Round 4 of the UEFA Nations League was exciting and surely a step up after the results witnessed three days prior. With two international games under their belts, the teams gave a better account of themselves, and there were far fewer chinks in the armors at the display.
Poland surprised both Italy and the Netherlands to take home the top spot in the UEFA Nations League A Group 1. They followed their dull draw against Italy with a 3-0 thumping of Bosnia Herzegovina. Robert Lewandowski was the man of the night as he scored a brace sandwiched in between a Karol Linetty strike. It was always going to be a challenging task for the Bosnians who lost Anel Ahmedhodzic to a straight red card in the 15th minute.
The Azzurri let their Pole billing slip away with a 1-1 draw against the Netherlands. Roberto Mancini’s men were dangerous in attack but could not get past Jasper Cillessen. The Oranje themselves failed to make anything of their possession and were lucky to come away with a point as Cillessen kept the hosts at bay.
There were movements in the Group 2 rankings as well. England were riding high after defeating number one FIFA ranked Belgium at the Wembley but were brought down to earth by Denmark. Gareth Southgate’s men were defeated by the Danes, who secured a 0-1 win courtesy of 35th Christian Eriksen penalty. The red-and-white also managed to slip into the second position as the English were ousted after their loss.
When the final whistle was blown, the English side finished with nine men on the pitch. Harry Maguire’s slide continued as he was given his marching orders in the 32nd minute for a second offense. Chelsea youth academy graduate Reece James had a memorable night to forget as he earned a straight red card on his international debut.
The Three Lions slip-up allowed Belgium to wrestle Group 2 leadership. The Red Devils were made to work by Iceland for the three points but had Romelu Lukaku to thank for. The Inter forward scored a brace on either side of Birkir Saevarsson’s equalizer to ensure the result in his favor.
Most chances created from open play across England's two Nations League fixtures…
Declan Rice, with 3…
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— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) October 15, 2020
It was business as usual in the Nations League’s top-ranked Group 3. France and Portugal played a cautious goalless draw against each other but put Croatia and Sweden to the sword. Luka Modric and co. were no match for Les Bleus in the replay of the 2018 FIFA World Cup final. The margin of victory for France decreased as the scoreline read 1-2, but Kylian Mbappé was at hand to haunt the Blazers.
On the other hand, it was a comfortable 3-0 victory for a Ronaldo-less Portugal. Bernardo Silva opened the scoring in the 21st minute before Diogo Jota doubled their lead in the penultimate minute of the first period. The new Liverpool signing would put the match beyond doubt by completing his brace through a William Carvalho assist.
Both Portugal and France have 10 points from their four games, while Croatia linger in third place with 3 points to their name. The Selecao who maintain their control of League A Group 3 with a better goal difference.
However, it was in Group 4 that the most unexpected results were witnessed. Spain and Germany seemed to have wrapped up the group but both European juggernauts were dealt blows. Die Mannschaft shared points with the Swiss as they were held to a high scoring draw.
At the Rhein Energie STADION, it was Vladimir Petkovic’s men who got the proceedings started. They raced to a 0-2 goal lead through Mario Gavranovic and Remo Freuler. Germany’s reply came through Chelsea duo Timo Werner and Kai Havertz. Gavranovic would give the Red Crosses the lead again, only for Serge Gnabry to cancel it out again. Both sides attacked frequently and would be pleased with the 3-3 result.
In Kyiv, Andriy Shevchenko’s Ukraine secured a memorable win against Spain. The yellow-and-blue were on the back foot for the duration of the game and scored against the run of play for the only goal of the night. Viktor Tsigankov was the hero of the night while Luis Enrique was left wondering how his side managed to waste 17 goal scoring opportunities.
Round 4 results have opened the group for an attractive final couple of games. Despite the defeat, Spain lead the pecking order with seven points, followed by Germany and Ukraine level on six points.