Thank you very much for joining me. A lovely roundup will soon drop.
Full-time results
Croatia 0-3 Austria
France 1-2 Denmark
Kazakhstan 2-0 Azerbaijan
Belarus 0-1 Slovakia
Latvia 3-0 Andorra
Liechtenstein 0-2 Moldova
Belgium 1-4 Netherlands
Mr Jolly strikes again.
Roberto Martinez is the only manager to lose games by three goals to Louis van Gaal in both the Premier League and the Nations League.
— Richard Jolly 🇺🇦 (@RichJolly) June 3, 2022
Full-time! Belgium 1-4 Netherlands
Netherlands: good, Belgium: bad, Boyata: atrocious.
Updated
Full-time! France 1-2 Denmark
A wonderful night for the Danes and Cornelius.
Updated
GOAL! Belgium 1-4 Netherlands (Batshuayi, 90+3)
Who cares?
Belgium 0-4 Netherlands: I still can’t believe Roberto Mancini used to pick Boyata over Nedum Onuoha.
“Boyata has been a weak link in the ‘Golden Generation’ for some time,” says Dan Christmas. “All those excellent players, but Belgium just needed one or two more very good players to really look world class. If that makes sense...”
He’s been ruddy awful.
France 1-2 Denmark: Hojberg is caught late and looks in a lot of pain on the deck.
France 1-2 Denmark: A chance for an immediate equaliser as an unmarked Rabiot sends a weak header straight at Schmeichel.
GOAL! France 1-2 Denmark (Cornelius, 89)
Speaking of ... Cornelius races onto a pass over the top, takes a couple of touches while holding off the defender and whacks the ball into the roof of the net.
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France 1-1 Denmark: The Danes are looking good going forward ...
France 1-1 Denmark: Kante takes aim from 30 yards, curling his shot beyond Schmeichel but the ball bounces back off the post.
Key event
Belgium 0-4 Netherlands: The ball is in the back of the net. Batshuayi is found the wrong side of the defence, he shovels the ball at goal but Cillesen saves it, only to see Castagne tap home. The celebrations are muted as Batshuayi knows what VAR confirms: he is offside.
Belgium 0-4 Netherlands: De Bruyne looks pretty annoyed to still be on the pitch for this shitshow.
France 1-1 Denmark: What a save! Olsen cuts in from the right and hammers a left-footed shot from 25 yards which Lloris flings himself at to stop it going into the top corner.
GOAL! Belgium 0-4 Netherlands (Depay, 66)
Boyata is having a stinker. Blind sees space to run into, he heads a long ball into the path of Depay, who is in about 10 yards of space as Boyata has completely lost him, and he volleys home.
Updated
GOAL! France 1-1 Denmark (Cornelius, 68)
The big man stays onside to volley a looped ball over the France defence.
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The Benzema goal for UK readers ...
The GENIUS that is Karim Benzema on full display again! 🤯
— Premier Sports (@PremierSportsTV) June 3, 2022
Absolutely outstanding dribbling and finish, set up by a beautiful flick from Nkunku, and France are in front 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/5T2zLkmCCu
Belgium 0-3 Netherlands: To be fair to Belgium, De Bruyne did announce beforehand that he did not care about these matches. Ban football in June!
GOAL! Belgium 0-3 Netherlands (Dumfries, 62)
All over in Brussels. Berghuis curls a shot from the edge of the box which Mignolet palms into Blind’s path from where he crosses for Dumfries to tap home a third.
Updated
Belgium 0-2 Netherlands: Cillesen finally makes a save! A lovely through ball reaches Trossard who thwacks a shot at goal from inside the box but the goalkeeper is behind it.
Belgium 0-2 Netherlands: Belgium are currently playing like a team who find the Nations League beneath them.
Thoughts are prayers with my good friend James who is recovering after eating some reheated rice on Wednesday.
France 1-0 Denmark: Varane is the latest France player to hit the deck. He looks like a man who has just remembered he is a Manchester United defender as he awaits treatment. Looks live he might have knacked his calf.
Belgium 0-2 Netherlands: Vertonghen pings a bicycle kick well over the bar from six yards.
“I don’t disagree that technology has moved on, but I’m still not sure I see the point of non-alcoholic beer?” asks Tom Hopkins. “There are so many other flavours to explore, why stick with the same on drinking and non-drinking nights?
“Sorry, I was trying to come up with another example of a weak, watery version of something vital for comparison, but I’m coming up blank.”
I think it’s the reassuring nature of it. I also do not actually often drink beer at home.
GOAL! Belgium 0-2 Netherlands (Depay, 51)
Depay races into space vacated by Boyata and whips a shot almost through Mignolet.
