored in the sixteenth minute via Daryl Horgan after the Croatian goalkeeper initially slid to stop a prior attempt by Ronan Curtis. Curtis, instead of shooting, passed sideways to Horgan, who made no mistake with the open net. Nine minutes later, Pašalić scored his second goal in as many games, heading home the equaliser. Locked at 1-1, Ireland now needed two goals to take the group, while Croatia looked more solid in defence. Late in the match, Ireland had three key chances, missed by Robbie Brady and twice by Jason Knight. Brady should have scored as he jumped over the sliding tackle, only to shoot to the right of goal. Perhaps he should have made contact with the man on the ground and gained the free kick. Right at the death, a myriad of half-attempts saw the ball smack the crossbar, only for the Irish to fail to score in the follow-up. The draw meant Croatia is now a League A side, whereas Ireland cloak themselves in League C status.
Israel faced Switzerland before flying to Portugal in the final game of the group. If Israel were to defeat Switzerland by three goals, then Switzerland would drop to League C. A draw meant Israel needed a result in their final game, while a loss to Switzerland would mean curtains. Portugal had the upper hand in Group B3, as defeating Israel on home soil was likely.
Switzerland started with a bang and scored twice by the 21st minute against Israel. Haris Seferović opened the tale with a low shot that bounced off the left-hand post and into goal. Remo Freuler then doubled the lead with a low shot, even though Israel played with a back five, they could do nothing against the attacks. Israel did retrieve a goal before the break; Eran Zahavi leapt above his marking man to head home. However, poor shots in the second half meant Switzerland came out on top of the match.
That meant Portugal had to defeat Israel at home as the only option to take Group B3. At the halftime break, the score remained 0-0, even though Portugal had most of the play. Then, three goals in six minutes around the hour mark ensured Portuguese victory. Diogo Jota score twice in quick succession, thanks to assists by Cristiano Ronaldo. The striker then slotted his own goal, assisted by Bruno Fernandes. From there, Portugal dominated the rest of the match and ensured promotion to League A.
Hungary played Georgia away in their final Group B4 game, with a draw enough to rise to League A. Georgia, meanwhile, needed three points and then hold off away to Austria to take first place. Austria, though, preferred a win for Georgia against Hungary and then a win against Georgia by a greater margin.
No shots on targets were formed by either Georgia or Hungary in the first half of their encounter as the match was played in the middle of the park for long periods. Straight after the break, however, Dominik Szoboszlai scored as he was loose with the ball in the box and kicked the winner as his body was horizontal. Georgia tried in vain to gain a goal back, including hitting the woodwork with only minutes left, but it was to no avail. With that win, Hungary found themselves promoted to League A.
The battle to remain in League B took place five days later, with Julian Baumgartlinger scoring in the 32nd minute for Austria. Georgia struggled in their attacking third, accumulating no shots for the entire match, while Austria always looked like penetrating the visitors’ defence. In the end, the solitary goal proved the difference between the two sides, and Austria remained a part of League B, while Georgia must face nations in League C in the next instalment.
League A With the two home losses, Italy were set to drop to League B; though they could reach four points, the Czechs had a better head-to-head comparison. Serbia faced, at home, against Italy before flying away to the Czech Republic. A win from either of these will ensure a place in the Nations League Finals. The Czechs needed a drawn game between Serbia and Italy, at worst, then defeat the Serbs by at least three goals.
Serbia had all the attack of the first hour of the match against Italy, but without nailing a goal. Nemanja Maksimović came closest when his shot deflected off a defender and against the left-hand post. However, the Italians exacted revenge for the 3-0 loss early in the Nations League to score when Jorginho took a risk and shot from long range, with the power too great for the Serbian goalkeeper. From there, Italy held on for the victory.
The Czechs then only needed a home win against Serbia to take the group as they had done two years ago to make the Nations League Final. Serbia started ideally with a fifth-minute slide and tuck goal from Luka Jović. However, the Czechs knew they had plenty of time to gain the lead, and they did as Jakub Jankto scored twice off rebounds in two minutes. His first was a header after the Serbian defence failed to clear the ball; he rushed towards the goal and levelled the match. His second came off an initial goalkeeping parry, where he found the goal from the tightest of angles with his left boot. From there, the Czechs kept dominance of the match, and though Jankto did not score again, the home side came away with the win and direct path to the Nations League Finals.
France and the Netherlands, both on six points, had one final match each against Bulgaria; France away and the Netherlands at home. For the Dutch to make the Finals, they must hope France at best drew their match, while they then defeated Bulgaria. Bulgaria needed to win both matches by a large margin to not be relegated.
