UEFA Nations League scores, fixtures, takeaways: Gareth Bale shines for Wales, Germany and France goalless
The first day of the inaugural UEFA Nations League took place on Thursday, with several entertaining matches throughout Europe, including a massive fixture between two heavyweights. Still don't know what this new competition is? We have you covered.
In a battle of the last two World Cup champions, Germany and France played to a scoreless draw, Gareth Bale looks to be in the best form of his career and making an impact for his national team, and the Armenian team may have produced the goal of the first round of the tournament.
Below you'll find every scores and result, along with every fixture from September's Nation League slate. We also have everything you need to know from the first week's action:
UEFA Nations League final scores
Georgia 2, Kazakhstan 0
Armenia 2, Liechtenstein 1
Germany 0, France 0
Wales 4, Ireland 1
Bulgaria 2, Slovenia 1
Norway 2, Cyprus 0
Latvia 0, Andorra 0
Macedonia 2, Gibraltar 0
UEFA Nations League schedule in September
Azebaijan vs. Kosovo, Friday at 12 p.m. ET
Italy vs. Poland, Friday at 2:45 p.m. ET
Turkey vs. Russia, Friday at 2:45 p.m. ET
Albania vs. Israel, Friday at 2:45 p.m. ET
Romania vs. Montenegro, Friday at 2:45 p.m. ET
Lithuania vs. Serbia, Friday at 2:45 p.m. ET
Faroe Islands vs. Malta, Friday at 2:45 p.m. ET
Northern Ireland vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Saturday at 9 a.m. ET
Belarus vs. San Marino, Saturday at 12 p.m. ET
Finland vs. Hungary, Saturday at 12 p.m. ET
Switzerland vs. Iceland, Saturday at 12 p.m. ET
England vs. Spain, Saturday at 2:45 p.m. ET
Estonia vs. Greece, Saturday at 2:45 p.m. ET
Luxembourg vs. Moldova, Saturday at 2:45 p.m. ET
Ukraine vs. Slovakia, Sunday at 9 a.m. ET
Bulgaria vs. Norway, Sunday at 12 p.m. ET
Denmark vs. Wales, Sunday at 12 p.m. ET
Georgia vs. Latvia, Sunday at 12 p.m. ET
Macedonia vs. Armenia, Sunday at 12 p.m. ET
Cyprus vs. Slovenia, Sunday at 2:45 p.m. ET
France vs. Netherlands, Sunday at 2:45 p.m. ET
Liechtenstein vs. Gibraltar, Sunday at 2:45 p.m. ET
Andorra vs. Kazakhstan, Monday at 2:45 p.m. ET
Kosovo vs. Faroe Islands, Monday at 2:45 p.m. ET
Malta vs. Azerbaijan, Monday at 2:45 p.m. ET
Montenegro vs. Lithuania, Monday at 2:45 p.m. ET
Portugal vs. Italy, Monday at 2:45 p.m. ET
Scotland vs. Albania, Monday at 2:45 p.m. ET
Serbia vs. Romania, Monday at 2:45 p.m. ET
Sweden vs. Turkey, Monday at 2:45 p.m. ET
Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Austria, Tuesday at 2:45 p.m. ET
Finland vs. Estonia, Tuesday at 2:45 p.m. ET
Hungary vs. Greece, Tuesday at 2:45 p.m. ET
Iceland vs. Belgium, Tuesday at 2:45 p.m. ET
Moldova vs. Belarus, Tuesday at 2:45 p.m. ET
San Marino vs. Luxembourg, Tuesday at 2:45 p.m. ET
Spain vs. Croatia, Tuesday at 2:45 p.m. ET
UEFA Nations League takeaways
Gareth Bale continues to dominate: With Cristiano Ronaldo now at Juventus, Gareth Bale has been tasked with the role of being the man for Real Madrid. So far to start the season, he has delivered. He has started all three La Liga matches, all of them victories, and scored a goal in each of them. He carried that fine form over into Thursday's 4-1 win over Ireland, scoring a fantastic goal for Wales. Take a look at this lovely strike from outside the box:
Yo sé que todos quieren ver el gol de @GarethBale11 y... ¿Quién soy yo para negarles el gusto?
DISFRUTEN DE ESTA JOYA 😍 pic.twitter.com/nT48x8cGSf
— Univision Deportes (@UnivisionSports) September 6, 2018
France-Germany produced zero goals and one nasty neck: This was (rightfully) viewed as the most anticipated match of the opening day of the competition, but it didn't produce any goals. You had France, a team fresh off a World Cup title, going up against a team that has dealt with political drama within the federation and a horrific showing this past summer in Russia. And while the game had some flashes of brilliance and some quality saves, the most eye-catching thing was a nasty little injury. Young star defender Benjamin Pavard was stepped on during the match, and he actually took a cleat to his neck from Antonio Rudiger. Take a look:
Cop that!
Pavard feels a who lot of stud early.
GERMANY 0-0 FRANCE#GERFRA #Germany #France#OptusSport pic.twitter.com/tbNYtx2qNT
— Optus Sport (@OptusSport) September 6, 2018
And here's how it looked after:
Did Pavard get attacked by Wolverine? pic.twitter.com/9jOqsiCihO
— Dylan Walsh (@dylanwalsh_) September 6, 2018
Ouch! That doesn't look good, and it surely didn't feel good. Those sharp metal cleats and nothing to mess with, and getting one on the neck is scary. Thankfully it wasn't worse, and he carried on playing.
Amazing strike from Armenia: Marcos Pizzelli scored the opener in Armenia's win on Thursday, and what a hit it was. Check out this amazing curler from outside the box, which looked a bit like Denis Cheryshev's strike against Croatia at this summer's World Cup, which is up for the Puskas award
Source:https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/news/uefa-nations-league-scores-fixtures-takeaways-gareth-bale-shines-for-wales-germany-and-france-goalless/