- At the start of the Nations League in Swiss Group 2, Spain separated 1-1 from neighboring Portugal.
- The hosts deservedly took the lead in Seville, but then had to accept the late equaliser.
- In League B, the two Scandinavian representatives celebrate an away win in Eastern Europe.
League A, Group 2: Swiss competition shares points
In the Iberian duel, Spain and Portugal in Swiss Group 2 had an entertaining exchange of blows. In Seville it was left to Alvaro Morata to open the scoring for the hosts: the Juventus striker completed an exemplary Spaniard counterattack in the 25th minute with a shot from the inside of the post. From a Portuguese point of view, Cristiano Ronaldo should not sting in his unusual role as a noble joker, but instead Ricardo Horta jumped into the breach. The Braga player gave the guests, who are playing against Switzerland in Lisbon on Sunday, a draw after a low cross in the final phase (82nd).
League B, Group 4: Away wins at the start
Who else should become the Norwegian match winner in Belgrade if not Erling Haaland. And promptly it was the Manchester City new signing who scored the visitors’ only goal from close range in the 26th minute. The ex-Borussian created the necessary space in the sixteen with a short sprint and finally came to the ball free-standing. Because Serbia, who will face Switzerland in the group stage at the World Cup at the end of 2022, showed too little accuracy in their own capital, it was enough the Haaland goal Norway to the away win.
Sweden also kidnapped three points from Eastern Europe during their guest appearance in Ljubljana. “Tre Kronor” put Emil Forsberg on the road to victory, who sent Slovenia’s Jan Oblak into the wrong corner just before the break. However, the hosts’ hopes of gaining a point remained alive until shortly before the final whistle: It was not until the 88th minute that Dejan Kulusevski made the decision with a solo run after a counterattack. The Scandinavian teams are at the top of the table after the first match day, while the two Eastern European hosts got off to a bad start.
League B, Group 2: Israel only with a draw
A criminally abandoned Shon Weissman was to rob the Icelanders of their lucky victory in Israel late on. The striker from LaLiga promoted Valladolid headed a solid cross in the 84th minute and secured a point for the hosts. The Israelis got off to a better start in Haifa and took the lead thanks to Liel Abada (25′). A subsequent double strike by the north-western Europeans shortly before and after the break seemed to have pulled the tooth out of the hosts.
League C and D