Nicolo Barella’s thunderous strike and a penalty converted by Domenico Berardi earned hosts Italy a 2-1 victory over Belgium on Sunday and third place in this year’s Nations League.

It offered some consolation for the European champions, whose semi-final loss to Spain in Milan on Wednesday ended their record 37-match unbeaten run.

They returned to winning ways as Barella volleyed a poor corner clearance into the net one minute into the second half and Berardi added the second from the spot in the 65th minute, after Timothy Castagne had brought down the tricky Federico Chiesa.

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Belgium claimed a consolation in the 86th minute when substitute Charles De Ketelaere finished off a quick counter- attack.

Belgium, who were without Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku and only brought on Kevin De Bruyne in the second half, hit the woodwork three times but were outplayed for large portions of the match by their hosts at the Juventus Stadium.

"Today we played very well, we were excellent. We have different solutions and quality in midfield, today they did well," Italy coach Roberto Mancini told RAI television.

Early chances for Berardi and Giacomo Raspadori were dealt with by the Belgian defence before Alexis Saelemaekers, who plays in Serie A with AC Milan, slammed a shot against the Italian crossbar in the 28th minute.

But immediately after the break, the Belgians fell behind to Barella’s snap effort, cleanly hit after a clearing header from a corner fell perfectly into his path.

Michy Batshuayi then had an effort come back off the woodwork as Belgium came close to a 60th minute equaliser but fell 2-0 behind when Castagne mistimed a tackle on Chiesa to offer Italy a chance to extend their lead from the penalty spot. Berardi’s kick squeezed past Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

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Toby Alderweireld then proved an unlikely attacking threat with two efforts that brought out fine stops from Italy’s goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma before Yannick Carrasco smashed a curling shot against the Italian post in the final 10 minutes.

Courtois’ quick clearance set up Belgium’s goal with De Bruyne passing to the youthful De Ketelaere to squeeze it past Donnarumma from close range, but it came too late to offer a dramatic finish to the game.

"We had a lot of younger players today and they did decently," De Bruyne said. "It was good for them to play against a team of Italy's quality."

France and Spain meet in the Nations League final in Milan later on Sunday (kickoff 1845 GMT).

Nicolo Barella’s thunderous strike and a penalty converted by Domenico Berardi earned hosts Italy a 2-1 victory over Belgium on Sunday and third place in this year’s Nations League.

Nicolo Barella’s thunderous strike and a penalty converted by Domenico Berardi earned hosts Italy a 2-1 victory over Belgium on Sunday and third place in this year’s Nations League. It offered some consolation for the European champions, whose semi-final loss to Spain in Milan on Wednesday ended their record 37-match unbeaten run. They returned to winning ways as Barella volleyed a poor corner clearance into the net one minute into the second half and Berardi added the second from the spot in the 65th minute, after Timothy Castagne had brought down the tricky Federico Chiesa. ALSO READ: Nations League: Young Spain face France's forward threat in final Belgium claimed a consolation in the 86th minute when substitute Charles De Ketelaere finished off a quick counter- attack. Belgium, who were without Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku and only brought on Kevin De Bruyne in the second half, hit the woodwork three times but were outplayed for large portions of the match by their hosts at the Juventus Stadium. "Today we played very well, we were excellent. We have different solutions and quality in midfield, today they did well," Italy coach Roberto Mancini told RAI television. Early chances for Berardi and Giacomo Raspadori were dealt with by the Belgian defence before Alexis Saelemaekers, who plays in Serie A with AC Milan, slammed a shot against the Italian crossbar in the 28th minute. But immediately after the break, the Belgians fell behind to Barella’s snap effort, cleanly hit after a clearing header from a corner fell perfectly into his path. Michy Batshuayi then had an effort come back off the woodwork as Belgium came close to a 60th minute equaliser but fell 2-0 behind when Castagne mistimed a tackle on Chiesa to offer Italy a chance to extend their lead from the penalty spot. Berardi’s kick squeezed past Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. Also Read: Ballon d'Or 2021 nominees - Ronaldo, Messi and Jorginho in contention for prestigious award; check full list Toby Alderweireld then proved an unlikely attacking threat with two efforts that brought out fine stops from Italy’s goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma before Yannick Carrasco smashed a curling shot against the Italian post in the final 10 minutes. Courtois’ quick clearance set up Belgium’s goal with De Bruyne passing to the youthful De Ketelaere to squeeze it past Donnarumma from close range, but it came too late to offer a dramatic finish to the game. "We had a lot of younger players today and they did decently," De Bruyne said. "It was good for them to play against a team of Italy's quality." France and Spain meet in the Nations League final in Milan later on Sunday (kickoff 1845 GMT).

Nations League: Nicolo Barella's spectacular goal helps Italy edge Belgium 2-1 to finish third

Spain and France meet at the San Siro stadium on Sunday in the Nations League final after a week in which the competition, in just its second edition, truly delivered on its promise.

UEFA launched the Nations League in 2018 amid much puzzlement about the format and scepticism about whether such a competition was needed or desired given the prominence of the European Championship and World Cup for national teams. 
The argument from European soccer's governing body was that replacing friendly matches with competitive games in a mini-group format, with a Final Four tournament at the end, would deliver better entertainment value for fans and more meaningful action for the players.

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This week’s games, delivered in a rapid playoff format, certainly provided the quality and excitement fans crave and no-one who witnessed them, either in the venues or watching on television, would have considered they were in anyway 'meaningless'&nbsp;for the players.

In fact, in this concentrated format, the competition delivers the business end of a tournament without all the labouring through a group stage, the travel between multiple venues and the slow burn build-up throughout a month of games.

Spain’s 2-1 win over European champions Italy in Milan on Wednesday, followed by France’s thrilling comeback to beat Belgium 3-2 in Turin a day later, were games which could have graced the latter stages of either of the established international tournaments.

Sunday’s final promises more of the same.

France are world champions and possess a front three that is arguably unmatched in the game — the brilliance and speed of Kylian Mbappe, the deadly finishing of Karim Benzema and the craft and guile of Antoine Griezmann.

Spain have been going through a transition period under coach Luis Enrique, not only in terms of personnel but also style, and against Italy they offered clear evidence of their direction of travel.

Luis Enrique has been willing to turn to the most inexperienced of young players, with Barcelona’s 17-year-old midfielder Gavi enjoying an impressive debut against Italy, having made only three starts for his club Barcelona.

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Injuries mean that Spain are without their recognised forwards in Alvaro Morata and Gerard Moreno this week, but in their absence Manchester City’s Ferran Torres, nominally a winger, played in the middle and scored both goals against Italy.

While Spain still treasure possession, they transition through midfield much more quickly than in the past and have a refreshing directness in the wide areas where Mikel Oyarzabal and Pablo Sarabia shone against the Azzurri and another teenager, Yeremi Pino, impressed off the bench.

France coach Didier Deschamps has switched his team to a 3-4-3 formation with attacking wing backs in Benjamin Pavard and Theo Hernandez dangerous throughout against Belgium and it will be fascinating to see who takes control of the wide areas in the final.

At the end of Sunday night, one team will raise the Nations League trophy and while that silverware does not carry the prestige of the European Championship won by Italy in July, it will be hard for anyone to claim it is meaningless.

Spain and France meet at the San Siro stadium on Sunday in the Nations League final after a week in which the competition, in just its second edition, truly delivered on its promise.

Spain and France meet at the San Siro stadium on Sunday in the Nations League final after a week in which the competition, in just its second edition, truly delivered on its promise. UEFA launched the Nations League in 2018 amid much puzzlement about the format and scepticism about whether such a competition was needed or desired given the prominence of the European Championship and World Cup for national teams. The argument from European soccer's governing body was that replacing friendly matches with competitive games in a mini-group format, with a Final Four tournament at the end, would deliver better entertainment value for fans and more meaningful action for the players. ALSO READ | Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo: Best football transfers in the summer of 2021 This week’s games, delivered in a rapid playoff format, certainly provided the quality and excitement fans crave and no-one who witnessed them, either in the venues or watching on television, would have considered they were in anyway 'meaningless' for the players. In fact, in this concentrated format, the competition delivers the business end of a tournament without all the labouring through a group stage, the travel between multiple venues and the slow burn build-up throughout a month of games. Spain’s 2-1 win over European champions Italy in Milan on Wednesday, followed by France’s thrilling comeback to beat Belgium 3-2 in Turin a day later, were games which could have graced the latter stages of either of the established international tournaments. Sunday’s final promises more of the same. France are world champions and possess a front three that is arguably unmatched in the game — the brilliance and speed of Kylian Mbappe, the deadly finishing of Karim Benzema and the craft and guile of Antoine Griezmann. Spain have been going through a transition period under coach Luis Enrique, not only in terms of personnel but also style, and against Italy they offered clear evidence of their direction of travel. Luis Enrique has been willing to turn to the most inexperienced of young players, with Barcelona’s 17-year-old midfielder Gavi enjoying an impressive debut against Italy, having made only three starts for his club Barcelona. ALSO READ: Huge relief for Cristiano Ronaldo! US Judge recommends dismissing rape case against Man Utd's striker Injuries mean that Spain are without their recognised forwards in Alvaro Morata and Gerard Moreno this week, but in their absence Manchester City’s Ferran Torres, nominally a winger, played in the middle and scored both goals against Italy. While Spain still treasure possession, they transition through midfield much more quickly than in the past and have a refreshing directness in the wide areas where Mikel Oyarzabal and Pablo Sarabia shone against the Azzurri and another teenager, Yeremi Pino, impressed off the bench. France coach Didier Deschamps has switched his team to a 3-4-3 formation with attacking wing backs in Benjamin Pavard and Theo Hernandez dangerous throughout against Belgium and it will be fascinating to see who takes control of the wide areas in the final. At the end of Sunday night, one team will raise the Nations League trophy and while that silverware does not carry the prestige of the European Championship won by Italy in July, it will be hard for anyone to claim it is meaningless.

Nations League: Young Spain face France's forward threat in final

Romelu Lukaku helped fire Belgium into the UEFA Nations League finals by scoring twice in a 4-2 win over Denmark on Wednesday, while Italy also secured a place in the last four with victory away to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The world's number one-ranked side, Belgium only required a draw from their last League A, Group 2 game at home to Denmark behind closed doors in Leuven and took an early lead through Youri Tielemans.

Jonas Wind equalised for Denmark, but Lukaku got a second-half double and Kevin De Bruyne made sure of the victory for Roberto Martinez's side after Thibaut Courtois allowed a Nacer Chadli back-pass to squirm under his leg and in for an own goal.

Italy secured first place in Group 1 with a 2-0 triumph in Sarajevo thanks to a goal in each half from Torino's Andrea Belotti and Domenico Berardi of Sassuolo.

That ensured they finished a point ahead of the Netherlands, who came from behind to beat Poland 2-1 away with captain Georginio Wijnaldum scoring the winner after Memphis Depay's penalty cancelled out Kamil Jozwiak's opener.

Italy and Belgium join Spain and World Cup holders France in a final tournament which is expected to be held in Italy in October next year.&nbsp;

Before the finals, European national teams will start their 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign in March and then the delayed Euro 2020 is set to go ahead next June and July.

England have more than one eye on that tournament, with the semi-finals and final scheduled for Wembley, and Gareth Southgate's team rounded out their Nations League campaign with a 4-0 win over Iceland.

Declan Rice and Mason Mount scored in the first half and Manchester City's Phil Foden got his first international goals with a late brace as England had three players aged 21 or younger score in the same match for the first time since 1883.

"It was a very difficult game. All the players were hearing messages that this is meaningless and there was nothing to play for but they did play for it," Southgate told Sky Sports.

Birkir Mar Saevarsson was sent off for Iceland who, like Bosnia, are relegated and will compete in League B in the next edition.&nbsp;

<h2>- Wales move up, Scotland miss out -</h2>

Wales won promotion to League A with a 3-1 win over 10-man Finland in Cardiff that allowed them to top Group B4.

Despite manager Ryan Giggs being missing after his recent arrest on suspicion of assaulting his girlfriend, Wales came good with goals from Harry Wilson, Daniel James and Kieffer Moore.

Teemu Pukki netted for Finland, who had left-back Jere Uronen sent off after just 12 minutes.

Winning their group also improves Wales' chances of securing a place in the 2022 World Cup qualifying play-offs, as the two best group winners in the Nations League&nbsp;are guaranteed&nbsp;play-off places if they don't&nbsp;make it via&nbsp;the usual route.

While Wales go up, Scotland missed out on promotion from League B, Group 2 after losing 1-0 in Israel, their second consecutive loss since clinching qualification for Euro 2020.

Manor Solomon's first-half goal sunk the Scots, and the Czech Republic won promotion at their expense after beating Slovakia 2-0.

"We are all disappointed with the way the week's finished," Scotland manager Steve Clarke told Sky Sports.

"It's been an historic week for Scottish football. There was no lack of endeavour. It was similar to the game on Sunday (1-0 loss in Slovakia), just a little lack of quality in the final third meant we couldn't get a goal."

Also securing promotion to the top tier were Austria, who drew 1-1 with a Norway side deprived of stars Erling Braut Haaland and Martin Odegaard after being ordered to quarantine because of a positive coronavirus test in their squad.

Hungary won promotion too thanks to a 2-0 victory over Turkey combined with a 5-0 hammering for Russia at the hands of Serbia.

The Republic of Ireland avoided relegation to League C after drawing 0-0 with Bulgaria, but Northern Ireland and Turkey were among the sides to go down, while Montenegro, Armenia, Slovenia and Albania go up to the second level.

