Nations League matchday 4, Sunday: Portugal first into the quarter-finals, Greece hold Germany again

Matchday 4 opened on Sunday with eight matches and thirteen goals, and with the first side through to the quarter-finals: Portugal came from behind to beat Norway 2–1 in Porto and have twelve points from twelve. In League A, Group 2, Greece held Germany 0–0 in Thessaloniki and stay unbeaten, but the Netherlands beat Serbia 2–1 to join them on eight points. Denmark won 1–0 in Wales with a penalty, and the Republic of Ireland were held 1–1 by Israel in Serbia. Four were home wins, one an away win, three were drawn.

The afternoon

Azerbaijan 1–0 Lithuania in Baku was settled by Abdulakh Khaybulaev on 25 from Tural Bayramov's pass. Khaybulaev was booked on 33, and a red card shown to him was cancelled after a VAR check on 53. Lithuania had 62 per cent of the ball but three shots on target; Azerbaijan put seven of thirteen on target. It is Azerbaijan's first win in three meetings on record, and it takes them above Lithuania to the top of League D, Group 2.

Kosovo 1–1 Austria in Pristina was goalless until Fisnik Asllani, on as a substitute on 67, scored on 70 from Edon Zhegrova's pass. Two other substitutes, both on since 62, equalised for Austria: Christoph Lang headed in on 85 from Saša Kalajdžić's pass. ORF reports that it was Lang's first goal for Austria, in his second international, and that Ralf Rangnick had made six changes and given defender Felix Bacher his debut. Austria had 65 per cent of the ball, and Kosovo, who lost 3–1 in Vienna on 27 September, have their first point against them. Austria stay top, three points clear with two to play, and ORF notes that the group winner goes up to League A.

Malta 1–0 Andorra at Ta' Qali was settled by Teddy Teuma on 49 from Ylyas Chouaref's pass; Teuma went off seven minutes later. Malta put six of twelve shots on target to Andorra's three. Malta are unbeaten in six meetings with Andorra in this competition since 2020, four of them wins, and lead League D, Group 1 on seven points.

The evening

Greece 0–0 Germany at the Toumba Stadium was Germany's ball and Greece's result. Germany had 70 per cent of possession and 21 shots, four on target; Greece had five, two on target. Jonathan Burkardt thought he had scored on 32, but VAR ruled it out for a handball by Tom Bischof in the build-up, Sky Sport reports. Greece took four points from the two meetings, after a 1–0 in Augsburg on 27 September. AP notes that Jürgen Klopp has won only one of his first four matches in charge, and Germany are three points off the top two with two matches left.

Netherlands 2–1 Serbia in Eindhoven was Virgil van Dijk's 100th cap; NOS reports that he is the eleventh Dutch player to reach a hundred. Teun Koopmeiners opened the scoring on 31 with a free kick, as RTÉ describes it, and Mihajlo Cvetković equalised on 35 from Aleksa Terzić's cross. Joshua Zirkzee, on at half-time, scored the winner on 72 from Tijjani Reijnders' pass. The Netherlands had 66 per cent of the ball and 22 shots, seven on target. They have beaten Serbia home and away, and Serbia have lost all four.

Portugal 2–1 Norway at the Estádio do Dragão began with Kristoffer Ajer putting Norway ahead on 36 from Martin Ødegaard's free kick. João Cancelo equalised on 38 from Nuno Mendes' pass, and Gonçalo Ramos scored the winner on 79 from João Félix's pass. Francisco Conceição was booked for dissent and sent off on 86; AFP says both cards came from protests over a penalty appeal. Erling Haaland went off on 67 without scoring, AP notes, for the second match running. AFP reports that the win makes Portugal the first team into the quarter-finals, which are played in March. They were without Cristiano Ronaldo, who walked out on the squad on Wednesday; "the important thing is the four victories," Cancelo said.

Wales 0–1 Denmark in Cardiff turned on a goalkeeping error. Denmark lost their captain Pierre-Emile Højbjerg to injury inside ten minutes, Sky Sports reports, and Danny Ward then gave the ball away to Gustav Isaksen in his own area and brought him down. Rasmus Højlund scored the penalty on 75. Denmark had 13 shots to Wales's five, and Wales put one on target. It is Wales's third defeat in four, and Denmark have won all five meetings on record. "It's a tough way to concede," Ben Davies told BBC Sport, as Sky Sports reports.

Republic of Ireland 1–1 Israel was Ireland's home match, played behind closed doors in Bačka Topola, Serbia. Troy Parrott scored a penalty on 39 after a VAR check, awarded for a foul on Jimmy Dunne; it was his fifteenth international goal according to the Irish Times. Dor Peretz equalised on 47, early in the second half. Ireland had 15 shots, four on target; Israel had ten, two on target. RTÉ notes that it is the second match in a row in which Ireland have failed to hold a lead, and that they drop to third, behind Kosovo on head-to-head.

The groups after Sunday

• League A, Group 2: Netherlands 8 (+2); Greece 8 (+2); Germany 5 (+1); Serbia 0 (−5).
• League A, Group 4: Portugal 12 (+5); Denmark 6 (0); Wales 3 (−3); Norway 3 (−2).
• League B, Group 3: Austria 8 (+4); Kosovo 5 (−1); Republic of Ireland 5 (+2); Israel 2 (−5).
• League D, Group 1: Malta 7 (+2) from three; Gibraltar 2 (0) from two; Andorra 1 (−2) from three.
• League D, Group 2: Azerbaijan 5 (+1) from three; Lithuania 4 (+1) from three; Liechtenstein 1 (−2) from two.

Numbers to know

• Thirteen goals in eight matches, and one goalless draw, in Thessaloniki.
• Portugal are the first side to twelve points; four wins from four, nine goals scored.
• Serbia have lost all four, scoring three and conceding eight.
• Germany's 21 shots brought no goal; they have scored three in four matches.
• Two penalties, both scored: Parrott's on 39 and Højlund's on 75.
• One red card, Conceição's on 86, and two VAR reversals: Burkardt's goal and Khaybulaev's red card.

Next up

Monday 5 October brings Cyprus v Latvia at 16:00 UTC and seven matches at 18:45: France v Belgium, Italy v Türkiye, Ukraine v Hungary, Northern Ireland v Georgia, Bosnia and Herzegovina v Poland, Romania v Sweden and Montenegro v Armenia. Ten more follow on Tuesday, among them Croatia v Spain and England v Czechia. The full round is on the Nations League page.

Sources for the context: AFP, AP, Sky Sport, Sky Sports, NOS, ORF, The Irish Times, RTÉ, RTÉ.