A roundup of results from the first day of 2020-21 UEFA Nations League action, including a dramatic result in Germany – Spain and a surprise leader atop the group featuring two global powerhouses…
[ TRANSFER NEWS: Arsenal to re-loan Ceballos; Henderson to leave Man United ]
Germany 1-1 Spain
Timo Werner took his tally of international goals to a cool dozen, but Germany couldn’t hold on for the game’s final few seconds and were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw with Spain to begin League A, Group 4 play.
Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan started the sequence with an aggressive diagonal ball to the left wing, where Robin Gosens brought it down and cut it back to Werner atop the penalty area. Chelsea’s new, star no. 9 took a couple touches to work his way through traffic and create space for a shot. Once he found his crease, Werner fired low and hard to David de Gea’s right-hand post. No chance for Manchester United’s no. 1.
🇩🇪 ⚽ ¡Gooooool de Alemaniaaaaaaa! ⚽🇩🇪
🔥💥 Timo Werner abrió el marcador con un derechazo imparableee.
🔴 En vivo: https://t.co/zArxMZqQIh
👉 📺TUDN USA#DieMannschaft | #SomosEspaña | #U21EURO pic.twitter.com/IsBJsmg0YH— TUDN USA (@TUDNUSA) September 3, 2020
Werner’s 51st-minute strike looked like the sure winner as the clock ticked past 94:00 and the minimum of four minutes of stoppage time, but there was to be one more minute and one more strike. Jose Gaya’s first international goal was as opportunistic it was late.
⚽ ¡Goool de último minuto! ¡Goool de último minuto! Gayá logra empatar el encuentro ⚽
🇩🇪 @DFB_Team 1-1 @SeFutbol 🇪🇸⚽!#DieMannschaft | #SomosEspaña | #U21EURO pic.twitter.com/8sR42QL3KI
— TUDN USA (@TUDNUSA) September 3, 2020
Up next, Spain will host Ukraine and Germany will visit Switzerland on Sunday.
Ukraine 2-1 Switzerland
The day’s other game from League A, Group 4 had Premier League fingerprints all over it as well.
Ukraine got goals from West Ham United winger Andriy Yarmolenko and Man City left back/winger Oleksandr Zinchenko either side of Haris Seferovic’s goal, which was assisted by Arsenal midfielder and new Swiss captain Granit Xhaka.
Thursday’s results see Ukraine go top of the group after the first round of games.
Other Nations League results
League B, Group 3
Russia 2-1 Serbia
Turkey 0-1 Hungary
League B, Group 4
Bulgaria 1-1 Ireland
Finland 0-1 Wales
Friday’s Nations League schedule
League A, Group 1
Italy v Bosnia & Herzegovina
Netherlands v Poland
League B, Group 1
Norway v Austria
Romania v Northern Ireland
League B, Group 2
Scotland v Israel
Slovakia v Czech Republic
League C, Group 4
Lithuania v Kazakhstan
Belarus v Albania