Romelu Lukaku helped fire Belgium into the UEFA Nations League finals by scoring twice in a 4-2 win over Denmark on Wednesday, while Italy also secured a place in the last four with victory away to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Romelu Lukaku helped fire Belgium into the UEFA Nations League finals by scoring twice in a 4-2 win over Denmark on Wednesday, while Italy also secured a place in the last four with victory away to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The world's number one-ranked side, Belgium only required a draw from their last League A, Group 2 game at home to Denmark behind closed doors in Leuven and took an early lead through Youri Tielemans. Jonas Wind equalised for Denmark, but Lukaku got a second-half double and Kevin De Bruyne made sure of the victory for Roberto Martinez's side after Thibaut Courtois allowed a Nacer Chadli back-pass to squirm under his leg and in for an own goal. Italy secured first place in Group 1 with a 2-0 triumph in Sarajevo thanks to a goal in each half from Torino's Andrea Belotti and Domenico Berardi of Sassuolo. That ensured they finished a point ahead of the Netherlands, who came from behind to beat Poland 2-1 away with captain Georginio Wijnaldum scoring the winner after Memphis Depay's penalty cancelled out Kamil Jozwiak's opener. Italy and Belgium join Spain and World Cup holders France in a final tournament which is expected to be held in Italy in October next year. Before the finals, European national teams will start their 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign in March and then the delayed Euro 2020 is set to go ahead next June and July. England have more than one eye on that tournament, with the semi-finals and final scheduled for Wembley, and Gareth Southgate's team rounded out their Nations League campaign with a 4-0 win over Iceland. Declan Rice and Mason Mount scored in the first half and Manchester City's Phil Foden got his first international goals with a late brace as England had three players aged 21 or younger score in the same match for the first time since 1883. "It was a very difficult game. All the players were hearing messages that this is meaningless and there was nothing to play for but they did play for it," Southgate told Sky Sports. Birkir Mar Saevarsson was sent off for Iceland who, like Bosnia, are relegated and will compete in League B in the next edition. - Wales move up, Scotland miss out - Wales won promotion to League A with a 3-1 win over 10-man Finland in Cardiff that allowed them to top Group B4. Despite manager Ryan Giggs being missing after his recent arrest on suspicion of assaulting his girlfriend, Wales came good with goals from Harry Wilson, Daniel James and Kieffer Moore. Teemu Pukki netted for Finland, who had left-back Jere Uronen sent off after just 12 minutes. Winning their group also improves Wales' chances of securing a place in the 2022 World Cup qualifying play-offs, as the two best group winners in the Nations League are guaranteed play-off places if they don't make it via the usual route. While Wales go up, Scotland missed out on promotion from League B, Group 2 after losing 1-0 in Israel, their second consecutive loss since clinching qualification for Euro 2020. Manor Solomon's first-half goal sunk the Scots, and the Czech Republic won promotion at their expense after beating Slovakia 2-0. "We are all disappointed with the way the week's finished," Scotland manager Steve Clarke told Sky Sports. "It's been an historic week for Scottish football. There was no lack of endeavour. It was similar to the game on Sunday (1-0 loss in Slovakia), just a little lack of quality in the final third meant we couldn't get a goal." Also securing promotion to the top tier were Austria, who drew 1-1 with a Norway side deprived of stars Erling Braut Haaland and Martin Odegaard after being ordered to quarantine because of a positive coronavirus test in their squad. Hungary won promotion too thanks to a 2-0 victory over Turkey combined with a 5-0 hammering for Russia at the hands of Serbia. The Republic of Ireland avoided relegation to League C after drawing 0-0 with Bulgaria, but Northern Ireland and Turkey were among the sides to go down, while Montenegro, Armenia, Slovenia and Albania go up to the second level.

Belgium, Italy into Nations League finals as Foden stars in England win

Barcelona star Sergio Busquests has been the latest player to get injured in the Nations League. The Spanish midfielder suffered a "light sprain" after colliding with Breel Embolo in Saturday's 1-1 draw in Switzerland, a result which allowed Germany to replace Spain at the top of the group.

Due to this injury, Busquets will miss out his country's Nations League decider against Germany. This is a must-win match for Luis Enrique's team as it will decide the team that will qualify for the Nations League finals next October. France became the first team to reach the four-team finals at the weekend.

The match will be played in Seville on Tuesday. Busquets is also expected to be ruled out of Barcelona's La Liga clash against Atletico Madrid in the Spanish capital on Saturday.

Earlier, Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson got injured during his Nations League game for England against Belgium. The English player witnessed tightness in his leg, manager Gareth Southgate said, casting doubt on his availability for injury-hit Liverpool this weekend.

"Jordan had a bit of tightness at halftime and felt he couldn't carry on," Southgate told reporters, adding that he was not sure if it was a hamstring issue.

Barcelona star Sergio Busquests has been the latest player to get injured in the Nations League. The Spanish midfielder suffered a "light sprain" after colliding with Breel Embolo in Saturday's 1-1 draw in Switzerland, a result which allowed Germany to replace Spain at the top of the group.

Barcelona star Sergio Busquests has been the latest player to get injured in the Nations League. The Spanish midfielder suffered a "light sprain" after colliding with Breel Embolo in Saturday's 1-1 draw in Switzerland, a result which allowed Germany to replace Spain at the top of the group. Due to this injury, Busquets will miss out his country's Nations League decider against Germany. This is a must-win match for Luis Enrique's team as it will decide the team that will qualify for the Nations League finals next October. France became the first team to reach the four-team finals at the weekend. The match will be played in Seville on Tuesday. Busquets is also expected to be ruled out of Barcelona's La Liga clash against Atletico Madrid in the Spanish capital on Saturday. Earlier, Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson got injured during his Nations League game for England against Belgium. The English player witnessed tightness in his leg, manager Gareth Southgate said, casting doubt on his availability for injury-hit Liverpool this weekend. "Jordan had a bit of tightness at halftime and felt he couldn't carry on," Southgate told reporters, adding that he was not sure if it was a hamstring issue.

Nations League: Sergio Busquets to miss Germany match due to knee sprain

Chelsea striker Timo Werner scored twice on his return to Leipzig Saturday as Germany went top of their Nations League group with a convincing 3-1 win over Ukraine.

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Having joined the Premier League side last July after four years with RB Leipzig, Werner played a starring role behind closed doors at the Red Bull Arena.

"I had four good years here and it was fun to come back here and win," Werner told ZDF.

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"We had a few players missing," he added with Toni Kroos suspended and Joshua Kimmich sidelined by a knee injury, "which made it hard to find our ryhthm".

"But we have enough time to improve before the Euros" he added in reference to Germany's opening Euro 2020 match against world champions France in Munich in seven months' time.

The win leaves Germany undefeated in their last 12 games and top of their Nations League group, a point ahead of second-placed Spain with the sides due to meet in Sevilla on Tuesday. &nbsp;

"We had plenty of tempo in the first-half, controlled the game after the break, even if we gave away too much possession at times," said Germany head coach Joachim Loew.

"All in all, we have to be happy with the win."

Ukraine took an early lead when Roman Yaremchuk caught the German defence napping.

The hosts roared back with three unanswered goals by Leroy Sane and Werner, who scored either side of half-time, to seal a deserved win.&nbsp;

The game was only confirmed hours before kick-off after five of the Ukraine squad were quarantined after testing positive for Covid-19 on Friday.

However, further tests on Saturday revealed no new cases of the coronavirus.

German captain Manuel Neuer made his 95th appearance, equalling Sepp Maier's record for a Germany goalkeeper, yet the Bayern Munich star was beaten after just 12 minutes.

Ukraine forward Oleksandr Zubkov went to ground in the area, but managed to pull the ball back to Yaremchuk who fired his side ahead.

Ukraine had already beaten Spain and Switzerland and there were a few nervous faces among the Germans, who have now kept just one clean sheet in seven games so far in 2020.

However, the lead was shortlived.

Leon Goretzka sparked a counter-attack and released Sane, who cut back inside and smashed his shot around Ukraine goalkeeper and captain Andriy Pyatov on 23 minutes.

Goretzka created Germany's second goal when he lifted his pass just out of range of Pyatov's out-stretched arms.

Werner was waiting to head home from less than a metre to put the hosts ahead on 33 minutes.

"It was easy for me to score the goal, but his work in build up was really good," Werner said of Goretzka's superb work in the build up.

Germany lived dangerously just after the break when a shot by Manchester City midfielder Oleksandr Zinchenko took a deflection and clipped the post with Neuer beaten.&nbsp;

Werner doubled his tally after Ilkay Gundogan started the move which saw Matthias Ginter fire in a cross which the Chelsea star fired home on 64 minutes.

The 24-year-old now has 15 goals in 34 appearances for Germany.

However, there was no chance of a hat-trick as he made way for Julian Brandt for the final 15 minutes.&nbsp;

Chelsea striker Timo Werner scored twice on his return to Leipzig Saturday as Germany went top of their Nations League group with a convincing 3-1 win over Ukraine.

Chelsea striker Timo Werner scored twice on his return to Leipzig Saturday as Germany went top of their Nations League group with a convincing 3-1 win over Ukraine. Also read: UEFA decides to cancel Norway's match against Romania Having joined the Premier League side last July after four years with RB Leipzig, Werner played a starring role behind closed doors at the Red Bull Arena. "I had four good years here and it was fun to come back here and win," Werner told ZDF. Also read: Nations League: France beat Portugal 1-0 to book finals spot "We had a few players missing," he added with Toni Kroos suspended and Joshua Kimmich sidelined by a knee injury, "which made it hard to find our ryhthm". "But we have enough time to improve before the Euros" he added in reference to Germany's opening Euro 2020 match against world champions France in Munich in seven months' time. The win leaves Germany undefeated in their last 12 games and top of their Nations League group, a point ahead of second-placed Spain with the sides due to meet in Sevilla on Tuesday. "We had plenty of tempo in the first-half, controlled the game after the break, even if we gave away too much possession at times," said Germany head coach Joachim Loew. "All in all, we have to be happy with the win." Ukraine took an early lead when Roman Yaremchuk caught the German defence napping. The hosts roared back with three unanswered goals by Leroy Sane and Werner, who scored either side of half-time, to seal a deserved win. The game was only confirmed hours before kick-off after five of the Ukraine squad were quarantined after testing positive for Covid-19 on Friday. However, further tests on Saturday revealed no new cases of the coronavirus. German captain Manuel Neuer made his 95th appearance, equalling Sepp Maier's record for a Germany goalkeeper, yet the Bayern Munich star was beaten after just 12 minutes. Ukraine forward Oleksandr Zubkov went to ground in the area, but managed to pull the ball back to Yaremchuk who fired his side ahead. Ukraine had already beaten Spain and Switzerland and there were a few nervous faces among the Germans, who have now kept just one clean sheet in seven games so far in 2020. However, the lead was shortlived. Leon Goretzka sparked a counter-attack and released Sane, who cut back inside and smashed his shot around Ukraine goalkeeper and captain Andriy Pyatov on 23 minutes. Goretzka created Germany's second goal when he lifted his pass just out of range of Pyatov's out-stretched arms. Werner was waiting to head home from less than a metre to put the hosts ahead on 33 minutes. "It was easy for me to score the goal, but his work in build up was really good," Werner said of Goretzka's superb work in the build up. Germany lived dangerously just after the break when a shot by Manchester City midfielder Oleksandr Zinchenko took a deflection and clipped the post with Neuer beaten. Werner doubled his tally after Ilkay Gundogan started the move which saw Matthias Ginter fire in a cross which the Chelsea star fired home on 64 minutes. The 24-year-old now has 15 goals in 34 appearances for Germany. However, there was no chance of a hat-trick as he made way for Julian Brandt for the final 15 minutes.

Timo Werner fires Germany top of Nations League group

Sergio Ramos missed two penalties as Spain needed a late equaliser from Gerard Moreno to draw 1-1 with Switzerland in the Nations League on Saturday but coach Luis Enrique backed his veteran star, saying: "If there had been a third penalty, he'd have taken that as well".&nbsp;

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Ramos was making his 177th appearance for Spain to become the most capped European player in history, pulling clear of Italy's Gianluigi Buffon, who has 176.&nbsp;

But instead of a celebration in Basel, it was a night to forget for the defender, who saw one spot-kick saved by Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer but backed himself to score a second, only to miss again with a dreadful attempted 'Panenka'.&nbsp;

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"Sergio's numbers for penalties are out of this world," said Enrique.&nbsp;

"If there had been a third penalty, he would have taken that one as well."

Ramos had previously scored 25 penalties in a row and his inaccuracy from the spot cost Spain, who will now have to beat Germany in Sevilla on Tuesday to reach the final four.&nbsp;

"We wanted to win here and the team tried until the end," said Moreno. "It wasn't to be but it's still in our hands to get through, even if we have a difficult game."

Enrique's side have only scored three times in their last five matches and they struggled again to break through against a well-organised Switzerland, who led through&nbsp;Remo Freuler and also had Nico Elvedi sent off with 11 minutes left.

Spain's press was beaten too easily for the first goal as Switzerland counter-attacked at speed.&nbsp;

With Ramos out of position, Breel Embolo raced in behind before pulling a cross back to Freuler, who opened up his left foot and skewed the ball brilliantly into the far corner.&nbsp;

Ferran Torres could have equalised on the stroke of half-time but fired over at the back post before Ramos began his frantic half an hour.&nbsp;

First, he brilliantly blocked Freuler's shot on the line after Unai Simon made a mess of rushing out and then the Spain captain won the first penalty, his header hitting the arm of Sergio Rodriguez, who had turned his back.&nbsp;

But Ramos was unable to convert, his shot well saved by Sommer, who refused to commit too soon and got down quickly to his right.&nbsp;

Twenty minutes later, Alvaro Morata was fouled by Elvedi and Ramos stepped up to make amends, only to compound his earlier error by missing again, this time with an attempted chip that Sommer easily collected.&nbsp;

Spain finally found an equaliser in the 89th minute as Moreno capitalised on a tiring Swiss defence by converting Sergio Reguilon's cross. But Switzerland held on for a point.&nbsp;

Sergio Ramos missed two penalties as Spain needed a late equaliser from Gerard Moreno to draw 1-1 with Switzerland in the Nations League on Saturday but coach Luis Enrique backed his veteran star, saying: "If there had been a third penalty, he'd have taken that as well".

