UEFA Nations League – League C
League C of the UEFA Nations League proved to be entertaining, but it ended as expected in the beginning.
Scotland, Serbia and Norway were the heavy favourites to win their respective groups, and while it wasn’t easy, they got the job done in Matchday 6.
All in all, only the result of Group C2 was surprising, given that Greece were the initial favourites before Finland’s dominant start changed the tide of the race.
Group 1
The pre-tournament UEFA Nations League 2018 odds at SBOBET had Scotland as the favourites to come out on top of the three-team Group C1; and sure enough, the Scots didn’t disappoint as they came from behind to beat chasers Israel 3-2.
The winner of this battle would claim the top spot, and Israel undoubtedly came into the game ready to compete. They led as early as nine minutes through Beram Kayal, but it only lasted for a good 25 minutes as James Forrest stepped up for the hosts and bagged a stunning hat-trick.
Although Eran Zahavi scored 15 minutes before time to bring Israel within one, that was the best challenge they muster against Scotland.
Highlight of the Group: Hat-tricks are always special, especially in international football, and Forrest’s superb display is no different. His first goal was particularly remarkable: Stuart Armstrong fired from 18 yards out and hit the back of teammate Ryan Fraser. The ball then bounced in front of Forrest who perfectly controlled it with a nice first touch before launching a right-footed shot to the bottom left corner.
Key statistics: Poor defence doomed Israel, and the post-match statistics show that. They allowed Scotland to take 15 shot attempts, and although only four were on target, the numbers were enough to give the home side the win. These figures are even more alarming with the fact that both teams shared the ball at 50 percent each.
Group 2
The group had already been decided last week. Finland secured promotion despite their defeat to Greece, while Estonia dropped to League D following a five-game winless streak in the competition. With that said, there’s really nothing left to play here other than positioning.
For what it’s worth, Hungary claimed second place after Adam Szalai and Adam Nagy scored in the first half to propel them to a 2-0 win over the Finns. It benefitted them that Estonia bagged one of the shock UEFA Nations League 2018 results with a 0-1 upset of Greece.
Highlight of the Group: The highlight here is actually a lowlight for Greece. The Greeks dominated for the most part, but they never recovered after defender Vasilis Lampropoulos sent a Sergei Zenjov cross into his own net just before the break.
Key statistics: Estonia’s victory is their first against Greece and first in the tournament, having lost four and drawn one of their past five games. Interestingly, they had only two clear-cut chances to score while Greece had seven on-target efforts (out of a staggering 28 shot attempts!)
Group 3
Norway and Bulgaria were in a tight battle for the top spot throughout the campaign. In the end, however, the Norwegians showed they wanted it more.
Lars Lagerback’s side fended off Cyprus (0-2) in their final battle of the campaign to claim no.1 and climb the tournament ladder. Ola Kamara scored on both sides of the interval to lead the Norwegian charge and keep the Cypriots at third.
Meanwhile, Bulgaria faltered against relegated Slovenia, with the visitors frustrating the hosts for the most part. Galin Ivanov thought he had won it for the home side on 68 minutes, but Miha Zajc cancelled it out seven minutes later to end the game at 1-1.
Highlight of the Group: Omar Elabdellaoui could have scored Norway’s first goal, but he opted to take the best route for the team and instead played the easy headed square ball to Kamara. The LA Galaxy striker then made no mistake from the six-yard box.
Key statistics: The Cyprus-Norway game got highly physical in the closing stages, as proven by the two red cards handed in the final 10 minutes. Valentinos Sielis was sent off with a straight red on 80 minutes, while Mohamed Elyounoussi picked up his second yellow card before the end of regular time.
On the other game, Slovenia ended the contest as one of only two teams not to win any game in the group. They have three draws and three losses.
Group 4
Serbia won by just one goal against Lithuania in their opening Nations League game, so they made sure to put up a more convincing performance as they confirm their place to the second tier.
Sure enough, the fight was a lot closer than what the 4-1 scoreline suggests. However, there’s no doubt the Serbs were the better team and deserved the promotion. A second-half own goal from Arturas Zulpa decreased the home nerves, and that seemed to have given the Eagles more confidence as Aleksandar Mitrovic, Aleksandar Prijovic and Adem Ljajic all found the back of the net.
Meanwhile, Romania beat Montenegro 0-1, but Cosmin Contra’s men finished second as they needed Serbia to lose to get to first.
Highlight of the Group: Lithuania brought the game within one after Deimantas Petravicius scored in the 64th minute, but two quick-fire goals from super-subs Prijovic and Ljajic denied them any chance of a comeback.
Prijovic headed the ball off an Andrija Zivkovic lob on 71 minutes before turning provider to Ljajic three minutes later.
Key statistics: Zivkovic had two assists in the game, sparking Serbia to their biggest win in the competition. The team has not scored more than two goals in their previous five games in the Nations League.
Meanwhile, Romania ended their run as the only undefeated team in the whole tournament not to finish top of their group.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
