Martin Zubimendi struck in the 79th minute as Spain edged Denmark 1-0 in Murcia to leapfrog their opponents to the top of their Nations League group. 

The Danes kept the European champions at a distance for the majority of the game, but Zubimendi's late volley slipped through the gloves of Kasper Schmeichel, to give the La Roja their second win, and a one-point at the top of League A Group 4. 

Denmark began the game on the front foot at the Estadio Enrique Roca de Murcia as Kasper Dolberg latched onto Christian Eriksen's pass to test Spain goalkeeper David Raya in the third minute. 

Spain captain Alvaro Morata's shot across the goal from an Alejandro Grimaldo cross sailed inches wide of the post in the 21st minute before Lamine Yamal failed to test Schmeichel after beating Rasmus Kristensen for pace and getting behind their defence on the stroke of half-time. 

La Roja made a much brighter start to the second half, though they had to wait until the 68th minute to force a big save out of Schmeichel as he denied Morata from close range.

The turning point came with 11 minutes left on the clock, as Victor Nelsson's headed clearance only reached as far as Zubimendi, who struck a first-time volley from the edge of the box that beat Schmeichel to nestle in the back of the net. 

Andrej Kramaric's 70th-minute header was enough for Croatia to clinch a 2-1 victory over Scotland, with the visitors denied a last-gasp equaliser.

The forward completed the comeback after Igor Matanovic cancelled out Ryan Christie's opener, but Kristijan Jakic's blushes were spared as his last-second own goal was disallowed for an offside against Che Adams.

In a fairly even first half, Christie got the breakthrough, latching onto Luka Sucic's sliced attempted clearance, and bundling the ball over the line with help from Duje Caleta-Car.

However, just under four minutes later, Croatia were back on level terms as Ivan Perisic cushioned the ball to Matanovic, who drilled his low shot into the bottom-right corner.

The hosts upped the pressure after the break, and Sucic thought he had given them the lead, only to have his goal chalked off for a foul in the build-up.

And they got their reward when Craig Gordon pushed away Borna Sosa's volley, with Kramaric on hand to nod it in from close range when it looped into the air.

Adams had already sent a looping effort wide of the far post in his search for an equaliser and thought he had finally got it after pressuring Jakic into poking it over the line. However, he had done so from an offside position so VAR ruled it out, and Scotland were denied a first point this Nations League campaign.  

Data Debrief: Scotland suffer more late heartbreak

Late drama seems to follow Scotland everywhere in this competition at the moment - they lost their first two games in the competition due to late goals despite putting up a fight.

As such, Scotland extended their longest winless run in competitive matches in their history (P9 D3 L6), while they have now lost four consecutive games for the first time in five years, last doing so in October 2019.

The match-winner, Kramaric, scored his 30th goal for Croatia on his 99th appearance, with more than half of these (16) coming since he turned 30, while he has scored twice as many goals (eight) than any other Croatian player since the start of 2023.

England have confirmed that Arsenal's Bukayo Saka and Liverpool's Curtis Jones have withdrawn from the squad ahead of their Nations League clash with Finland on Sunday. 

Saka was replaced by Noni Madueke in the 51st minute during England's shock 2-1 defeat to Greece at Wembley on Thursday after picking up an injury in his right leg.

It only adds to Mikel Arteta's injury worries ahead of facing Bournemouth next Saturday after Martin Odegaard was injured on international duty for Norway last month. 

Saka has enjoyed a fine start to the Premier League campaign, scoring two goals and laying on a further seven assists in the Gunners' opening seven games. 

The England international has also created more chances (27) than any other player in the division, with his nine goal involvements a total only bettered by Chelsea's Cole Palmer (11) and Manchester City's Erling Haaland (10). 

Lee Carsley will also be without uncapped Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones, who was added to the Three Lions squad earlier this week, but has since withdrawn due to a personal commitment. 

Jones earned his first call-up in May as part of Gareth Southgate's provisional 33-man squad for Euro 2024, but did not make the final cut.

