UEFA Nations League – League D
All of the participants in the UEFA Nations League have played their opponents at this point of the season, and fans now have a slight idea of how teams are shaping up in this new competition. Some fans are starting to warm up to the idea of the league system in place of international friendlies.
The nations competing in League D are especially loving the new attention they are getting and have put on some great performances to start the season. At one point, Georgia, Belarus, Kosovo and Macedonia were favoured by UEFA Nations League 2018 odds to make the jump to League C.
However, it seems that the table has changed a bit. Luxembourg have jumped over Belarus with a one-sided win while Azerbaijan are creeping up on Kosovo by keeping their undefeated streak alive.
It will be interesting to see how the league will shape up once the tournament is over, and you can be sure that SBOBET will be there to chronicle every result in this obscure but interesting league.
Group 1
Georgia have truly established their form in the Group, a run they have started since Day 1 of the competition. Their 0-3 dismantling of Latvia secured their promotion from Group D1 for the next Nations League tournament.
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan have secured their status as the second-best nation in the group after dismantling Andorra to the tune of 4-0 in front of their home fans at the Astana Arena. While Jordi Alaez was ejected in the 64th minute, that does not take away from the superb performance of Stanimir Stoilov’s men.
Highlight of the Group: Given that there were seven goals on show for that game, it was quite hard to pick a favourite. However, Jaba Kankava’s first-time howitzer into the top-right corner of the goal is one that is hard to top.
Key statistics: Georgia are one of the two sides in League D that haven’t conceded a goal in the competition, the other being Belarus. They are also the last team in the League to have won every single game they have played.
Group 2
Group 2 bore witness to a surprise shake-up as Luxembourg retook the top spot from Belarus with a dominating win against San Marino at the Stade Josy Barthel. Great team football and a fantastic solo effort ensured that the Red Lions will get the three points. It also helped that Alex Gasperoni was ejected early in the second half.
Belarus were able to secure a point against Moldova and keep their win-loss record in the tournament unblemished, but their inability to score against their guests is something they’ll rue if they fail to get themselves promoted.
Highlights of the Group: Danel Sinani scored the most beautiful goal in the group after he made space for himself amidst a sea of white kits and fired a long-distance cannon that escaped Elia Benedettini’s hands. It was a great goal to redeem themselves from their bitter loss to Belarus.
Key statistics: Alexei Koselev is the biggest man in Group 2 after denying Belarus of countless goal opportunities in their draw. He stopped five goals from going in to help them leave Stadion Dinamo with a point.
Group 3
Group 3 is easily the tightest group in League D as both games ended in a 1-1 draw. Two points are all that separates Kosovo and Azerbaijan, and the Faroe Islands can possibly bounce back and make a stunning run to the top.
The final score isn’t the only thing the two games share: the visitors took the lead in the first half, and the hosts caught up early in the second half. Milot Rashica and Rowen Muscat scored for their respective countries in the first half, while Rene Joensen and Araz Abdullayev were credited for the equalisers.
Highlight of the Group: Rashica’s ninth-minute howitzer is a thing of beauty. He fired from at least 25 yards after the ball just rolled into his foot. The Werder Bremen midfielder will definitely not forget that goal any time soon.
Key statistics: Some of the people who watched the Azerbaijan match would say that Malta mugged them of the score after such a superb performance from the Milli. They dominated the ball with 64% possession and had 20 goal attempts with eight on target. They forced Andrew Hogg to make an impressive seven saves.
Group 4
Henrikh Mkhitaryan is enjoying life at Arsenal and is probably thrilled that his good fortune at the league has spilt over to his international duties.
Armenia’s 4-0 victory over Macedonia is surely the most significant among the UEFA Nations League 2018 highlights as their win places them closer to the group leaders. It also stopped their opponents from instant promotion.
Gibraltar are also gaining steam after losing their first two games of the Nations League by returning the favour to Liechtenstein and winning 2-1 at home. Dennis Salanovic struck first for the guests in the first half, but George Cabrera and Joseph Chipolina helped secure the W when it mattered.
Highlight of the Group: Henrikh Mkhitaryan reminded everyone in Group F why he is earning a huge £120,000 weekly wage. He is the architect behind two of the hosts’ goals and added a strike of his own just for laughs.
Key statistic: Macedonia, who enjoyed high-scoring games over the last three fixtures, forgot their shooting boots for this match. They only had 10 shots compared to Armenia’s 14, and only three of those shots were even on target.
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