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Tag: Nations League

  • First-time ballboy helps Germany reach Nations League semis

    First-time ballboy helps Germany reach Nations League semis

    A first-time ballboy was an unlikely hero in Germany’s 3-3 draw with Italy as he played a major part in the team reaching the Nations League semi-finals on Sunday.

    Fifteen-year-old Noel Urbaniak was positioned near the corner flag when Germany were awarded a corner in the 36th minute after Italy goalkeeper had Gianluigi Donnarumma tipped a Tim Kleindienst header over the bar.

    Donnarumma walked out of his goalmouth to argue together with team-mates. Urbaniak quickly threw the ball to captain Joshua Kimmich who fed Jamal Musiala at the near post to score into the empty net as the Italians sensed the danger too late.

    The clever goal for a temporary 2-0 lead brought back memories of the 2019 Champions league match between Liverpool and Barcelona where a similarly quickly executed corner kick from Trent Alexander-Arnold to Divock Origi for 4-0 had seen Liverpool advance.

    Kimmich praised Urbaniak for his quick reaction and gave him a ball post-match signed “for Joel” and with his autograph, and sporting director Rudi Völler promised Urbaniak a free ticket for the next national team game.

    Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann spoke of “absolute world class from all three of them” – Kimmich, Musiala and Urbaniak.

    “I had eye contact with Kimmich and saw that he needed the ball and I immediately threw the ball to him and then the goal happened. I was enormously happy,” Urbaniak told broadcasters RTL.

    Urbaniak said he has never experienced this before because “it was my first time as a ballboy. It feels really good.”

    Asked what Kimmich told him, Urbaniak said: “He said thank you that you set me up for the goal.”

    Kimmich said: “The ballboy was really alert. He did a good job.

    “We reacted very quickly and luckily made the 2-0. Some of our team-mates didn’t even realise that the ball was in the net. It happened very quickly,” Kimmich said.

    Former Germany captain and TV pundit Lothar Matthäus said during the broadcast: “I have never seen a goal like this before.

  • France see off Croatia on penalties to reach Nations League final four

    France see off Croatia on penalties to reach Nations League final four

    Mike Maignan saved two penalties to earn France a dramatic 5-4 shoot-out win over Croatia and advance to the semi-finals of the Nations League.

    Michael Olise’s brilliant free-kick seven minutes after half-time and Ousmane Dembele’s seventh goal for his country with 10 minutes remaining helped France send the game into extra-time after a 2-0 first-leg loss in Croatia.

    After missed spot-kicks from Croatia duo Martin Baturina and Franjo Ivanovic, as well as France pair Jules Kounde and Theo Hernandez, Maignan proved to be the hero by stopping Josip Stanisic’s effort in sudden death before Dayot Upamecano scored.

    As expected being two goals down on aggregate, France dominated the early proceedings and Kylian Mbappe came closest with a snapshot that flew wide of the far post.

    Dominik Livakovic was brought into action for the first time in the 38th minute when Olise’s perfectly-weighted pass found Bradley Barcola but he was denied brilliantly by the goalkeeper from close range.

    It was all one-way traffic in the first period, with William Saliba unable to connect with a header from a free-kick as referee Michael Oliver blew for half-time.

    France halved the aggregate deficit in the 52nd minute in style.

    Duje Caleta-Car tripped Mbappe outside the box and Olise stepped up and bent a free-kick into the back of the net past Livakovic.

    Mbappe blew a chance to haul his side level when the ball fell free for him inside the box, but the Real Madrid striker swept his effort the wrong side of the post.

    France got their equaliser in the 80th minute and Olise was at the heart of it again, taking the ball to the byline and pulling back for Dembele to stick it low into the bottom left corner.

    Extra-time brought more of the same and Livakovic saved twice in quick succession to deny substitute Desire Doue and Mbappe, who missed when one-on-one.

    In the shoot-out, Maignan saved from Baturina before Ivanovic ballooned one over the bar, only for France to let the visitors back in when Kounde and Hernandez missed the target.

    Stanisic stepped up and was denied by Maignan before Upamecano sealed a dramatic win and a place in the last four where title holders and Euro 2024 winners Spain will be waiting.

