France and Italy qualified for the quarterfinal stage of the revamped Nations League on Thursday as England got its revenge on Greece ahead of the imminent arrival of Thomas Tuchel as coach.
France drew 0-0 with Israel in a match requiring a high-security operation in and around Paris, a week after violence erupted in Amsterdam in connection with Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv’s visit for a Europa League match. Around 150 Israel supporters were among a crowd of less than 20,000 inside the 80,000-capacity Stade de France and there was a brief scuffle between some fans at one point in the first half.
The draw was enough to secure France a top-two finish in its group along with Italy, which beat Belgium 1-0 away thanks to Sandro Tonali’s 11th-minute goal. They advance to the quarterfinals in March, from which the lineup of the Final Four mini-tournament in June will be determined. Germany and Spain were the first two nations to qualify for the quarterfinals in October.
England won 3-0 in Athens thanks to strikes by Ollie Watkins and Curtis Jones, either side of an own goal, and that made amends for a humbling first loss to Greece last month at Wembley Stadium. England captain Harry Kane was left out of the team, with Watkins preferred up front, and came on as a second-half substitute.
England has one more match under interim coach Lee Carsley before Tuchel begins his tenure in January as the country’s latest foreign-born manager.
Prolific Manchester City striker Erling Haaland was again among the scorers for Norway in its 4-1 win in Slovenia.
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