England and Croatia played out a testament to the UEFA Nations League in front of 78,221 Wembley spectators with the unique winner-takes-all circumstances in Group 4 making it immensely more enjoyable than a typical November friendly two years before a major international tournament.
Gareth Bale could not have struck it more sweetly.
It was dipping, it was swerving and it was rocketing into the upper 90. It seemed like a certain late equalizer.
Then, out of nowhere, came this Kasper Schmeichel save vs Bale.
The Netherlands has had its share of troubles in recent years. The three-time World Cup runners-up missed out on the 2016 Euros and the 2018 World Cup.
On Friday, the Dutch looked like they’re back among the world’s elite, dominating World Cup champion France in a 2-0 win in the UEFA Nations League. Much of the praise must go to coach Ronald Koeman and the defensive efforts of the men in orange.
In 2016, Iceland was the darling of the football world. Buoyed by bearded backers belting out their brilliant Viking chant, Iceland reached the quarterfinals of the European Championship, the country’s first-ever major international tournament.
The following year, Iceland qualified for its first-ever World Cup, becoming the lowest-populated country to ever reach the tournament. Qualification coincided with Iceland peaking at No. 18 in FIFA’s rankings of international teams earlier this year, an astonishing climb after hitting the nadir of No. 131 just six years prior.