Nations League: Spain thrash Serbia to reach quarters, Portugal held by Scotland
Spain secured a spot in the Nations League quarter-finals with a commanding 3-0 win over Serbia, thanks to goals from Aymeric Laporte, lvaro Morata, and Alex Baena.
Portugal would edge closer to securing a place in the knockouts as well, despite being held to a draw by Scotland. Despite missing several key players from their Euro 2024 triumph, Spain dominated the match, tallying 30 shots to Serbia’s mere three. Laporte opened the scoring with a close-range header in the fifth minute, while Morata added a second after missing a penalty earlier.
A late red card for Serbia’s Strahinja Pavlović sealed their fate, as Baena’s superb free kick completed the rout. Spain now tops League A Group One with 10 points, three ahead of Denmark and six clear of Serbia, with Switzerland at the bottom following a 2-2 draw with the Danes.
Meanwhile, Portugal edged closer to the quarter-finals after a 0-0 stalemate with Scotland, marking the first points Roberto Martnez’s side have dropped in the tournament. Portugal leads Group A1 with 10 points, three ahead of Croatia, who played out a thrilling 3-3 draw with Poland.
Despite dominating possession and creating numerous chances, Portugal failed to convert, with Cristiano Ronaldo missing a golden opportunity early in the second half. Scotland, bottom of the group with one point, managed to hold off a relentless Portuguese attack, thanks to a series of heroic saves from goalkeeper Craig Gordon.
UEFA Nations League: Other results
Poland mounted a remarkable comeback to secure a thrilling 3-3 draw against Croatia in the Nations League after falling two goals behind. Piotr ZieliÅÄski gave Poland an early lead in the fifth minute, but Croatia responded in devastating fashion, scoring three times in just seven minutes. Borna Sosa’s volley levelled the score in the 19th minute, followed by goals from Petar Sucic and Martin Baturina, putting Croatia firmly in control.
Poland, however, pulled one back before halftime through Nicola Zalewski, and Sebastian SzymaÅÄski’s low strike in the 68th minute brought the game level. Croatia’s goalkeeper, Dominik Livaković, was sent off in the 76th minute after fouling Robert Lewandowski, but Poland could not take advantage. The draw leaves Croatia in second place in Group A1 with seven points, three ahead of third-placed Poland. Portugal remains top with 10 points, while Scotland is bottom with one.
In another Nations League clash, Denmark and Switzerland played out a 2-2 draw, with Christian Eriksen playing a key role in both of Denmark’s goals. Switzerland struck first through Remo Freuler in the 26th minute, but Denmark responded immediately when Eriksen’s clever free-kick set up Gustav Isaksen for the equalizer. Breel Embolo won a penalty just before halftime, which Zeki Amdouni converted to restore Switzerland’s lead.
Denmark thought they had equalized early in the second half, but Patrick Dorgu’s goal was disallowed for offside. Eriksen eventually drew the Danes level with a composed finish after a lay-off from Pierre-Emil H¸jbjerg in the 69th minute. Switzerland had a corner kick goal ruled out late in the game, but neither side could find a winner, leaving Denmark in second place with seven points. Switzerland, despite securing their first point of the campaign, remains bottom of Group A4, while Spain tops the group with 10 points after a 3-0 win over Serbia.