The first half between Bulgaria and France was a tight affair; Olivier Giroud had a chance to score early, as did Bulgarian striker Bozhidar Kraev at the end of the half; both missed to the right of goal. However, the latter’s effort propelled Bulgaria into another gear, and Spas Delev chipped Hugo Lloris to gift the hosts the lead going into the break. Straight after, Kristiyan Malinov doubled the lead with a powerful right footer. From there, Bulgaria kept control of long periods of the match, and even Delev had a chance again to chip the French goalkeeper, only to hit the woodwork. The vital 2-0 victory kept the group alive but gave little hope to the French in winning Group A2.
The Dutch attacked for a solid nine minutes in their match against Bulgaria down the right wing. This paid off as defender Stefan de Vrij, who was still in the box from a prior corner, leapt above the others to head home the opening goal. The Netherlands kept peppering down the right wing, only for Bulgaria to hold firm in that realm. In the second half, the Dutch attacked without relent; Bulgaria, this time, held firm down the left wing. They then caught the home side on the counter, with Delev scoring as he had done in the previous match. From there, the Netherlands had chances to take the lead, only for chips to be thwarted by the goalkeeper. In the end, the 1-1 draw still worked in the favour of the Dutch, though they would have liked to have won their final match. Bulgaria, whilst relinquishing to League B, certainly held their own in their final two matches, and we may see them again in the upper echelons in four years’ time.
Group A3 had a similar outlook on Match Day 5 as Group A2, with Germany having the slight edge over Spain, with the probability of winning their final home game against Slovenia.
Earlier, Spain flew to Slovenia in the hope of bagging a win. Slovenia, meanwhile, still had a chance to remain in League A with two wins, provided they defeated Spain by two goals. However, Spain came from behind as they had in their previous encounter, defeating Slovenia 2-1. The first half saw Slovenia employ plenty of through balls beyond the high Spanish defensive line. However, poor shots were the course of the first half. Eventually, they switched tactics and worked down the right wing. This paid off as Slovenia caught Spain on a counter and scored with a cross from right wing directly to Haris Vučkič’s head, who made no mistake. Spain worked hard and had a goal back from substitute Asensio, before Canales gained the advantage with a through ball in the 90th minute and romped home the winner.
That forced Germany with the task of defeating Slovenia to top the group. The score was still 0-0 at the break despite efforts from the Germans. However, the match opened up in the second half, and Timo Werner, İlkay Gündoğan and newcomer Benjamin Henrichs all scored. Werner’s goal was off a brilliant through ball behind the Slovenian defensive line. Gündoğan ran in from right midfield for his goal after his teammate raced to the byline and cut all the way back to his run. Henrichs’ header capped off a grand second half for the hosts, ensuring they made it to the Nations League Finals again.
That left England to take the fourth spot in the Finals, with the other three who had also made the cut from the previous instalment. The English were to host Poland on the final Match Day, while Poland needed a home win against Denmark to set up that final match. As for Denmark, they needed to defeat Poland by at least three goals and hope that England defeat Poland to have any hope of staying in League A.
Denmark started in the best possible manner as Martin Braithwaite scored from a corner; he got enough purchase on the ball to send it into goal after the initial header came his way. Poland found themselves chasing the game for the next 53 minutes, before a through ball found Piotr Zieliński free, and he made no mistake. However, Denmark were unperturbed and Yussuf Poulsen quickly regained the lead as a chipped ball found him alone in the box. It took Polish substitute Kamil Grosicki to outrun his defender and equalise six minutes later. Both sides had minor chances to win the match, only for the score to remain 2-2.
That meant in the final match, England had to win against Poland. However, they placed two fresh attacking players alongside Harry Kane, something that seemed a little off tactically. England certainly had the better chances, only for Robert Lewandowski to score first as he had done the last time these two sides met. England, with just over a half hour to score two goals, went on the attack. Substitute Jadon Sancho managed to get the equaliser in the 76th minute; his first header hit the crossbar before he was first to the ball and headed again into the back of the net. England then threw away their chances to take the lead, and Poland gained the vital draw they needed, and a place in the Nations League Finals.
© 2020 Steve Clark |
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Added on December 6, 2020 Last Updated on December 6, 2020 Author
Steve ClarkAdelaide, South Australia, AustraliaAboutA free spirited educator who dabbles in the art of writing novels and articles. more..Writing
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