Summing up the first results of the UEFA League of Nations debut draw.
Four years ago, UEFA published a preliminary format for a new tournament among national teams - the League of Nations. "This competition should replace the simple friendly matches of national teams and will be held during the period when almost all control meetings were held before," the Union of European Football Associations said.
In order not to make just a friendly tournament out of the League of Nations itself, UEFA decided to allow the teams to go to the European Championship through this tournament..
All European teams were divided into 4 divisions, which operate according to the principle of national championships - the worst teams go down to the lower division, the best go up to the top.
What was the very first rally of the League of Nations?.
Division A Formally, the League of Nations will finish in June, when Portugal will determine its first victor. The national teams of the home team, England, Switzerland and the Netherlands will fight for the Cup.
The Portuguese were the only team in this division, which managed to guarantee a victory in the group for the tour to the end. The current European champions strongly started the tournament, in the first two matches, beating both Italians and Poles. Before the third match, the Portuguese knew that in Italy they needed to at least draw in a draw and, having given the initiative to their opponent, they got the desired result. The last match of the group turned out to be important only for the Poles, who, though they flew out of the division in October, but still continued to fight for a place in the first basket during the draw for Euro 2020.
A group of 4 gathered a finalist, a semifinalist and a participant in the 1/8 final of the last World Cup.. But, despite the failure in the world championship, the Spaniards were the main favorites of the group before the start of the tournament, and almost all doubts were thrown away in September, when they beat England away, and destroyed the Croats with the score 6: 0. But not everything is so simple, the Spaniards lost in return matches to both rivals, and the British managed to beat the Croats in the decisive match in the very end, having issued the flight to Division B, and leaving the Spaniards with nothing.
But even despite the fact that in the previous group everything ended in the last minutes, the most unexpected alignment happened in group 2. The teams of Belgium and Switzerland confidently twice dealt with the Icelanders, making them the only team in the top division that did not score any points. In the first-person meeting, the Belgians beat the Swiss at home and in the final round they were satisfied with a draw, or a defeat with a minimum score if they scored two goals.. And these two goals, the Belgians have scored by the 17th minute. It seems that even the Swiss themselves said goodbye to the hope of first place, because now they had to score 4 goals! Half an hour later, the teams went to the break, and on the scoreboard the numbers were already burning 3: 2. With such an account, the Belgians were still the first in the group, but their proximity to failure still did not make them remember the defense.. The Swiss scored twice more and created the main sensation of the League of Nations.
But the sensational results did not end there.. In itself, the draw 2: 2 in the match Germany - the Netherlands is not particularly sensational, but how it was obtained. Until the 85th minute, the "orange" lost 0: 2, and then turned the situation in the group upside down. The Netherlands got into the group for world champions who were still on the wave of success, and former world champions who had to redeem themselves for failure at the World Championships. Bookmakers, experts, fans - all for the most part predicted Kuman’s team departure from Division A, and not all this.
Group A1 1 Netherlands 4 7 2 France 4 7 3 Germany 4 2 Group A2 1 Switzerland 4 9 2 Belgium 4 9 3 Iceland 4 0 Group A3 1 Portugal 4 8 2 Italy 4 5 3 Poland 4 2 Group A4 1 England 4 7 2 Spain 4 6 3 Croatia 4 4 Best team: Netherlands Main sensation: Switzerland Principal failure: Germany Best player: Haris Seferovic (Switzerland) - 5 goals.
Division B The attention of the Ukrainians was most of all riveted to this particular division, because our national team played here.. And how did you play? In the first match on the road, a strong-willed victory was won over the Czech team, torn out in the last seconds. A few days later, in Lviv, the national team of Slovakia was also beaten in the end.. The result of the first match between the Slovaks and the Czechs said that Andrei Shevchenko's wards would be enough of a draw to guarantee the first place, but the guys themselves did not play for a draw, and the Czechs won in Kharkov. Yes, in the last, not decisive match against the Slovaks, there was an insulting defeat, but in general our team can put a solid top five for this tournament..
Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as Ukraine, won all three first matches, but did not guarantee first place for itself. In the last match, the Bosnians had no right to lose to Austria and reduced the match to a goalless draw.. Absolute Outsider Group - Northern Ireland. Four defeats in four games and a well-deserved flight to Division C.
In group 4, Denmark led by Tottenham star Christian Eriksen and former Tottenham star Gareth Bale Wales fought for the first line. The Welsh in a fair fight lost this battle, losing in both fights. Denmark for the tour until the end guaranteed itself the first place, and the match with the Irish turned into a pure formality.
The intrigue remained in Group 2 until the last day, where in the last round Russia and Sweden determined who would go to Division A, and who would remain in Division B. Prior to this, the Swedes sent the Turks to the lower league, and in the match with the Russians they needed only a victory. And they got it. Confidently and without much difficulty, 2-0 at home, and after the terrible first two rounds (1 point in two games), the Swedes were at the top of their trio.