Sergio Ramos missed two penalties as Spain needed a late equaliser from Gerard Moreno to draw 1-1 with Switzerland in the Nations League on Saturday but coach Luis Enrique backed his veteran star, saying: "If there had been a third penalty, he'd have taken that as well". Also read: Nations League: France beat Portugal 1-0 to book finals spot Ramos was making his 177th appearance for Spain to become the most capped European player in history, pulling clear of Italy's Gianluigi Buffon, who has 176. But instead of a celebration in Basel, it was a night to forget for the defender, who saw one spot-kick saved by Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer but backed himself to score a second, only to miss again with a dreadful attempted 'Panenka'. Also read: UEFA decides to cancel Norway's match against Romania "Sergio's numbers for penalties are out of this world," said Enrique. "If there had been a third penalty, he would have taken that one as well." Ramos had previously scored 25 penalties in a row and his inaccuracy from the spot cost Spain, who will now have to beat Germany in Sevilla on Tuesday to reach the final four. "We wanted to win here and the team tried until the end," said Moreno. "It wasn't to be but it's still in our hands to get through, even if we have a difficult game." Enrique's side have only scored three times in their last five matches and they struggled again to break through against a well-organised Switzerland, who led through Remo Freuler and also had Nico Elvedi sent off with 11 minutes left. Spain's press was beaten too easily for the first goal as Switzerland counter-attacked at speed. With Ramos out of position, Breel Embolo raced in behind before pulling a cross back to Freuler, who opened up his left foot and skewed the ball brilliantly into the far corner. Ferran Torres could have equalised on the stroke of half-time but fired over at the back post before Ramos began his frantic half an hour. First, he brilliantly blocked Freuler's shot on the line after Unai Simon made a mess of rushing out and then the Spain captain won the first penalty, his header hitting the arm of Sergio Rodriguez, who had turned his back. But Ramos was unable to convert, his shot well saved by Sommer, who refused to commit too soon and got down quickly to his right. Twenty minutes later, Alvaro Morata was fouled by Elvedi and Ramos stepped up to make amends, only to compound his earlier error by missing again, this time with an attempted chip that Sommer easily collected. Spain finally found an equaliser in the 89th minute as Moreno capitalised on a tiring Swiss defence by converting Sergio Reguilon's cross. But Switzerland held on for a point.

Spain boss Enrique backs 'out of this world' Ramos after two penalty misses

UEFA has decided to cancel Norway's Nations League match against Romania after the Norwegian squad failed to travel to Bucharest as a COVID-19 case was found in the squad.

UEFA has decided to cancel Norway's Nations League match against Romania after the Norwegian squad failed to travel to Bucharest as a COVID-19 case was found in the squad. Also read: Nations League: France beat Portugal 1-0 to book finals spot Norway risks a forfeit (3-0 loss) by not fulfilling the match scheduled on Sunday in Romania and there are no available dates in the international calendar to conduct the game. According to UEFA, the case has been sent to its disciplinary committee for a decision. The forfeit will cost Norway as the team is currently level with Austria at the top of their group in second-tier League B. Norway will face Austria due to meet in Vienna on Tuesday in the final round. The group winner gets two rewards: Promotion to the top tier of the next Nations League and a potential place in World Cup qualifying playoffs scheduled in March 2022 to advance to the tournament in Qatar later that year. (Inputs from PTI)

UEFA decides to cancel Norway's match against Romania

World Cup champions France defeated Portugal in Nations League to book a place in next year's finals.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/were-here-to-win-the-league-and-we-have-that-mentality-manchester-uniteds-bruno-fernandes-343273" hreflang="en">'We're here to win the league and we have that mentality': Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes</a>

Chelsea star N'Golo Kante helped France towards 1-0 victory over table-toppers Portugal.&nbsp;

Kante's second international goal came in the 53rd minute. France leads Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal by three points ahead of Tuesday's clash with Sweden in Paris but is guaranteed first place by their superior head-to-head record.

"It's very nice to see them snatch the win. It's deserved. We've fulfilled our objective of finishing first," France coach Didier Deschamps said after the win over a Portuguese side which had won the inaugural Nations League title on home soil in 2019.

Earlier, Mbappe's injury was a major hit to the French side before the Portugal clash. The PSG star was ruled out of Finland clash, where France was beaten 2-0 at home, due to a thigh injury which made his availability for Portugal match uncertain.&nbsp;

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo is just seven goals shy of the men’s national team record held by former Iran striker Ali Daei with his 109 goals. He had two best scoring chances once it fell behind.

World Cup champions France defeated Portugal in Nations League to book a place in next year's finals. Also read: 'We're here to win the league and we have that mentality': Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes Chelsea star N'Golo Kante helped France towards 1-0 victory over table-toppers Portugal.

World Cup champions France defeated Portugal in Nations League to book a place in next year's finals. Also read: 'We're here to win the league and we have that mentality': Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes Chelsea star N'Golo Kante helped France towards 1-0 victory over table-toppers Portugal. Kante's second international goal came in the 53rd minute. France leads Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal by three points ahead of Tuesday's clash with Sweden in Paris but is guaranteed first place by their superior head-to-head record. "It's very nice to see them snatch the win. It's deserved. We've fulfilled our objective of finishing first," France coach Didier Deschamps said after the win over a Portuguese side which had won the inaugural Nations League title on home soil in 2019. Earlier, Mbappe's injury was a major hit to the French side before the Portugal clash. The PSG star was ruled out of Finland clash, where France was beaten 2-0 at home, due to a thigh injury which made his availability for Portugal match uncertain. Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo is just seven goals shy of the men’s national team record held by former Iran striker Ali Daei with his 109 goals. He had two best scoring chances once it fell behind.

Nations League: France beat Portugal 1-0 to book finals spot

French national team coach Didier Deschamps on Friday said that their star striker Kylian Mbappe will face a late fitness test ahead of their Nations League A Group 3 clash away to Portugal.

French national team coach Didier Deschamps on Friday said that their star striker Kylian Mbappe will face a late fitness test ahead of their Nations League A Group 3 clash away to Portugal. Also read: Liverpool star Mohamed Salah tests positive for COVID-19 The PSG star was ruled out of Finland clash, where France was beaten 2-0 at home, due to a thigh injury which made his availability for Portugal clash uncertain. "He's going to do the first part of the training session tonight on his own and for him, and others, we'll assess tomorrow morning," Deschamps told a news conference. Finland's win ended France's 12-match unbeaten streak. Les Bleus defenders Presnel Kimpembe, Lucas Hernandez and Benjamin Pavard and forward Kinglsey Coman missed the match. World Cup-winners France are second in the table on 10 points, behind Europan champions Portugal on goal difference. Both teams shared the points in a goalless stalemate in the first group meeting at the Stade de France last month. (Inputs from Reuters)

Nations League: Kylian Mbappe's availability for Portugal clash still uncertain

Germany head coach Joachim Loew has told his stars to knuckle down and take control of their Nations League group, starting against Ukraine on Saturday, after three draws and just one win in their mediocre campaign so far.

The three-time European champions host Ukraine in Leipzig on Saturday, then face Spain in Seville on Tuesday.

Victories in both of their final two Nations League games would see Germany win the group.

"We must definitely use both games, and our matches in March, to find our game and establish ourselves," said Loew, with one eye on next June's Euro 2020 finals.

Germany squeezed past a determined Ukraine side with a 2-1 win in Kiev last month.

Both Germany and Ukraine are level on six points, one behind group leaders Spain, who face bottom side Switzerland in Basel on Saturday.

Loew is wary of a dogged Ukrainian side coached by former Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko, who have already beaten Spain and Switzerland in the group.

"We will have to overcome a lot of resistance and have extremely good solutions ready if we want to hold our own against Ukraine," Loew said on Friday.

Germany are unbeaten in their last 11 games, but the statistic masks defensive problems, exposed by last month's 3-3 draws against both Switzerland and in a friendly with Turkey.

In their Nations League games so far, Germany surrendered the lead three times to draw with Spain and twice against the Swiss.&nbsp;

Bayern Munich wingers Serge Gnarby and Leroy Sane are set to play either side of Chelsea striker Timo Werner.

Manuel Neuer captains the side and will equal Sepp Maier's Germany record of 95 appearances for a goalkeeper.

With Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos suspended, Leon Goretzka is set to partner Ilkay Gundogan in the defensive midfield.

Burly Bayern defender Niklas Suele is also set to play despite training on Tuesday for the first time since testing positive for the coronavirus ten days ago.

"He made a good impression in training and you can assume that he will play," Loew added.

Despite this season's congested fixture list due to the coronavirus pandemic, Loew says he sees the value of the Nations League and is demanding two final performances.

"The competition has a certain importance and if we beat Ukraine, we would be in a good position" before the final match against Spain, added Loew.&nbsp;

Germany head coach Joachim Loew has told his stars to knuckle down and take control of their Nations League group, starting against Ukraine on Saturday, after three draws and just one win in their mediocre campaign so far.

Germany head coach Joachim Loew has told his stars to knuckle down and take control of their Nations League group, starting against Ukraine on Saturday, after three draws and just one win in their mediocre campaign so far. The three-time European champions host Ukraine in Leipzig on Saturday, then face Spain in Seville on Tuesday. Victories in both of their final two Nations League games would see Germany win the group. "We must definitely use both games, and our matches in March, to find our game and establish ourselves," said Loew, with one eye on next June's Euro 2020 finals. Germany squeezed past a determined Ukraine side with a 2-1 win in Kiev last month. Both Germany and Ukraine are level on six points, one behind group leaders Spain, who face bottom side Switzerland in Basel on Saturday. Loew is wary of a dogged Ukrainian side coached by former Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko, who have already beaten Spain and Switzerland in the group. "We will have to overcome a lot of resistance and have extremely good solutions ready if we want to hold our own against Ukraine," Loew said on Friday. Germany are unbeaten in their last 11 games, but the statistic masks defensive problems, exposed by last month's 3-3 draws against both Switzerland and in a friendly with Turkey. In their Nations League games so far, Germany surrendered the lead three times to draw with Spain and twice against the Swiss. Bayern Munich wingers Serge Gnarby and Leroy Sane are set to play either side of Chelsea striker Timo Werner. Manuel Neuer captains the side and will equal Sepp Maier's Germany record of 95 appearances for a goalkeeper. With Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos suspended, Leon Goretzka is set to partner Ilkay Gundogan in the defensive midfield. Burly Bayern defender Niklas Suele is also set to play despite training on Tuesday for the first time since testing positive for the coronavirus ten days ago. "He made a good impression in training and you can assume that he will play," Loew added. Despite this season's congested fixture list due to the coronavirus pandemic, Loew says he sees the value of the Nations League and is demanding two final performances. "The competition has a certain importance and if we beat Ukraine, we would be in a good position" before the final match against Spain, added Loew.

Loew tells Germany stars to knuckle down to win Nations League group

Spanish forward Alvaro Morata and midfielder Koke earned an international call up for their good performances in recent matches for their respective clubs. Spain will play a friendly against the Netherlands and Nations League games with Germany and Switzerland.

Spanish forward Alvaro Morata and midfielder Koke earned an international call up for their good performances in recent matches for their respective clubs. Spain will play a friendly against the Netherlands and Nations League games with Germany and Switzerland. Koke's uncapped Atletico team-mate Marcos Llorente was also selected by coach Luis Enrique as was goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga despite losing his place in the Chelsea team. Morata has been in a great form since returning to Juventus on loan from Atletico. the 28-year-old has scored six times in seven appearances. Last time he donned Spain's red jersey was back in November 2019. "Since he has returned to Juventus, you can see a different player," said Luis Enrique. "His numbers indicate it, with improved displays, so it's a pleasure to have Alvaro again. "In terms of confidence, in terms of what he does and his performances, (the current Morata) is much better than the previous one." Spain squad Goalkeepers: David de Gea (Manchester United/ENG), Kepa Arrizabalaga (Chelsea/ENG), Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao) Defenders: Sergi Roberto (Barcelona), Jesus Navas (Sevilla), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Pau Torres (Villarreal), Inigo Martinez (Athletic Bilbao), Jose Gaya (Valencia), Sergio Reguilon (Tottenham/ENG), Eric Garcia (Manchester City/ENG) Midfielders: Fabian Ruiz (Napoli/ITA), Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Rodri (Manchester City/ENG), Mikel Merino (Real Sociedad), Koke, Marcos Llorente (Atletico Madrid), Sergio Canales (Betis) Forwards: Dani Olmo (RB Leipzig/GER), Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Ansu Fati (Barcelona), Ferran Torres (Manchester City/ENG), Gerard Moreno (Villarreal), Adama Traore (Wolves/ENG), Alvaro Morata (Juventus/ITA) (Inputs from AFP)

Spain announces its squad for upcoming fixtures: Morata earns a call-up

Manchester City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne has withdrawn from Belgium's clash against Iceland in the Nations League that scheduled to play on Wednesday.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/major-soccer-league-higuain-brothers-to-play-for-inter-miami-fc-334472" hreflang="en">Major Soccer League: Higuain brothers to play for Inter Miami FC</a>

He has asked out citing an unspecified injury and returned to his club Manchester City, the Belgian national team said.

The 29-year-old was substituted in the second half during Belgium’s 2-1 Nations League defeat by England at Wembley on Sunday.

“Kevin de Bruyne has returned to his club. He couldn’t be fit enough to play against Iceland,” the Belgian national team said on Twitter.

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UPDATE: <a href="https://twitter.com/DeBruyneKev?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DeBruyneKev</a> returned to his club. He couldn’t be fit enough to play against Iceland.
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Manchester City are currently 14th on the Premier League table with one win, loss and draw. They are set to face Arsenal on Saturday.&nbsp;

Manchester City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne has withdrawn from Belgium's clash against Iceland in the Nations League that scheduled to play on Wednesday. Also read: Major Soccer League: Higuain brothers to play for Inter Miami FC He has asked out citing an unspecified injury and returned to his club Manchester City, the Belgian national team said.

