Portugal again left out Cristiano Ronaldo, their all-time record scorer and most capped player, as coach Fernando Santos named the squad for this month’s Nations League matches against Italy and Poland on Thursday.

Santos previously omitted Ronaldo from the squad in September and October, saying the decision was taken by mutual consent as the 33-year-old was still adapting following his move from Real Madrid to Juventus.

“The only thing I will say about Ronaldo is that I hope he wins the Ballon d’Or award,” said Santos, referring to France Football magazine’s annual player of the year award.

"He deserves it and it would be an injustice if he didn't win."

Portugal visit Italy on November 17 and are at home to Poland three days later.

Santos did not say whether Ronaldo, who last played for Portugal at the World Cup in Russia, would be recalled for their following matches in March.

“It’s not just about Ronaldo, I have said that nobody is excluded,” said Santos. “It’s not worth creating a big fuss about it.”

"Only the future will tell us what is going to happen. I don't know what will happen between now and March. There will be a natural evolution... I don't have the gift of being able to guess the future."

Santos recalled four Euro 2016 winners who missed the previous callup -- Raphael Guerreiro, Jose Fonte, Andre Gomes and Joao Mario.

Portugal lead Group Three with six points from two games and a draw in Italy will see them through to the semi-finals.

Portugal again left out Cristiano Ronaldo, their all-time record scorer and most capped player, as coach Fernando Santos named the squad for this month’s Nations League matches against Italy and Poland on Thursday.

Portugal again left out Cristiano Ronaldo, their all-time record scorer and most capped player, as coach Fernando Santos named the squad for this month’s Nations League matches against Italy and Poland on Thursday. Santos previously omitted Ronaldo from the squad in September and October, saying the decision was taken by mutual consent as the 33-year-old was still adapting following his move from Real Madrid to Juventus. “The only thing I will say about Ronaldo is that I hope he wins the Ballon d’Or award,” said Santos, referring to France Football magazine’s annual player of the year award. "He deserves it and it would be an injustice if he didn't win." Portugal visit Italy on November 17 and are at home to Poland three days later. Santos did not say whether Ronaldo, who last played for Portugal at the World Cup in Russia, would be recalled for their following matches in March. “It’s not just about Ronaldo, I have said that nobody is excluded,” said Santos. “It’s not worth creating a big fuss about it.” "Only the future will tell us what is going to happen. I don't know what will happen between now and March. There will be a natural evolution... I don't have the gift of being able to guess the future." Santos recalled four Euro 2016 winners who missed the previous callup -- Raphael Guerreiro, Jose Fonte, Andre Gomes and Joao Mario. Portugal lead Group Three with six points from two games and a draw in Italy will see them through to the semi-finals.

Cristiano Ronaldo left out again by Portugal

Italy snatched a dramatic and deserved 1-0 win away to Poland in their Nations League match on Sunday thanks to a stoppage-time header from Cristiano Biraghi, his first international goal.

Biraghi gave Italy their first win in the competition and also their first in a competitive match since Roberto Mancini took over as coach in May.

It also meant that Poland, who have one point from three games after also losing at home to Portugal on Thursday, will finish bottom of Group Three in League A and will be relegated to the second-tier League B.

It was a richly-deserved win for Italy who produced one of their best performances in the last few years and twice hit the crossbar in the first half.

Italy have four points from three games while leaders Portugal, who remain firm favourites to win the group and qualify for the semi-finals at the end of the season, have six from two.

"We dominated the match, we should have scored earlier and it would have been very unfair if the game had finished 0-0," said Mancini who is rebuilding the side after their failure to qualify for this year's World Cup.

"It's a great win, we can still improve a lot but it needs patience -- these lads need time."

Poland made six changes to the team which lost to Portugal while Italy's line-up was unchanged from Wednesday's 1-1 draw at home to Ukraine.

Italy immediately took the initiative and midfielder Jorginho curled a shot against the bar in the first minute.

