England continued their rocky start in the Nations League in days of preparation for the World Cup, with Gareth Southgate’s side holding two points after three games. The European champion, however, pushed ahead with his upheaval. It was a draw marked by inefficiency.
In the parallel game of Group A3, Germany disappointed in Hungary. In the fourth international match in a row, it was only enough for a seemingly powerless DFB team to draw 1-1. Zsolt Nagy (6th) took advantage of the early disorder in the partially confused German defensive, but Jonas Hofmann equalized shortly afterwards (9th).
The points were also shared in A4: The game with the highest scores of the day was delivered by the Netherlands and Poland in a 2-2 draw in Rotterdam. A double strike within four minutes by Davy Klaassen and Denzel Dumfries avoided an Oranje defeat after being 2-0 down. Belgium conceded the 1-1 draw in Wales in the 86th minute.
In League B1, Ireland beat Austria’s World Cup play-off conquerors Scotland 3-0. For the Irish it was the first victory in the third group game. Leader of the table is Ukraine after two wins in two games. The national team of the war-torn country won 3-0 against Armenia at the alternative stadium in Lodz (Poland).
England served their spectator ban as punishment for riots surrounding the European Championship final at Wembley Stadium a year ago. And, like Hungary recently, applied the UEFA regulations for children visiting the stadium at their home game. 1,400 were there in Wolverhampton for a fashionable revenge for a bitter penalty shoot-out in the final.
The kids didn’t see Harry Kane in action until later. Instead of the goalgetter, Roma striker Tammy Abraham acted in the center of the attack and, after a catastrophic Donnarumma mispass, made the start in obscuring top chances.
In the squadra, which was newly thrown together after the missed World Cup – only three European Championship finalists in the starting eleven – voting problems were inevitable. But it was the “Three Lions” who, just five months before their World Cup appearance in Qatar, were notable for their patchwork and holes in defense. Italian inefficiency and a strong Arsenal goalie Aaron Ramsdale shaped the game. England are already three competitive games without a win Italy leads the group at halftime of this Nations League edition one point ahead of Hungary.
Source: Nachrichten