The 23-year-old was part of the Young Lions side that won the 2023 European Under-21 Championship under Carsley, scoring the only goal in their 1-0 win over Spain in the final.

Netherlands head coach Ronald Koeman was left perplexed by Virgil van Dijk's "frustrating" red card in his side's 1-1 draw with Hungary on Friday. 

Van Dijk, making his 77th appearance for his country, received the first dismissal of his international career with two yellow cards in the space of three minutes in the second half.

The first booking stemmed from his protests to referee Lukas Fahndric after a foul on Donyell Malen, before committing a foul soon after to receive his marching orders.

Van Dijk's dismissal looked to have settled the contest after Roland Sallai had smashed home Zsolt Nagy's cross to hand Hungary a goal advantage in the first half. 

But the Netherlands drew level four minutes after going down to 10 men when Denzel Dumfries headed Cody Gakpo's free-kick beyond Denes Dibusz to seal a share of the spoils. 

Speaking after the game, Koeman was left baffled by the decision to hand Van Dijk a first yellow card for discussing the foul on Malen with the referee. 

"That moment was frustrating," Koeman told the NOS. "I don't understand it. I think we agreed that a captain can protest to a referee.

"That foul [on Malen] was good for a red card. There was no intention at all to play the ball. That Virgil then takes that second card is not convenient. He knows that himself."

Van Dijk's red card also saw him become the oldest player to be sent off (33 years and 95 days) since Phillip Cocu (34 years and 313 days) against the same opponents. 

The Liverpool captain had enjoyed a solid game up until his dismissal, completing more passes (145) than any other player, 99 of which came in the first 45 minutes, only adding to his frustration in his assessment at full-time. 

"[The red card] is a bummer. It should not have happened. But I'm especially angry about the first," Van Dijk told ESPN Netherlands.

"They say the captain is the only one who can talk to the referee. I walk up to him. Up tempo, but not in a nasty way, not at all. Very respectful.

"Because I felt it was a breakaway player, he did not go for the ball at all. If even the captain can not say anything ... then it gets difficult."

Julian Nagelsmann believes his Germany side should have been more ruthless after downing Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-1 in the Nations League on Friday. 

Deniz Undav continued his scoring streak for the national side, with his brace enough to see Germany over the line despite Edin Dzeko halving the deficit in the 70th minute. 

Nagelsmann's side sit top of Group A3 after three games ahead of facing the Netherlands on Monday, a side they drew 2-2 with last month. 

But the Germany head coach wants to see an improvement in front of goal after dominating for large parts at the Stadion Bilino Polje against Bosnia. 

The visitors ended the contest with an expected goals (xG) total of 1.81 from their 12 shots, eight of which were on target, while also creating five big chances. 

Germany also finished the game with 73.1% possession, though Nagelsmann said his players must find their clinical edge when they face the Netherlands. 

"We didn't start so well and kept the ball on one side too much in the first ten minutes," Nagelsmann said. 

"When we adjusted that, it was good and we were dominant. Given our superiority, we could have scored more goals.

"Regarding the goal we conceded, Edin Dzeko shouldn't have been that free inside the box. But the team kept control after that. We didn't want to take many risks."

Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz echoed Nagelsmann's thoughts, acknowledging his side's wastefulness in front of goal. 

Wirtz impressed on Friday, creating more chances (four), playing more passes into the final third (36) and having more touches in the opposition box (six) than any of his team-mates.

"I think we made it difficult for ourselves. We could have won by a bigger margin," Wirtz said.

"Against the Netherlands we expect long balls to the striker.

"Bosnia did something similar today, but of course it will be even more difficult on Monday.

"The quality of the Dutch team is even higher."

Wales will benefit from the experience of Friday's Nations League draw with Iceland despite squandering a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2, believes boss Craig Bellamy.

Bellamy's reign began with a positive return of four points from Nations League matches against Turkiye and Montenegro, but they suffered their first major setback under him on Friday.

Brennan Johnson and Harry Wilson scored to give Wales a 2-0 half-time lead at Laugardalsvollur, only for Logi Tomasson's strike and Danny Ward's own goal to earn Iceland a point.

