More UEFA Nations League action continued on Monday with some joyous results.
Here is what went down.
Croatia rally to reach quarters
Scorers: FΓ©lix 33′; Gvardiol 65′
Croatia booked their spot in the Nations League quarter-finals after a 1-1 draw with Portugal.
A heavily rotated visiting side did not feature Cristiano Ronaldo or Bruno Fernandes, leaving Rafael LeΓ£o to lead the charge for the visitors.
The Milan star had plenty of chances to open the scoring, but it was JoΓ£o FΓ©lix who did, after expertly controlling the ball and slotting home his first in the competition.
Veteran Luka ModriΔ attempted to rally the hosts forward, but with only one shot on target after the first 45 minutes, Croatia faced more pressure to keep themselves alive.
In the second half that all changed. Chances flew and JoΕ‘ko Gvardiol put the ball in the back of the net as Portugal’s defence fell asleep, but it was ruled out for offside.
Yet one minute later, the defender flew in at the back post and ensured his second attempt counted.
Portugal came close to conceding a second time as Croatia hit the woodwork in the dying minutes. But they held on for the draw and also kept their unbeaten run alive.
Robertson helps Scotland stun Poland
Scorers: PiΔ tkowski 59′; McGinn 3′, Robertson 90+3′
Scotland waited until the death to stun Poland 2-1 and reach the League A/B playoffs.
Things got off to a flying start when Ben Doak teed up John McGinn for his 20th international goal.
Poland ramped up the pressure via Sebastian SzymaΕski,Β Karol Εwiderski andΒ Jakub KamiΕski, but goalkeeper Craig Gordon was a rock at the back.
Scott McTominay, meanwhile, almost doubled the lead against the run of play but hit the woodwork.
Polish pressure then continued after the break. John Souttar cleared an effort off the line minutes after the restart before aΒ thunderstrike levelled the game.
Kamil PiΔ tkowski blasted home into the top left corner from outside the box, beating every Scottish defender and Gordon.
The remainder of the game was a testy, nervy affair only to be decided by late theatrics.
Captain Andy Robertson headed home a cross from Souttar in the dying seconds to secure the win and his first goal in five years.
The result relegated Poland to League B.
Spain edge Swiss in five-goal thriller
Scorers: Pino 32′, Gil 68′, Zaragoza 90+3′; Monteiro 63′, Zeqiri 85′ (P)
Spain held on to earn a thrilling 3-2 victory over Switzerland at the death.
Without a shot on target after half an hour, the hosts needed a bit of luck to break the deadlock.
Pedri was tasked with scoring from the penalty spot but saw his effort saved byΒ Yvon Mvogo. Thankfully, Yeremy Pino could blast home the rebound after some pinball in the box.
The goal injected some confidence into the hosts while the Swiss, who had yet to win in the Nations League this season, struggled to produce anything worthwhile.
That was until substituteΒ JoΓ«l Monteiro beat Alex Grimaldo for pace in the box and scored the equaliser from a tight angle.
Spain later grabbed the lead again in a flash through some substitute magic of their own. Bryan Gil stole the ball in the box and rifled home for 2-1 into the bottom right corner.
A defensive miscue, however, allowed substitute Andi Zeqiri to step up and slot home the equaliser from the penalty spot.
It appeared things would be split until another penalty was awarded and Bryan Zaragoza earned the hero title with seconds to go.
NI survive scare to earn promotion
Scorers: KoraΔ 72′, Rodrigues 75′; Price 19′, Bradley 50′
Northern Ireland earned Nations League promotion after a 2-2 draw with Luxembourg.
Isaac Price continued to impress on the UEFA stage after scoring the opener. TheΒ Standard Liege midfielder struck into the bottom corner for his sixth goal in 18 caps.
Price then turned provider after the break and curled the ball into the box, where Conor Bradley headed home his fourth for the national team.
Yet while it appeared Northern Ireland controlled the game, Luxembourg found their touch in the final frames.
Seid Korac turned home Danel Sinani’s free-kick, and three minutes later, the hosts equalised via Gerson Rodrigues to stun the visitors.
Fortunately, despite the scare, the draw was enough to move up to League B.
Other results…
Liechtenstein 1-3 San Marino
Serbia 0-0 Denmark
Romania 4-1 Cyprus
Bulgaria 1-1 Belarus
Kosovo 1-0 Lithuania
We will have more Nations League action for you on Tuesday. Check back later!
πΈ DAMIR SENCAR – AFP or licensors
