NATIONS LEAGUE ROUND-UP
FRANCE’S defence of their Nations League crown ended in disaster as they lost 2-0 against DENMARK in Copenhagen to finish third in League A Group 1. Didier Deschamps’ side narrowly avoided an embarrassing relegation by just one point despite the defeat. The World Cup holders were without several key players for the clash with Hugo Lloris, Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante all absent. Kasper Dolberg opened the scoring just after the half-hour mark for Denmark, prodding in Mikkel Damsgaard’s cross from close range. And six minutes later they doubled their advantage as Andreas Skov Olsen rifled in a volley from the edge of the box after France failed to clear their lines from a corner.
IN the other game in League A Group 1, CROATIA beat AUSTRIA 3-1 on a historic night for Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric (below). The veteran opened the scoring with just six minutes on the clock in Vienna, firing a low shot past Heinz Lindner. The goal made the 37-year-old Croatia’s oldest goalscorer in history. Ralf Rangnick’s Austria hit back after Marcel Sabitzer’s deep cross into the box found an unmarked Christoph Baumgartner, who inventively used the back of his head to head past Dominik Livakovic. Forward Marko Livaja restored the away side’s lead before former Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren’s diving header cemented Croatia’s place at the top of the group.
VIRGIL VAN DIJK’S second-half goal saw NETHERLANDS qualify for next June’s finals following a 1-0 win over BELGIUM in Amsterdam. The visitors, who needed to win by three or more goals to progress out of the group, started brightly with Amadou Onana and Axel Witsel forcing saves from Netherlands’ 38-year-old debutant goalkeeper Remko Pasveer. But with just under 20 minutes to play some poor defending by Roberto Martinez’s side allowed an unmarked Van Dijk to stroll in from a corner and head past Thibaut Courtois.
FAROE ISLANDS pulled off the shock result of the evening after a remarkable 2-0 win over League C Group 1 winners TURKEY. Both goals came in the second half to give the team ranked 125th in the FIFA rankings victory.