Despite Iceland registering the most shots they have ever recorded in a Nations League match (20), Bellamy was not too disheartened by the result.

"It was good, I enjoyed it. It was what I expected to be honest, I said going out second half that this would be tough," Bellamy told S4C.

"We'll benefit so much from that 45 minutes, it's so good for us. In the long run this will be beneficial. 

"Obviously to be 2-0 up and draw is disappointing, but it was a pleasing performance. It was about me learning about the players and them learning from us.

"It's never good to concede, I don't like it, we'll look at it again. I felt momentum played a big part. It's about us understanding when to take the sting out the game, which will come.

"Overall, I'm pleased with the performance, we've had two yellows which will mean a change on Monday, but it's predictable due to different styles of refereeing. It is what it is."

Despite a frustrating second half, Bellamy is the first manager in Wales' history to go unbeaten through his first three competitive games at the helm, with one win and two draws.

Deniz Undav netted twice in the space of six first-half minutes as Germany held on for a 2-1 win against Bosnia-Herzegovina in their Nations League match at the Stadion Bilino Polje.

The Stuttgart striker found the back of the net in the 30th and 36th minutes to pull Julian Nagelsmann’s side into a two-goal lead, but captain Edin Dzeko’s goal for the hosts after restart set up a tense ending to the game, which the Germans navigated. 

Florian Wirtz ran onto a lofted ball from Robert Andrich before laying it back for Undav to open the scoring at the half-hour mark in the League A Group 3 fixture, but Bosnia-Herzegovina were unfortunate not to equalise in an instant. 

Ermedin Demirovic broke free on a counter just four minutes later and beat German goalkeeper Alexander Nubel with his shot only to see it brush the top of the crossbar on its way out. 

It proved to be a costly miss as Undav turned in a low cross from Maximilian Mittelstadt a couple of minutes later to give the visitors a two-goal cushion. 

Undav thought he had his hat-trick in the 58th minute only for the goal to be ruled out for offside before Dzeko halved the deficit for Sergej Barbarez’s side heading home a Benjamin Tahriovic corner with 20 minutes left to play. 

But the hosts failed to find an equaliser as group toppers Germany preserved their unbeaten start and went two points clear of the Netherlands with their second win. Bosnia-Herzegovina, meanwhile, sit bottom with only one point from three matches. 

Denzel Dumfries' late equaliser maintained the Netherlands' unbeaten start to their Nations League campaign as they rescued a 1-1 draw with Hungary despite Virgil van Dijk's red card.

The Oranje were staring at their first defeat in Group A3 when Roland Sallai smashed Zsolt Nagy's cross home at the back post to cap a rapid break midway through the first half.

Sallai had earlier struck the post as Hungary started impressively, while Denes Dibusz was called into action by Cody Gakpo at the other end shortly before half-time.

The visitors' position was made even more tenuous with 11 minutes remaining, as Liverpool captain Van Dijk received two yellow cards in three minutes, the second for a tactical foul to prevent a Hungary counter.

But Ronald Koeman's side made light of their numerical disadvantage to draw level four minutes later, Dumfries appearing unmarked to head Gakpo's free-kick delivery home.

Neither side were able to find a winner late on, with the result keeping the Netherlands second in the table with five points, two behind leaders Germany and three clear of Hungary.

Data Debrief: No Van Dijk, no problem

Dumfries' equalising goal was the first the Netherlands have scored after receiving a red card since September 7, 2005, salvaging a valuable point just as Hungary looked set to pull level in the standings.

Van Dijk, meanwhile, became the oldest player to be sent off (aged 33 years and 95 days) since Phillip Cocu in that exact same match (34 years and 313 days).

Bruno Fernandes believes Manchester United's recent woes have left them "not in a positive moment", but he is hoping to take centre-stage for Portugal in the Nations League. 

Fernandes has gone 12 games without finding the back of the net for United, his longest goal drought since he arrived at Old Trafford back in January 2020.

The Red Devils have failed to win their last five games across all competitions, with their last outing ending in a goalless draw against Aston Villa before the international break. 

