Winners: Moldova
Imagine being a fan from a small footballing nation. It is November 16th, 2024 and your national team has beaten Andorra and secured promotion to a higher division in the Nations League. That was exactly the euphoria Moldova’s supporters experienced as they looked forward to what the future might bring. However, the team then went 17 matches without a win, with the run including five draws and 12 defeats.
It took almost two years for Moldova to celebrate another victory as they ended the streak in Friday’s away clash in Kazakhstan in League C. The first half was evenly contested, although the visitors were the happier side at the break. Nicky Clescenco put them ahead in stoppage time after pouncing on a defensive mistake and a poor clearance from the hosts.
Shortly after half-time, Perciun sent a corner towards Petru Popescu, who headed home to make it 2-0, before Nuraly Alip brought Kazakhstan back into the game in the 64th minute. The hosts tried to equalise and saw more of the ball, but Moldova’s defence denied them a clear-cut chance.
Celebrations broke out in the visitors’ camp after the final whistle. They also climbed to second in the group and can now prepare for an important meeting with Slovakia, who won the first encounter between the sides.
Losers: Burkina Faso
Argentina's home friendly against Burkina Faso, which ended in a resounding 7-0 victory for the World Cup runners-up, was overshadowed by issues surrounding the visiting squad. According to ESPN and the DPA news agency, several players from the African nation refused to travel to Buenos Aires, citing fatigue as the reason for their absence.
In addition, a private flight from Morocco was cancelled because of technical problems, meaning Argentina’s opponents arrived at the venue just a few hours before kick-off.
Burkina Faso fielded a side made up largely of under-23 players and despite heavy criticism from the local media, Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni welcomed the fact that the match ultimately went ahead. African football, however, scored another own goal after the farce surrounding the AFCON final.
Winner: Edin Dzeko
Friday was a significant day in the history of Bosnian football. At the age of 40, striker Edin Dzeko said goodbye to the national team. The legendary goalscorer’s final appearance was marked by a 1-1 draw with Sweden in the Nations League and a goal ruled out after a VAR intervention, but above all by a prolonged standing ovation and tears of emotion. He leaves as the greatest player in the country’s history, with 152 appearances and 73 goals.
Shortly before half-time in Zenica, Dzeko found the net and the entire stadium erupted, but VAR denied him the joy of scoring one last goal in the shirt he loves because the ball had already gone out of play at the start of the move. Nothing could change the occasion, though, and the entire evening belonged to the legend.
The end of the era came in the 63rd minute to thunderous applause from Bosnia’s fans, teammates and opponents as Dzeko handed over the captain's armband and left the pitch. While the match itself ended in a draw, the main event took place after the final whistle as his colleagues and members of the coaching staff formed a guard of honour. Clearly moved, Dzeko then reunited with his family on the pitch.
"I am leaving at peace. I am leaving the team in good shape; there are young lads here who will continue to improve," said the former Manchester City star, who signed off as a true winner.
Loser: Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo caused quite a stir last week when he left the Portugal camp after head coach Jorge Jesus’ decision to leave him on the bench in their 2-1 win against Norway, despite reportedly promising that he would play for at least 30 minutes.
Jesus described his decision not to use the star striker as purely tactical, and his team went on to handle their next match against Denmark, which they played under immense pressure. The decision by the now 41-year-old to walk out in a huff understandably triggered a barrage of negative responses, but there were also those who sided with him.
Ronaldo had already faced criticism for his contribution during the World Cup, and although his departure does not appear to have harmed Portugal on the pitch, the way the situation escalated surprised many. He promised to address the situation at the right time, so the question of whether we will ever see him in Portugal's colours again remains open. A Ronaldo-less Portugal secured a place in the Nations League quarter-finals on Sunday thanks to a win over Norway.
Winner: Robert Lewandowski
Poland swept aside Romania with a 6-0 thrashing in the Nations League, and the star of the show was none other than Robert Lewandowski. The 38-year-old striker scored a hat-trick and it was an immensely important result for Poland, who recorded their first win since March.
The key moment came from Lewandowski himself, who was fouled by Romania's Radu Dragusin and drew a red card. Lewandowski scored the resulting penalty, which would be the start of an attacking onslaught.
The experienced striker was the top player with a Flashscore rating of 9.6. He underlined his attacking prowess, taking seven shots, four of which were on target. His expected goals (xG) stood at 2.03, while he also recorded 10 touches inside the opposition box and won four fouls.
Losers: Croatia
The Nations League Group A3 meeting between Croatia and England, who were separated by just one spot in the table, turned into a heavily one-sided affair. The match in Rijeka was originally supposed to be played behind closed doors as punishment for the Croatian fans’ behaviour, but around 6,000 schoolchildren and 100 visiting supporters attended.
The crowd witnessed an attacking masterclass from England. Harry Kane opened the scoring in the eighth minute, before Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon and Bukayo Saka added three more goals before half-time.
The final scoreline of 7-0 eclipsed Croatia's previous record defeat, which came in September 2018 when they were beaten 6-0 by Spain in the Nations League.
"I have represented my country for 20 years, but this was the first time I felt ashamed after the final whistle," Croatia veteran Luka Modric said.
"You can lose; that is not a problem when the opponent is better on the day. But to lose in this manner and see all the hard work of so many years spoiled is unacceptable."
For England, it was their biggest win since June 2023, when they beat North Macedonia by the same margin. Croatia, meanwhile, have a 1-11 aggregate scoreline from their last two matches.