UEFA Nations League Matchday 2 round-up: Kane inspires England as Netherlands and Germany draw thriller

The latest instalment of Netherlands versus Germany did not disappoint as September's UEFA Nations League fixtures concluded with a bang, while England skipper Harry Kane marked his 100th cap in style.

UEFA.com rounds up the Matchday 2 action.

Netherlands 2-2 Germany

Familiar rivals Netherlands and Germany had shared 21 goals in their previous five competitive meetings, and Tijjani Reijnders helped ensure the trend was continued by slotting in inside two minutes in Amsterdam. After full debutant Deniz Undav equalised with an emphatic 38th-minute finish, Joshua Kimmich fired the visitors ahead in added time.

That ended a busy first period for home goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen and counterpart Marc-André ter Stegen. Denzel Dumfries tapped in Brian Brobbey's low cross five minutes into a quieter second half, keeping Oranje unbeaten in their last 12 league phase Nations League matches.

Hungary 0-0 Bosnia and Herzegovina

Visiting goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj starred as Sergej Barbarez's team claimed a hard-fought point. The home side dominated the first half but Barnabás Varga was repeatedly denied by Vasilj, who kept out two goal-bound headers from the 29-year-old before thwarting the forward at the near post.

Vasilj also blocked a fierce Zsolt Nagy effort as the teams went into half-time on level terms. Dominik Szoboszlai's second-half free-kick struck the woodwork and Martin Ádám sent a free header straight at Vasilj late on, but there was no way through for Marco Rossi's men at the Puskás Aréna.

England 2-0 Finland

Harry Kane marked his 100th appearance for England with two superb goals as interim manager Lee Carsley made it two wins in two. Kane, the tenth man to reach the landmark for England, went close several times before he collected Trent Alexander-Arnold's pass, beat a defender on the edge of the area and fired in off the underside of the bar.

Captain Kane then swept in a pass from substitute debutant Noni Madueke to wrap up the win and move to 68 international goals. The Bayern München forward had had an earlier header ruled out for offside as England dominated at a wet Wembley.

Elsewhere on Tuesday

• Greece lead England on goal difference after Christos Tzolis struck late to wrap up an impressive 2-0 victory in the Republic of Ireland.
• Levante midfielder Giorgi Kochorashvili was on the scoresheet for the second game running as Georgia made it two wins from two.
• Pavel Šulc registered twice as Czechia edged out Ukraine 3-2 to claim their first points of Group B1.

Tuesday's results

A3 Hungary 0-0 Bosnia and Herzegovina, Netherlands 2-2 Germany
B1 Albania 0-1 Georgia, Czechia 3-2 Ukraine
B2 England 2-0 Finland, Republic of Ireland 0-2 Greece
C4 Latvia 1-0 Faroe Islands, North Macedonia 2-0 Armenia
D2 Andorra 0-1 Malta

Monday

France 2-0 Belgium

Didier Deschamps' France side bounced back from Friday's defeat by Italy, seeing off a resilient Belgium side in Lyon. While the Red Devils found some early joy against a much-changed France line-up, Les Bleus grew into the encounter and looked the more dangerous; they were rewarded midway through the first half.

Koen Casteels, at full stretch, did well to get a palm on Ousmane Dembélé's effort from inside the box but Randal Kolo Muani was on hand to smash in the rebound. France were more imposing and controlled in the second half, and Dembélé's exquisite driven finish sealed the points to take them level with Belgium in Group A2.

 Israel 1-2 Italy

Italy overcame Israel in Budapest to make it two wins from two. Israel started well and went close through Manor Solomon's curled effort, but it was Davide Frattesi who struck first when he instinctively chested Federico Dimarco's cross into the bottom corner.

A similarly strong opening to the second period from Ran Ben Shimon's outfit was ultimately in vain, as Moise Kean rammed in Italy's second from close range after Yoav Gerafi had denied Giacomo Raspadori. Mohammad Abu Fani's well-hit late volley gave Israel hope, but they were unable to complete the comeback.