Erik ten Hag's side have managed eight points from their opening seven Premier League games, their fewest at this stage of a league campaign since 1989-90 (seven).

They have also failed to score in each of their last three Premier League games, equalling their worst run without a goal in the competition under Ten Hag's stewardship. 

Fernandes is now preparing for Portugal's Nations League clash with Poland on Saturday, with the midfielder hoping to continue the Selecao's perfect start in Group A1. 

"I will talk about myself personally. It changes a lot because the space is different. This is not a positive moment at Manchester, we are not winning games," Fernandes said.

"The space for the national team is completely different. It's a space where, in the last few days, I have felt very comfortable.

"I have felt that I can enjoy my football, and I think that in all the games we play we are going to win, and we have all benefited from what we've come to do, and I'm in my country, I speak my language, I have better food. All of this is connected with psychology.

"But the important thing is to know how to differentiate the moments, the places, but above all to make sure that what has been negative, try to pass that on to the positive, regardless of the club or the national team.

"I try to give my best in all the games I play, regardless of the club or the national team I'm representing. My will and my effort will never change what I want to bring to the game."

Fernandes was part of the Portugal side that won the Nations League in 2019, playing 81 minutes in their 1-0 win over the Netherlands in the final. 

Many of the players that started the final in Porto remain in the current squad, though head coach Roberto Martinez has shifted to a more youthful approach since.

While Portugal suffered a quarter-final exit to France at Euro 2024, Fernandes is confident the current crop of talent can replicate their Nations League success from five years ago.

"The first difference is that we haven't reached the final four yet. I think all the teams were strong, regardless of the names that came through here and whether they won or stopped winning. I think Portugal has always had a strong team," Fernandes said.

"If we look at the history of our country and football in our country, we had great names and players who always represented the team at the highest level and at the level that is required.

"There are times when you go further and others when you fall by the wayside, others when you win, as happened in 2016 and 2019.

"This team is hungry to repeat this achievement in 2019 because no Portuguese team enters any competition to not win.

"Everyone knows that our ambition is to always win and to win every game, so our ambition now is to win against Poland because we are a team that respects very much what we are going to find as opponents, because we know that our final objective will only come if we manage to win every game."

Lee Carsley suggested he would be happy to go back to coaching England's Under-21s in the wake of the Three Lions' defeat to Greece.

England lost to Greece for the first time as a double from Vangelis Pavlidis, who netted the winner in second-half stoppage time, claimed a famous 2-1 victory for the visitors at Wembley.

Jude Bellingham had slammed in an 87th-minute equaliser, which was England's first shot on target since the third minute of Thursday's Nations League match.

Interim manager Carsley, who led the Under-21s to Euros glory last year, picked an attacking line-up that featured Bellingham, Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Anthony Gordon and Bukayo Saka, but without a recognised striker in the absence of Harry Kane, England floundered.

While the match stats were not overly in Greece's favour, with both sides having an equal number of shots and England actually creating more big chances (two to one), but the visitors did have three goals disallowed for offside.

England's sorry performance sparked debate over Carsley's long-term suitability for the job of replacing Gareth Southgate on a permanent basis, and after the match, the former Republic of Ireland international said: "I was quite surprised after the last camp in terms of [reading] the job is mine and it is mine to lose and all the rest of it.

"My remit has been clear. I'm doing three camps. There's three games left and then hopefully I'll be going back to the Under-21s. It has had almost no impact."

Asked if he did not want the England job on a full-time basis, Carsley added: "I said at the start I wouldn't rule myself in or out, that's still the case.

"I'm more than comfortable in my position. The remit was clear. I'm comfortable and confident with that.

"After the first camp I didn't get too excited. I'm very aware that this job is one of the best jobs in the world. You've actually got a chance of winning. That's still the case."

Greece, meanwhile, dedicated their win to George Baldock, the former Sheffield United full-back who died at the age of 31 earlier this week.

"It was a very special day and match for us. Our thoughts are with George," said Pavlidis, who scored his first goals for Greece since June 2022 against Cyprus, ending a run of 14 games without a goal for the national side.