Lorenzo Insigne dinked the ball on to the roof of the net from Alessandro Florenzi's pass and the Napoli forward also struck the woodwork on the half-hour after Federico Chiesa sent him clear.

Jorginho then forced Wojciech Szczesny to make a difficult save as Italy continued to dominate the game and create chances.

Italy continued to push forward after halftime, playing some flowing football in the process, and should have gone ahead when Federico Bernardeschi found himself with a free header from Chiesa's cross but sent his shot wide of the target.

Then it was Poland's turn as Kamil Grosicki was sent clear by Roberto Lewandowski. His shot was parried by Gianluigi Donnarumma and the rebound fell to Arkadiusz Milik who fired wide.

A draw would have guaranteed Portugal top spot with two games to spare but Italy finally got their reward in the 92nd minute.

A corner was touched on by substitute Kevin Lasagne at the near post and Biraghi, winning his third cap, headed in to spark delirious celebrations on the Italy bench.

Italy snatched a dramatic and deserved 1-0 win away to Poland in their Nations League match on Sunday thanks to a stoppage-time header from Cristiano Biraghi, his first international goal.

Italy snatched a dramatic and deserved 1-0 win away to Poland in their Nations League match on Sunday thanks to a stoppage-time header from Cristiano Biraghi, his first international goal. Biraghi gave Italy their first win in the competition and also their first in a competitive match since Roberto Mancini took over as coach in May. It also meant that Poland, who have one point from three games after also losing at home to Portugal on Thursday, will finish bottom of Group Three in League A and will be relegated to the second-tier League B. It was a richly-deserved win for Italy who produced one of their best performances in the last few years and twice hit the crossbar in the first half. Italy have four points from three games while leaders Portugal, who remain firm favourites to win the group and qualify for the semi-finals at the end of the season, have six from two. "We dominated the match, we should have scored earlier and it would have been very unfair if the game had finished 0-0," said Mancini who is rebuilding the side after their failure to qualify for this year's World Cup. "It's a great win, we can still improve a lot but it needs patience -- these lads need time." Poland made six changes to the team which lost to Portugal while Italy's line-up was unchanged from Wednesday's 1-1 draw at home to Ukraine. Italy immediately took the initiative and midfielder Jorginho curled a shot against the bar in the first minute. Lorenzo Insigne dinked the ball on to the roof of the net from Alessandro Florenzi's pass and the Napoli forward also struck the woodwork on the half-hour after Federico Chiesa sent him clear. Jorginho then forced Wojciech Szczesny to make a difficult save as Italy continued to dominate the game and create chances. Italy continued to push forward after halftime, playing some flowing football in the process, and should have gone ahead when Federico Bernardeschi found himself with a free header from Chiesa's cross but sent his shot wide of the target. Then it was Poland's turn as Kamil Grosicki was sent clear by Roberto Lewandowski. His shot was parried by Gianluigi Donnarumma and the rebound fell to Arkadiusz Milik who fired wide. A draw would have guaranteed Portugal top spot with two games to spare but Italy finally got their reward in the 92nd minute. A corner was touched on by substitute Kevin Lasagne at the near post and Biraghi, winning his third cap, headed in to spark delirious celebrations on the Italy bench.

Biraghi gives Italy stoppage-time win in Poland

Germany defender Jerome Boateng has been ruled out of Tuesday's away Nations League match against France in Paris with the under-fire Germans eager to avoid a record sixth defeat in a calendar year.

Boateng picked up a calf injury in Amsterdam as the Germans were hammered 3-0 by the Netherlands on Saturday to leave them bottom of their Nations League group.

The 30-year-old centre-back was injured with 20 minutes left, but finished the match as Germany coach Joachim Loew had already used his three substitutions with the Germans chasing the game at 1-0 down before the Dutch scored two late goals.

Boateng, a 2014 World Cup winner, will be replaced against the French by either his Bayern Munich team-mate Niklas Suele or Bayer Leverkusen's Jonathan Tah, who was drafted into the senior squad on Saturday after captaining the Under-21 team on Friday.

