UEFA Nations League matchday 3: 3 takeaways

The UEFA Nations League group stage has hit the halfway point. Here are three trends to emerge from this past weekend.

The UEFA Nations League once again dominated Europe this past weekend with a series of great matches.

In League A, Italy, England, Portugal, France, Spain and Germany all remained undefeated, meaning that determining which four teams will reach the semifinals could very well be determined next month on the final day of the group stage.

The matchday included Italy’s 0-0 draw on Sunday away to Poland, allowing them to stretch their unbeaten streak to 18 games and retain top spot in Group 1.

Iceland and Sweden, meanwhile, are the only two teams left in League A to have yet recorded a point. Nonetheless, three matchdays remain with the schedule starting up again on Tuesday.

Here’s a look at three things that stood out most from matchday 3.

England mount a comeback

England took over control of Group 2 on Sunday following a 2-1 home win against Belgium, currently the top-ranked team in the world. The teams were tied at halftime following two penalties, one for each side, from Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Rashford.

But a never-say-die England won the game thanks to a 65th-minute goal from Mason Mount. The goal came after Mount’s effort deflected off Toby Alderweireld and looped over goalkeeper Simon Mignolet. For Belgium, it was their first loss since November 2018. For England, the win highlights the ability of Gareth Southgate’s team to persevere and never give up despite being down.

“It’s a special achievement to score my first goal at Wembley,” Mount told reporters after the win. “I found myself in a bit of space and had only one thing on my mind. It took a really big deflection but it doesn’t matter how they go in. I’ll take it.”

France and Portugal battle for Group 3

The game of the weekend came Sunday when France and Portugal met for the chance to go tops in Group 3. It was the teams’ first meeting since Portugal’s overtime win against France in the Euro 2016 final.

The game, however, turned out to be a defensive affair and devoid of goals. The 0-0 draw put Portugal atop of Group 3, ahead of France due to goal difference, with both teams on seven points. The disappointing draw also meant both teams lost their perfect records.

“There’s both satisfaction and disappointment. We were solid defensively but in attack we played with the brakes on,” France midfielder Adrien Rabiot told reporters after having recently contracted COVID-19. “We could have pushed more in attack and caused them damage.”

Spain continues to dominate

Spain continues to dominate Group 4 following a 1-0 home win against Switzerland. The game’s winning goal came after 14 minutes from midfielder Mikel Oyarzabal. While Spain was the better team (poor passing and little creativity in midfield remain a problem), this was a game highlighted by few scoring chances.

Spain’s victory allowed them to top the group with seven points, two more than second-place Germany.

“In the end, it fell to me to finish,” Oyarzabal said after the game, “the chance which gave us the win but that pressure has to be a team product.”