"We are professionals and had to play the match. We gave our soul for him tonight. Today is not a day to talk about football. He was part of our team. We will miss him very much.

"Also to wish strength to his family and not talk about football. The whole day was numb. We won tonight and don't want to celebrate. There are just no words."

Lorenzo Pellegrini's red card was the decisive moment in Italy's 2-2 draw with Belgium on Thursday, so says Luciano Spalletti.

Italy dropped points for the first time in Nations League Group A2 despite Andrea Cambiaso and Mateo Retegui handing the Azzurri a two-goal advantage.

But five minutes before the interval, Pellegrini was shown a straight red card for a tackle on Arthur Theate. The Roma midfielder had first been given a yellow by the referee before a VAR review. 

As he left the field, several whistles from the fans were aimed at Pellegrini, who became the first Italy player to receive a straight red card since Domenico Criscito in June 2018.

Maxim De Cuyper reduced the deficit two minutes later before Leandro Trossard sealed a share of the spoils in the second half at the Stadio Olimpico.

And Spalletti said that Pellegrini's sending off was what swung the contest in favour of the visitors, but was pleased with his side's display with a man less.

"The description is that there are episodes that throw away games. You have to be good enough to know how to direct even those episodes," Spalletti said. 

"Sometimes it's not possible like tonight. What is the description of the match is the displeasure of the boys in the locker room for not having won the game.

"It was seen that they were aware that they could make it to another victory and that a bit of bad luck got in the way. This attachment that they showed with sorrow is fundamental.

"The game was also done well with ten men. We stooped a little too low, but it became impossible. At the end of the first half, I was in doubt whether to get back to four.

"Pellegrini, I have to review the episode, but I think it was expulsion.

"He felt a bit frustrated and tried everything because he felt anticipated and if you touch with your studs it's always red.

"Then you concede a goal on a free kick, you take an avoidable goal on a corner kick. Tonight it had to be like this, we paid too dearly for these small mistakes".

Belgium improved following Pellegrini's dismissal, having registered an expected goals (xG) total of 0.19 from their four shots in the first half. 

After the break, the Red Devils produced eight shots, though only one was on target, which proved to be the equaliser as Trossard nipped in front of Gianluigi Donnarumma. 

Belgium head coach Domenico Tedesco acknowledged the difficulties his side faced, not helped by Cambiaso's early goal, which was the first time the Azzurri had scored inside a minute since Emanuele Giaccherini did so against Haiti in 2013. 

"We really struggled, and the red card helped us enormously," Tedesco said.

"We know we can do better, but that quick goal against threw all our plans into disarray.

"In possession we stuck to the plan, but without the ball we were too high. The Italians always had a surplus in midfield. So our pressing did not work.

"It's often even harder to score against 10 Italians. They know how to defend.

"From the moment they dropped back – which happened after the red card – it was harder, but we changed the tactics and it worked."

France coach Didier Deschamps knows there is still a long way to go for his side, as he conceded the atmosphere around the camp has not been the best.

Les Bleus hammered Israel 4-1 in the Nations League on Thursday, with Deschamps fielding a youthful side.

With Antoine Griezmann having retired and Kylian Mbappe out injured, Eduardo Camavinga, Christopher Nkunku, Mattéo Guendouzi and Bradley Barcola were on target in Budapest.

Mbappe's absence has caused a stir in the French press, with the 25-year-old having pulled out of contention for the national team despite returning to fitness to feature in Real Madrid's two matches before the international window.

Referring to that media frenzy, Deschamps said: "It's always good to win. The atmosphere around the squad is not exactly pleasant.

"It's not perfect, we're in a transition period but there are some good things, with players who have qualities and now need to confirm.

"This Nations League should help us with that. We failed against Italy [in a 3-1 defeat], but we played a very good match against Belgium [a 2-0 win]."

Camavinga turned in an impressive performance in the heart of France's midfield, though he was left frustrated with how many times he gave the ball away.

The 21-year-old lost possession nine times, which was fewer than four of his team-mates.