Group B1 1 Ukraine 4 9 2 Czech Republic 4 6 3 Slovakia 4 3 Group B2 1 Sweden 4 7 2 Russia 4 7 3 Turkey 4 3 Group B3 1 Bosnia and Herzegovina 4 10 2 Austria 4 7 3 Se. Ireland 4 0 Group B4 1 Denmark 4 8 2 Wales 4 6 3 Ireland 4 2 Best team: Bosnia and Herzegovina Main sensation: Denmark Main failure: Northern Ireland Best player: Edin Dzeko (Bosnia and Herzegovina) - 3 goals Division C In a decisive bout League of Nations in the only group of Division C, where only three teams were represented, on the British fields Scotland and Israel met. Scots were satisfied only with a victory, but the beginning of the match was left for the guests who opened the score.. Then James Forrest took over the business, which was marked by a hat-trick, and even one more goal of Israel did not prevent the British from winning. Forrest was thus marked with five goals in three days (a double was issued at the gates of Albania), becoming a true hero of two playoffs.
The only team in this division that guaranteed itself a promotion not in the final round was Finland. Northerners have triumphed in the group after ... defeat from the main rival. Greece had the opportunity to beat the Finns only if they won with a difference of 3 goals (or 2: 0), but only mastered the minimal victory..
Norwegians and Serbs postponed the issue of entering Division B for the final round. In it, both teams won confident victories and did not even allow their fans to worry.
As for the teams that have flown to the lower division, here, without question, the Baltic class - Estonia and Lithuania - dropped, but Slovenia was surprised. Dynamo Benjamin Verbic failed to help his team to win at least one victory: in the first three rounds were defeats, in the last draws. Slovenians could not even beat Cyprus, which was the main outsider (to tell the truth, the judges decided a lot in the first match between the teams). But the Cypriots, even taking the third line, still flew. They turned out to be the worst team in third place in Division C. Until the last moment, the islanders were hoping for Romania, which could have scored another goal by the Montenegrin and lowered them below Cyprus, but this never happened..
Group C1 1 Scotland 4 9 2 Israel 4 6 3 Albania 4 3 Group C2 1 Finland 6 12 2 Hungary 6 10 3 Greece 6 9 4 Estonia 6 4 Group C3 1 Norway 6 13 2 Bulgaria 6 11 3 Cyprus 6 5 4 Slovenia 6 3 Group C4 1 Serbia 6 14 2 Romania 6 12 3 Montenegro 6 7 4 Lithuania 6 0 Best team: Serbia Main sensation: Finland Main failure: Slovenia Best player: James Forrest (Scotland) - 5 goals Division D That's for whom the League of Nations is for sure not just freight, in which you can earn some money, but almost the only chance to get into the continental tournament. The fight in this division was conducted in earnest. Probably none of the teams representing this division seriously expects to get through to Euro-2020 through the qualifying tournament.. Therefore, most likely, in this division, it is the four groups of winners that will go to the playoffs for a ticket to the European Championship..
The first place in the quartet of the lucky ones guaranteed Georgia, for the first four matches they did not miss a single goal and gained four victories. It is noteworthy that the rest of the teams of the group, for three of them, produced only one victory.. The Georgians not only went into Division C, guaranteed to themselves the playoffs for reaching the Euro, but also became the best team of the Division.. This title sent them to the fourth basket at the draw for the European Championship-2020.
The fight in other quartets was a bit more interesting.. Luxembourg in the first four matches surprised all of Europe: 9 points and intermediate first place in the group. But in November, the favorites from Belarus prevailed in a full-time confrontation, and in the last round secured success with a victory over San Marino. Our northern neighbors - the only team never missed in the League of Nations. At the same time they spent six matches, not four, like many others.
The Armenian national team finished the first round with an unexpected defeat from Gibraltar, thereby failing to impose a real fight on Macedonia, which it smashed in the home game with the score 4: 0.
To the last D3 group, Kosovo and Azerbaijan claimed the first place.. In the final round, these teams met in full-time confrontation. The Kosovars lacked a draw, but they didn’t have to waste time on trifles and “carried” Azerbaijanis through one gate - 4: 0.
Group D1 1 Georgia 6 16 2 Kazakhstan 6 6 3 Latvia 6 4 4 Andorra 6 4 Group D2 1 Belarus 6 14 2 Luxembourg 6 10 3 Moldova 6 9 4 San Marino 6 0 Group D3 1 Kosovo 6 14 2 Azerbaijan 6 9 3 Faroes 6 5 4 Malta 6 3 Group D4 1 Macedonia 6 15 2 Armenia 6 10 3 Gibraltar 6 6 4 Liechtenstein 6 4 Best team: Georgia Main sensation: Kosovo Main failure: Latvia Best player: George Chakvetadze (Georgia) - 4 goals, 2 assists What's next?.
The next matches the national teams of Europe will hold in the qualifying round for the 2020 European Championship. The League of Nations formed the overall ranking of the national European teams, which determined the composition of the baskets for the draw for the selection of Euro 2020.
The draw itself will take place on December 2, and the matches will begin in the spring of next year..
20 teams will win Euro vouchers through selection, and the last 4 places will be played by the best teams of the League of Nations, which, as of November 20, 2019, still do not win a continental championship voucher.
Vasily Voytyuk, Football. ua Do you want to know the main football news first? Subscribe to our Telegram channel! You can also follow our website on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter..
Author: Vasily Voytyuk.