The four nations who will compete in the UEFA Nations League finals are all set. After the Netherlands, Italy, and Croatia qualified, Spain were the last side to book their spot. And they did so in dramatic fashion as they stunned Portugal 1-0 thanks to a late Alvaro Morata winner two minutes from time.
There was also drama in League B as Scotland and Serbia got the UEFA Nations League 2022 results they needed to gain promotion to League A, while a young star continued to shine in League C.
Read on below as SBOTOP rounds up all the action from the final round of fixtures of the UEFA Nations League group stage.
League A
The UEFA Nations League came to a dramatic close as Spain stunned Portugal 1-0, with Alvaro Morata scoring an 88th-minute winner to send La Roja back to the Nations League finals.
Morata – who did not take part in Spain’s shock 2-1 defeat to Switzerland – got the start, and he repaid Luis Enrique’s faith in him as he popped up with the crucial goal against Portugal.
Spain’s win saw them leapfrog Portugal for top spot in Group A2 as they made the UEFA Nations League finals for the second straight time. La Roja lost 2-1 to France in the UEFA Nations League final last year.
Spain will battle it out with the Netherlands, Italy, and Croatia for the Nations League crown. The Netherlands were the first nation to book their place in the finals as they beat Belgium 1-0 in their final match. The Dutch finished the group stage with 16 points – the most in League A.
Croatia clinched their first trip to the Nations League finals with big wins against Denmark and Austria. Meanwhile, reigning European champions Italy topped Group A3 with a 2-0 win over surprise package Hungary.
The UEFA Nations 2022 odds for the finals figure to be quite close, with none of the four nations looking particularly dominant.
On the other end, Austria, the Czech Republic, Wales, and England were all relegated to League B. The Three Lions went down with a game to spare, and after their thrilling 3-3 draw against rivals Germany in their group finale, they and British brethren Wales were the only sides without a single win in League A.
League B
All eyes were on Groups 1 and 4 in League B as the top two sides battled it out for top spot in the final round. Scotland only needed a draw against Ukraine to gain promotion to League A, while Norway hosted Serbia, who needed to win in Oslo to take top spot.
And win they did. The superb strike partnership of Dusan Vlahovic and Aleksandar Mitrovic scored either side of half-time as the Serbs strolled to a 2-0 victory.
On the other side, Norway’s superstar striker Erling Haaland was kept scoreless for just the second time in the Nations League, which meant that Mitrovic tied Haaland as the Nations League’s top scorer with six goals.
As for Scotland, they got the draw they needed against Ukraine played out a scoreless stalemate in Poland. The Scots were without Kieran Tierney, who picked up a head injury in their win over the Republic of Ireland. But Steve Clarke’s side defended resolutely with two banks of four, stifling the Ukrainian attack.
Serbia and Scotland will be joined by Bosnia and Herzegovina and Israel, who both gained promotion to League A with relative ease.
League C
The big story in League C was without a doubt the continued rise of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. The young Georgian, who has burst onto the scene this season with Serie A side Napoli, continued his fantastic form as he scored in Georgia’s wins over North Macedonia and Gibraltar during the international break.
Those wins saw Georgia promoted to League B with ease as they claimed 16 points – the most in League C. Georgia scored 16 goals in those six games, with Kvaratskhelia scoring five goals.
Turkey, Greece, and Kazakhstan were the other three nations who gained promotion to League B, while Lithuania, Cyprus, Belarus, and Gibraltar will compete in the relegation play-outs to avoid going down to League D.
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