Updated
GOAL! France 1-0 Denmark (Benzema, 51)
WHAT A GOAL! The striker dribbles into the box from the right flank, plays a quick one-two, then bamboozles three defenders with ludicrously quick feet before slotting into the corner. Incredible stuff from an incredible player.
Updated
Belgium 0-1 Netherlands: Mertens, who came on at half-time, makes an instant impact by scraping his studs down Blind’s calf to earn a booking.
“Your choice of halftime refreshment makes me realise that the Nations League is kind of like non-alcoholic beer,” Peter Oh says. “Not horrible, but not very good either. A bit of a funny aftertaste, and none of the feeling you associate with the real thing. Something you wouldn’t choose but could put up with given no other options.”
You should get hold of some Adnam’s Ghost Ship 0.5%.
France 0-0 Denmark: Benzema volleys from close range but Schmeichel makes himself big to repel the Frenchman’s effort and the defenders scramble the ball away.
Second half
Here we go again!
With France v Denmark live on Box Nation in the UK, I fear what channel are showing Liechtenstein v Moldova. Good Food?
Over the past 10 years, I think the improvement in non-alcoholic beer and over chips, really has changed the world for the better.
Just having a non-alcoholic beer and a piece of brownie. I am living the platinum jubilee dream.
Kári Tulinius emails: “I’m not saying I’m having a hard time staying engaged, but I started reading the Wikipedia entry on the Belgian stadium’s namesake, and it’s never a good sign, ethics-wise, when one of the subsections is about another person’s murder. Nice goal, mind you, by some Dutch guy. Enjoy the match!”
I AM DOING MY BEST.
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Half time
An emotional 45 minutes concludes around Europe. France and Denmark is still goalless but we do have a goal in Belgium.
Scores:
Croatia 0-1 Austria
France 0-0 Denmark
Result: Kazakhstan 2-0 Azerbaijan
Belarus 0-0 Slovakia
Result: Latvia 3-0 Andorra
Liechtenstein 0-1 Moldova
Belgium 0-1 Netherlands
France 0-0 Denmark: Mbappe is on the turf looking relatively dejected while shaking his head. He gets to his feet but doesn’t look happy and is wandering around the pitch. He seemed to hurt himself with no one around him ...
Belgium 0-1 Netherlands: Dumfries gets down the right and crosses into the box. The ball whacks Castagne in the face and the referee awards a penalty. It goes to VAR who instruct the referee to go over to the monitor and he rightly overturns it.
“If I were Timber I would sign for Forest over United, for obvious reasons,” says Peter Oh.
I think Forest are in favour of keep trees up, not cutting them down.
GOAL! Belgium 0-1 Netherlands (Bergwijn, 40)
A wonderful strike from Bergwijn. He receives he ball with his back to goal 30 yards from goal, turns, gets it out of his feet and fires a powerful shot into the corner.
Updated
Belgium 0-0 Netherlands: De Bruyne has an opportunity to shoot from a free-kick 25 yards from goal. He lifts the ball over the wall but straight into Cillesen’s hands.
Belgium 0-0 Netherlands. The Dutch are on top - the home fans are even starting to boo. Depay is the latest to let fly but his dipping shot bounces safely into Mignolet’s hands.
Belgium 0-0 Netherlands: Another chance for Berghuis. Bergwijn lays the ball off to an onrushing Berghuis but he curls a rising shot high and wide.
We are past the half-hour mark and only Liechtenstein v Moldova has a goal.
France 0-0 Denmark: Mbappe drives inside from the left and looks to curl a shot around Schmeichel but he can only find the goalkeeper’s chest.
Belgium 0-0 Netherlands: Berghuis does well down the left flank and takes his time to pick out Blind. He takes a touch and fires across goal but his shot goes inches wide.
Belgium 0-0 Netherlands: Trossand replaces Lukaku.
Updated
Belgium 0-0 Netherlands: Lukaku’s race is run. He is sat on the turf and does not fancy carrying on. He was a doubt before the match. I would not have bothered picking him in such a game.
Belgium 0-0 Netherlands: It is so hot in Brussels, they need a cooling break.
Belgium 0-0 Netherlands: Lukaku goes down in the vicinity of Ake but it is a blatant dive. Poor from the big man.
VAR takes a look at the incident thinking there might be a red card. Lukaku pushed Ake a little but nothing more than that. Odd.
Updated
“These Nations League games became useless and absolutely unnecessary when Germany and other Group A teams were supposed to be relegated to Group B,” Yash Gupta says. “Instead UEFA said Hell no, that’s not going to happen. Maybe UEFA saw the appeal behind Super League. These games are nothing more than glorified friendly now.”
Thanks for following this live coverage.
