The England team has qualified to play in the UEFA Nations League higher division after defeating Ireland 5-0 on Sunday with a score of 6-1 in the final stage of the group stage held at Wembley Stadium. England started with difficulty against a disciplined Irish side, but in the second half, Jude Bellingham was fouled by defender Liam Scales, which led to a red card and subsequent expulsion. Harry Kane converted a penalty in the 53rd minute and marked his 69th goal for the national team, paving the way for the team's victory. Five minutes later, Anthony Gordon and Conor Gallagher pushed the lead up to three goals. Jarrod Bowen and Taylor Harwood-Bellis also missed during the match. Thanks to the victory, England finished the group stage with 15 points, the same as Greece, who overcame Finland 2-0 in the away match. However, the leadership in Group 2 and the possibility of playing in League A went to Trent Alexander-Arnold, thanks to a better goal difference from scored and missed goals. Ireland finished third, while Finland remained with zero points and will be relegated to League C.
Symbolically, this coincides with the conclusion of interim coach Lee Carsley's tenure, who took charge of the team after Gareth Southgate's departure at the end of Euro 2024. Starting January, the new head coach of England will be German Thomas Tuchel.
The French team secured leadership in Group 2 of League A over Italy, achieving a convincing victory of 3-1, also overcoming a 1-3 loss in the match of the first round. For France, Adrien Rabiot scored twice, and for the Italians, Andrea Cambiaso was on the score sheet. Both teams completed the group stage with 13 points, but the team of Le Bleu proved to be ahead due to a better goal difference from scored and missed goals.