Manchester City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne has withdrawn from Belgium's clash against Iceland in the Nations League that scheduled to play on Wednesday. Also read: Major Soccer League: Higuain brothers to play for Inter Miami FC He has asked out citing an unspecified injury and returned to his club Manchester City, the Belgian national team said. The 29-year-old was substituted in the second half during Belgium’s 2-1 Nations League defeat by England at Wembley on Sunday. “Kevin de Bruyne has returned to his club. He couldn’t be fit enough to play against Iceland,” the Belgian national team said on Twitter. UPDATE: @DeBruyneKev returned to his club. He couldn’t be fit enough to play against Iceland. — Belgian Red Devils (@BelRedDevils) October 12, 2020 × Manchester City are currently 14th on the Premier League table with one win, loss and draw. They are set to face Arsenal on Saturday.

Kevin de Bruyne withdraws from Belgium squad citing unspecified injury

With the second edition of the UEFA Nations League starting on Thursday, AFP Sport picks out some potential highlights as international football returns after 10 months in hibernation:

<h2>- Germany v Spain -</h2>

Two recent world champions meet in Stuttgart in their first competitive encounter since the 2010 World Cup semi-final in Durban, which Spain won 1-0 before going on to lift the trophy.

A decade on and there are few traces left in either squad. Toni Kroos is the only remaining German, while Sergio Ramos, Sergio Busquets and Jesus Navas are the only survivors in what is, remarkably, Luis Enrique's first Spain squad of his second spell in charge, despite being re-appointed in November last year.

Seventeen-year-old Ansu Fati of Barcelona is in the Spanish squad, as is Bayern Munich's Thiago Alcantara, while Germany will be weakened by the absence of most of their Bayern stars, rested by coach Joachim Loew after their recent Champions League exertions.

However, winger Leroy Sane -- Bayern's summer signing from Manchester City -- is included, and others to look out for are Chelsea new boy Timo Werner and Kai Havertz, who could be set to move to the London club too from Bayer Leverkusen.

<h2>- Bale in Wales squad -</h2>

Gareth Bale hardly featured for Real Madrid in their title run-in in La Liga after football restarted in Spain in June and July.

His club future remains extremely uncertain, but Wales coach Ryan Giggs named the 31-year-old in his squad to play Finland and Bulgaria.

"He always turns up to camp fit and raring to go," Giggs said of Bale after naming his squad.

Bale scored twice for Wales in their successful qualifying campaign for Euro 2020.

<h2>- Netherlands without Koeman -</h2>

The Netherlands, who reached the final of the inaugural Nations League before losing to Portugal, will be in action for the first time since the departure of coach Ronald Koeman when they host Poland in Amsterdam on Friday.

Koeman took over in early 2018 and helped revive the fortunes of a team who failed to qualify for Euro 2016 or the 2018 World Cup.

As well as leading the 'Oranje' to the Nations League final with notable wins over France, Germany and England, he helped them qualify for Euro 2020.

But Koeman has now taken over at Barcelona leaving Dwight Lodeweges to take interim charge of the team -- starring Virgil van Dijk and Frenkie de Jong -- who also play Italy at home next Monday.

<h2>- New-look England -</h2>

Gareth Southgate's England go to Iceland and Denmark for their first games since rounding out Euro 2020 qualifying with a 4-0 win in Kosovo last November, and the matches could see several new faces feature.

While Harry Maguire was withdrawn from the squad after his court case in Greece, and his Manchester United team-mate Marcus Rashford pulled out injured, their club colleague Mason Greenwood is one of a handful of players called up for the first time.

Aston Villa's Jack Grealish, Phil Foden of Manchester City, Leeds United's Kalvin Phillips, Wolverhampton Wanderers centre-back Conor Coady and Arsenal full-back Ainsley Maitland-Niles are all targeting first caps.

There was also a place in the squad for prolific Southampton striker Danny Ings, who made his only previous England appearance in 2015.

<h2>- France v Croatia -</h2>

France host Croatia next Tuesday in a re-run of the 2018 World Cup final, but plenty has changed since that game in Moscow, which Les Bleus won 4-2.

For starters, Croatia come without Luka Modric or Ivan Rakitic, while Mario Mandzukic has since retired from international football.

Meanwhile Paul Pogba, one of France's goal-scorers in Moscow, is a high-profile absentee after testing positive for coronavirus.

So this could be the big chance for arguably the most exciting teenager in Europe to make his debut.

Eduardo Camavinga of Rennes, still just 17, is the youngest player called up to the full France squad since World War II.

"We will have to manage him in the right way because he is young and this call-up has come around fast," said France coach Didier Deschamps, whose team also play in Sweden on Saturday.

"But the fact he is in the squad means he is supposed to be able to play just like anyone else."

With the second edition of the UEFA Nations League starting on Thursday, AFP Sport picks out some potential highlights as international football returns after 10 months in hibernation: - Germany v Spain - Two recent world champions meet in Stuttgart in their first competitive encounter since the 2010 World Cup semi-final in Durban, which Spain won 1-0 before going on to lift the trophy.

With the second edition of the UEFA Nations League starting on Thursday, AFP Sport picks out some potential highlights as international football returns after 10 months in hibernation: - Germany v Spain - Two recent world champions meet in Stuttgart in their first competitive encounter since the 2010 World Cup semi-final in Durban, which Spain won 1-0 before going on to lift the trophy. A decade on and there are few traces left in either squad. Toni Kroos is the only remaining German, while Sergio Ramos, Sergio Busquets and Jesus Navas are the only survivors in what is, remarkably, Luis Enrique's first Spain squad of his second spell in charge, despite being re-appointed in November last year. Seventeen-year-old Ansu Fati of Barcelona is in the Spanish squad, as is Bayern Munich's Thiago Alcantara, while Germany will be weakened by the absence of most of their Bayern stars, rested by coach Joachim Loew after their recent Champions League exertions. However, winger Leroy Sane -- Bayern's summer signing from Manchester City -- is included, and others to look out for are Chelsea new boy Timo Werner and Kai Havertz, who could be set to move to the London club too from Bayer Leverkusen. - Bale in Wales squad - Gareth Bale hardly featured for Real Madrid in their title run-in in La Liga after football restarted in Spain in June and July. His club future remains extremely uncertain, but Wales coach Ryan Giggs named the 31-year-old in his squad to play Finland and Bulgaria. "He always turns up to camp fit and raring to go," Giggs said of Bale after naming his squad. Bale scored twice for Wales in their successful qualifying campaign for Euro 2020. - Netherlands without Koeman - The Netherlands, who reached the final of the inaugural Nations League before losing to Portugal, will be in action for the first time since the departure of coach Ronald Koeman when they host Poland in Amsterdam on Friday. Koeman took over in early 2018 and helped revive the fortunes of a team who failed to qualify for Euro 2016 or the 2018 World Cup. As well as leading the 'Oranje' to the Nations League final with notable wins over France, Germany and England, he helped them qualify for Euro 2020. But Koeman has now taken over at Barcelona leaving Dwight Lodeweges to take interim charge of the team -- starring Virgil van Dijk and Frenkie de Jong -- who also play Italy at home next Monday. - New-look England - Gareth Southgate's England go to Iceland and Denmark for their first games since rounding out Euro 2020 qualifying with a 4-0 win in Kosovo last November, and the matches could see several new faces feature. While Harry Maguire was withdrawn from the squad after his court case in Greece, and his Manchester United team-mate Marcus Rashford pulled out injured, their club colleague Mason Greenwood is one of a handful of players called up for the first time. Aston Villa's Jack Grealish, Phil Foden of Manchester City, Leeds United's Kalvin Phillips, Wolverhampton Wanderers centre-back Conor Coady and Arsenal full-back Ainsley Maitland-Niles are all targeting first caps. There was also a place in the squad for prolific Southampton striker Danny Ings, who made his only previous England appearance in 2015. - France v Croatia - France host Croatia next Tuesday in a re-run of the 2018 World Cup final, but plenty has changed since that game in Moscow, which Les Bleus won 4-2. For starters, Croatia come without Luka Modric or Ivan Rakitic, while Mario Mandzukic has since retired from international football. Meanwhile Paul Pogba, one of France's goal-scorers in Moscow, is a high-profile absentee after testing positive for coronavirus. So this could be the big chance for arguably the most exciting teenager in Europe to make his debut. Eduardo Camavinga of Rennes, still just 17, is the youngest player called up to the full France squad since World War II. "We will have to manage him in the right way because he is young and this call-up has come around fast," said France coach Didier Deschamps, whose team also play in Sweden on Saturday. "But the fact he is in the squad means he is supposed to be able to play just like anyone else."

Germany v Spain, Bale, Camavinga: What to look out for in the Nations League

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/uefa-tells-teams-not-to-play-where-women-cant-watch-251956">UEFA</a> is to introduce a new-look playoff system for its 2022 World Cup qualifying competition which will avoid the need to compare results of teams in different groups.

UEFA said the 55 teams, who will be battling for 13 places at the tournament in Qatar, will be divided into 10 groups.

The 10 group winners will qualify directly for the World Cup while the runners-up will go into the playoffs along with two more teams from the 2020-21 <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/us-forward-altidore-ruled-out-of-nations-league-matches-254642">Nations League</a>.

Those 12 teams will then be divided into three paths, with a one-leg semi-final and a one-leg final in each path to decide the remaining three European finalists.

In the qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup, there were nine groups where the winners qualified directly and the eight best runners-up went into four two-leg playoffs.

UEFA is to introduce a new-look playoff system for its 2022 World Cup qualifying competition which will avoid the need to compare results of teams in different groups.

UEFA is to introduce a new-look playoff system for its 2022 World Cup qualifying competition which will avoid the need to compare results of teams in different groups. UEFA said the 55 teams, who will be battling for 13 places at the tournament in Qatar, will be divided into 10 groups. The 10 group winners will qualify directly for the World Cup while the runners-up will go into the playoffs along with two more teams from the 2020-21 Nations League. Those 12 teams will then be divided into three paths, with a one-leg semi-final and a one-leg final in each path to decide the remaining three European finalists. In the qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup, there were nine groups where the winners qualified directly and the eight best runners-up went into four two-leg playoffs.

Football: UEFA announces new playoff system for 2022 World Cup qualifiers

American&nbsp;forward&nbsp;Jozy&nbsp;Altidore&nbsp;will miss the first two&nbsp;matches&nbsp;of the CONCACAF&nbsp;Nations&nbsp;League&nbsp;after suffering an injury during the Major&nbsp;League&nbsp;Soccer regular-season finale, the US&nbsp;men's national team said on Tuesday.

Altidore&nbsp;was substituted in Toronto FC's match against Columbus&nbsp;Crew on Sunday in the 70th minute after landing awkwardly following a challenge from Jonathan Mensah.

While the extent of the injury is unknown, the US&nbsp;team said in a statement that&nbsp;Altidore&nbsp;would not play on Friday in Washington against Cuba or on Oct. 15 in Toronto against Canada.

US&nbsp;Soccer also confirmed that a replacement would not be called up.

The competition, which is similar to that started by UEFA in 2018 with the aim of cutting down on meaningless friendlies, is part of a broad makeover by a confederation seeking to win back the confidence of fans after it was ravaged by the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ex-uefa-chief-michel-platini-arrested-in-2022-qatar-world-cup-probe-228291">FIFA corruption scandal</a>.

The group&nbsp;matches&nbsp;will wrap up in six weeks with the finals taking place in June.

American forward Jozy Altidore will miss the first two matches of the CONCACAF Nations League after suffering an injury during the Major League Soccer regular-season finale, the US men's national team said on Tuesday.

American forward Jozy Altidore will miss the first two matches of the CONCACAF Nations League after suffering an injury during the Major League Soccer regular-season finale, the US men's national team said on Tuesday. Altidore was substituted in Toronto FC's match against Columbus Crew on Sunday in the 70th minute after landing awkwardly following a challenge from Jonathan Mensah. While the extent of the injury is unknown, the US team said in a statement that Altidore would not play on Friday in Washington against Cuba or on Oct. 15 in Toronto against Canada. US Soccer also confirmed that a replacement would not be called up. The competition, which is similar to that started by UEFA in 2018 with the aim of cutting down on meaningless friendlies, is part of a broad makeover by a confederation seeking to win back the confidence of fans after it was ravaged by the FIFA corruption scandal. The group matches will wrap up in six weeks with the finals taking place in June.

US forward Altidore ruled out of Nations League

Portugal added the inaugural <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/nations-league-netherlands-enters-final-as-england-self-destruct-225107">Nations League</a> title to their Euro 2016 triumph as Goncalo Guedes's strike on the hour won an underwhelming final 1-0 against the Netherlands in Porto on Sunday.

The Dutch defensive pairing of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ronaldos-hat-trick-against-switzerland-sends-portugal-to-nations-league-final-224802">Virgil van Dijk and Matthijs</a> de Ligt largely kept Cristiano Ronaldo quiet, but Valencia winger Guedes proved the match winner as his shot had too much power for Jasper Cillessen in the Netherlands goal.

"Thank god things have gone well for the national team in recent years. Portugal has won important things like Euro 2016 and now the League of Nations," said Ronaldo.

"It may seem like an easy job but it's hard, it takes a lot of dedication and willingness. I think the players deserve to be congratulated."

Portugal had the advantage of an extra day's rest and not being forced to extra time against Switzerland in their semi-final as the Dutch were in seeing off England on Thursday.

And the hosts looked the fresher throughout with Ronald Koeman's men jaded at the end of a long season.

"If we were tired I don't know, but we were not good enough," admitted Koeman.

"They defended well and the were very compact in their game, but you have to be better with the ball and we were not."

The match had been billed as a showdown between Ronaldo and Van Dijk but with the Dutch captain again rock solid at the back, Portugal's main threat came from midfield with Bernardo Silva rightfully winning player of the tournament.

"I'm very happy, very proud. It's my first title with my country," said Silva, who also won an English domestic treble with Manchester City this season.

"Thank you to the Portuguese people, what a night for us, what a night for the country!"

Silva provided the one true moment of quality to decide the game.

He broke through the Dutch defence and then picked out Guedes, who bravely ignored playing in Ronaldo to drill a low shot past Cillessen himself.

