Nations League drama as Dutch pip England with late goals،
The first group stage of the UEFA Women's Nations League (UWNL) has concluded and it certainly provided plenty of drama in the final round of League A. France and Spain had already secured their places for the qualifiers of the February final (where the two finalists will qualify). for the 2024 Olympics), but no one could have predicted what happened with England and the Netherlands, or even Germany and Denmark.
Nations League qualifying final: France. Spain, Netherlands, Germany
Relegation/Promotion Group A/B Playoffs: Belgium, Norway, Iceland, Sweden, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Relegated from group A: Scotland, Portugal, Switzerland, Wales
Promoted from Group B: Republic of Ireland, Finland, Poland, Czechia
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Dutch death drama
The Nations League group stage came to a close when the Netherlands scored twice in the final minutes to beat Belgium 4-0 and claim top spot in Group A1, while the England's 6-0 victory over Scotland did not prove enough.
Two goals from Lineth Beerensteyn had put the Dutch 2-0 ahead, but by the time the 90th minute rolled around they were coming out because England were leading 5-0 and through. Incredibly, defensive midfielder Damaris Egurrola's goal early in added time appeared to have tipped the balance in the Dutch's favor, but less than a minute later in Glasgow, Lucy Bronze scored to take England back to the top of the group. goal difference.
If you thought the drama was over; This was not the case. In the last minute of stoppage time, and with seven different attackers on the pitch, the Dutch conceived a final attack which ended with Egurrola once again the savior and wild celebrations.
No, it wasn't a dream.
THIS REALLY HAPPENED! 😍#UWNL #NEDBEL #NothinglikeOranje pic.twitter.com/L77xr27esp– OranjeLeeuwinnen (@oranjevrouwen) December 6, 2023
It could, and probably should, have been easier for the Netherlands. The hosts had 34 shots, 15 of which were on target as Belgian goalkeeper Nicky Evrard kept almost everything – although many were tame efforts that were easily dealt with. But eventually, they did enough. Just.
England goes from joy to despair
It has been an up and down year for England and, even with plenty of success on the pitch, there has been a lingering sense of flatness. But, needing a big win against their Scottish rivals to qualify ahead of the Netherlands, the Lionesses enjoyed a 6-0 success that showed far more of the spark that helped them win Euro 2022 .
Yes, there were still missed chances in front of goal, but Beth Mead's return up front has helped reignite the spark in attack and the individual brilliance of Lauren James continues to propel them forward. Ultimately, despite Bronze's late effort, England fell a goal short of what they needed due to late Dutch drama, but the performance at least answers some questions.
Wales were good; Germany was not
Germany should have ridden the wave after last week's 3-0 victory over Denmark put them in pole position to qualify top of Group A3. But needing three points against Wales, who had lost five of their six matches, Horst Hrubesch's side struggled to secure a 0-0 draw which could have proved disastrous.
While Hrubesch was reluctant to add more offensive power to the team until it was too late, it was a strange game to end a strange year for Germany. But credit must be given to Wales. It would have been easy to capitulate in the last game, given their results, but they continued to show some fighting spirit and were ultimately rewarded for their determined play, putting pressure on the visiting defense and working as a group to win their first point of the match. campaign. It was only a consolation as they were relegated to League B, but it is a reminder that this team continues to grow under coach Gemma Grainger.
Denmark let Germany off the hook as Birkisdóttir impresses for Iceland
Denmark likely went into their clash against Iceland assuming that Germany would get the win they needed to progress. But while Germany were held to a draw by Wales, Denmark had their own problems and struggled to break down the visitors who went down 1-0.
Given Germany's mistake, a win would have put Denmark through, but it was Karólína Lea Vilhjálmsdóttir's late goal that gave Iceland all three points. But we must congratulate Icelandic goalkeeper Fanney Inga Birkisdóttir, 18, who kept a clean sheet on her debut despite shooting under 20 shots (five on target) from the Danes.
Chaos in Spain after a difficult year
It's been a turbulent and exhausting year for Spain (mainly due to the fallout from FA chief Luis Rubiales' unsolicited kiss on Jenni Hermoso's lips after their World Cup final victory) and, even though she has already secured a spot in the semifinals of the playoffs. , the team looked lost and shapeless for large games against Sweden.
Trailing 3-1 in half an hour, Spain rallied in the second half and there were only three minutes between Mariona's equalizer and Fiamma Benítez's goal to finally win 5-3. The talent of the Spanish team once again did the job. It may not have been convincing, but it was entertaining.
Seger ends his Swedish career on the bench
Somewhere amid the chaos in Malaga, Sweden's most capped player Caroline Seger sat on the bench watching the match unfold, waiting for one last chance to take the field for her country.
Yet for the most capped European player in women's football, her 241st appearance never happened and the 38-year-old midfielder's 18-year international career ended in the dugout. The record will show that his final minutes for Sweden were spent fighting unceremoniously for a point against Italy in October.
Norway still in difficulty
Perhaps the best way to predict how Norway will perform in a match is to simply flip a coin, as there is little rhyme or reason to suggest how well the 1995 world champions will perform currently.
Needing to beat Austria to overtake them for second place and avoid the relegation playoffs, Norway returned to their recognizable frustrating state in a 2-1 defeat as the quality on the pitch did not match the talent of the team led by interim coach Leif Gunnar Smerud. .
Norway had to chase the match after going behind in the ninth minute and it was no surprise when Marit Bratberg Lund couldn't even find the target with her penalty in the second half. It may take something seismic to shake this side out of the disappointing funk that has become so familiar.
Republic of Ireland celebrates in style
Already promoted from Group B1 with many matches to play and 10 points ahead of the chasing pack, the Republic of Ireland had nothing at stake, beyond pride, when they faced their neighbor from Northern Ireland in Belfast, but that didn't stop the visitors from turning on the style for a 6-1 victory.
It was the most ruthless side we've seen from Eileen Gleeson's side during this Nations League campaign and only further highlighted how much the team values their football. Although the opposition will get stronger in the A League next year, Ireland have already proven they can mix with the best.
Hungary on the rise
The development of Hungary, ranked 42nd in the world, under the leadership of Margret Kratz, has gone unnoticed for many over the past two years. Helped by a constantly improving pool of players, Kratz has evolved the team's style of play and, although they were only against Albania (72nd in the FIFA rankings), the Magyars are now in a much healthier position.
Although the promotion playoffs will ask a lot of Hungary, it will be a good litmus test for the small nation.
Was this Nations League a success?
The UWNL faced skepticism for several reasons: Did we really need it for the very narrow Olympic qualifying band? Isn't this just an increase in heavy lifting, with even less room for rotation? But it was a success for most participants. This added a layer of drama for some and pushed others out of their comfort zone, while eliminating the majority of uncomfortably lopsided scores.
Of the 51 teams involved, only two (Turkey and the Republic of Ireland) managed to win every match they played, and only two (the Faroe Islands and Armenia, two of the four lowest-ranked nations ) failed to win a single match. indicate.
Two years ago, England's 20-0 victory over Latvia in World Cup qualifying made headlines to highlight the fact that huge, lopsided scores were not uncommon in football feminine. But that now seems to be history. Yes, there were still some 6-0 thrashings in this Nations League, but overall the teams benefited from the play of those around them and thus raised their own level.
