Hungary, stranger of the group A3 of the Football League of Nations, in the middle of three ‘sharks’, this Friday was a tie of the last fourby winning 1-0 to Germany, while England relegated to League B.
A goal from Basel’s Swiss striker Adam Szalai in the 17th minute secured victory at Leipzig’s Red Bull Arena against one of the world’s footballing powerhouses, handing coach Hansi Flick his first defeat.
No less surprising than this success of the Magyar team it was England’s relegation to League B without even winning a matchwith three defeats and two draws, a relegation that could have been avoided today if he had won in Italy.
However, the transalpine team ended up prevailing thanks to a goal by Napoli striker Giacomo Raspadori, in the 68th minute, with a shot from the ‘crescent’ of the English area, after a deep shot by captain Leonardo Bonucci.
With the results of this Friday, Hungary only needs a draw at home against Italy, on the last day, to achieve a historic feat with qualification for the the last fourbut in case of victory of the Italians, they will guarantee the position.
The other group game, England-Germany, will no longer count for anything in terms of promotion or relegation, as the English have already been relegated to League B and The Germans the most they can hope for is to climb to second placein case of victory in His Majesty’s lands and defeat of Italy in Hungary.
In group B3, Bosnia and Herzegovina ‘stamp’ this Friday its promotion to League A by beating Montenegro, 1-0, with a goal from midfielder Ermedin Demirovic, from Augsburg, Germany, on the verge of halftime, at 45+ 1 minute, securing first place, with 11 points, leaving Montenegro second, with seven, out of reach with one game remaining.
In the other group stage match, Finland drew 1-1 with Romania in Helsinki, postponing a decision on who will be relegated to League C for the final round, which includes Montenegro-Finland and Romania-Bosnia Herzegovina.
In League C4, Georgia had practically assured its promotion to League B, which they ‘sealed’ by beating North Macedonia 2-0 at home, adding 13 points, followed by their rival this Friday, with seven, Bulgaria with six and Gibraltar with one.
The Bulgarians received and thrashed the fragile team of Gibraltar, 5-1, guaranteeing permanence in League C, while their rival goes to the finishto be played in March 2024, with the remaining three classified from the rest of the League C groups, keeping two of them and relegating the other two to League D.
On the final day, Gibraltar hosts Georgia, while Bulgaria travels to North Macedonia, and could still aim for second place if they win.
Finally, in group D2, Estonia beat the Maltese team this Friday, with whom they played for first place, 2-1, and secured a place in League C in the next edition of the competition, although they still one match remains to be played, against San Marino.
Source: Observadora
