Nations League: ‘world’s worst team’ San Marino win again to earn promotion

After waiting 140 matches for a victory, suddenly two wins arrive within just over two months. San Marino triumphed 3-1 in Liechtenstein on Monday night, earning a spot in Nations League Group C. This win came after they secured their very first victory since 2004 against the same team at home back in September.

In the second half, Lorenzo Lazzari, Nicola Nanni, and Alessandro Golinucci scored to help San Marino, the lowest-ranked team in the world according to FIFA, achieve their first-ever victory on foreign soil. This came after Liechtenstein initially took the lead in the first half with a goal from Aron Sele. As a result, San Marino, a country with a population of just over 30,000, ended up at the top of Group D1 with seven points, finishing one point ahead of Gibraltar. Liechtenstein, on the other hand, finished at the bottom of the group with just two points after four matches.

Northern Ireland lost a two-goal advantage within just three minutes, yet their 2-2 draw against Luxembourg was sufficient for Michael O'Neill's team to secure promotion as the champions of Group C3.

Northern Ireland seemed to have the match under control when Isaac Price from Standard Liège scored in the 19th minute. Conor Bradley from Liverpool extended their lead shortly after halftime. However, Luxembourg responded in the 72nd minute with a goal from Seid Korac, and just moments later, Gerson Rodrigues equalized. This created a nail-biting end at the Stade de Luxembourg, but Northern Ireland managed to hold on. Their draw, combined with Bulgaria's 1-1 tie with Belarus, allowed them to finish at the top of the group by a two-point margin.

Romania will also advance to League B, finishing at the top of their group after a decisive 4-1 victory over Cyprus.

Croatia and Denmark have made it to the Nations League quarter-finals after both teams managed to draw their matches on Monday. Josko Gvardiol netted his first international goal in two years, helping Croatia earn a draw against Portugal in Split. Portugal had already clinched the top position in Group A1 before the match started and chose to leave Cristiano Ronaldo out of their squad for the game.

The visitors took the lead thanks to an excellent goal by Chelsea's João Félix. He skillfully received a great pass from Vitinha and struck the ball powerfully into the net. Kristijan Jakic delivered a precise cross to the far post, allowing Gvardiol to equalize from a short distance. Croatia ends up in second place with a total of eight points from their six matches.

Denmark clinched their place in the next stage after playing out a goalless draw against Serbia, who failed to advance to the knockout rounds. The Serbian team had a strong performance, but things took a turn when defender Strahinja Pavlovic received a red card late in the match. Dusan Vlahovic had a significant opportunity to give Serbia the lead in the 80th minute but wasted it by sending his shot over the bar when he should have found the net.

Croatia and Denmark have advanced to the quarterfinals alongside France, Italy, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, and Portugal. The matches will take place from March 20 to March 23.

In their last Group A4 match, Spain clinched a 3-2 victory against Switzerland thanks to a penalty taken by Bryan Zaragoza in the 93rd minute. The Spanish team had already ensured their first-place finish before the match started, while the Swiss team had already been confirmed for relegation.

Spain took the lead in the 32nd minute when Yeremy Pino scored after Pedri's penalty was denied. Switzerland equalized in the 63rd minute with a goal from Joel Monteiro, but just five minutes later, Bryan Gil restored Spain's advantage.

Switzerland believed they had secured a tie when Andi Zeqiri converted a penalty just five minutes before the end. However, a late penalty in stoppage time allowed the Spanish team to claim victory. The European champions concluded the tournament with 16 points, while Switzerland, at the bottom of the group, ended up with just two points after failing to win any of their six matches.