  • UEFA introduces Women’s Nations League

    UEFA introduces Women’s Nations League

    UEFA has announced the  introduction of  the women’s Nations League among the countries of Europe.

    UEFA announced on Thursday in Nyon that the tournament for women will begin next year,

    The competition, which will link into qualification for the European Championship and the World Cup, will start in autumn 2023, it said.

    In the usual practice with the men, countries will be divided into leagues based on their ranking, with promotion and relegation between the leagues.

    UEFA confirmed there would be three tiers with teams playing in groups of three or four within those tiers.

    “I said this summer that we will continue to invest in women’s football, and we are,” UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said.

    “Off the back of a historic UEFA Women’s Euro, it is now time to further develop women’s national team football.

    “We have built an open, competitive and continuous system in which every match will matter, a true reflection of the European sports model.

    “I am convinced that this format will help all European national associations and keep the dream of qualifying for a major international tournament alive.”

    Proposals for a revamp of the women’s national team competitions, including the introduction of a Nations League, were presented to member-associations by a working group in Frankfurt last month.

    This had happened ahead of the qualifying draw for the men’s Euro in 2024.

    The new formats were officially ratified by UEFA’s ruling executive committee on Wednesday.

    The men’s Nations League was first played in 2018, with the idea that it would provide more meaningful and competitive matches to replace international friendlies.
    Portugal won the first edition in 2019.
  • Nations League: Ukraine stun Spain in noisy stadium

    Nations League: Ukraine stun Spain in noisy stadium

    Ukraine pulled off a shock 1-0 win at home to Spain in the UEFA Nations League on Tuesday at a raucous Olympic Stadium in Kyiv as fans savoured a first ever victory over the 2010 World Cup winners

    Viktor Tsygankov scored the only goal of the game as Ukraine defeated Spain in their Nations League match in Kyiv.

    Andriy Shevchenko’s side took the lead against the run of play in the 76th minute when Tsygankov took David de Gea by surprise, by firing home from outside the area, after latching on to an outstanding reverse pass from Andriy Yarmolenko.

    The goal was wildly celebrated by the whole Ukraine team and some 21,000 fans spaced out across the stadium, with the hosts taking advantage of UEFA regulations allowing 30 per cent capacity at certain matches in an easing of coronavirus restrictions.

    Ukraine had lost their last three outings, including a 4-0 reverse to Spain last month and a 7-1 thrashing at the hands of France in a friendly last week, after losing six players due to COVID-19 positives.

  • Nations League: England beat world’s top-ranked team Belgium

    Nations League: England beat world’s top-ranked team Belgium

    England came from behind to overcome the world’s top-ranked team Belgium and record an important Nations League victory at Wembley.

    Belgium took a lead their early superiority deserved when Romelu Lukaku sent England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford the wrong way after the striker had been brought down by Eric Dier’s poor challenge.

    England were on the back foot for most of the first half but were handed a lifeline back into the game six minutes before half-time when captain Jordan Henderson went down very easily in a tussle with Thomas Meunier, Marcus Rashford scoring from the spot.

    Gareth Southgate’s side enjoyed much more possession after the break but needed a large slice of luck to take the lead after 64 minutes, Mason Mount’s effort deflecting off Toby Alderweireld and looping over keeper Simon Mignolet to inflict Belgium’s first loss since November 2018.

  • Netherlands defeat England to reach Nations League final

    Netherlands defeat England to reach Nations League final

    Netherlands capitalised on two defensive mix-ups by England in extra-time to win their Nations League semi-final 3-1 on Thursday and reach the showpiece against Portugal on Sunday.

    The Dutch went 2-1 ahead when England defender Kyle Walker turned the ball into his own net in the 97th minute after a mistake by team mate John Stones.

    Quincy Promes got the third in the 114th minute after England again gave the ball away at the back.

    Marcus Rashford had put England ahead with a penalty kick in the 32nd minute after a mistake by Matthijs De Ligt.

    De Ligt went from villain to hero by heading the equaliser in the 73rd minute.

    Jesse Lingard thought he had scored for England in the 83rd minute but a VAR review showed he was just offside.

    England will now go on to face Switzerland on Sunday in the third-place match.