Spain defeated Switzerland 3-2. © APA/afp / MIGUEL RIOPA

Croatia and Denmark are in the quarter-finals

At the end of the Nations League, numerous duels were scheduled. Both Serbia and Scotland missed out on the quarter-finals. Austria's national football team, on the other hand, will be drawn from pot one in the draw for the qualifying groups for the 2026 World Cup.

18 November 2024

From: apa

With outside help, the ÖFB team defended its twelfth and last place in pot one. France, Spain, England, the Netherlands, Portugal and Germany will also be in the draw in Zurich on December 13. The twelve group winners will definitely qualify for the finals in the USA, Mexico and Canada, while the runners-up will have to go into a play-off.

The Serbs posed the greatest threat before kick-off. They started boldly in the small stadium in Leskovic. Denmark's goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel parried shots from star striker Dusan Vlahovic and Andrija Zivkovic in the first twelve minutes, while Aleksandar Mitrovic shot just wide of the far post. The Danes, defending their second place, wobbled considerably, but came close to scoring after just under half an hour. Mikkel Damsgaard shot from a free kick, and Mitrovic saved centimeters from the goal line for his beaten goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic. Shortly afterwards, Yussuf Poulsen was thwarted on the counterattack by Petrovic.

Dusan Vlahovic in a header duel. © APA/AFP / ANDREJ ISAKOVIC

Vlahovic remained the most noticeable man on the field after the break. The Juventus Turin attack tank tried twice from distance before shooting over the bar from a good position in the 79th minute. Before the final offensive, Vlahovic had to leave the field with a muscular problem in his thigh. Serbia could no longer build up any pressure. The former Salzburg player Strahinja Pavlovic was sent off with a second yellow card deep into injury time.

Scots were not helped by a late winning goal

The Scots took an early lead in Warsaw. John McGinn, who scored late in Friday's 1-0 win against Croatia, celebrated this time in the 3rd minute. The Scots hit the post and crossbar before half-time, but Poland also had its chances. The home team, who ultimately fought in vain against relegation, rewarded themselves in a spectacular manner after the break. Kamil Piatkowski moved up wide after a Polish attack and hammered the ball from the edge of the penalty area into the top corner (59th minute). It was the center-back's first goal in the national team jersey.

Scotland's players after the final whistle. © APA/afp / WOJTEK RADWANSKI

At this point, Scotland absolutely needed two goals to win the direct match against Croatia. They managed one more: Andy Robertson scored with a header in the 93rd minute. That was all they could do. Like Serbia, the Scots are now a possible opponent for Austria in the relegation round.

Croatia gets the saving point in Split

Portugal played without Cristiano Ronaldo, the veteran star was rested and did not travel to Croatia, like the suspended Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva. The rejuvenated Portuguese team nevertheless created dangerous opportunities and Joao Felix converted one of them in the 33rd minute. Andrej Kramaric came close to responding before half-time, but his shot hit the post. A goal by Gvardiol was disallowed for offside, but minutes later the advanced left-back was there again after a cross and scored the deserved equaliser (65th).

Croatia and Portugal played a draw. © APA/afp / DAMIR SENCAR

The Spaniards, who had already qualified for the quarter-finals, won 3:2 against the Swiss, who had already been relegated. A penalty converted by Bryan Zaragoza in the 93rd minute deprived Switzerland of a positive end to the year in Tenerife. Before that, Andi Zeqiri (85th) and Joel Monteiro (63rd) had equalised twice. Yeremy Pino (32nd) and Bryan Gil (68th) also scored for the European champions.