UEFA Nations League matchday 5: The Netherlands through to the last eight, Germany records a big victory | UEFA Nations League

The Netherlands secured a place in the quarter-finals of the 2024/25 UEFA Nations League on Saturday after beating Hungary, while Germany scored seven against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

UEFA.com rounds up Matchday 5’s action.

Complete schedule

Saturday’s games

Netherlands 4-0 Hungary

The Dutch team booked their place in the last eight with an emphatic victory in Amsterdam.

A pair of first-half penalties from Wout Weghorst and Cody Gakpo put the hosts in control, with Denzel Dumfries adding a sharp volley shortly after the hour mark.

Substitute Teun Koopmeiners rounded off the scoring late on, directing a looping header from Dumfries’ precise cross past visiting goalkeeper Dénes Dibusz.

Germany 7-0 Bosnia and Herzegovina

Germany secured top spot in style with their biggest ever Nations League win and a fourth consecutive 7-0 win in Freiburg.

Jamal Musiala’s header, a deflection from Tim Kleindienst (who opened his international account) and Kai Havertz’s neat finish completed an impressive first half for the hosts. Florian Wirtz added a spectacular free kick and tapped in before Leroy Sané and Kleindienst struck. The result relegated the visitors from League A.

The best of the rest

• Türkiye and Wales drew 0-0 – the hosts missing a late penalty – to ensure Group B4 would go all the way, with just two points separating the sides in 1st and 2nd going into their final matches.
• Sweden confirmed promotion to League B after taking a 2-1 lead over Slovakia. Viktor Gyökeres got the opener and is now co-top scorer of this season’s tournament with five goals.
• A dramatic 92nd minute winner from Virgiliu Postolachi saw Moldova promoted to League C after they beat Andorra 1-0.

Saturday’s results

A3 Netherlands 4-0 Hungary, Germany 7-0 Bosnia and Herzegovina
B1 Georgia 1-1 Ukraine, Albania 0-0 Czech Republic
B4 Montenegro 0-2 Iceland, Turkiye 0-0 Wales
C1 Azerbaijan 0-0 Estonia, Sweden 2-1 Slovakia
D2 Andorra 0-1 Moldova

Friday’s games

Portugal 5-1 Poland

Portugal booked their place in the quarter-finals after a stunning second-half display against Poland. The visitors had the better of the first half, but it was largely one-way traffic as Rafael Leão broke through with a header in the 59th minute.

The Seleção turned on the style with a flurry of four goals in the space of 16 minutes, including Cristiano Ronaldo’s chipped penalty and a bicycle kick either side of the emphatic Bruno Fernandes and Pedro Neto, before substitute Dominik Marczuk pulled one back for the Biało -Czerwoni late.

Scotland 1-0 Croatia

John McGinn came off the bench to beat Scotland’s late winner against 10-man Croatia and keep their qualification hopes alive. Craig Gordon produced a fine early save to deny Andrej Kramarić and also denied Luka Sučić before his cousin Petar Sučić was red carded for a second yellow just before half-time.

Scotland piled on the pressure after the break but the visitors should have struck when Luka Modrić released Mario Pašalić, who fired wide with only Gordon to beat. Instead, the impressive Ben Doak saw the goalkeeper’s effort parried four minutes from time, with McGinn smashing home the loose ball to deny Croatia a final eighth spot.

Denmark 1-2 Spain

Spain secured top spot at Parken, with Ayoze Pérez hitting the crossbar before Mikel Oyarzabal took the lead in the 15th minute to put La Roja ahead.

Pérez came in from Dani Olmo’s pass in the 58th minute, but home substitute Gustav Isaksen drilled a post before dispossessing David Raya to reply with six minutes remaining. However, second-placed Denmark could not find a late equalizer in their first home game under Brian Riemer.

Switzerland 1-1 Serbia

Switzerland were relegated from League A after this draw in Zurich. The first half ended goalless despite chances on both sides: Noah Okafor hit the crossbar and Eray Cömert slid in to block Dušan Vlahović at the other end.

Aleksandar Mitrović was then denied a 60th international goal when Gregor Kobel reacted smartly to save his penalty in the 55th minute before Đorđe Petrović parried Zeki Amdouni’s close range to delay the opener. A fearless Amdouni beat Petrović in the 79th minute to curl a half-volley into the far corner, but with Switzerland on the cusp of a crucial victory, Aleksa Terzić added the finishing touch to an overwhelming Serbian counter in the 88th minute.

The best of the rest

• Northern Ireland maintained its two-point lead over Bulgaria in Group C3 – one of which will be promoted on Matchday 6.
• Nicola Nanni’s extra time penalty denied Gibraltar promotion from League D and kept San Marino in the hunt.

Friday’s results

A1 Portugal 5-1 Poland, Scotland 1-0 Croatia
A4 Denmark 1-2 Spain, Switzerland 1-1 Serbia
C2 Cyprus 2-1 Lithuania, Romania AA Kosovo
C3 Luxembourg 0-1 Bulgaria, Northern Ireland 2-0 Belarus
D1 San Marino 1-1 Gibraltar

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Thursday’s games

Belgium 0-1 Italy

Sandro Tonali’s close-range finish secured Italy’s top two in Group A2, ending Belgium’s quarter-final hopes. The midfielder scored his first Azzurri goal in the eleventh minute, providing the finishing touch after some fine interplay between Nicolò Barella and Giovanni Di Lorenzo. Belgium upped the tempo after half-time but could not get through as Wout Faes grazed the post with a header and Gianluigi Donnarumma made some crucial saves.

France 0-0 Israel

France qualified for the quarter-finals despite being frustrated by a fine performance from Israeli goalkeeper Daniel Peretz in Saint-Denis. Captain for the night N’Golo Kante was kept out in the first half and striker Randal Kolo Muani came close twice. However, Peretz saved his best save for last and responded superbly to parry a close-range strike from Warren Zaire-Emery to help Israel to their first point.

Greece 0-3 England

England took control of Group B2 with an impressive win in Athens, moving them head-to-head ahead of Greece, who are also on 12 points. Ollie Watkins tapped in an early opener but England needed three vital saves from Jordan Pickford before Jude Bellingham’s shot hit the post and went in via goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos in the second half. Curtis Jones delivered a delightful backheel to seal the result on his first senior start.

The best of the rest

Thursday’s results

A2 Belgium 0-1 Italy, France 0-0 Israel
B2 Greece 0-3 England, Republic of Ireland 1-0 Finland
B3 Kazakhstan 0-2 Austria, Slovenia 1-4 Norway
C4 Armenia 0-1 Faroe Islands, North Macedonia 1-0 Latvia