Th Nations League continued tonight, with several interesting clashes taking place across Europe in both League A and League B.
Netherlands seal spot in last eight with win
Scorers: Weghorst (pen) 22′, Gakp (pen) 45+12′, Dumfries 64′, Koopmeiners 86′
Netherlands sealed their place in the Nations League quarter-finals with a 3-0 win over Hungary at the Johan Cruyff Arena.
The game was halted early on when Hungarian assistant Ádám Szalai fell ill on the bench. He received medical treatment before thankfully being transported to hospital in a stable condition.
After the game resumed, there was a VAR check for an alleged handball prior to the medical emergency. The penalty was awarded to the Dutch, and Wout Weghorst sent Dénes Dibusz the wrong way.
It was 2-0 by the break and, again, it came from via a penalty. Zsolt Nagy tripped Donyell Malen, and this time, Cody Gakpo stepped up to slot home confidently.
The Hungarians valiantly battled on after the break, undoubtedly affected by Szalai’s collapse, but could not find a way back into the game.
Denzel Dumfries ended the contest with a powerful volleyed drive just after the hour mark, and Teun Koopmeiners got in on the act late on as Ronald Koeman’s side booked their place in the last eight.
Germany put on seven-star show
Scorers: Musiala 2′, Kleindienst 23′, Havertz 37′, Wirtz 50′, 57′, Sané 66′
Germany sealed top spot in League A Group 3 of the Nations League with a crushing 7-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in Freiburg.
They need just two minutes to get the ball rolling, Jamal Musiala scoring with yet another header time, this time connecting brilliantly with a Joshua Kimmich cross.
Julien Nagelsmann’s side doubled their lead just over 20 minutes later, and it came from one of the players he recently handed a debut to. Bosnia failed to deal with a German attack, and Robert Andrich’s shot ricocheted off Tim Kleindienst, and into the net. Did he mean it? It didn’t matter as the Gladbach striker celebrated his first goal for his country.
It was 3-0 before the break as Kai Havertz grabbed his 20th international goal, combining brilliantly with Musiala before finishing from close range.
After the break, Florian Wirtz took over with two very different goals. The Bayer Leverkusen star smashed home a brilliant free-kick, before tapping home after Havertz’s shot was saved.
Leroy Sané came off the bench to get Germany’s sixth with a fantastic goal. He took down Havertz’s searching ball with ease, stepped past a defender and curled home.
Kleindienst got the seventh and final goal with his second, finishing smartly with his left foot, rounding off a perfect night for Nagelsmann.
Resolute Wales continue Bellamy’s unbeaten start
Craig Bellamy extended his unbeaten start as Wales manager with arguably his most impressive result to date, a 0-0 draw away to Türkiye, which keeps his side in with a chance of automatic to League A of the Nations League.
The decisive moment of the game came with three minutes remaining, when Kerem Aktürkoğlu’s penalty hit the post, but a loss would have been harsh on the Welsh.
The Turks had dominated possession for most of the game, but struggled to break down a resolute Welsh defence. The one time they did in the opening half, Mark Darlow was there to deny Yunus Akgün with a fine save.
The one chance Bellamy’s side had came right at the end of the opening 45 minutes, and was the closest either side came to scoring at that point. They broke well, Mark Harris feeding the ball to Harry Wilson. The in-form Fulham man’s strike hit the post, and bounced just beyond the reach of Brennan Johnson.
After the break, Türkiye lost their captain Hakan Calhanoglu, who went off with an apparent injury. It damaged their fluency of play, as Wales became far more comfortable, and remained a danger on the counter.
Bournemouth striker Enes Ünal did have a golden opportunity to give his side the lead after coming off the bench, but his touch took him away from goal after great work from Akgün.
Ünal was then adjudged to have been fouled by Neco Williams inside the box, but Aktürkoğlu could not convert, leaving it all to play for on the final day. The Turks need just a point against Montenegro, but hope remains for Bellamy’s men.
📸 BART STOUTJESDIJK – null
