UEFA Nations League 2026/27: Spain , France win , Belgium down Italy

 


 

The 2026/27 UEFA Nations League league phase continued on September 25 and 26 with 18 matches across Leagues A, B and C. The two days produced several significant results, including victories for France, Belgium, Ukraine and Northern Ireland on Friday, followed by Spain's thrilling win over England and Switzerland's emphatic success on Saturday. The 2026/27 league phase runs from September through November, with Matchday 1 spread across September 24–26. 


September 25: France begin with victory under Zidane

France began their campaign with a 1-0 victory over Türkiye in Group A1, giving new head coach Zinédine Zidane a winning start. Kylian Mbappé scored the decisive goal in the 54th minute after being set up by Michael Olise. Mbappé reached 67 international goals with the strike, although he suffered an injury while scoring. Türkiye goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakır was sent off late in the match. 


Belgium also made an impressive start by defeating Italy 2-0 in Rome. Mika Godts opened the scoring in the 21st minute after receiving a pass from Kevin De Bruyne, while substitute Dodi Lukébakio added the second with a superb individual effort. The result gave new Belgium coach Mark van Bommel three points in his opening Nations League match. 


In Group B2, Ukraine defeated Hungary 1-0 in Budapest. Danylo Sikan scored in the 42nd minute to settle the match. It was a notable return to international scoring for Sikan, who was making his first appearance for Ukraine in more than three years. 


Northern Ireland produced one of the day's dramatic finishes, beating Georgia 1-0 in Tbilisi. Goalkeeper Pierce Charles saved a second-half penalty from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia before Shea Charles scored the winning goal deep into stoppage time. The victory was Northern Ireland's first in League B of the Nations League. 


Sweden overcame Romania 2-1 in Group B4. Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyökeres put Sweden in control with goals in the first half, while Dennis Man pulled one back for Romania. Sweden held on for three points. 


In the other Group B4 match, Poland and Bosnia and Herzegovina drew 0-0 in Warsaw. Neither side was able to find a breakthrough, leaving both teams with a point from their opening fixture. 


There were also two victories in League C. Armenia defeated Latvia 2-0, with goals from G. Harutyunyan and A. Gharibyan, while Montenegro beat Cyprus 2-1. Marcus Edwards gave Cyprus the lead before Nikola Krstović equalised from the penalty spot and Milutin Osmajić completed Montenegro's comeback. 


September 26: Spain defeat England in Wembley thriller

The headline match of September 26 was undoubtedly England 2-3 Spain at Wembley in Group A3. Spain took an early lead through Lamine Yamal, but England responded strongly as Anthony Gordon equalised and Harry Kane put the hosts ahead before half-time. Kane subsequently missed a penalty, and Spain took control in the second half. Álex Baena equalised before setting up Mikel Oyarzabal, who scored the decisive goal in the 74th minute. Oyarzabal therefore again became the match-winner against England after also scoring the decisive goal in the Euro 2024 final. 


Croatia also began Group A3 with a 2-1 away victory over Czechia. Veteran midfielder Luka Modrić played a prominent role as Croatia secured three valuable points. The result means Croatia and Spain both opened their campaigns with victories ahead of their meeting with England and Czechia in the next round of matches. 


In Group B1, Switzerland defeated North Macedonia 3-0, making a strong start to their campaign. Slovenia and Scotland played out a 0-0 draw, leaving both sides with a point from their opening game. 


The League C matches also produced several convincing results. Finland thrashed San Marino 7-0, while Albania defeated Belarus 2-0. In Group C3, Slovakia beat Moldova 2-0, whereas Faroe Islands and Kazakhstan drew 1-1. 


In Group C4, Luxembourg defeated Bulgaria 2-1, while Iceland and Estonia drew 1-1. These results completed Saturday's programme and brought the opening matchday to a close. 


Overall picture after September 25–26

The first two days of action established several early leaders. France and Belgium made winning starts in Group A1, while Spain and Croatia collected three points in Group A3. Switzerland's 3-0 victory gave them an impressive beginning in Group B1, while Finland's 7-0 demolition of San Marino was the biggest victory of the two-day period. England, Italy and Türkiye were among the major teams to suffer opening defeats. 


The September 25–26 matches also provided strong individual performances, with Mbappé, Oyarzabal, Lamine Yamal, Sikan, Isak, Gyökeres and Lukébakio among the prominent scorers. The Nations League now moves directly into Matchday 2, beginning on September 27, with several major fixtures including Norway vs Portugal, Germany vs Greece, Belgium vs France and Czechia vs England. 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Harmanpreet likely to be suspended from 2 knockout matches in Asian Games

Image
It is said that the work done in anger leads to loss in some form or the other.  Sometimes to own self , sometimes to team .  The Indian women's cricket team is currently facing this loss and the reason for this is the team's captain and most senior player Harmanpreet Kaur.  Captain Harmanpreet Kaur's angry actions in the last ODI match of the Bangladesh tour may cost the team without her in the Asian Games.  The Asian Games will be held in Hangzhou, China in September-October.  During the third ODI against Bangladesh, Harmanpreet questioned the decisions of the umpires.  At first, Harmanpreet expressed anger on being given out and broke the stumps with the bat.  Then after the match, she raised questions on umpiring.  If this was not enough, she also taunted the Bangladeshi team for calling the umpires during the photo with the trophies of both the teams after the match, after which the hosts left the photo session & went back to the dressing...
Read more

Sporting legends : Ian Bell - Career highlights & video of English batting superstar

Image
  Ian Bell, the former English cricketer, was born on April 11, 1982. He had a distinguished career, representing England in both Test and One Day International cricket.  Bell was a right-handed batsman known for his elegant and stylish stroke play. He had a classical batting style and was particularly adept at playing both pace and spin bowling with finesse. Bell was one of the greatest exponents of the cover drive during his era .  Here are Ian Bell's Test and ODI records: **Test Cricket:** - Matches: Bell played a total of 118 Test matches for England. - Runs: He scored 7,727 runs at an average of 42.69 in Test cricket. - Centuries: Bell hit 22 centuries and 46 half-centuries in Test matches. - Highest Score: His highest Test score was 235 against India in 2011. **One Day Internationals (ODIs):** - Matches: Bell played 161 ODIs for England. - Runs: He scored 5,416 runs at an average of 37.87 in ODIs. - Centuries: Bell scored 4 centuries and 35 half-centuries in ODIs. -...
Read more

Manipur violence : Video of brutality relating to women in Manipur goes viral

Image
    Manipur is in the grip of ethnic violence these days, but now tension has spread in the hilly areas of Manipur over a video in which two women are being paraded naked.  According to reports, the video is from May 4 and both the women are from the Kuki community, while the men who are parading the women naked are all from the Meitei community.  Tribal organization Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum has demanded action against the culprits.  According to the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum, the incident took place on May 4 in Kangpokpi district, about 35 km from state capital Imphal.  At the same time, no one has been arrested by the police in this case.  It can be clearly seen in the video that the men are continuously molesting the helpless women who are crying and begging them to leave.  Condemning this heinous act, an ITLF spokesperson demanded that the central and state governments, the National Commission for Women and the National Commission...
Read more