By SABC Sport
16th October 2024
Spain 3-0 Serbia
Spain secured a convincing 3-0 victory over Serbia in their Nations League clash, showcasing the dominance expected from reigning European champions.
Aymeric Laporte opened the scoring just five minutes in, heading home a Pedro Porro cross following a well-worked corner routine.
Mikel Oyarzabal came close to extending the lead in the first half, but his effort was denied by Rajkovic, and Mikel Merino rattled the woodwork moments later.
Alvaro Morata missed a penalty after Veljko Birmancevic handled the ball in the box, but he redeemed himself in the second half with a left-footed strike after a neat give-and-go with Fabian Ruiz.
Serbia's hopes diminished when Strahinja Pavlovic was sent off for violent conduct, a decision confirmed by VAR.
Spain capitalised on the advantage, with Alex Baena sealing the win from a free-kick after Pavlovic's dismissal.
Switzerland 2-2 Denmark
In a gripping Nations League A Group 4 encounter, Denmark and Switzerland battled to a 2-2 draw.
Switzerland took the lead in the 26th minute when Remo Freuler found the net, but Denmark responded quickly. A free kick from Christian Eriksen set up Gustav Isaksen, who equalised with a powerful left-foot shot.
Switzerland regained their advantage after Breel Embolo was fouled by Patrick Dorgu, allowing Zeki Amdouni to convert a penalty.
However, Denmark levelled the score again in the 69th minute when Eriksen, crucial throughout the match, slotted home after an assist from Pierre-Emil Hojbjerg.
The match saw two disallowed goals: Patrick Dorgu's effort for Denmark was ruled out by VAR for offside, and a Swiss goal from a corner was nullified as the ball had gone out of play.
Poland 3-3 Croatia
Poland staged a dramatic comeback to secure a 3-3 draw against Croatia in a thrilling Nations League match.
The Poles, who had lost their previous two games, found themselves 3-1 down after Croatia scored three goals in seven minutes following an early Polish lead.
Poland captain Piotr Zielinski opened the scoring in the 5th minute, but Croatia responded swiftly.
Borna Sosa equalised with a volley, Petar Sucic gave Croatia the lead, and Martin Baturina added a third. Poland reduced the deficit just before half-time through Nicola Zalewski.
Poland's Sebastian Szymanski levelled the score in the 68th minute, but Croatia's goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic was sent off in the 76th minute for a foul on Robert Lewandowski. Despite being down to 10 men, Croatia held on as Poland failed to capitalise.
Scotland 0-0 Portugal
The Nations League clash between Portugal and Scotland at Hampden Park ended in a goalless draw, with both teams unable to break the deadlock in a quiet match.
The game, which featured few decisive moments, took a dramatic turn late on when a supporter invaded the pitch. The fan ran towards the Scotland box, where Cristiano Ronaldo was standing. Security acted quickly, tackling the intruder as the crowd cheered.
Ronaldo showed visible frustration at full-time, sarcastically clapping before storming off the pitch.
Despite the brief chaos, the fan was swiftly removed by stewards, and the match ended 0-0, leaving supporters with little else to remember.
League B results:
Kosovo 3-0 Cyprus
Belarus 1-1 Luxembourg
Lithuania 1-2 Romania
Northern Ireland 5-0 Bulgaria