Key events
Thanks for your company on another fun if slightly brain-melting night of association football. I’ll leave you with Ewan Murray’s report from Krakow, where Scotland earned the right to boogie. Bye!
I need a drink 😂 The attitude and organisation of those Scotland players was sensational. Ryan Porteous immense on his debut. And if Aaron Hickey isn’t at a top five English club within two years….
— Ewan Murray (@mrewanmurray) September 27, 2022
Phew. After an extremely eventful night of Nations League fitba, these are the final scores.
League A Group 2
Spain qualify for Nations League finals; Czech Republic are relegated
League B Group 1
Scotland are promoted; Armenia are relegated
League B Group 2
Neither team is promoted or relegated
League B Group 4
-
Norway 0-2 Serbia
-
Sweden 1-1 Slovenia
Serbia are promoted; Sweden are relegated
League C Group 2
Greece are promoted; Cyprus will play a relegation playoff against Gibraltar.
Full time: Republic of Ireland 3-2 Armenia
Ireland end their campaign with a win, though they made seriously heavy weather of it. Robbie Brady’s injury-time penalty eventually gave them victory against an Armenia side that finished with nine men.
Full time: Portugal 0-1 Spain
Alvaro Morata’s dramatic late winner means Spain will join Croatia, Italy and the Netherlands in next year’s Nations League finals! The Spain players are bouncing around in celebration; Cristiano Ronaldo is shaking his head in disgust. I’d love to hear his internal monologue right now, because a peak Ronaldo would have had two or three goals tonight.
SCOTLAND ARE PROMOTED TO LEAGUE A!
Full time: Ukraine 0-0 Scotland They’ve done it! Scotland have been promoted to the top table of the Nations League after an heroic performance in Krakow. They rode their luck at times, and the marvellous Craig Gordon made two or three terrific saves, but for long periods they defended with calmness and authority. Given how many key players they were missing, it’s an outstanding achievement.
90 min: Portugal 0-1 Spain Ronaldo smacks a shot from a tight angle that is well blocked by Unai Simon.
90 min: Ukraine 0-0 Scotland Four minutes of added time in Poland. Stepanenko has just headed wide from a corner, though it wasn’t nearly as good a chance as the one in the first half.
GOAL! Portugal 0-1 Spain (Morata 88)
The Spain players are going wild! Alvaro Morata has scored with only two minutes to go! An angled cross was headed back across goal by Nico Williams, and Morata pinged it gleefully into the net from a few yards out.
GOAL! Republic of Ireland 3-2 Armenia (Brady 90+1 pen)
Robbie Brady spares Ireland’s blushes with a cool penalty. But dear me, what a palaver.
PENALTY TO IRELAND! And two Armenian players have been sent off in the fallout!
“I agree with you, the Nations League is fun stuff,” says Brad Wilson, “and with games compelling to watch at 0-0 (as the USA friendly was not). Uefa gets a lot wrong, but I think this is a win. Yann Sommer is always my Sadly Underappreciated Goalkeeper of the Year. Love to watch his athleticism and moxie.”
GOAL! Greece 3-1 Northern Ireland (Mantalos 80)
Cyprus have pulled one back in Kosovo as well, but Northern Ireland will be safe unless there is a further swing of at least four goals.
83 min: Republic of Ireland 2-2 Armenia All of a sudden it’s extremely nervy at the Aviva Stadium, where Khoren Bayramyan has just driven a shot a few yards wide. If Armenia score again, Ireland will be relegated to League C, and Stephen Kenny will be under all kinds of pressure.
78 min: Ukraine 0-0 Scotland Stepanenko volleys just wide from the edge of the area. Gordon waved it away, in fairness, so maybe it wasn’t as close as it first looked.
Republic of Ireland 2-2 Armenia A draw would be a dreadful result for the Republic of Ireland, who also lost the return fixture at the start of the Nations League campaign.
Greece 2-1 Northern Ireland
Here’s Greece’s second goal, which was nicely worked and finished.
74 min: Ukraine 0-0 Scotland Scotland continue to defend admirably, and they are starting to keep the ball better than they did at the start of the second half. They are 16 minutes away from a famous result.
The latest scores
League A Group 2
League B Group 1
League B Group 2
League B Group 4
-
Norway 0-2 Serbia
-
Sweden 1-1 Slovenia
League C Group 2
GOAL! Republic of Ireland 2-2 Armenia (Spertsyan 73)
Oh my word! Ireland are suddenly one goal away from relegation – and humiliation.
69: Portugal 0-0 Spain Ruben Dias’s cross-shot is shinned over his own crossbar by Dani Carvajal in the six-yard box. He could easily have roofed that.
GOAL! Republic of Ireland 2-1 Armenia (Dashyan 71)
Oof, there could be a late sting in Dublin, where Artak Dashyan has pulled one back for Armenia.
Saudi Arabia 0-0 USA
“Rob, completely off topic but just watched two hours of dull football as the USA-Saudi friendly ended in a nil-nil draw, Gio Reyna injured after 30 minutes,” says Mary Waltz. “Getting ready for weeks of anxiety and gnashing of teeth in build up to WC. Oh boy!”
64 min: Portugal 0-0 Spain A reminder that a draw is enough for Portugal to qualify for next year’s Nations League finals. Spain need a win.
63 min: Ukraine 0-0 Scotland Another chance for Ukraine, with Zabarnyi lifting a deep free-kick over the bar. Even though he was only a few yards out, it wasn’t an easy chance – he was sliding towards a ball which bounced a yard or so in front of him.
Switzerland 2-1 Czech Republic West Ham’s Thomas Soucek has missed a penalty for the Czech Republic in St Gallen. I say missed; it was saved by Yann Sommer.
