UEFA Nations League – League D
The fourth-tier competition of UEFA Nations League continues to entertain, and the penultimate round of matches just set up what should be a thrilling finale in League D.
Matchday 5 was supposed to be the day Luxembourg, Kosovo and Macedonia would establish their dominance in their respective groups and seal promotion to League C. Instead, the other dreamers staged a brilliant fightback to keep the chase for the top spot alive.
Georgia already secured promotion last month, and they remain the only League D team to have a confirmed place in the higher tournament heading to the final stage.
Group 1
There’s nothing left to play for in Group D1, with Georgia already promoted and no threat of relegation for the remaining teams. With that said, it was unsurprising to see the two games end up in a 1-1 draw.
Andorra broke a two-game losing streak after a second-half free kick from Cristian Martinez cancelled out Giorgi Chakvetadze’s ninth-minute goal and gave them a share of the spoils.
On the other match, just like the Andorrans, Latvia also left it in the second to find an equaliser. Deniss Rakels took advantage of a 48th-minute corner from Igors Tarasovs to score from the back post.
Highlight of the group: Martinez’ goal is one for the UEFA Nations League 2018 highlights, and for a good reason. It seemed impossible for him to score a free kick from wide, wide left, but the ball flew straight to the top right corner of the net—to the astonishment of Georgia and, perhaps, his teammates!
Key statistics: Georgia’s draw marked the first time that they dropped points this season, having won four straight contests to start the campaign. Meanwhile, Latvia got their first away points in the tournament after losing to the Georgians previously.
Group 2
Luxembourg failed to show up when it mattered most, losing 0-2 to Belarus in the top-of-the-group battle that would have propelled them to League C. Stanislav Dragun scored on both sides of the interval to help the White Wings of Belarus gain control of their destiny.
In the battle for the standings, Moldova piled more misery on struggling San Marino with a 0-1 victory. The visitors left it late though and needed a fine close-range finish from super-sub Vitalie Damascan to stay in contention for a meaningless second place spot.
Highlight of the group: Anton Saroka showed some great move and footwork inside the box to set up Dragun for the opener. Saroka fooled a couple of Luxembourg defenders with a backheel pass to Dragun, and the 30-year-old midfielder made no mistake with the open space.
Key statistics: Belarus were the aggressors throughout, so it’s no wonder why they won. They had 16 shot attempts, eight on target, compared to Luxembourg’s 12 (including a measly three on-target efforts). Now, the Belarusians need only a draw in their final game against the winless San Marino to complete their climb.
Group 3
Leading Group 3 contenders Kosovo and Azerbaijan dominated their respective games to set up a thrilling do-or-die finale this midweek.
Kosovo ran out 0-5 winners, with substitute Donis Avdijaj scoring twice in as many minutes to spark the team’s rout of hapless Malta. On the other hand, Azerbaijan bagged two first-half goals—one of which is an own goal—to beat the Faroe Islands 2-0 and keep the no.1 within reach.
Highlight of the group: Kosovo scored four goals in the final 20 minutes, thanks to lackadaisical defending from Malta. Avdijaj, who came in as a 71st-minute substitute, benefitted from the collapse of the backline and scored two times in a span of two minutes—both goals came from close range after an almost similar sequence of play.
Key statistics: Only two points separate Kosovo and Azerbaijan in the standings, and the UEFA Nations League 2018 odds at SBOBET now point to a tight affair when they meet this week for their final game. Kosovo only need to avoid defeat to get promotion, while Azerbaijan must win.
Group 4
Macedonia are still in control of Group 4, but Armenia can still topple them if everything goes in their favour in Matchday 6.
After Liechtenstein’s Sandro Wieser received his second yellow card early in the second, the Macedonians used the numerical advantage to dominate and score two goals. Enis Bardhi broke the deadlock on 53 minutes while Ilija Nestorovski found the back of the net in added time.
Armenia, for their part, put on a show as they embarrassed Gibraltar 2-6, behind four from Yura Movsisyan.
Highlight of the group: Seriously, what could be better than the performance of Movsisyan? The Chicago Fire forward cancelled out Tjay De Barr’s opener for Gibraltar in the 27th minute and went berserk after that, even scoring twice in two minutes after the break.
Key statistics: Armenia appear to have found their form just at the right time. They scored only two goals in their opening three games, but they now have 10 in their last two matches—including four against Macedonia last September.
●●●
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.
