UEFA Nations League: Slaven Bilić triumphs on Croatia return

Slaven Bilić began his second spell as Croatia coach with a 2-1 victory over Czechia - who also had a new man on the touchline in the form of Santi Denia - on UEFA Nations League Matchday 1.

It comes after fellow debutant coaches Zinédine Zidane, Mark van Bommel and Jorge Jesus made winning starts to their tenures, while Xavi Hernández and Jürgen Klopp drew an Amsterdam match-up and Roberto Mancini was defeated as his second Italy spell began.

See how League A's summer appointments reacted after their first matches in charge.

Bilić's happy Croatia return

Fourteen years on from the end of his first spell in charge, Bilić returned to the Croatia dugout and got off to the perfect start as goals from the evergreen Luka Modrić and Marco Pašalić helped his side to an impressive victory in Prague. Midfielder Mateo Kovačić told Nova TV: "First, I have to thank [previous coach] Zlatko Dalić for everything. But with Bilić, everything clicked immediately, and everyone is working together as one." Next up is a tricky trip to Seville to face world champions Spain.

Czechia's new Spanish coach Santi Denia was left disappointed with a debut defeat, but he will quickly have the opportunity to bounce back against England on Tuesday. "Expectations are high," he said. "We have to be cohesive, play for each other, represent each other mainly in defence, have quality transitions into attack."

Next matches
29/09: Czechia vs England (20:45 CET)
29/09: Spain vs Croatia (20:45 CET)

Zidane triumphs in Türki̇ye

The Zinédine Zidane era started with a narrow France win in Kocaeli, Türki̇ye, captain Kylian Mbappé striking the decisive goal but leaving the pitch injured shortly after. "There are a lot of emotions," Zidane told TF1. "Starting with a win is never easy, especially here in Türki̇ye. We prevented our opponent from developing their game by pressing high and being very aggressive in winning back possession. It’s very encouraging for the future."

Defender Jules Koundé revealed at full-time how Zidane had kept France patient after a goalless first half, helping them to unlock Türki̇ye's stubborn defence after the break. "He asked us to keep playing and to trust our game plan," Koundé told TF1. "By keeping possession more in the second half, we managed to tire them out. Because they were determined to press us high up the pitch, it eventually opened up spaces." 

Next match
28/09: Belgium vs France (20:45 CET)

Van Bommel's Belgium beat Mancini's Italy

Goals from Mika Godts and Dodi Lukébakio saw Mark van Bommel get off to a winning start as Belgium coach, while Roberto Mancini suffered defeat in the first game of his second Italy tenure.

"I could hardly believe that we had worked together for just a few days, watching the way we were playing," Van Bommel told UEFA at full-time. "In the first half we played some very good football. We could have scored more goals but I'm very happy with all the chances we created. In the second half, we suffered a bit more, so I decided to make some changes; fortunately, it went well."

Mancini was not too discouraged, feeling there were positives in the Italy performance despite the result: "Belgium were the better side in the first half, while we were much better after the break."

Next matches
28/09: Belgium vs France (20:45 CET)
28/09: Türki̇ye vs Italy (20:45 CET)

All square as Xavi meets Klopp

Jürgen Klopp looked set to celebrate a win on his Germany debut thanks to Felix Nmecha's first-half finish until Cody Gakpo's 92nd-minute leveller secured a point for Netherlands boss Xavi in his first match.

"I’m satisfied because we played so well," the new Netherlands boss said. "Honestly, we were better than Germany today. We deserve a bit more, especially in the second half, because it was really good. I’m so happy because we showed our way of playing."

"We got off to a good start in the first ten minutes. Then we had ten minutes of problems; we just couldn't quite get going," said Klopp. "When the system isn't yet in place – and I don't even mean the tactical aspect, but generally, when the processes aren't completely ingrained – then that's a moment where you have to fight hard to win challenges. "

Next matches
27/09: Serbia vs Netherlands (18:00 CET)
27/09: Germany vs Greece (20:45 CET)

Jorge Jesus off to a winning start

Holders Portugal made a winning start to their UEFA Nations League in Lisbon, beating Wales 1-0 in Lisbon thanks to João Félix's drilled finish on 22 minutes. It was perhaps fitting that João Félix would be the matchwinner, the 26-year-old lining up alongside Cristiano Ronaldo in Jorge Jesus' new-look two-man strike partnership. "You could see our style of play: very attacking football, pressing, not letting the opposition catch their breath," João Félix said of the new style.

Jorge Jesus gives instruction during Portugal's win against WalesAFP via Getty Images

Jorge Jesus was pleased to see his ideas implemented on both sides of the ball. "The team managed to hold on to the win defensively, it was important that we didn’t concede any goals," he told RTP. "I was pleased with the result and performance."

Next match
27/09: Norway vs Portugal (20:45 CET)