UEFA Nations League Matchday 6: Belgium, France into last eight, England beat Spain

Belgium produced an overwhelming comeback to beat Italy and join France in booking places in the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals, while England ended Spain's 43-match unbeaten run with a superb victory in Madrid.

We round up Sunday's action.

Belgium 4-1 Italy

Pio Esposito capped a fearsome Italian start with a fine first-time finish for his tenth goal in 15 international games, but Maxim De Cuyper and Nathan Ngoy swiftly turned the game around with close-range finishes, before Jeremy Doku wove through a forest of defenders to make it 3-1 after just 26 minutes.

It would have been worse for the Azzurri had Gianluigi Donnarumma not pushed a fierce Kevin De Bruyne shot on to the post. Italy looked to seize back the momentum after the break, but Diego Moreira hit them again on the break, and Senne Lammens saved an Esposito penalty at the death.

France 2-1 Türkiye

Zinédine Zidane returned to his roots for a workmanlike France win in Bordeaux as Les Bleus ensured their progression to the quarter-finals as Group A1 winners.

It took until the second half for them to open the scoring, with Bradley Barcola forcing a scrappy own goal from Türki̇ye defender Emirhan Topçu. Eli Junior Kroupi later linked up with Rayan Cherki for his first international strike. That sealed the points, with Abdülkerim Bardakcı’s late header not enough to salvage anything for the visitors.

Spain 2-3 England

England held off a Spain fightback to top Group A3 with a fine win in Madrid, ending Spain's record 43-match unbeaten run. Harry Kane's well-taken first-half penalty, coupled with Ezri Konsa's powerful header and Ben White’s finish in the space of five second-half minutes, appeared to have put Thomas Tuchel's side in a comfortable position.

However, the visitors were reduced to ten men after Elliot Anderson brought down Lamine Yamal, with Mikel Oyarzabal converting the resulting penalty. Nico Williams set up a grandstand finish after collecting Yamal's pass, but England goalkeeper James Trafford's late heroics ensured the Three Lions held on for victory.

Croatia 2-1 Czechia

Lovro Majer scored late to ensure Croatia completed the double over Czechia and ended their four-game losing run in the Nations League. The substitute curled past Antonín Kinský two minutes after Adam Hložek’s unlikely equaliser, condemning Czechia to a sixth straight League A defeat.

Hložek’s leveller had given Czechia hope they would not end this campaign without a point, as they weathered an intense Croatian storm. Slaven Bilić's side dominated throughout, their performance founded on Ivan Perišić’s opener inside 90 seconds.

Best of the rest

• Spain's 5-4 win against France in the 2024/25 semi-finals no longer stands alone as the highest-scoring match in Nations League history, following Finland's 7-2 defeat of San Marino.
• Rei Manaj scored one and set up the other as Albania won 2-0 against Belarus in the top-of-Group C2 clash, with victory giving them promotion to League B for the next campaign.
• Montenegro were already sure of an upgrade to League B ahead of tonight, but proceeded in style regardless, a 4-1 win in Cyprus giving them a final tally of 16 points from a possible 18.