After the debacle in Amsterdam, Germany are eager for a victory at the Stade de France in Paris to avoid becoming the first senior German national side to lose six times in a single year and ease the mounting pressure on Loew.

Germany defender Jerome Boateng has been ruled out of Tuesday's away Nations League match against France in Paris with the under-fire Germans eager to avoid a record sixth defeat in a calendar year.

Germany defender Jerome Boateng has been ruled out of Tuesday's away Nations League match against France in Paris with the under-fire Germans eager to avoid a record sixth defeat in a calendar year. Boateng picked up a calf injury in Amsterdam as the Germans were hammered 3-0 by the Netherlands on Saturday to leave them bottom of their Nations League group. The 30-year-old centre-back was injured with 20 minutes left, but finished the match as Germany coach Joachim Loew had already used his three substitutions with the Germans chasing the game at 1-0 down before the Dutch scored two late goals. Boateng, a 2014 World Cup winner, will be replaced against the French by either his Bayern Munich team-mate Niklas Suele or Bayer Leverkusen's Jonathan Tah, who was drafted into the senior squad on Saturday after captaining the Under-21 team on Friday. After the debacle in Amsterdam, Germany are eager for a victory at the Stade de France in Paris to avoid becoming the first senior German national side to lose six times in a single year and ease the mounting pressure on Loew.

Germany defender Boateng ruled out of France clash

England wasted several gilt-edged chances as they were held to a 0-0 draw away to World Cup runners-up Croatia in a Nations League top-tier Group 4 clash behind closed doors on Friday.

Eric Dier and Harry Kane headed against the woodwork for the visitors while Marcus Rashford spurned two clear opportunities as England missed out on a first win in the new competition.

The result inside the near-deserted stadium left both sides with one point from two games behind runaway leaders Spain, who have six points and host England in Seville on Monday.

England manager Gareth Southgate was disappointed with the outcome, saying: "Second half we were by far the better team and if we had taken our chances we would have won the game.

"There would be more concern if we weren’t creating chances. We showed good endeavour and creative play. We have to keep getting in those situations."

Without any fans present as Croatia served the second game of a crowd ban for racist offences by their fans in Euro 2016 qualifying, the instructions from both benches echoed around the eerily empty ground in a tepid first half at the Rijeka stadium.

Midfielder Dier reflected on the first match England had ever played behind closed doors, although he noted the presence of a handful of England fans on a hill overlooking the ground.

"It was strange, the first experience of it for all of us," Dier told Sky Sports. "A couple of fans got up on the hill but once the game started it was in the back of our minds. We could easily hear the ones on the hill, they were the only ones here."

Revenge Mission

The game was built up by some English media as a chance for the visitors to avenge Croatia's 2-1 World Cup semi-final win in Russia in July but the game failed to produce any fireworks.

The only chance in the first half fell to Dier, who glanced his header against the far post after a Jordan Henderson corner.

Chants of 'God Save the Queen' from England supporters who had gathered outside the ground seemed to lift Gareth Southgate's side after the break but the woodwork and some dreadful finishing by Rashford denied them a goal.

Kane headed a Henderson free-kick against the bar before Manchester United forward Rashford served up a pair of astonishing misses in the space of two minutes.

He scuffed a feeble shot at Dominik Livakovic from eight metres when clear on goal and the keeper then denied him again with a superb reflex save from an almost identical position.

Croatia's Ivan Perisic forced a good save from Jordan Pickford with a stinging low shot and Ante Rebic, playing in an unfamiliar lone striker role, fired inches wide with a long-range effort for the revamped home side.

England's Jadon Sancho, Borussia Dortmund's exciting 18-year old winger, produced a darting run late on after coming off the bench to replace Raheem Sterling and make his international debut before the match fizzled out in the final few minutes.

Sancho became the second youngest England player to win his first cap in a competitive game, behind Manchester United's Duncan Edwards who died at the age of 21 as a result of the injuries he suffered in the Munich air crash of 1958.