Elsewhere on Monday

• Benjamin Šeško and Kerem Aktürkoğlu registered fine hat-tricks as Slovenia and Türkiye recorded their first wins of the campaign.
• Erling Haaland took his tally to 32 goals in 35 appearances for Norway with the winner at home to Austria, although the home side lost Arsenal midfielder Martin Ødegaard to an ankle injury.
• Wales struck twice in the opening three minutes against Montenegro as they made it four points in two away games but, amid torrential rain, they were under the pump in the closing stages.

Monday's results

A2 France 2-0 Belgium, Israel 1-2 Italy
B3 Norway 2-1 Austria, Slovenia 3-0 Kazakhstan
B4 Montenegro 1-2 Wales, Türkiye 3-1 Iceland
C2 Cyprus 0-4 Kosovo, Romania 3-1 Lithuania

Sunday

Switzerland 1-4 Spain

The holders secured a comprehensive victory despite being reduced to ten men midway through the first half. Joselu's looping header and a Fabián Ruiz strike put Spain in command early on, before Robin Le Normand was dismissed for impeding Breel Embolo. The hosts' numerical advantage paid off when Zeki Amdouni pounced from close range just before the interval, but Switzerland were unable to convert possession into an equaliser after the break.

With the Nati hunting for a second goal, Spain hit them on the counter twice in the space of four minutes late on, Fabián Ruiz getting his second of the evening via a neat finish from substitute Ferran Torres' cross, before the replacement added a fourth himself after being sent clear by Joselu.

Portugal 2-1 Scotland

Ronaldo came off the bench to score a second successive Nations League winner as Portugal fought back to defeat Scotland. Following Thursday's late 3-2 loss to Poland, Steve Clarke's side began well and went ahead with their only chance of the first half as Scott McTominay headed in his tenth goal in his last 17 internationals from Kenny McLean's cross.

Having spurned several chances in response, Portugal finally levelled after the restart when Bruno Fernandes struck on his 30th birthday and in his 600th career game. Ronaldo then pounced two minutes from the end to keep up the 2018/19 Nations League champions' 100% record in the current edition.

Croatia 1-0 Poland

A stunning Modrić free-kick gave Croatia their first three points of the campaign. The Croatia captain celebrates his 39th birthday tomorrow, yet he showed no signs of ageing in a masterclass of distribution and creativity.

The hosts dominated the early possession and Igor Matanović had a series of first-half attempts, but it took them until the 52nd minute to break the deadlock against a solid Poland defence, Modrić curling a set piece over the visitors' wall and into the top-left corner of Łukasz Skorupski's goal.

Although Poland pushed for an equaliser in an open second half, and Robert Lewandowski hit the woodwork, Croatia ultimately did enough to see out the victory.

Denmark 2-0 Serbia

The hosts made it two wins in four days with a dominant performance in Copenhagen. Albert Grønbæk, on only his second appearance for Denmark, made the breakthrough in the 36th minute via a well-placed finish after a neat exchange of passes with Yussuf Poulsen.

That opener was a fine team goal, but the second was a spectacular individual effort, Poulsen brilliantly dispatching Victor Kristiansen's cross with an overhead kick. Saša Lukić miscued from close range with the best chance for the visitors, who remain on a single point from their first two games in the section.

Elsewhere on Sunday

• Viktor Gyökeres struck his first international double to help Sweden keep pace with Slovakia at the top of Group C1, Jon Dahl Tomasson's side beating ten-man Estonia 3-0 after Slovakia dispatched Azerbaijan 2-0.
• Belarus and Bulgaria lead the way on four points apiece in Group C3 after both triumphed, Kiril Despodov's fifth goal in his last eight Bulgaria outings making the difference against Northern Ireland while Belarus prevailed in Luxembourg.
• There was drama aplenty in the sole League D fixture as Gibraltar and Liechtenstein drew 2-2, James Scanlon putting hosts Gibraltar ahead on 97 minutes only for Nicolas Hasler to equalise with a 104th-minute penalty.

Sunday's results

A1 Croatia 1-0 Poland, Portugal 2-1 Scotland
A4 Denmark 2-0 Serbia, Switzerland 1-4 Spain
C1 Slovakia 2-0 Azerbaijan, Sweden 3-0 Estonia
C3 Luxembourg 0-1 Belarus, Bulgaria 1-0 Northern Ireland
D1 Gibraltar 2-2 Liechtenstein