"I had a good performance. I can do better, I lost a lot of balls," he said.

"It's still a good performance. It bodes well for the future.

"To impose myself in the national team? Of course. It was everyone's goal to impose ourselves. We have to play good matches."

France face Belgium in their next Nations League encounter on Monday.

Interim boss Lee Carsley insists the failure of his false-nine experiment in England's 2-1 Nations League defeat to Greece will not have any bearing on his future in the role.

Carsley missed the chance to become the first Three Lions boss to win his first three competitive games at the helm since Fabio Capello on Thursday, as Greece left Wembley with a stunning victory.

Vangelis Pavlidis scored twice – including a dramatic 94th-minute winner – as Greece went top of Nations League Group B2 with their first competitive victory over the Three Lions.

With captain Harry Kane sidelined by injury, England lined up with no recognised striker, with Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer interchanging in a fluid system.

England's 12 shots only added up to 0.86 expected goals (xG), with Bellingham's 87th-minute equaliser their only shot on target in the second half.

"We were second best for a lot of tonight, it is disappointing. You are going to get setbacks, and it's important that we respond," Carsley told ITV Sport after the defeat.

 

Only Anthony Gordon (five) managed more than four touches in the Greece area for England, with Bellingham, Foden and Palmer only recording one shot inside the box between them.

Carsley, who has been placed in interim charge through to the end of next month's final Nations League fixtures, is choosing to view the defeat as part of a learning curve.

"We tried something different and tried to overload the midfield. We tried it for 20 minutes, we experimented, and we're disappointed it didn't come off," he said.

"It's unrealistic to expect too much, and we will have to try again. All the goals were from mistakes, which is disappointing.

"It is definitely an option going forward. When you have someone of Kane's quality, though, it rules it out when he is available. 

"But in the future, you have to have the courage and ability to try things. We tried something different. It doesn't change anything. My remit is to do the three camps."

France made it back-to-back wins in the Nations League, with Christopher Nkunku and Bradley Barcola among the scorers as they thrashed Israel 4-1 in Hungary.

Playing at a neutral venue in Budapest's Bozsik Arena, France flew out of the traps as Israel goalkeeper Omri Glazer let Eduardo Camavinga's strike squirm past him in the sixth minute.

Israel did draw level midway through the first half as Omri Gandelman headed Oscar Gloukh's cross home, but they were on terms for less than five minutes as Chelsea forward Nkunku flicked the ball through Ilay Feingold's legs before slotting a low finish into the far corner.

Randal Kolo Muani twice went close to extending France's lead before Matteo Guendouzi gave them breathing space in the 87th minute, rolling a finish beyond Glazer and into the bottom corner.

Didier Deschamps' men added further gloss to the scoreline two minutes later, Guendouzi finding a similar position, but this time opting to pick out Barcola for a curled finish.

The result sees France move onto six points in Group A2, one adrift of Italy – who beat them on matchday one. They face Belgium next time out on Monday.

Data Debrief: New-look Bleus sparkle

With Kylian Mbappe absent due to a niggling injury and Antoine Griezmann retiring from international football, Deschamps fielded a new-look frontline of Nkunku, Kolo Muani, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise.

Recording 33 touches in the area to Israel's five, and 15 shots to their opponents' one, France certainly impressed.

Kolo Muani was a particular bright spark despite not getting on the scoresheet, with his four chances created being at least twice as many as any other player (Theo Hernandez laid on two).

Erling Haaland became Norway's all-time leading scorer with a brace in their 3-0 victory over Slovenia.

The Manchester City striker was captaining his first nation for the first time, and marked the occasion in trademark record-breaking fashion.

Haaland broke the deadlock after just seven minutes of the Nations League clash at the Ullevaal Stadium, where Alexander Sorloth doubled the lead seven minutes after the restart.

Sorloth then turned provider just after the hour mark for Haaland, who broke Jorgen Juve's 87-year record with his 34th international goal in just 36 caps.

The result put Norway firmly in charge of Group B3 with seven points, three ahead of Austria and Slovenia, with Kazakhstan propping up the table on one point.

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