By Doug McIntyre
FOX Sports Soccer Writer
On Friday, it was England and Germany.
On Saturday, one other European heavyweight — this time Spain — joined their fellow former World Cup winners by posting an eyebrow-raising loss on the penultimate match day of 2022-23 UEFA Nations League.
La Roja, upset 2-1 by Switzerland in Zaragoza, have been dealt simply their third defeat of their final 28 matches, and their first on house soil in almost 4 years. Manuel Akanji gave the Swiss a lead they took into halftime earlier than Jordi Alba equalized for the hosts 10 minutes after the break.
From there, the chances have been on Spain to at least snare a degree from the match, if not win it outright. Instead, Breel Embolo’s strike simply shy of the hour mark stood up, giving the guests a badly wanted victory.
Switzerland had dropped three of their first 4 video games within the competitors. Now, a degree of their Group B finale Tuesday in opposition to the last-place Czech Republic will likely be sufficient for the Swiss to keep away from relegation to the competitors’s second tier for 2024-25.
Unlike England, which misplaced 1-0 in Italy on Friday, Spain’s loss didn’t ship them down.
But identical to Germany’s surprising house defeat to Hungary a day earlier, it did put their probabilities of reaching subsequent 12 months’s last 4 in jeopardy with only one extra match day remaining within the group stage.
A powerful 4-0 beatdown of the Czechs on Saturday allowed Portugal to leapfrog La Roja to declare first place in Group B. The Portuguese didn’t even want Cristiano Ronaldo to get on the board: Ronaldo’s most notable contribution was getting his nostril bloodied in a collision with the Czech keeper within the first half.
The Iberian rivals will now face off in Lisbon on Tuesday with a spot within the last 4 on the road for each groups.
Of course, performances this month aren’t simply in regards to the Nations League. The World Cup in Qatar is simply eight weeks away. However vital these matches are inside the context of the still-novel Nations League event, additionally they symbolize the final likelihood for the European groups with a ticket to World Cup — England, Germany, Portugal, Switzerland and Spain all fall into that class — to put together for the last word occasion in international sports activities.
“We will look for positives,” Spain coach Luis Enrique mentioned after Saturday’s defeat. “We will look to win the last game and sum up all we’ve learned in time for the World Cup.”
Spain will occupy a gaggle in Qatar that additionally accommodates the Germans, Costa Rica and Japan. Given what lies forward, Enrique and his scouting workers can have an eye fixed on Germany’s match in England on Tuesday. Defeats have additionally been uncommon for Die Mannschaft of late; Saturday’s was their first in 14 outings since Hansi Flick changed Jogi Loew a 12 months in the past.
The Three Lions, meantime, have been terrible all through this Nations League.
Officially, they don’t have anything left to play for. In actuality, England will play like their World Cup lives rely on Monday’s efficiency — as a result of they really would possibly. It’s exhausting to see Gareth Southgate’s staff dropping to their largest worldwide rival at house to cap a 0W-4L-2T run, then immediately morph into world-beaters when the principle occasion kicks off in November.
Spain-Switzerland and Czech Republic-Portugal weren’t the one Nations League video games performed on Saturday. Here’s what occurred elsewhere:
Israel leaves it late however secures spot in League A
All Israel wanted was three factors on Saturday in opposition to Albania to earn promotion to the Nations League’s prime division two years from now.
But because the clock ticked previous 90 minutes in Tel Aviv with the rating nonetheless knotted at 1-1, it regarded like Israel would have to win on the street in Malta on Tuesday to assure themselves a spot alongside Europe’s greatest. Fortunately for them, Tai Baribo scored a dramatic late winner in stoppage time.
Scotland tops Ireland, eyes promotion
Where was this kind of type when Scotland was making an attempt to qualify for the World Cup earlier this 12 months?
Coming on the heels of final Wednesday’s 3-0 conquer Ukraine — the identical opponent who eradicated the Tartan Army from rivalry for Qatar 2022 with a complete victory in Glasgow in June — the Scots on Saturday notched their second straight League B win, coming from behind to beat the Republic of Ireland at Hampden Park.
A draw with Ukraine of their Group 1 nearer on Tuesday — the match will likely be performed on impartial floor in Poland due to Russia’s ongoing struggle in Ukraine — could be sufficient for the Scots to safe promotion to League A for 2024-25. The Ukrainians responded to Wednesday’s setback by routing Armenia, 5-0:
Haaland’s aim not sufficient for Norway
Planet futbol’s most-lethal scorer isn’t going to the World Cup — Erling Haaland’s Norway failed to qualify for Qatar 2022 — and now the Manchester City aim machine may not be heading to League A, both.
Haaland gave the Norwegians an early second-half lead over Slovenia on Saturday, placing them in place to take a commanding three-point lead over Serbia atop Group 4 earlier than Tuesday’s group section finale in opposition to the Serbs in Oslo:
The Slovenians got here roaring again with two objectives within the last 21 minutes, although, sending Haaland & Co. house empty-handed. The excellent news for Norway? They’ve already crushed Serbia as soon as, in Belgrade again in June. Haaland — who else? — scored the one aim.
Doug McIntyre is a soccer author for FOX Sports. Before becoming a member of FOX Sports in 2021, he was a workers author with ESPN and Yahoo Sports and he has coated United States males’s and girls’s nationwide groups at a number of FIFA World Cups. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.
Get extra from UEFA Nations League Follow your favorites to get details about video games, information and extra.
