UEFA Nations League matchday 4: 3 takeaways from the matches

The October schedule of the UEFA Nations League came to a conclusion this week. Here are three takeaways from matchday 4.

The UEFA Nations League concluded on Wednesday with matchday 4 as the tournament’s group stage heads into next month’s final two games.

With League A’s four semifinal slots still on the line, the big winners of matchday 4 were Portugal, Poland and France. The biggest losers were Germany and Spain (more on them further down) and England, 1-0 losers against Denmark in Group 2.

Portugal’s 3-0 win against Sweden propelled them to the top of Group 3 on goal differential, tied with France on points with 10 following their 2-1 victory against Croatia. It was a Kylian Mbappe goal that gave France the win. Poland’s 3-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzogovina, meanwhile, leapfrogged to the top of Group 1 with seven points, one over Italy.

Matchday 5 will be played on November 14-15. The group stage’s final matchday will conclude a few days later on November 17-18.

Here are three takeaways from matchday 4.

Coronavirus continues to be a problem

The ongoing pandemic that halted the club season last spring and pushed it into the summer remains a problem, particularly across Europe. While Nations League matches have either featured no fans or a limited number of them, COVID-19 has forced individual players to be sidelined and put into isolation.

The latest player to befall the virus was Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese star tested positive Tuesday and remains asymptomatic while in isolation. The positive test forced him to miss Portugal’s game against Sweden.

What’s happened to Germany’s defense?

Germany’s 3-3 draw against Switzerland on Tuesday exposed their defensive vulnerabilities. Disorganization and lack of cohesion aren’t words usually associated with Die Mannschaft. It seems as if Joachim Low’s side, once lauded for their high line and three in the back, isn’t the successful side we once knew it to be.

What has helped this team is its offense (they were down for most of the game against the Swiss) and individual performances. That could be enough after Spain (despite their passing and possession game) also missed a beat this week in a 1-0 defeat to Ukraine.

As a result, League A’s Group 4 remains a three-team race between leaders Spain (at seven points) and Germany and Ukraine (tied at six) with two matchdays left to be played.

Haaland pushes Norway to new heights

It’s true that soccer is a team game, but often one player can make a very big difference. That’s the case when speaking of Norway and Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland. Norway, it should be noted, isn’t traditionally seen as a soccer power.

That could change going forward given Haaland’s skills.

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Haaland is currently the Nations League top scorer with six goals. Haaland’s club exploits have carried over to the national team as he tries to lead Norway to promotion out of League B’s Group 1.

Over the next few years, the 20-year-old striker, who only has seven senior caps to his name, could very well eclipse Ronaldo and even Poland striker Robert Lewandowski as the continent’s best player. Norway’s future success will be better for it.