"If you want to win you have to play well, and if Portugal won we had to play well, whether it was handsome or not," said Portugal coach Fernando Santos.

The Netherlands have made huge strides in just over a year since Koeman took charge after missing out on even qualifying for the last two tournaments.

After overcoming world champions France and Germany in the group stages, Koeman's men also outclassed England in the semi-finals.

However, unlike in midweek when Frenkie de Jong dominated the midfield against the English, Holland's latest Barcelona-bound star was unable to seize control of the game and their lack of a top-class striker left the Dutch toothless up front.

"We've made a lot of progress. We have to be very proud of ourselves; now disappointment is in our heads but we have to keep the heads up," said Van Dijk.

"It's been a good season but hopefully next season is going to be even better. That's the only thing I'm striving for." 
&nbsp;

Portugal added the inaugural Nations League title to their Euro 2016 triumph as Goncalo Guedes's strike on the hour won an underwhelming final 1-0 against the Netherlands in Porto on Sunday.

Portugal added the inaugural Nations League title to their Euro 2016 triumph as Goncalo Guedes's strike on the hour won an underwhelming final 1-0 against the Netherlands in Porto on Sunday. The Dutch defensive pairing of Virgil van Dijk and Matthijs de Ligt largely kept Cristiano Ronaldo quiet, but Valencia winger Guedes proved the match winner as his shot had too much power for Jasper Cillessen in the Netherlands goal. "Thank god things have gone well for the national team in recent years. Portugal has won important things like Euro 2016 and now the League of Nations," said Ronaldo. "It may seem like an easy job but it's hard, it takes a lot of dedication and willingness. I think the players deserve to be congratulated." Portugal had the advantage of an extra day's rest and not being forced to extra time against Switzerland in their semi-final as the Dutch were in seeing off England on Thursday. And the hosts looked the fresher throughout with Ronald Koeman's men jaded at the end of a long season. "If we were tired I don't know, but we were not good enough," admitted Koeman. "They defended well and the were very compact in their game, but you have to be better with the ball and we were not." The match had been billed as a showdown between Ronaldo and Van Dijk but with the Dutch captain again rock solid at the back, Portugal's main threat came from midfield with Bernardo Silva rightfully winning player of the tournament. "I'm very happy, very proud. It's my first title with my country," said Silva, who also won an English domestic treble with Manchester City this season. "Thank you to the Portuguese people, what a night for us, what a night for the country!" Silva provided the one true moment of quality to decide the game. He broke through the Dutch defence and then picked out Guedes, who bravely ignored playing in Ronaldo to drill a low shot past Cillessen himself. "If you want to win you have to play well, and if Portugal won we had to play well, whether it was handsome or not," said Portugal coach Fernando Santos. The Netherlands have made huge strides in just over a year since Koeman took charge after missing out on even qualifying for the last two tournaments. After overcoming world champions France and Germany in the group stages, Koeman's men also outclassed England in the semi-finals. However, unlike in midweek when Frenkie de Jong dominated the midfield against the English, Holland's latest Barcelona-bound star was unable to seize control of the game and their lack of a top-class striker left the Dutch toothless up front. "We've made a lot of progress. We have to be very proud of ourselves; now disappointment is in our heads but we have to keep the heads up," said Van Dijk. "It's been a good season but hopefully next season is going to be even better. That's the only thing I'm striving for."

Portugal edge out Netherlands, clinch Nations League title

Netherlands capitalised on two England defensive mix-ups in extra time as they came from behind to win their Nations League semi-final 3-1 on Thursday and set up a showpiece<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ronaldos-hat-trick-against-switzerland-sends-portugal-to-nations-league-final-224802"> final against Portugal</a>.

The Dutch went 2-1 ahead when defender Kyle Walker turned the ball into his own net after a mistake by team mate John Stones in the 97th minute and Quincy Promes completed the scoring in the 114th after Ross Barkley gave the ball away.

England thought they had scored in the 83rd minute when Jesse Lingard ran on to Barkley's pass to find the net but he was ruled a fraction offside after a two-minute VAR review.

The Dutch will face hosts Portugal in Sunday's final in Porto, while England were left to contemplate a fourth successive competitive semi-final defeat following their losses at the 1990 and 2018 World Cups and Euro 96.

"It was a war of attrition," said Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman. "We have beaten Germany, France and now the number four team in the world – this reflects our development. We haven't played semi-finals and finals so this is new to us but we're taking it in our stride."

It was the Dutch defence that initially went to pieces when the highly-rated Matthijs De Ligt failed to control a pass and tripped Marcus Rashford when the England forward slipped past him, giving away a penalty.

Rashford calmly sent Jasper Cillessen the wrong way from the spot in the 32nd minute.

England nearly returned the gift early in the second half when Walker was dispossessed by Memphis Depay but his shot was blocked by goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

By now, though, the Dutch were in control and, while much of their possession was unproductive, they deservedly levelled with a powerful De Ligt header in the 73rd minute as the 19-year-old atoned for his earlier mistake.

England produced what they thought might be the winner with a flowing move which started on their own goal line. The ball found Raheem Sterling, who flicked it to Barkley and he slipped it through for Lingard to score.

But, with the celebrations complete, the referee chalked it off after Lingard was shown by VAR to be centimetres ahead of the last man.

After that, it all went downhill for England.

Seven minutes into extra time, Stones dwelled on the ball on the edge of his area and was dispossessed by Depay, whose shot was brilliantly parried by Pickford.

However, the ball broke loose, Promes got there first and, although he failed to make proper contact, it hit Walker and trickled into the net.

Another England fiasco followed when Barkley's heavy touch from a pass allowed Depay to nip in and he laid the ball off for Promes to seal the deserved Dutch win.

"We made too many mistakes in our third of the pitch, partly because of that pressure and partly because of errors by us," England manager Gareth Southgate said.

"It's very painful for everybody, it's a night where we have learned so much. It was tough to take in the end because you get to another semi-final, it should be a positive but everybody leaves even more deflated."

Netherlands capitalised on two England defensive mix-ups in extra time as they came from behind to win their Nations League semi-final 3-1 on Thursday and set up a showpiece final against Portugal.

Netherlands capitalised on two England defensive mix-ups in extra time as they came from behind to win their Nations League semi-final 3-1 on Thursday and set up a showpiece final against Portugal. The Dutch went 2-1 ahead when defender Kyle Walker turned the ball into his own net after a mistake by team mate John Stones in the 97th minute and Quincy Promes completed the scoring in the 114th after Ross Barkley gave the ball away. England thought they had scored in the 83rd minute when Jesse Lingard ran on to Barkley's pass to find the net but he was ruled a fraction offside after a two-minute VAR review. The Dutch will face hosts Portugal in Sunday's final in Porto, while England were left to contemplate a fourth successive competitive semi-final defeat following their losses at the 1990 and 2018 World Cups and Euro 96. "It was a war of attrition," said Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman. "We have beaten Germany, France and now the number four team in the world – this reflects our development. We haven't played semi-finals and finals so this is new to us but we're taking it in our stride." It was the Dutch defence that initially went to pieces when the highly-rated Matthijs De Ligt failed to control a pass and tripped Marcus Rashford when the England forward slipped past him, giving away a penalty. Rashford calmly sent Jasper Cillessen the wrong way from the spot in the 32nd minute. England nearly returned the gift early in the second half when Walker was dispossessed by Memphis Depay but his shot was blocked by goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. By now, though, the Dutch were in control and, while much of their possession was unproductive, they deservedly levelled with a powerful De Ligt header in the 73rd minute as the 19-year-old atoned for his earlier mistake. England produced what they thought might be the winner with a flowing move which started on their own goal line. The ball found Raheem Sterling, who flicked it to Barkley and he slipped it through for Lingard to score. But, with the celebrations complete, the referee chalked it off after Lingard was shown by VAR to be centimetres ahead of the last man. After that, it all went downhill for England. Seven minutes into extra time, Stones dwelled on the ball on the edge of his area and was dispossessed by Depay, whose shot was brilliantly parried by Pickford. However, the ball broke loose, Promes got there first and, although he failed to make proper contact, it hit Walker and trickled into the net. Another England fiasco followed when Barkley's heavy touch from a pass allowed Depay to nip in and he laid the ball off for Promes to seal the deserved Dutch win. "We made too many mistakes in our third of the pitch, partly because of that pressure and partly because of errors by us," England manager Gareth Southgate said. "It's very painful for everybody, it's a night where we have learned so much. It was tough to take in the end because you get to another semi-final, it should be a positive but everybody leaves even more deflated."

Nations League: Netherlands enters final as England self-destruct

England forward<a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/sports/manchester-citys-raheem-sterling-wants-to-meet-officials-at-fa-and-premier-league-about-racism-220790&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjW24DSptTiAhUGfisKHcEXDDYQFjACegQIBRAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw0gjAUAnBwpl-s2PDhE3Rxu"> Raheem Sterling</a> said he was left "fuming" after his PR company issued a release suggesting that he would be captaining England in Thursday's Nations League semi-final against the Netherlands.

The press release was issued on Tuesday by Colossal Sports Management, Sterling's management company, saying he would be wearing the skipper's armband in what will be his 50th appearance.

Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane is England's usual captain and would be expected to assume the role should he start against the Netherlands.

The statement was therefore surprising given that England manager Gareth Southgate rarely indicates his team selection choices ahead of competitive games and it would be normal practice for him or the Football Association to announce any captaincy decision.

At a scheduled news conference on Wednesday, Southgate said: "I don't want to discuss the captaincy. Harry Kane is our captain and if he doesn't play I have a decision to make. But if I tell you Harry Kane isn't playing I'm doing half of (Dutch manager) Ronald (Koeman's) job for him."

Questioned about the situation, <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/sports/raheem-sterling-wins-football-writers-award-214414&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjW24DSptTiAhUGfisKHcEXDDYQFjAEegQIDxAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw21kIjcgfteAh3wRJrv_uH1">Sterling </a>said,&nbsp;" I woke up this morning fuming. I haven't had a conversation with Gareth or anyone in my agency. It was a strange one for me to wake up and see that."

<a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/sports/harry-kane-could-recover-in-time-for-nations-league-finals-210030&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiIysyBp9TiAhXUiHAKHUqDD9YQFjAGegQIAxAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw1klU87DijL1w2vW5VVNWbi">Kane </a>and Liverpool midfielder <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/sports/steven-gerrard-hails-liverpool-captain-jordan-henderson-for-rising-above-criticism-to-win-champions-league-224243&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwi8kPCWp9TiAhVFv48KHcm1AbUQFjAAegQIARAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw28WKkWGhN_wDg9yCRh3zM0">Jordan Henderson</a> would be ahead of Sterling for the skipper's role, but they were among those involved in the Champions League final in Madrid on Saturday.

"I have to assess all the players who were involved in the Champions League final in Madrid. It was a unique game in unique circumstances. The players only arrived on Tuesday and there has been some tactical work going on. They are all available though," he said.

"It's been a different preparation. But there are always complications. We have shown incredible adaptability as a team over the last two years," added Southgate.

Kane is fit to play after returning to action following a seven-week ankle injury layoff but he looked short of match sharpness in Madrid and it would not be a surprise if he started on the bench.

"He finished the game the other day and he has no issues. I sit with everybody that walks through the door and you are assessing where they are physically and psychologically," Southgate said.

"The <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/photos/major-takeaways-from-ucl-final-between-liverpool-and-tottenham-hotspur-223624&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjjjNikp9TiAhUIp48KHcZtCzYQFjAAegQIBRAB&amp;usg=AOvVaw2qpSWknNUMiiVQTYgVzUIa">Liverpool </a>players have had one of the biggest nights of their lives, and the parade after, so all of those guys have been through a lot," he said.

England forward Raheem Sterling said he was left "fuming" after his PR company issued a release suggesting that he would be captaining England in Thursday's Nations League semi-final against the Netherlands.

England forward Raheem Sterling said he was left "fuming" after his PR company issued a release suggesting that he would be captaining England in Thursday's Nations League semi-final against the Netherlands. The press release was issued on Tuesday by Colossal Sports Management, Sterling's management company, saying he would be wearing the skipper's armband in what will be his 50th appearance. Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane is England's usual captain and would be expected to assume the role should he start against the Netherlands. The statement was therefore surprising given that England manager Gareth Southgate rarely indicates his team selection choices ahead of competitive games and it would be normal practice for him or the Football Association to announce any captaincy decision. At a scheduled news conference on Wednesday, Southgate said: "I don't want to discuss the captaincy. Harry Kane is our captain and if he doesn't play I have a decision to make. But if I tell you Harry Kane isn't playing I'm doing half of (Dutch manager) Ronald (Koeman's) job for him." Questioned about the situation, Sterling said, " I woke up this morning fuming. I haven't had a conversation with Gareth or anyone in my agency. It was a strange one for me to wake up and see that." Kane and Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson would be ahead of Sterling for the skipper's role, but they were among those involved in the Champions League final in Madrid on Saturday. "I have to assess all the players who were involved in the Champions League final in Madrid. It was a unique game in unique circumstances. The players only arrived on Tuesday and there has been some tactical work going on. They are all available though," he said. "It's been a different preparation. But there are always complications. We have shown incredible adaptability as a team over the last two years," added Southgate. Kane is fit to play after returning to action following a seven-week ankle injury layoff but he looked short of match sharpness in Madrid and it would not be a surprise if he started on the bench. "He finished the game the other day and he has no issues. I sit with everybody that walks through the door and you are assessing where they are physically and psychologically," Southgate said. "The Liverpool players have had one of the biggest nights of their lives, and the parade after, so all of those guys have been through a lot," he said.

Raheem Sterling left 'fuming' after England's captaincy mix-up

Evergreen Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick, including two late goals, to give Portugal a 3-1 win over Switzerland in a Nations League semi-final featuring an extraordinary VAR incident on Wednesday.

Ronaldo blasted Portugal ahead from a free kick in the 25th minute, his first goal for his country for nearly a year, but the Swiss equalised with a penalty after halftime which will raise more questions over the use of the VAR system.

