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Barella, Berardi and Locatelli were among the best in Italy against Poland. © APA / afp / MIGUEL MEDINA
Italy were undefeated in their 24th consecutive home game and took a big step towards the Nations League final. The Austrian national team are also just one step away from group victory after Dusel’s win against Northern Ireland.
November 15, 2020
Three more teams can secure a ticket to the final round in group A1, although Squadra Azzurra has had all the wins in hand since Sunday night. Italy beat the Poles around Bayern forward Robert Lewandowski thanks to a converted penalty from Jorginho (27th) and a goal from strong Domenico Berardi (83rd) 2-0 and now has it in their own hands, with a triumph in Bosnia Herzegovina to make the group win perfect. The Italians, who had to cope with a host of failures and were not coached on the sidelines by Corona-infected team boss Roberto Mancini, delivered a convincing performance in Reggio Emilia and were clearly superior to Poland during the 90 minutes. The Azzurri have been unbeaten in 24 home games.
The Dutch also defended their opportunity in the finals, claiming their maiden 3-1 win against Bosnia-Herzegovina under the guidance of bond coach Frank de Boer. Liverpool FC’s Georginio Wijnaldum (6th / 13th) and Memphis Depay (55th) met for Elftal in front of empty stands. In the fight for the final, the Dutch (8 points) would have to win in Poland (7) on Wednesday and hope that the Italians (9) lose points.
Austria escapes from shame
Austria’s national soccer team beat Northern Ireland 2-1 at the Happel Stadium in Vienna. Josh Magennis put the guests ahead in the 74th minute, while substitutes Louis Schaub (81) and Adrian Grbic (87) turned the game around. The Austrians, who were disappointing for long periods, achieved their fifth victory in a row and, at the same time, their fifth victory over Northern Ireland en suite.
Andreas Ulmer (right) and ÖFB’s kickers avoided a hard landing against Northern Ireland © APA / afp / JOE KLAMAR
The ÖFB team now have a point in the final Nations League game against Norway at the Prater on Wednesday to win the group. It is still unclear if the game will be played due to a Corona case among Scandinavians. The Norwegians are likely to arrive with a B troop.
England is out
Belgium also opened the door to the tournament’s finals, robbing England with a 2-0 win of their last chance to reach the four-man final. The world’s number 1 team. This was in exchange for Sunday in Leuven for a 2-1 loss in the first leg in October. Youri Tielemans (10th) and Napoli forward Dries Mertens (24th) each scored for the Belgians with shots from around 20 meters.
This means that a draw in the home game against Denmark in Group A2 on Wednesday is enough for coach Roberto Martínez’s team to advance to the final round as the second team after France (A3) in early June 2021.
Author: dpa / apa / fop