England wasted several gilt-edged chances as they were held to a 0-0 draw away to World Cup runners-up Croatia in a Nations League top-tier Group 4 clash behind closed doors on Friday.

England wasted several gilt-edged chances as they were held to a 0-0 draw away to World Cup runners-up Croatia in a Nations League top-tier Group 4 clash behind closed doors on Friday. Eric Dier and Harry Kane headed against the woodwork for the visitors while Marcus Rashford spurned two clear opportunities as England missed out on a first win in the new competition. The result inside the near-deserted stadium left both sides with one point from two games behind runaway leaders Spain, who have six points and host England in Seville on Monday. England manager Gareth Southgate was disappointed with the outcome, saying: "Second half we were by far the better team and if we had taken our chances we would have won the game. "There would be more concern if we weren’t creating chances. We showed good endeavour and creative play. We have to keep getting in those situations." Without any fans present as Croatia served the second game of a crowd ban for racist offences by their fans in Euro 2016 qualifying, the instructions from both benches echoed around the eerily empty ground in a tepid first half at the Rijeka stadium. Midfielder Dier reflected on the first match England had ever played behind closed doors, although he noted the presence of a handful of England fans on a hill overlooking the ground. "It was strange, the first experience of it for all of us," Dier told Sky Sports. "A couple of fans got up on the hill but once the game started it was in the back of our minds. We could easily hear the ones on the hill, they were the only ones here." Revenge Mission The game was built up by some English media as a chance for the visitors to avenge Croatia's 2-1 World Cup semi-final win in Russia in July but the game failed to produce any fireworks. The only chance in the first half fell to Dier, who glanced his header against the far post after a Jordan Henderson corner. Chants of 'God Save the Queen' from England supporters who had gathered outside the ground seemed to lift Gareth Southgate's side after the break but the woodwork and some dreadful finishing by Rashford denied them a goal. Kane headed a Henderson free-kick against the bar before Manchester United forward Rashford served up a pair of astonishing misses in the space of two minutes. He scuffed a feeble shot at Dominik Livakovic from eight metres when clear on goal and the keeper then denied him again with a superb reflex save from an almost identical position. Croatia's Ivan Perisic forced a good save from Jordan Pickford with a stinging low shot and Ante Rebic, playing in an unfamiliar lone striker role, fired inches wide with a long-range effort for the revamped home side. England's Jadon Sancho, Borussia Dortmund's exciting 18-year old winger, produced a darting run late on after coming off the bench to replace Raheem Sterling and make his international debut before the match fizzled out in the final few minutes. Sancho became the second youngest England player to win his first cap in a competitive game, behind Manchester United's Duncan Edwards who died at the age of 21 as a result of the injuries he suffered in the Munich air crash of 1958.

Croatia hold wasteful England in empty stadium

Romelu Lukaku scored twice to earn Belgium a 2-1 victory over Switzerland in the Nations League on Friday, lifting the mood in the country after a week marred by match-fixing allegations.

Belgium's second win in the group means they have won 11 of their last 12 matches, the only blemish being the World Cup semi-final defeat by France in July.

Lukaku broke the deadlock just before the hour mark, finding himself unmarked on the right as Thomas Meunier set him up for a left-foot shot that squeezed under the body of Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer.

But the Belgian defence were caught ball watching with about 15 minutes left as Xherdan Shaqiri’s free kick was headed back into the danger zone by Nico Elvedi and finished off from close range by substitute Mario Gavranovic.

Belgium defender Vincent Kompany went close with a headed opportunity from a corner and Lukaku blasted over from close range after being set up by substitute Nacer Chadli.

But the Manchester United striker made amends with the 84th- minute winner at the end of a flowing move which involved captain Eden Hazard and a deft pass from Dries Mertens to set Lukaku up for another left-foot finish.

Lukaku’s double, which lifted him to 45 goals in 78 internationals, ensured a bright end to a bad week for Belgian football in which 19 people, including two referees, soccer agents and the coach of champions Club Bruges, were charged on Friday with fraud or match-fixing.