After a largely anonymous second half, Ronaldo&nbsp;suddenly sprang to life to by scoring twice in the last three minutes to complete the 53rd hat-trick of his career and the seventh for his country, showing that even at 34 he is always a threat.

His goals -- his first for his country since last year's World Cup in Russia - rescued Portugal after the Swiss had dominated for the final half hour and threatened to snatch a shock win.

"There's no adjective to describe him," said Portugal coach Fernando Santos. "He's a genius. You can be a genius in art, and in sculpture and he is a football genius."

"It was an intense match, very hard-fought, against a very well-organised Swiss team," he added.

Swiss coach Vladimir Petkovic was left to rue a missed opportunity.

"We had the chance to get a second but didn't take it. We got outnumbered at the back and conceded. Their top player made the difference," he said.

Switzerland created some early openings while Ronaldo missed a good early chance for Portugal when he dragged his shot wide after the Swiss gave away possession in defence.

But there was no mistake in the 25th minute when he went down under a challenge from Kevin Mbabu on the edge of the area, got up and sent his free kick fizzing past a wrong-footed Sommer and into the net.

Switzerland got back into the match in extraordinary circumstances after halftime

Swiss midfielder Steven Zuber went down under a challenge from Nelson Semedo as he ran onto Xherdan Shaqiri's through ball

and appealed for a penalty but play continued.

Portugal then went straight down the other end and were awarded a penalty for a foul on Silva.

The referee, after consulting the video assistant, then decided to review the Swiss incident on the pitchside monitor and awarded them the spot kick.

The incident seemed to unsettle Portugal and the Swiss took control with Shaqiri, looking to make an impression after getting limited playing time for Liverpool this season, at the centre of their best moves.

Steven Zuber and Haris Seferovic both missed chances and the Swiss were then destroyed by Ronaldo at his most deadly

Bernardo Silva produced a low cross from the right and Ronaldo swept the ball home with his first touch to rescue his side in the 88th minute.

Two minutes later, he collected the ball on the counter-attack, twisted past his marker and curled the ball into the far corner for his 88th international goal in 157 appearances.

Evergreen Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick, including two late goals, to give Portugal a 3-1 win over Switzerland in a Nations League semi-final featuring an extraordinary VAR incident on Wednesday.

Evergreen Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick, including two late goals, to give Portugal a 3-1 win over Switzerland in a Nations League semi-final featuring an extraordinary VAR incident on Wednesday. Ronaldo blasted Portugal ahead from a free kick in the 25th minute, his first goal for his country for nearly a year, but the Swiss equalised with a penalty after halftime which will raise more questions over the use of the VAR system. After a largely anonymous second half, Ronaldo suddenly sprang to life to by scoring twice in the last three minutes to complete the 53rd hat-trick of his career and the seventh for his country, showing that even at 34 he is always a threat. His goals -- his first for his country since last year's World Cup in Russia - rescued Portugal after the Swiss had dominated for the final half hour and threatened to snatch a shock win. "There's no adjective to describe him," said Portugal coach Fernando Santos. "He's a genius. You can be a genius in art, and in sculpture and he is a football genius." "It was an intense match, very hard-fought, against a very well-organised Swiss team," he added. Swiss coach Vladimir Petkovic was left to rue a missed opportunity. "We had the chance to get a second but didn't take it. We got outnumbered at the back and conceded. Their top player made the difference," he said. Switzerland created some early openings while Ronaldo missed a good early chance for Portugal when he dragged his shot wide after the Swiss gave away possession in defence. But there was no mistake in the 25th minute when he went down under a challenge from Kevin Mbabu on the edge of the area, got up and sent his free kick fizzing past a wrong-footed Sommer and into the net. Switzerland got back into the match in extraordinary circumstances after halftime Swiss midfielder Steven Zuber went down under a challenge from Nelson Semedo as he ran onto Xherdan Shaqiri's through ball and appealed for a penalty but play continued. Portugal then went straight down the other end and were awarded a penalty for a foul on Silva. The referee, after consulting the video assistant, then decided to review the Swiss incident on the pitchside monitor and awarded them the spot kick. The incident seemed to unsettle Portugal and the Swiss took control with Shaqiri, looking to make an impression after getting limited playing time for Liverpool this season, at the centre of their best moves. Steven Zuber and Haris Seferovic both missed chances and the Swiss were then destroyed by Ronaldo at his most deadly Bernardo Silva produced a low cross from the right and Ronaldo swept the ball home with his first touch to rescue his side in the 88th minute. Two minutes later, he collected the ball on the counter-attack, twisted past his marker and curled the ball into the far corner for his 88th international goal in 157 appearances.

Ronaldo's hat-trick against Switzerland sends Portugal to Nations League final

This week's Nations League finals and Euro 2020 qualifiers will not feature changes to the laws of the game which officially came into effect from June, European soccer governing body UEFA said on Tuesday.

UEFA said the new rules, including red and yellow cards for team officials and a "clearer" wording of the handball rule, would be introduced into its competitions from June 25 in line with "dispensation" from soccer's rule-making body IFAB.

Other changes to the rules set to be introduced include a ban attacking players disrupting the opposition's defensive wall at free kicks - they must now be one metre away from the wall - and an attempt to cut down on time-wasting by forcing substituted players to leave the pitch at the nearest boundary.

This would stop the practice of substituted players delaying play by wandering across the pitch to their bench and shaking hands with teammates and match officials on the way.

"To avoid any disruption due to limited preparation time and any resulting lack of awareness of the substantial number of changes to the Laws of the Game, UEFA has decided to time the implementation to coincide with the start of the new season," it said in a statement.

UEFA said the changes would be introduced from the preliminary round of the 2019/20 Champions League, starting on June 25, and would feature in the Euro 2020 qualifiers in September.

Under the new handball rules, free kicks will be awarded in some situations even if the handball is clearly accidental.

These include the ball going into the goal after touching an attacking player's hand or arm, a player scoring or creating a scoring chance after gaining control of the ball by using their hand or arm and the ball touching the hand or arm of a player who has made their body "unnaturally bigger".

IFAB says in its guidelines that "football does not accept a goal being scored by a hand/arm (even if accidental)".

However, if a player is falling and the ball touches their hand or arm when it is between their body and the ground, it will not be considered handball. The same will apply when the ball rebounds onto the hand or arm from another part of the player's body.

This week's Nations League finals and Euro 2020 qualifiers will not feature changes to the laws of the game which officially came into effect from June, European soccer governing body UEFA said on Tuesday.

This week's Nations League finals and Euro 2020 qualifiers will not feature changes to the laws of the game which officially came into effect from June, European soccer governing body UEFA said on Tuesday. UEFA said the new rules, including red and yellow cards for team officials and a "clearer" wording of the handball rule, would be introduced into its competitions from June 25 in line with "dispensation" from soccer's rule-making body IFAB. Other changes to the rules set to be introduced include a ban attacking players disrupting the opposition's defensive wall at free kicks - they must now be one metre away from the wall - and an attempt to cut down on time-wasting by forcing substituted players to leave the pitch at the nearest boundary. This would stop the practice of substituted players delaying play by wandering across the pitch to their bench and shaking hands with teammates and match officials on the way. "To avoid any disruption due to limited preparation time and any resulting lack of awareness of the substantial number of changes to the Laws of the Game, UEFA has decided to time the implementation to coincide with the start of the new season," it said in a statement. UEFA said the changes would be introduced from the preliminary round of the 2019/20 Champions League, starting on June 25, and would feature in the Euro 2020 qualifiers in September. Under the new handball rules, free kicks will be awarded in some situations even if the handball is clearly accidental. These include the ball going into the goal after touching an attacking player's hand or arm, a player scoring or creating a scoring chance after gaining control of the ball by using their hand or arm and the ball touching the hand or arm of a player who has made their body "unnaturally bigger". IFAB says in its guidelines that "football does not accept a goal being scored by a hand/arm (even if accidental)". However, if a player is falling and the ball touches their hand or arm when it is between their body and the ground, it will not be considered handball. The same will apply when the ball rebounds onto the hand or arm from another part of the player's body.

UEFA confirms new laws will not be implemented at Nations League

If England win the Nations League this year it will be a greater achievement than reaching the 2018 World Cup semi-finals in Russia, captain Harry Kane said on Tuesday.

England meet the Netherlands in the Nations League semi-finals on June 6 for the right to face either European champions Portugal or Switzerland in the final three days later in Porto.

"To have a chance to win a trophy in an England shirt does not happen very often," the striker told reporters. "If we win that trophy, in my eyes, it's a better year than 2018."

Kane is preparing for England's opening Euro 2020 qualifiers against the Czech Republic on Friday and Montenegro on Monday.

England topped a Nations League qualifying group that included 2010 world champions Spain and 2018 runners-up Croatia.

Last year they reached the World Cup semis for the first time since 1990 before losing 2-1 to Croatia after extra time.

"Hopefully, we can win some silverware. Of course, 2018 was fantastic but, for me, the main thing is the team and we want to win things. We want to make fans happy and be proud," said Kane, who won the golden boot in Russia as top scorer with six goals.

"People now expect us to do well and before the World Cup there was no expectation, so it's great that we've turned that around," Kane was quoted as saying by the BBC.

"We're the only team from the World Cup semi-finals to have got through their Nations League group, and we had probably one of the hardest groups.

"That was big for us, to prove that it wasn't just a one-off, that this team were really building for something special."

If England win the Nations League this year it will be a greater achievement than reaching the 2018 World Cup semi-finals in Russia, captain Harry Kane said on Tuesday.

If England win the Nations League this year it will be a greater achievement than reaching the 2018 World Cup semi-finals in Russia, captain Harry Kane said on Tuesday. England meet the Netherlands in the Nations League semi-finals on June 6 for the right to face either European champions Portugal or Switzerland in the final three days later in Porto. "To have a chance to win a trophy in an England shirt does not happen very often," the striker told reporters. "If we win that trophy, in my eyes, it's a better year than 2018." Kane is preparing for England's opening Euro 2020 qualifiers against the Czech Republic on Friday and Montenegro on Monday. England topped a Nations League qualifying group that included 2010 world champions Spain and 2018 runners-up Croatia. Last year they reached the World Cup semis for the first time since 1990 before losing 2-1 to Croatia after extra time. "Hopefully, we can win some silverware. Of course, 2018 was fantastic but, for me, the main thing is the team and we want to win things. We want to make fans happy and be proud," said Kane, who won the golden boot in Russia as top scorer with six goals. "People now expect us to do well and before the World Cup there was no expectation, so it's great that we've turned that around," Kane was quoted as saying by the BBC. "We're the only team from the World Cup semi-finals to have got through their Nations League group, and we had probably one of the hardest groups. "That was big for us, to prove that it wasn't just a one-off, that this team were really building for something special."

England winning Nations League bigger achievement than reaching 2018 World Cup semi-finals, says Harry Kane

European champions Portugal will take on Switzerland in the semi-finals of the inaugural UEFA Nations League tournament in June while World Cup semi-finalists England will meet a resurgent Netherlands following Monday's draw in Dublin.

Hosts Portugal face the Swiss, the only one of the four sides never to have won a major trophy at senior level, at Porto's Estadio do Dragao on June 5 with England playing the Dutch the following day in nearby Guimaraes.

The final of the mini-tournament will be on June 9 in Porto with a third-place match in Guimaraes earlier the same day.

Portugal, without forward Cristiano Ronaldo who has not been selected since the World Cup, qualified by winning Group A3 ahead of Italy and Poland while the Swiss topped Group A2 after coming from two goals down to beat Belgium 5-2 in the final game.

They previously met in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers with Portugal finishing top of the group on goal difference after the sides traded 2-0 wins.

"We know Switzerland very well and, even if we didn't, we would just have to look at their record in the Nations League, where they were the highest scorers," said Portugal coach Fernando Santos, who has been ambiguous over Ronaldo's future.

"We are going there to win, we are ready to pull off an upset," said Switzerland coach Vladimir Petkovic.

England face the Netherlands in a competitive match for the first time since a thumping 4-1 win in the 1996 European Championships.

Gareth Southgate's side needed a late goal from Harry Kane to beat World Cup finalists Croatia and claim top spot in Group A4 which also featured former world and European champions Spain.

The Netherlands, a rejuvenated side under new manager Ronald Koeman, topped a tough group featuring world champions France and Germany as they bounced back from their failure to qualify for the last European Championship and World Cup.

"All four teams are fairly evenly matched and bunched together in terms of our world rankings so everybody will feel they have a good chance," said England manager Southgate.

"It’s a really good test for us and I know all of our players will be looking forward to the summer.

"I’ve been watching Holland closely since Ronald Koeman took over and they’re similar to us, in that they have a lot of exciting young players with good technical ability, high energy and a lot of pace."

The event, created to replace friendly internationals that were unpopular with clubs, players and fans as they interrupted league action, largely got the thumbs up after the first batch of matches in September.

European champions Portugal will take on Switzerland in the semi-finals of the inaugural UEFA Nations League tournament in June while World Cup semi-finalists England will meet a resurgent Netherlands following Monday's draw in Dublin.

