Nations League, Croatia eliminates France. Fly Denmark

The leaders are always Denmark, which you do not expect. He stands out in group A1, shared with the finalists of the last World Cup, also confirming himself against Austria. Wind and former Bologna Skov Olsen scored, Maehle’s performance was also excellent and he then injured his knee at the beginning of the second half and kept Atalanta apprehensive. The curse of France instead continues, in the Nations League. The reigning world champions remain last with only two points won in four games and the home defeat against Croatia irremediably compromises the possibility of confirming themselves in this competition. The whistles of the Stade de France give the exact dimension of the critical moment of the Bleus.

France-Croatia 0-1

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The race immediately started uphill for Deschamps’ team. At 3 ‘Konaté almost involuntarily stepped on Budimir’s foot on a corner kick: for the referee Grinfeld it was a penalty. Modric takes charge of the joke, Maignan touches the not irresistible conclusion but it is not enough to avoid the goal. The Milan goalkeeper is good shortly after to save with a double intervention on Budimir and Brekalo, in the middle the French protests for a very suspicious contact between Kovacic and Mbappé in the other area. Overall, however, it is not a beautiful France. The PSG player’s ideas are well contained by the defense, Benzema and Nkunku lower themselves a lot to facilitate the development of the attack maneuver, without producing particular effects. The start of the second half by the Bleus is much more convinced, with Mbappé trying from a distance; Ivusic reaches for a corner, but the referee doesn’t notice. Croatia becomes dangerous in the 72nd minute: Brekalo works a good ball and gives it to Majer, his shot is blocked by Maignan. Deschamps is played all out by including Coman and Guendouzi, but it’s all in vain. Indeed, it is the guests who come closest to doubling with Vlasic; the AC Milan goalkeeper is also careful in this case. Sutalo risks ruining everything by going close to the own goal with a backward header, saved by Ivusic; on the corner kick, at the last breath, Konaté stands out but does not frame the goal. The end of the tunnel is still a long way off.

Denmark-Austria 2-0

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Another good test of Denmark, in front of their fans celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of the Europeans’ victory, locks the primacy in the group. The first half is a crescendo: after an initial phase of possession, the Danes increase the laps around the middle of the fraction. At 19 ‘it is Maehle who has an excellent opportunity to head, but he does not frame the mirror. The winger of Atalanta makes up for it two minutes later, when he needs a perfect assist to Wind after taking the Austrian defense 1-0. The same Wind then inspires the doubling signed by Skov Olsen in the 37th minute, where the Bruges striker is good at picking up the invitation and beating again an innocent Lindner. The sore point of the evening materializes in the 50th minute, when Maehle is forced to leave the pitch; in place of him another “Italian”, Stryger Larsen. Austria raised the pressure, creating some interesting situations by recovering the ball on the frontline, but without ever alarming Schmeichel. In the final, Eriksen – entered for the last quarter of an hour – is likely to further round the score, but his shot stops on the post.

The other races

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The day’s program was opened by the challenges of group C3, where Kazakhstan confirms itself as leaders by beating Slovakia 2-1 in the direct clash for the top; in the other game, Azerbaijan overcame Belarus 2-0. Only one draw for Iceland and Israel in group B2, with three teams for the exclusion of Russia, a result that keeps Alon Hazan’s national team at the top. Singular scene on the goal of the 2-2 final scored by Peretz of Venice: on his header the ball crosses the entire line but the assignment is not instantaneous. This is because at the Reykjavík stadium it was not possible to install Goal Line Technology, so a control in the Var room was necessary.