IFFHS CONTINENTAL NEWS - UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE
Picture : Joselu's late goal allowed Spain to reach the final !
Statistics on Nations League semi-finals
Netherlands – Croatia 2-4
*The Netherlands national team have conceded 4 goals in a home competitive game for the first time in their 118-year history.
*For the first time, Netherlands have lost a match after leading at half-time (1-0) at Rotterdam’s De Kuip.
In each of the previous 66 occasions when they were ahead at the break at De Kuip, they were unbeaten (60 wins, 6 draws).
*Before this defeat, Netherlands remained unbeaten at De Kuip in 31 matches in a row (25 wins, 6 draws).
*Ronald Koeman conceded 4 goals twice in his 3 first games as a Netherlands coach (also 0-4 vs France). Before his appointment, “Oranje” had a series of 20 consecutive games without losing (all with his predecessor Louis Van Gaal).
*Over the last 25 years, Croatia have played 12 games with the possibility of extra time (at World Cup, Euro, Nations League). In 9 of those 12 cases, it really came to extra time.
Spain – Italy 2-1
*These teams met also in the semi-finals of the previous Nations League edition (2021); they ended that game with the same score, 2-1 for Spain.
*Robin Le Normand is the first player to commit a penalty on his debut for Spain since Iker Casillas who did it at his first cap vs Sweden on 3 June 2000.
*Ciro Immobile has scored his 9th goal for Italy under Roberto Mancini: he is best Scuadra azzurra scorer in the era of this coach.
*Joselu has played his 3rd game for Spain being always a sub; in each of them he scored a goal within 5 minutes from his coming on. In total, he spent just 5 shots (4 on target) to score his 3 goals.
*Spain keeps a brilliant balance against Italy: just 1 defeat in last 11 games against this opposition.
*Italy equals Portugal as rivals that have faced Spain the most times (40 each).