Matchday 1 of the UEFA Nations League saw a number of exciting games, and a number of intriguing results. There was a mixed bag of results for the four Home Nations, while the likes of France, Hungary and Bosnia and Herzegovina went down to heavy defeats.
So after a good start across the opening 26 matches of the tournament, what would Matchday 2 of the UEFA Nations League bring?
Scotland faced a tricky trip to Portugal, Wales likewise to Montenegro, while Northern Ireland headed to Bulgaria. England returned to Wembley for the visit of Finland and in other big games Spain travelled to Switzerland, France hosted Belgium and the Netherlands and Germany renewed their rivalry.
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So let’s see exactly how the action for Matchday 2 panned out.
Spain played over 70 minutes with ten men after central defender Robin Le Normand was sent off on 20 minutes. By then, goals from Joselu and Fabian Ruiz had put Spain into a 2-0 lead. Zeki Amdouni’s 41st minute strike seemed to hint at a Switzerland fightback but two goals on the counter attack late in the game, the first from Fabian Ruiz, the second from Ferran Torres handed Spain an outstanding win which keeps them hot on the heels of Denmark in Group A4.
After an uninspiring 0-0 draw with Kazakhstan, Norway came into the game with Austria knowing that they needed to get something from the game. However, Austria have been one of the most improved sides in Europe and were expected to go well in Group B3. Felix Horne Myrhe put Norway in front on nine minutes, but Marcel Sabitzer levelled on 37. However, after being given a 2/10 for his performance by some Norwegian newspaper reviewers following the game with Kazakhstan, Erling Haaland quieted his critics by scoring an 80th minute winner for the home side. The result means Norway lie second in the group on goal difference behind Slovenia.
After a disappointing 3-1 home loss to Italy in their opener, France needed to land a win here against Belgium. Didier Deschamps rang the changes, with Kylian Mbappe relegated to the bench one of eight changes made to the team that lost to the Italians. Those changes worked with Randal Kolo Muani putting France in front on 29 minutes and then Ousmane Dembele added a fine individual second on 57. The French had 25 shots, nine on target, in the game. The win moved them into second in the group behind Italy, but above Belgium on head-to-head record.
Two quickfire goals in the opening three minutes handed Craig Bellamy’s Wales a fabulous start in a rainy Niksic. Kieffer Moore slotted home the opener after just 30 seconds of the match and then, in the third minute, Harry Wilson scored a fantastic 20-yard shot to put the visitors 2-0 ahead. Despite having 22 shots, Montenegro never really put Wales under sustained pressure, and despite Driton Camaj’s 73rd-minute strike, they could not find the equaliser. The result means Wales are level on points with Turkey at the top of Group B4 a point ahead of Iceland. Montenegro the bottom of the group without a win.
Wales put in a fine display in rainy Montenegro to come away with a vital 2-1 victory in their second Nations League game. That win ensured they kept pace with Turkey, with whom they had drawn 0-0 in their opening fixture. Craig Bellamy’s time as manager has seen the Welsh enjoy an unbeaten start in his first two matches.
England interim manager Lee Carsley watched his Three Lions earn their second 2-0 victory in successive games. This time they faced Finland at Wembley who frustrated England for long periods. However, it was Harry Kane, on his 100th appearance for England, who was the difference. The Bayern Munich man fired England into the lead with a fine opener and then added a second later in the second half to secure another win. The win keeps England level with Greece at the top of Group B2.
Northern Ireland went down to a 1-0 defeat away to Bulgaria. Group C3 looks like being one of the closest fought ones in the tournament with three of the four teams all having won a game and only one of the four matches played seeing more than one goal scored. Scotland also suffered on the road despite a Scott McTominay header giving them an early lead in Portugal. Bruno Fernandes struck Portugal level early in the second half and then Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 901st professional goal on 87 minutes to hand Portugal the win, leaving the Scots bottom of their group.
The following players all received red cards (either as a direct red card, or as a result of two yellow cards) on Matchday 2, meaning they will be suspended for at least the next fixture.
Next month sees Matchday 3 and Matchday 4 in the Nations League taking place from October 10th to 12th (Matchday 3) and 13th to 15th (Matchday 4).
Top games to look forward to from League A include Italy v Belgium, Croatia v Scotland, Hungary v Netherlands, Poland v Portugal, Serbia v Switzerland and Spain v Denmark.
In League B, Greece travel to England on Matchday 3, while Slovakia’s clash with Sweden is one of the top contests in League C.
Matchday 4 sees the return of matches played on Matchday 2, with Finland hosting England, Germany taking on the Netherlands, Belgium facing France and Spain facing Switzerland.
Join us again after Matchday 3 when we review the latest Nations League action!
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