European champions Portugal will take on Switzerland in the semi-finals of the inaugural UEFA Nations League tournament in June while World Cup semi-finalists England will meet a resurgent Netherlands following Monday's draw in Dublin. Hosts Portugal face the Swiss, the only one of the four sides never to have won a major trophy at senior level, at Porto's Estadio do Dragao on June 5 with England playing the Dutch the following day in nearby Guimaraes. The final of the mini-tournament will be on June 9 in Porto with a third-place match in Guimaraes earlier the same day. Portugal, without forward Cristiano Ronaldo who has not been selected since the World Cup, qualified by winning Group A3 ahead of Italy and Poland while the Swiss topped Group A2 after coming from two goals down to beat Belgium 5-2 in the final game. They previously met in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers with Portugal finishing top of the group on goal difference after the sides traded 2-0 wins. "We know Switzerland very well and, even if we didn't, we would just have to look at their record in the Nations League, where they were the highest scorers," said Portugal coach Fernando Santos, who has been ambiguous over Ronaldo's future. "We are going there to win, we are ready to pull off an upset," said Switzerland coach Vladimir Petkovic. England face the Netherlands in a competitive match for the first time since a thumping 4-1 win in the 1996 European Championships. Gareth Southgate's side needed a late goal from Harry Kane to beat World Cup finalists Croatia and claim top spot in Group A4 which also featured former world and European champions Spain. The Netherlands, a rejuvenated side under new manager Ronald Koeman, topped a tough group featuring world champions France and Germany as they bounced back from their failure to qualify for the last European Championship and World Cup. "All four teams are fairly evenly matched and bunched together in terms of our world rankings so everybody will feel they have a good chance," said England manager Southgate. "It’s a really good test for us and I know all of our players will be looking forward to the summer. "I’ve been watching Holland closely since Ronald Koeman took over and they’re similar to us, in that they have a lot of exciting young players with good technical ability, high energy and a lot of pace." The event, created to replace friendly internationals that were unpopular with clubs, players and fans as they interrupted league action, largely got the thumbs up after the first batch of matches in September.

UEFA Nations League: Portugal take on Switzerland as England face Dutch test

Leicester City boss Claude Puel believes the international break helped his players come to terms with the death of club chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha last month and they are ready to fully focus on soccer again, the Frenchman said on Thursday.

Vichai, 60, and four others were killed when the helicopter they were travelling in crashed outside their King Power Stadium after a Premier League game against West Ham United.

Leicester fought off emotions to defeat Cardiff City 1-0 seven days later and played out a goalless draw with Burnley at home before going into the international break.

"It was a good thing for us, for some players, for their bodies, their minds and for the international players... it was important to have this," Puel told a news conference ahead of Saturday's league trip to Brighton &amp; Hove Albion.

"During two weeks, they can forget a little and have their mind with other thoughts... the international players come back with a smile and are happy to come back. The others they work a lot with quality and focus and it was a good thing.

"We have to restore all our focus onto football. This is the most important thing... It's not pressure, it's a responsibility to continue Vichai's vision. I was very proud of my team in the last two games."

Midfielder James Maddison has returned to training after recovering from a knee injury and will be assessed before the match while striker Jamie Vardy is a doubt due to a knock.

Leicester are 10th in the table with 17 points, two places above Brighton.

Leicester City boss Claude Puel believes the international break helped his players come to terms with the death of club chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha last month and they are ready to fully focus on soccer again, the Frenchman said on Thursday.

Leicester City boss Claude Puel believes the international break helped his players come to terms with the death of club chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha last month and they are ready to fully focus on soccer again, the Frenchman said on Thursday. Vichai, 60, and four others were killed when the helicopter they were travelling in crashed outside their King Power Stadium after a Premier League game against West Ham United. Leicester fought off emotions to defeat Cardiff City 1-0 seven days later and played out a goalless draw with Burnley at home before going into the international break. "It was a good thing for us, for some players, for their bodies, their minds and for the international players... it was important to have this," Puel told a news conference ahead of Saturday's league trip to Brighton & Hove Albion. "During two weeks, they can forget a little and have their mind with other thoughts... the international players come back with a smile and are happy to come back. The others they work a lot with quality and focus and it was a good thing. "We have to restore all our focus onto football. This is the most important thing... It's not pressure, it's a responsibility to continue Vichai's vision. I was very proud of my team in the last two games." Midfielder James Maddison has returned to training after recovering from a knee injury and will be assessed before the match while striker Jamie Vardy is a doubt due to a knock. Leicester are 10th in the table with 17 points, two places above Brighton.

International break helped Leicester after helicopter tragedy: Claude Puel

Poland forward Arkadiusz Milik scored from a twice-taken penalty to give his already-relegated side a 1-1 draw in Portugal in their final Nations League match on Tuesday.

Portugal, who had already qualified for next year's semi-finals as winners of Group A3, went ahead with Andre Silva's near-post header from a corner in the 34th minute, his 15th goal in 31 appearances for the European champions.

Yet the hosts gave away a penalty when midfielder Danilo tripped Milik as he burst into the area and was sent off. Milik's first effort from the spot was disallowed for encroachment, but he held his nerve to score again at the second attempt in the 66th minute.

Portugal, without Cristiano Ronaldo who has not been selected since the World Cup, finished the group unbeaten with eight points from four games while Poland ended with two, both picked up away from home.

Poland forward Arkadiusz Milik scored from a twice-taken penalty to give his already-relegated side a 1-1 draw in Portugal in their final Nations League match on Tuesday.

Poland forward Arkadiusz Milik scored from a twice-taken penalty to give his already-relegated side a 1-1 draw in Portugal in their final Nations League match on Tuesday. Portugal, who had already qualified for next year's semi-finals as winners of Group A3, went ahead with Andre Silva's near-post header from a corner in the 34th minute, his 15th goal in 31 appearances for the European champions. Yet the hosts gave away a penalty when midfielder Danilo tripped Milik as he burst into the area and was sent off. Milik's first effort from the spot was disallowed for encroachment, but he held his nerve to score again at the second attempt in the 66th minute. Portugal, without Cristiano Ronaldo who has not been selected since the World Cup, finished the group unbeaten with eight points from four games while Poland ended with two, both picked up away from home.

Milik's twice-taken penalty gives relegated Poland draw in Portugal

Portugal coach Fernando Santos avoided directly commenting on Cristiano Ronaldo's international future on Monday, saying only that the 33-year-old was "with the team".

Ronaldo has not been selected for Portugal's squad since the World Cup, something which Santos initially said in September was a decision taken by mutual consent as the player needed a break following his move to Juventus from Real Madrid.

However, Portugal have continued to flourish without their most capped player and record scorer, leading observers to wonder how much he is needed.

The European champions have already won their Nations League group ahead of Italy with a game to spare and are set to host the semi-finals and final in June, a decision which has to be ratified by UEFA.

Ronaldo has posted messages of support to the team on Twitter and Instagram before and after matches, which Santos referred to on Monday –- but he would not go any further.

"If anyone has doubts about whether Ronaldo is with this team, they just have to look at his social media posts before and after the games," said Santos. "Apart from that, I'm not going to go public with private conversations."

The veteran coach clearly became tired of repeatedly being asked about Ronaldo.

"We keep going over old ground," he said. "It's not good for the national team, nor for the country. It’s taking away some credit from players who achieved qualification in brilliant fashion.

"We are talking about the best player in the world, but it's important also to talk about the players of tomorrow. You can keep insisting but it's getting difficult to keep answering the same question."

Portugal host Poland in their final Group A3 game on Tuesday, although the match is effectively a friendly with the Poles already relegated.

Portugal coach Fernando Santos avoided directly commenting on Cristiano Ronaldo's international future on Monday, saying only that the 33-year-old was "with the team".

Portugal coach Fernando Santos avoided directly commenting on Cristiano Ronaldo's international future on Monday, saying only that the 33-year-old was "with the team". Ronaldo has not been selected for Portugal's squad since the World Cup, something which Santos initially said in September was a decision taken by mutual consent as the player needed a break following his move to Juventus from Real Madrid. However, Portugal have continued to flourish without their most capped player and record scorer, leading observers to wonder how much he is needed. The European champions have already won their Nations League group ahead of Italy with a game to spare and are set to host the semi-finals and final in June, a decision which has to be ratified by UEFA. Ronaldo has posted messages of support to the team on Twitter and Instagram before and after matches, which Santos referred to on Monday –- but he would not go any further. "If anyone has doubts about whether Ronaldo is with this team, they just have to look at his social media posts before and after the games," said Santos. "Apart from that, I'm not going to go public with private conversations." The veteran coach clearly became tired of repeatedly being asked about Ronaldo. "We keep going over old ground," he said. "It's not good for the national team, nor for the country. It’s taking away some credit from players who achieved qualification in brilliant fashion. "We are talking about the best player in the world, but it's important also to talk about the players of tomorrow. You can keep insisting but it's getting difficult to keep answering the same question." Portugal host Poland in their final Group A3 game on Tuesday, although the match is effectively a friendly with the Poles already relegated.

Portugal coach ducks questions on Ronaldo's international future

Netherlands scored twice in the last five minutes to recover from two goals down and earn a 2-2 draw against relegated Germany in the Nations League on Monday to secure a spot in next year's finals ahead of world champions France.

Virgil van Dijk struck a superb close-range volley in stoppage time to equalise for the visitors after Quincy Promes had cut the deficit in the 85th minute with the Germans having led through early goals from Timo Werner and Leroy Sane.

Switzerland, England and hosts Portugal had already qualified for the four-team finals in June.

The Dutch, on the road to recovery under new manager Ronald Koeman after failing to qualify for the last two major tournaments, topped League A Group 1 despite finishing level on seven points with France due to a better head-to-head record.

"This is the reward for our hard work," central defender Van Dijk told reporters. "It was good to get the equaliser and qualify. After a moderate first half we wanted to come out stronger after the break. We showed character tonight."

The Germans, who suffered a shock first-round exit at the World Cup in June and lost a German record six times this year, finished in last place with just two points after what has become a familiar lack of focus this year.

However, their quick young frontline, nicknamed 'the moped gang', looked promising and lived up to their tag as 22-year-olds Werner and Sane, plus Serge Gnabry, 23, frightened the Dutch defence with their speed, especially in the first half.

They had already shown their potential in a 3-0 friendly win over Russia on Thursday as coach Joachim Loew made changes after Germany's World Cup flop and Nations League relegation.

"I am a bit disappointed by the result but overall I saw more positives than negatives," Loew told reporters. "We played a very good first half and should have scored a third in the second half to finish the game.

"But this kind of thing seems to be the story of our entire year," he said, in reference to his side's disappointing season.

The Germans took the lead after nine minutes when Werner controlled a pass with his head and then fired a precise low shot into the corner of the net from 20 metres.

Sane finished an almost identical move in the 20th, latching onto a deep Toni Kroos pass and drilling in the second goal of the evening with a deflected shot from the edge of the box.

Gnabry almost got a third with a glancing header in the 40th and Werner outsprinted his marker only to fire wide on the hour as the Dutch struggled to contain their opponents and remained toothless up front until Promes got them back in the game.

They then earned a last-gasp equaliser through Van Dijk to book their spot in the new competition's finals in Portugal.

Netherlands scored twice in the last five minutes to recover from two goals down and earn a 2-2 draw against relegated Germany in the Nations League on Monday to secure a spot in next year's finals ahead of world champions France.

Netherlands scored twice in the last five minutes to recover from two goals down and earn a 2-2 draw against relegated Germany in the Nations League on Monday to secure a spot in next year's finals ahead of world champions France. Virgil van Dijk struck a superb close-range volley in stoppage time to equalise for the visitors after Quincy Promes had cut the deficit in the 85th minute with the Germans having led through early goals from Timo Werner and Leroy Sane. Switzerland, England and hosts Portugal had already qualified for the four-team finals in June. The Dutch, on the road to recovery under new manager Ronald Koeman after failing to qualify for the last two major tournaments, topped League A Group 1 despite finishing level on seven points with France due to a better head-to-head record. "This is the reward for our hard work," central defender Van Dijk told reporters. "It was good to get the equaliser and qualify. After a moderate first half we wanted to come out stronger after the break. We showed character tonight." The Germans, who suffered a shock first-round exit at the World Cup in June and lost a German record six times this year, finished in last place with just two points after what has become a familiar lack of focus this year. However, their quick young frontline, nicknamed 'the moped gang', looked promising and lived up to their tag as 22-year-olds Werner and Sane, plus Serge Gnabry, 23, frightened the Dutch defence with their speed, especially in the first half. They had already shown their potential in a 3-0 friendly win over Russia on Thursday as coach Joachim Loew made changes after Germany's World Cup flop and Nations League relegation. "I am a bit disappointed by the result but overall I saw more positives than negatives," Loew told reporters. "We played a very good first half and should have scored a third in the second half to finish the game. "But this kind of thing seems to be the story of our entire year," he said, in reference to his side's disappointing season. The Germans took the lead after nine minutes when Werner controlled a pass with his head and then fired a precise low shot into the corner of the net from 20 metres. Sane finished an almost identical move in the 20th, latching onto a deep Toni Kroos pass and drilling in the second goal of the evening with a deflected shot from the edge of the box. Gnabry almost got a third with a glancing header in the 40th and Werner outsprinted his marker only to fire wide on the hour as the Dutch struggled to contain their opponents and remained toothless up front until Promes got them back in the game. They then earned a last-gasp equaliser through Van Dijk to book their spot in the new competition's finals in Portugal.

Dutch draw 2-2 with Germany to reach Nations League semi-finals

England striker Harry Kane on Sunday led his national team to rally from a one-goal deficit and beat Croatia 2-1, booking a place in the UEFA Nations League finals as the winners of League A Group 4.

The defeat sends 2018 FIFA World Cup runner-up Croatia down to League B, the second tier of the first-ever edition of the new men's tournament while denying Spain a berth in the finals, as La Roja had to settle for the second spot.

England was keen to earn the win and made that clear in the early going, as attacking midfielder Raheem Sterling was set up for a one-on-one situation against Croatia goalkeeper Lovre Kalinic, who made the save.

Shortly after, Kalinic nearly cost his team a goal when he tried to prevent the ball from reaching Kane but exposed his goal instead.

Kane's shot at the wide-open goal was cleared by a Croatia player off the goal line, and then Kalinic, who recovered his position, saved his second attempt on the goal.

Midway through the first half, the momentum shifted as Croatia seized control of the ball, trying to threaten Jordan Pickford's goal, but the game remained scoreless at the half.

On Croatia's first real attempt in the second half, substitute forward Josip Brekalo passed the ball to attacking midfielder Andrej Kramaric, who dribbled around several players inside the area before putting the ball home in the 57th minute.

The Three Lions, however, did not give up as they pushed for a comeback and coach Gareth Southgate sent Jadon Sancho and Jesse Lingard onto the field.