Belgium play the Netherlands in a friendly in Brussels on Tuesday while the Swiss go to Iceland for their next Nations League game on Monday.

Romelu Lukaku scored twice to earn Belgium a 2-1 victory over Switzerland in the Nations League on Friday, lifting the mood in the country after a week marred by match-fixing allegations.

Romelu Lukaku scored twice to earn Belgium a 2-1 victory over Switzerland in the Nations League on Friday, lifting the mood in the country after a week marred by match-fixing allegations. Belgium's second win in the group means they have won 11 of their last 12 matches, the only blemish being the World Cup semi-final defeat by France in July. Lukaku broke the deadlock just before the hour mark, finding himself unmarked on the right as Thomas Meunier set him up for a left-foot shot that squeezed under the body of Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer. But the Belgian defence were caught ball watching with about 15 minutes left as Xherdan Shaqiri’s free kick was headed back into the danger zone by Nico Elvedi and finished off from close range by substitute Mario Gavranovic. Belgium defender Vincent Kompany went close with a headed opportunity from a corner and Lukaku blasted over from close range after being set up by substitute Nacer Chadli. But the Manchester United striker made amends with the 84th- minute winner at the end of a flowing move which involved captain Eden Hazard and a deft pass from Dries Mertens to set Lukaku up for another left-foot finish. Lukaku’s double, which lifted him to 45 goals in 78 internationals, ensured a bright end to a bad week for Belgian football in which 19 people, including two referees, soccer agents and the coach of champions Club Bruges, were charged on Friday with fraud or match-fixing. Belgium play the Netherlands in a friendly in Brussels on Tuesday while the Swiss go to Iceland for their next Nations League game on Monday.

Romelu Lukaku scores twice as Belgium beat Switzerland 2-1

Watch your mouth! Southgate bemused on microphone swearing issue ahead of Croatia clash

The 55 national teams currently participating in the inaugural UEFA Nations League will see a 50 per cent increase in solidarity fees paid to them, European football's governing body UEFA has said.

The 12 strongest teams based on UEFA rankings - divided into four groups of three in League A - will each receive 2.25 million euros ($2.6 million) in solidarity fees, an increase of 750,000 euros from the amount announced in March.&nbsp;

Each group winner in League A will be given an additional 2.25 million euros as a bonus, up from 1.5 million euros.

"The decision to increase the solidarity and bonus payments was taken by the UEFA executive committee and was made possible by UEFA's solid financial situation," UEFA said in a statement.

UEFA added the financial boost was also due to their earnings from Euro 2016 that were set aside for future investment.

League A group winners will compete for the UEFA Nations League trophy in June 2019 and the champions stand to gain 6 million euros in solidarity fees - taking the maximum they could earn from the tournament to 10.5 million euros.

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.

The 55 national teams currently participating in the inaugural UEFA Nations League will see a 50 per cent increase in solidarity fees paid to them, European football's governing body UEFA has said.

The 55 national teams currently participating in the inaugural UEFA Nations League will see a 50 per cent increase in solidarity fees paid to them, European football's governing body UEFA has said. The 12 strongest teams based on UEFA rankings - divided into four groups of three in League A - will each receive 2.25 million euros ($2.6 million) in solidarity fees, an increase of 750,000 euros from the amount announced in March. Each group winner in League A will be given an additional 2.25 million euros as a bonus, up from 1.5 million euros. "The decision to increase the solidarity and bonus payments was taken by the UEFA executive committee and was made possible by UEFA's solid financial situation," UEFA said in a statement. UEFA added the financial boost was also due to their earnings from Euro 2016 that were set aside for future investment. League A group winners will compete for the UEFA Nations League trophy in June 2019 and the champions stand to gain 6 million euros in solidarity fees - taking the maximum they could earn from the tournament to 10.5 million euros. 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.

Football: UEFA to pay countries more for Nations League participation

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