Republic of Ireland 2-0 Armenia Here’s the goal from Michael Obafemi which put Ireland 2-0 up in Dublin. Not quite as good as that primal screamer against Scotland in June, but a decent long-range strike nonetheless.
GOAL! Greece 2-1 Northern Ireland (Masouras 56)
Northern Ireland are behind again in Athens, though it’s not going to affect their position in League C Group 2. Barring an absurd turn of events, they will finish third.
The latest scores
League A Group 2
League B Group 1
League B Group 2
League B Group 4
-
Norway 0-2 Serbia
-
Sweden 1-1 Slovenia
League C Group 2
GOAL! Kosovo 4-0 Cyprus (Muriqi 52) What more can I say?
GOAL! Norway 0-2 Serbia (Mitrovic 54)
It looks like Serbia are heading for promotion. Aleksandar Mitrovic has doubled their lead in Oslo.
53 min: Ukraine 0-0 Scotland It’s one-way traffic in Krakow, with Scotland hanging on a little desperately. There was some talk that Mudryk, who was booked in the first half, might have received a second yellow card. I’m afraid I did not see the incident, mainly because there are nine bloody football matches going on.
GOAL! Republic of Ireland 2-0 Armenia (Obafemi 52)
Michael Obaefemi, who has had a really good Nations League campaign, has doubled Ireland’s lead at the Aviva. They will be playing in League B with the Nations League returns in 2024-25.
47 min: Portugal 0-0 Spain Unai Simon has just made a really good stop to deny Cristiano Ronaldo, who was one on one with the keeper.
48 min: Ukraine 0-0 Scotland The exciting Mudryk cuts inside from the left and hits a booming curler that is superbly saved by the flying Gordon. He’s had a fine game.
GOAL! Kosovo 3-0 Cyprus (Rashani 47) This is very good news for Northern Ireland, who won’t be facing a relegation playoff.
Peep peep! The second halves are underway.
“Hello Rob,” says Kári Tulinius. “Sesko’s volley was indeed something else, but I think Marco van Basten’s 1988 volley still has the edge because of who he beat. Don’t get me wrong, Robin Olsen is really good, but Rinat ‘The Cat’ Dasayev was one of the true greats of goalkeeping.”
I was obsessed with him as a kid. He was linked with Man Utd on Teletext once in 1988. I didn’t sleep for weeks.
Portugal 0-0 Spain
“Nothing wrong with this Spain team (85% of the game’s passes, or something, 0 shots on goal) that wouldn’t be solved by reintroducing Xavi, Iniesta and David Villa,” says Charles Antaki. “I mean, even now.”
Half time
Peep peep! Plenty happening across Europe, though our two featured games – Portugal v Spain and Ukraine v Scotland – are goalless. That means, as things stand, Portugal are heading to next summer’s Nations League finals, and Scotland have a one-way ticket* to League A.
Here are all the half-time scores.
League A Group 2
League B Group 1
League B Group 2
League B Group 4
-
Norway 0-1 Serbia
-
Sweden 1-1 Slovenia
League C Group 2
GOAL! Norway 0-1 Serbia (Vlahovic 42)
In Oslo, Dusan Vlahovic has struck first in the Battle of the Beasts. Serbia need to win that game to leapfrog Norway and earn promotion to League A.
GOALS! Kosovo 2-0 Cyprus (Rrudhani 45+1); Switzerland 2-1 Czech Republic (Schick 45)
Sweden 1-1 Slovenia “Just watched that Benjamin Sesko strike against Sweden: serious Marco van Basten 1988 vibes,” says Ingo Herzke. “Nearly identical volley, only from the left instead from the right. Some promise, that guy.”
Crikey, I’ve just seen it and it’s a helluva goal. It looks more controlled than van Basten’s which, though utterly awesome, had an element of hit and hope. The angle was even tighter for van Basten though.
GOAL! Sweden 1-1 Slovenia (Forsberg 42) Emil Forsberg has equalised for Sweden in Solna.
38 min: Portugal 0-0 Spain Bruno Fernandes smashes a rising drive into the side netting from 20 yards. For all Spain’s possession, Portugal have looked more likely to take the lead.
Greece 1-1 Northern Ireland Here’s that Northern Ireland equaliser, a really deft finish from Shayne Lavery.
The latest scores
League A Group 2
League B Group 1
League B Group 2
League B Group 4
-
Norway 0-0 Serbia
-
Sweden 0-1 Slovenia
League C Group 2
33 min: Ukraine 0-0 Scotland Stepanenko spurns a brilliant chance, heading a corner wide from seven or eight yards. Both teams have had really good opportunities in this first half.
33 min: Portugal 0-0 Spain Unai Simon makes a spectacular save to deny Diogo Jota. The most impressive thing was not that he got to the ball, even though he was at full strength, but that he had the strength to push it onto the roof of the net. That’s a great save.
Switzerland 2-0 Czech Republic In the other League A, Group 2 game, Switzerland have scored two goals in as many minutes through Remo Freueler and Breel Embolo. They only need a draw to avoid relegation and send the Czech Republic down.
31 min: Ukraine 0-0 Scotland Ryan Jack misses a good chance for Scotland. A corner wasn’t cleared and eventually bobbled across the area to Jack, who screwed a snapshot over the bar from eight yards.
“Re: Norway v Serbia,” says Peter Oh. “Which keeper do you think is more worried? Serbia’s for Haaland bounding toward him, or Norway’s for Mitrovic and Vlahovic prowling nearby? Gulp, and gulp.”
GOAL! Sweden 0-1 Slovenia (Sesko 28)
In the relegation playoff in Solna, the exciting teenager Benjamin Sesko has given Slovenia the lead.
27 min: Ukraine 0-0 Scotland Ihnatenko is booked for a poor, studs-up tackle on Hickey.
