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Keystone
The Nations League has also known ghost games since Thursday. In the big game at the start of the second edition of the UEFA competition in League A, Germany and Spain separated 1-1.
Germany’s national coach Jogi Löw had made it clear in the run-up to the Nations League duel with Spain: the match was the kick-off for next year’s Euro Cup. Löw’s Spanish counterpart Luis Enrique made a similar announcement. Players on the field only knew how to obey the concise words of their coaches after a while. With Timo Werner’s 1-0 victory in the 51st minute, the game accelerated in the second half. Spain got a deserved victory point thanks to a goal in the final seconds.
Before the break, Germany had repeatedly tried to switch sides quickly to avoid the Spanish defense, and five minutes after the restart, the tactic finally worked. A pass from Ilkay Gündogan found rookie Robin Gosens on the left attacking wing, whose pass Werner found in the Spanish penalty area. The Chelsea newcomer made room with a bodily deception before shooting dry to 1-0.
The local team retired in the lead, while the guests from Spain had to assume the role of game designers. This made it easier for the visitors to reach the penalty area, but was rarely really dangerous for Kevin Trapp’s goal. It was only in the sixth minute of injury time that José Gaya prevented Spain from missing a goal for the first time in 40 games with a 1-1 draw. The Valencia defender pushed Rodrigo’s header over the line.
The long time without international matches was particularly noticeable in the teams before the break, as well as the many mutations in the two squads. Löw had given the Champions League winners FC Bayern free for the opening match and did not call up Marcel Halstenberg and Lukas Klostermann to Leipzig, Luis Enrique surprised in advance with a squad dotted with a handful of potential debutants. As a result, the vote was not always correct in the beginning.
The Swiss team has yet to take the 1-1 draw in Stuttgart as a warning. On Sunday, Vladimir Petkovic’s team will face Germany in the 2nd round of the Nations League in Basel, which has already warmed up against Spain.
Kololli saves Kosovo in Moldova
In qualifying for the European Championship last year, Kosovo had long been hopeful, but the start of the League of Nations was probably different for Bernard Challandes’ team. In the opening match of League C, Kosovo only scored 1-1 in Moldova. Benjamin Kololli, the FC Zurich forward, saved the favorite with his goal in the 71st minute after the home team took the lead in the 20th minute. For Kololli it was the fourth goal in Kosovo’s 17th mission.
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