The fifth round of the Nations League delivered crucial outcomes and surprising results. Italy’s impressive performance against Belgium in Brussels secured a spot in the quarterfinals. Sandro Tonali’s first-half goal, assisted by Di Lorenzo, proved decisive. To confirm their first-place finish in the group, Italy needs only a draw or to avoid losing by more than two goals against France. The French side, however, struggled in a tightly controlled 0-0 draw with Israel at a highly secured Stade de France in Saint-Denis. The absence of Mbappé and missed opportunities from Didier Deschamps’ squad proved costly.
In League B, Austria earned a crucial victory in Kazakhstan, with goals from Baumgartner and Gregoritsch securing the top spot in Group 3 for now. Kazakhstan, officially relegated to League C, failed to score throughout the campaign. Meanwhile, Norway secured a commanding 4-1 win in Slovenia, pulling level with Austria at the top. Rising star Antonio Nusa, born in 2005, contributed two goals and an assist, while Erling Haaland also found the net. Slovenia’s lone goal came from Benjamin Šeško, who was outshined by his Leipzig teammate Haaland.
England finally delivered a strong performance, defeating Greece 3-0 on the road with a confident display. Ollie Watkins opened the scoring, and Curtis Jones sealed the match. Ireland’s 1-0 home win condemned Finland to League C, as Venezia’s Joel Pohjanpalo missed a crucial penalty. Brighton’s 2004-born talent Evan Ferguson scored the decisive goal.
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In League C, Davidsen led the Faroe Islands to a victory over Armenia in Group 4, overtaking their opponents to claim second place. North Macedonia remains in full control of the group, securing promotion to League B. A first-half goal from Serafimov was enough to see off Latvia.
