Internationals: Joao Felix strikes for Portugal
Joao Felix's goal in the first half against Croatia earned Portugal a crucial point during a hectic evening of international matches for the Blues.
Joao Felix and Renato Veiga, the Portuguese pair from the Blues, were included in the starting lineup for their last Nations League game. Felix opened the scoring after 30 minutes, finishing calmly after receiving a long pass from Vitinha of PSG.
Even though they entered halftime with a one-goal advantage, Croatia came back in the second half with Josko Gvardiol from Manchester City scoring to equalize the game. The match concluded with a score of 1-1, but the Blues duo had already secured their place in the quarterfinals, finishing first in Group A1.
At the same time, Marc Cucurella and Robert Sanchez were included on the bench during Spain’s thrilling 3-2 victory against Switzerland. In the first half, Pino put Spain ahead by capitalizing on a saved penalty from Pedri. Sanchez was introduced at halftime, marking just his third time playing as goalkeeper for the national team.
The match sprang to action in the second half when Switzerland’s Joel Monteiro and Andi Zeqiri found the net, while Byran Gil kept the European champions in the game. With the score at 2-2 and everything up for grabs, Bryan Zaragoza stepped up and scored from a penalty, securing a dramatic victory for Spain right at the end.
Similar to their neighboring country Portugal, Spain had already secured their spot as winners of their group before the match began, allowing them to move on to the quarter-finals of the tournament.
Djordje Petrovic of Serbia played a crucial role in maintaining a clean sheet during the 0-0 match against Denmark. The goalkeeper, who is currently loaned to Strasbourg, made three key saves, helping Serbia finish in third place in Group A4.
On Monday, Bashir Humphreys, who was awarded Player of the Match in his last game for England’s Under-21 team, kicked off their final friendly match of the November international break, which ended in a 1-1 tie against the Netherlands.
The central defender, currently playing for Championship team Burnley this season, participated in the entire game where a header from Dane Scarlett was equalized by a late goal from the opposing team.
In another match, Landon Emenalo started for the England Under-17 team in their closely contested 2-1 loss to Belgium during the second friendly of their series against the same opponent.
Belgium took the lead first, but the Young Lions responded when Ryan McAidoo scored an equalizer. However, Emenalo's team couldn't maintain the tie for too long, as the home team scored again to secure the victory. The 16-year-old was later substituted for Brighton’s Freddie Simmonds with half an hour remaining in the match.