Southgate's changes proved to be decisive as Lingard drew his team level after he was set up for the goal by Kane in the 78th minute.&nbsp;

With four minutes to go before second-half stoppage time, Kane struck his first Nations League goal, sealing the win.

England striker Harry Kane on Sunday led his national team to rally from a one-goal deficit and beat Croatia 2-1, booking a place in the UEFA Nations League finals as the winners of League A Group 4.

England striker Harry Kane on Sunday led his national team to rally from a one-goal deficit and beat Croatia 2-1, booking a place in the UEFA Nations League finals as the winners of League A Group 4. The defeat sends 2018 FIFA World Cup runner-up Croatia down to League B, the second tier of the first-ever edition of the new men's tournament while denying Spain a berth in the finals, as La Roja had to settle for the second spot. England was keen to earn the win and made that clear in the early going, as attacking midfielder Raheem Sterling was set up for a one-on-one situation against Croatia goalkeeper Lovre Kalinic, who made the save. Shortly after, Kalinic nearly cost his team a goal when he tried to prevent the ball from reaching Kane but exposed his goal instead. Kane's shot at the wide-open goal was cleared by a Croatia player off the goal line, and then Kalinic, who recovered his position, saved his second attempt on the goal. Midway through the first half, the momentum shifted as Croatia seized control of the ball, trying to threaten Jordan Pickford's goal, but the game remained scoreless at the half. On Croatia's first real attempt in the second half, substitute forward Josip Brekalo passed the ball to attacking midfielder Andrej Kramaric, who dribbled around several players inside the area before putting the ball home in the 57th minute. The Three Lions, however, did not give up as they pushed for a comeback and coach Gareth Southgate sent Jadon Sancho and Jesse Lingard onto the field. Southgate's changes proved to be decisive as Lingard drew his team level after he was set up for the goal by Kane in the 78th minute. With four minutes to go before second-half stoppage time, Kane struck his first Nations League goal, sealing the win.

Harry Kane leads England to beat Croatia 2-1, advance to Nations League finals

Germany coach Joachim Loew said the team's demise in 2018 was unexpected but part of a normal cycle in sport and he is now focussed on what the former world champions need to do to rise again.

Germany face the Netherlands on Monday in their last Nations League group game, having already been relegated, and are looking to cap a terrible year with a good performance.

They started the year as reigning world champions and overwhelming favourites to retain the World Cup in Russia.

Yet they exited the tournament at their earliest stage in 80 years and are heading into 2019 after a German-record six defeats so far within a calendar year.

Another blow was delivered on Friday when the Dutch beat France to guarantee Germany's relegation in the inaugural Nations League competition.

"We now want to say goodbye (to 2018) with a good performance and show the fans that we are on the right track to recovery," Loew told a news conference.

"We had a decade of rising to the top and there sometimes can be a year where nothing works," said the German.

"It was something completely new for me. Now we have reached a phase where we have to renew things, improve, start from scratch. We need to draw the right conclusions and take the right measures."

Loew started several youngsters in their 3-0 friendly win over Russia on Thursday, as he looks to gradually transform his team to depend less on the core of players who won the 2014 World Cup.

He dropped central defender Jerome Boateng for the two games and left fellow world champions Thomas Mueller and Mats Hummels on the bench.

"If you think you can be in the top four in the world for over 20 years then you don't understand football. It is just like life. Sometimes you have to start lower down. We were the top team for a long time," said Loew, who has been in charge since 2006.

On Monday he will likely be without in-form winger Marco Reus, who is nursing a minor injury that also ruled him out against Russia.

"I still don't know if he will play," Loew said. "The decision will be taken tonight or tomorrow. We will see."

Germany coach Joachim Loew said the team's demise in 2018 was unexpected but part of a normal cycle in sport and he is now focussed on what the former world champions need to do to rise again.

Germany coach Joachim Loew said the team's demise in 2018 was unexpected but part of a normal cycle in sport and he is now focussed on what the former world champions need to do to rise again. Germany face the Netherlands on Monday in their last Nations League group game, having already been relegated, and are looking to cap a terrible year with a good performance. They started the year as reigning world champions and overwhelming favourites to retain the World Cup in Russia. Yet they exited the tournament at their earliest stage in 80 years and are heading into 2019 after a German-record six defeats so far within a calendar year. Another blow was delivered on Friday when the Dutch beat France to guarantee Germany's relegation in the inaugural Nations League competition. "We now want to say goodbye (to 2018) with a good performance and show the fans that we are on the right track to recovery," Loew told a news conference. "We had a decade of rising to the top and there sometimes can be a year where nothing works," said the German. "It was something completely new for me. Now we have reached a phase where we have to renew things, improve, start from scratch. We need to draw the right conclusions and take the right measures." Loew started several youngsters in their 3-0 friendly win over Russia on Thursday, as he looks to gradually transform his team to depend less on the core of players who won the 2014 World Cup. He dropped central defender Jerome Boateng for the two games and left fellow world champions Thomas Mueller and Mats Hummels on the bench. "If you think you can be in the top four in the world for over 20 years then you don't understand football. It is just like life. Sometimes you have to start lower down. We were the top team for a long time," said Loew, who has been in charge since 2006. On Monday he will likely be without in-form winger Marco Reus, who is nursing a minor injury that also ruled him out against Russia. "I still don't know if he will play," Loew said. "The decision will be taken tonight or tomorrow. We will see."

Germany coach Joachim Loew looking to rebuild after 2018 collapse

The head coach of Spain's national soccer team said here Saturday that goalkeeper David De Gea has been unfairly criticised for his performance in a 3-2 loss against Croatia. 
 
"De Gea has been singled out, and such targeted and personalised criticism of a single player is very unfair," Luis Enrique said. 
 
He added that soccer is a team game and that goals can only be scored against a net minder after the opposing team has gotten the ball into scoring position 
 
"So the other players don't defend too?" he asked rhetorically. 
 
The former FC Barcelona head coach said soccer players and coaches have to accept criticism from fans and the media as part of the game. 
 
But he added that he would never cast judgment on his players in public. 
 
Referring to the health of key defender Sergio Ramos, Luis Enrique said the Real Madrid star had reported for international duty with pain in the adductor muscle of his right leg. 
 
"Even so, he ran the risk of playing (a 2018-2019 UEFA Nations League contest on Thursday against Croatia) in Zagreb and did well, and luckily didn't injure himself (further). But it made no sense to take the same risk in a friendly like tomorrow's." 
 
He said that the team was in good spirits despite the 3-2 loss to Croatia, a result that came two months after Spain thrashed the 2018 World Cup runner-up 6-0 in a Nations League match in Elche, Spain. 
 
Luis Enrique added that he expected an interesting match on Sunday against Bosnia and Herzegovina at Estadio Gran Canaria in Las Palmas, a city in Spain's Canary Islands. 
 
After the Bosnia match, the Spanish national team will not reassemble again until March, the head coach said.

The head coach of Spain's national soccer team said here Saturday that goalkeeper David De Gea has been unfairly criticised for his performance in a 3-2 loss against Croatia.

The head coach of Spain's national soccer team said here Saturday that goalkeeper David De Gea has been unfairly criticised for his performance in a 3-2 loss against Croatia. "De Gea has been singled out, and such targeted and personalised criticism of a single player is very unfair," Luis Enrique said. He added that soccer is a team game and that goals can only be scored against a net minder after the opposing team has gotten the ball into scoring position "So the other players don't defend too?" he asked rhetorically. The former FC Barcelona head coach said soccer players and coaches have to accept criticism from fans and the media as part of the game. But he added that he would never cast judgment on his players in public. Referring to the health of key defender Sergio Ramos, Luis Enrique said the Real Madrid star had reported for international duty with pain in the adductor muscle of his right leg. "Even so, he ran the risk of playing (a 2018-2019 UEFA Nations League contest on Thursday against Croatia) in Zagreb and did well, and luckily didn't injure himself (further). But it made no sense to take the same risk in a friendly like tomorrow's." He said that the team was in good spirits despite the 3-2 loss to Croatia, a result that came two months after Spain thrashed the 2018 World Cup runner-up 6-0 in a Nations League match in Elche, Spain. Luis Enrique added that he expected an interesting match on Sunday against Bosnia and Herzegovina at Estadio Gran Canaria in Las Palmas, a city in Spain's Canary Islands. After the Bosnia match, the Spanish national team will not reassemble again until March, the head coach said.

De Gea has been unfairly criticised, Spain head coach says

The Portugal soccer squad tied Italy 0-0 this Saturday at Milan's San Siro Stadium and so added the point it was lacking to move on to the finals of the UEFA Nations League, to be contested in June 2019.

Portugal withstood the pressure of an Italy that dominated the match throughout the first half and set up many opportunities to take the lead - particularly two beautiful chances for Ciro Immobile, whose shots unfortunately went astray.&nbsp;

Fernando Santos's Portugal team, led by the defense of goalkeeper Rui Patricio, remains unbeaten in Group 3 and became the first squad guaranteed a place in the semifinals next June.&nbsp;

For its part, Italy had to settle for a tie, the sixth consecutive on its home turf, and wrapped up its drive toward the UEFA Nations League finals with one win, two ties and one defeat.&nbsp;

At the start it all looked different, when Italy's control of the ball pretty much kept Portugal at its own end of the field for the entire first half, but was itself held to a tie until halftime thanks to some deft blocks by Portugal's Rui Patricio and Immobile's misplaced shots at goal.&nbsp;

And then, as the minutes passed in the second half, the Italians lost their intensity while Portugal gained theirs to make it a very even contest. And despite Italian coach Mancini replacing Immobile with the much more dynamic striker Kevin Lasagna, the score ended as it began, 0-0.

The Portugal soccer squad tied Italy 0-0 this Saturday at Milan's San Siro Stadium and so added the point it was lacking to move on to the finals of the UEFA Nations League, to be contested in June 2019.

The Portugal soccer squad tied Italy 0-0 this Saturday at Milan's San Siro Stadium and so added the point it was lacking to move on to the finals of the UEFA Nations League, to be contested in June 2019. Portugal withstood the pressure of an Italy that dominated the match throughout the first half and set up many opportunities to take the lead - particularly two beautiful chances for Ciro Immobile, whose shots unfortunately went astray. Fernando Santos's Portugal team, led by the defense of goalkeeper Rui Patricio, remains unbeaten in Group 3 and became the first squad guaranteed a place in the semifinals next June. For its part, Italy had to settle for a tie, the sixth consecutive on its home turf, and wrapped up its drive toward the UEFA Nations League finals with one win, two ties and one defeat. At the start it all looked different, when Italy's control of the ball pretty much kept Portugal at its own end of the field for the entire first half, but was itself held to a tie until halftime thanks to some deft blocks by Portugal's Rui Patricio and Immobile's misplaced shots at goal. And then, as the minutes passed in the second half, the Italians lost their intensity while Portugal gained theirs to make it a very even contest. And despite Italian coach Mancini replacing Immobile with the much more dynamic striker Kevin Lasagna, the score ended as it began, 0-0.

Portugal keeps Italy off scoreboard 0-0 to move on to Nations League finals

Croatia midfielder Ivan Rakitic will miss the winner-takes-all Nations League game against England at Wembley on Sunday due to injury, manager Zlatko Dalic said on Friday.

Barcelona's Rakitic came off in the 67th minute of the 3-2 home win over Spain on Thursday which gave Croatia the chance to top League A Group 4 and claim a place in next year's four-team finals.

"He will go to Barcelona, it's a serious injury. You know that I usually take no risk. If there is a doubt that the injury could be serious, then we let him rest," Dalic told Sky Sports.

He did not specify the injury but Rakitic left the pitch in Zagreb suffering discomfort in the back of his right thigh.

"We want healthy players and Ivan in this moment is not 100 percent ready. Unfortunately, we are going to play without him."

Rakitic, 30, has played 102 games for Croatia but Dalic said they have players capable of filling in.

"We will see who will replace him. We have (Mateo) Kovacic, we have (Josip) Brekalo, we have (Milan) Badelj," he added.

"There is always a solution and we should stop whining about someone who's not going to be there. We will find a solution and we are going to Wembley to enjoy football."

The winners of Sunday's game will qualify for the Nations League semi-finals with the losers being relegated to League B. A draw would see leaders Spain clinch top spot in Group 4.

Rakitic is suspended for La Liga leaders Barca's next game on Nov. 24 at third-placed Atletico Madrid, who trail by a point, after being sent off in the home defeat by Real Betis on Sunday.

Croatia midfielder Ivan Rakitic will miss the winner-takes-all Nations League game against England at Wembley on Sunday due to injury, manager Zlatko Dalic said on Friday.

Croatia midfielder Ivan Rakitic will miss the winner-takes-all Nations League game against England at Wembley on Sunday due to injury, manager Zlatko Dalic said on Friday. Barcelona's Rakitic came off in the 67th minute of the 3-2 home win over Spain on Thursday which gave Croatia the chance to top League A Group 4 and claim a place in next year's four-team finals. "He will go to Barcelona, it's a serious injury. You know that I usually take no risk. If there is a doubt that the injury could be serious, then we let him rest," Dalic told Sky Sports. He did not specify the injury but Rakitic left the pitch in Zagreb suffering discomfort in the back of his right thigh. "We want healthy players and Ivan in this moment is not 100 percent ready. Unfortunately, we are going to play without him." Rakitic, 30, has played 102 games for Croatia but Dalic said they have players capable of filling in. "We will see who will replace him. We have (Mateo) Kovacic, we have (Josip) Brekalo, we have (Milan) Badelj," he added. "There is always a solution and we should stop whining about someone who's not going to be there. We will find a solution and we are going to Wembley to enjoy football." The winners of Sunday's game will qualify for the Nations League semi-finals with the losers being relegated to League B. A draw would see leaders Spain clinch top spot in Group 4. Rakitic is suspended for La Liga leaders Barca's next game on Nov. 24 at third-placed Atletico Madrid, who trail by a point, after being sent off in the home defeat by Real Betis on Sunday.

Croatia midfielder Rakitic out of England Nations League game

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