France 0-0 Denmark: Maehle clears the ball down the line but gets clobbered in the face by Kounde, to leave the Dane on the deck.
Liechtenstein 0-1 Moldova: A huge goal for the Moldovans.
Belgium 0-0 Netherlands: De Bruyne gives the ball away and Netherlands makes the most of the error. Berghuis runs through to be one-on-one with Mignolet, the Dutchman goes across the goalkeeper but his shot loops off the former Liverpool man’s foot and just over the bar.
France 0-0 Denmark: Benzema finds the back of the net after latching onto a cute through ball but the flag goes up pretty quickly, especially by modern standards, and the goal is rightly ruled out.
Belgium 0-0 Netherlands: Ake dispossesses Lukaku in the box but his clearance only reaches an onrushing Castagne who whacks a shot towards goal, only to see it ping back off the bar.
France 0-0 Denmark: A cross reaches Benzema waiting on the penalty spot but his first-time shot is blocked. The best opening of the match thus far.
Updated
Belgium 0-0 Netherlands: “Saw your comment ten mins ago [19.41],” says Charlie Swinbourne. “Wonder if this might be due to people with colour blindness - seeing the difference between red and orange is difficult. No idea if that’s the reason but wouldn’t surprise me.”
I have no issue with the reasoning but then surely Netherlands should be in their away kit and Belgium still in red.
Updated
France 0-0 Denmark: Some nice buildup play from France concludes with Griezmann pinging a low drive from 30 yards but Schmeichel gets right behind it.
Updated
Belgium 0-0 Netherlands: Eden Hazard, starting his first game since January, just about has the pace to reach a De Bruyne pass over the top, allowing him to loop a cross into the box but Netherlands do well to clear.
Updated
Belgium 0-0 Netherlands: Chris Iwelumo is on co-comms. He is impressed with Timber’s physicality. A first tick for the Premier League there.
Updated
Belgium 0-0 Netherlands: A bright start from both sides in Brussels. They have already looked pretty threatening. Hopefully this is the sign of a good game.
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Kick off
Peep! Peep! Peep!
Belgium are in all white, while Netherlands are in their famous orange. I am very much against home teams needlessly wearing their away kits.
Sky Sports must have really not cared about showing these games. I am sure they used to have the rights.
Good job I have worked out how to mirror Premier Sports onto my TV ...
I am not saying the Nations League hasn’t caught the public’s imagination but France v Denmark is live on Box Nation tonight.
Updated
Timber starts for Netherlands. Ten Hag is very keen on reuniting with the Ajax defender at Old Trafford. Will be interesting to see how he copes tonight.
Turns out Spain played Portugal last night.
Starting lineups: France v Denmark
France: Lloris, Lucas Hernández, Varane, Koundé, Theo Hernández, Tchouameni, Griezmann, Kanté, Coman, Mbappé, Benzema.
Denmark: Schmeichel, Andersen, Nelsson, Vestergaard, Maehle, Hojbjerg, Delaney, Wass, Eriksen, Olsen, Dolberg.
Starting lineups: Belgium v Netherlands
Belgium: Mignolet, Vertonghen, Boyata, Alderweireld, Castagne, Witsel, De Bruyne, Meunier, Hazard, Lukaku, Vanaken
Netherlands: Cillessen, Timber, Van Dijk, Ake, Dumfries, Berghuis, Klaassen, de Jong, Blind, Bergwijn, Depay.
Updated
Jonathan Wilson on Ukraine.
Today’s fixtures:
Croatia v Austria
France v Denmark
Result: Kazakhstan 2-0 Azerbaijan
Belarus v Slovakia
Latest: Latvia 1-0 Andorra
Liechtenstein v Moldova
Belgium v Netherlands
Preamble
Belgium will need an inspirational team talk prior to their match against the Netherlands, because, according to Kevin De Bruyne: “The Nations League is unimportant. We have to play those matches, but it’s a kind of practice campaign.”
Now that you are all in the mood for some hot June football action, we can take a closer look at the big match at The King Baudouin Stadium. Thibaut Courtois misses out after suffering a groin injury during the Champions League final, not that he will mind too much.
Netherlands could give a start to Manchester United target Jurrien Timber, allowing Red Devils (this works on two levels) to have a closer look at the Ajax defender.
Elsewhere, the Stade de France plays host to Denmark. There will be plenty of spotlight on policing and strategies for getting fans into the ground following the chaos at the Champions League final last week. Surely the police and other authorities will manage to be slightly less incompetent on this occasion.
France head coach Didier Deschamps will be absent following the death of his father. “He will be back soon. You have to respect his grief, he is with his family who needs him,” assistant Guy Stephan said.
We will keep across the other games, too, but they look pretty underwhelming.
