UEFA Nations League – League C
I understand that it can be quite easy to overlook the other leagues of the UEFA Nations League.
Storylines such as a Ronaldo-less Portugal thriving against top competition easily makes more compelling UEFA Nations League 2018 news rather than Serbia keeping a slim margin between themselves and Romania at Group 4.
However, you might be missing out on great football if you’re not looking beyond Leagues A and B of the international tournament. League C has already presented us some interesting storylines that will surely entice many SBOBET fans into checking these games out.
League C has groups in a deadlock, nations holding on to slim leads, and sides simply dominating the opposition. There’s so much to cover and only so little time to properly deal with them. So let’s dally no further and get into the games!
Group 1
Depending on who you ask, the third-round clash between Israel and Scotland is either a well-deserved win or a blatant robbery. Thanks to this result, the group is now wide open.
Israel started the game with much intention on the attack, firing crosses and challenging Allan McGregor plenty of times. However, the Blue and Whites were the first to concede after Dor Peretz’s strong challenge inside the box had the referee award the Tartan Terriers with a penalty. Charlie Mulgrew easily sent the ball to the back of the net.
However, Israel upped the ante and managed to bounce back and pull off a fantastic comeback in the second half. Peretz corrected his error with a brilliant effort to equalise the game. The Israelis needed a bit of luck for their winner: Kieran Tierney made a poor deflection of an Israeli cross, and the ball headed straight to the goal.
Highlight of the Group: John Souttar’s second yellow card is a point of contention among fans. His foul on Munas Dabbur brings doubts as to whether it actually deserved a card from the referee.
Key statistic: McGregor was easily the biggest man on the pitch. The Rangers stopper wore his biggest gloves that night, stopping an unbelievable seven shot attempts from a red-hot Israeli squad.
Group 2
Finland are the masters of Group 2 as they now stand atop this group with a three-point cushion.
They easily crushed Estonia despite playing away from home. They simply dominated their hosts and led a trigger-happy game where both teams fired shot after shot. Nerves were plenty when neither side was able to score a goal, but Teemu Pukki was able to calm the nerves of the Finnish fans with a 90th-minute strike.
Meanwhile, Greece were able to defend their home pitch against Hungary by eking out a 1-0 victory. Konstantinos Tsimikas and Konstantinos Mitroglou connected in the 65th minute to bring the only goal in the game.
Highlight of the Group: Pukki’s 90th-minute winner was a showcase of class. The Norwich forward, who also scored last time out, was able to brilliantly beat the offside trap and convert a near-goal attempt with Mikhel Aksalu tightening the angles.
Key statistic: The number of shots taken in the Estonia-Finland game will make fans question as to whether the defenders of both sides were even defending properly. The combined number of goal attempts in this game is 34.
Group 3
Bulgaria followed suit to Finland and are the clear leaders of Group 3 after a convincing result against Cyprus. Reserve Juventus forward Grigoris Kastanos threatened pre-match UEFA Nations League 2018 odds with a brilliant first goal. However, beautiful goals from Kiril Despodov and Todor Nedelev ensured that Bulgaria stay on top.
Meanwhile, Norway manage to keep their second place after pulling off a superb victory at the Ullevål Stadion. There was a bit of a scare when Markus Henriksen and Luka Krajnc collided their heads in the early minutes of the game. Both players were eventually able to continue the game and witness a wonderful howitzer from Ole Selnaes.
Highlight of the Group: All of the goals scored in this round are nothing short of impressive, but Kastanos’ opener takes the cake for me. The presence of mind showcased by the reserve Juventus striker to go for the goal despite the number of opponents around him is nothing short of admirable.
Key statistic: The Bulgaria-Cyprus game is a special moment for Kastanos and Despodov. Both youngsters scored their first international goals in this Nations League clash.
Group 4
Serbia are somehow clinging to the top spot in Group 4, but their showcase against Montenegro away from home renews the promotion hopes of the fans. Fulham ace Aleksandar Mitrovic was the main man for the Orlovi as he scored a brace to stomp their hosts.
Meanwhile, Lithuania and Romania gave the fans that flocked the LFF Stadionas enough drama and goals to last them an entire month. Alexandru Chipciu scored an early goal to put the visitors ahead. Late drama then ensued when Arturas Zulpa and Alexandru Maxim scored fantastic strikes at the death.
Highlight of the Group: The biggest highlight has to be between Zulpa and Maxim, but I have to give it to Maxim for the best goal of the game. His individual skill to weasel his way through defenders and make his own shot at the tail-end of the game is a testament to his steely nerves.
Key statistic: The visiting nations of this group had more attacking prowess than their hosts. Serbia fired 12 shots and had four of them on target, while Romania made 16 goal attempts and forced Ernestas Setkus to make five saves.
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