Nations League: Italy squander two-goal lead against Belgium after Pellegrini red

Italy were held to a 2-2 draw by Belgium after Lorenzo Pellegrini was sent off and they squandered a 2-0 lead but remained top of Nations League Group A2. Italy lead the standings on seven points, one ahead of France who beat Israel 4-1 with Belgium third on four.

At the Stadio Olimpico, Italy scored in the first minute when winger Federico Di Marco fired a low cross into the box and Belgium keeper Koen Casteels saved the first shot from Andrea Cambiaso who bundled in the rebound.

Italy doubled the lead in the 24th minute when Di Marco volleyed the ball across the field to Cambiaso who was denied a second by Casteels before striker Mateo Retegui knocked in the loose ball.

Coach Luciano Spalletti’s team were cruising until midfielder Pellegrini was sent off for hitting Belgium defender Arthur Theate at the end of the first half, following a VAR review. The red card galvanised the Belgians and they immediately hit back through Maxim de Cuyper who halved the deficit with a curling shot from the edge of the box after a clever free-kick routine.

“There are episodes that change the games,” Spalletti said, referring to the red card. Belgium started the second half strongly and equalised in the 61th minute when Leandro Trossard poked home from close range following a header by Wout Faes.

Belgium, who were without injured captain Kevin De Bruyne and striker Romelu Lukaku, face a key clash with France on Monday, when Italy face Israel.

Theate said Belgium still had chances to finish in the top two and qualify for the Nations League quarter-finals. “We should have won with 10 against 11, we didn’t do it but we have a [key] game with France now,” he said.

Christopher Nkunku celebrated his return to the France team with a goal in a 4-1 victory over Israel in the Nations League as Les Bleus edged closer to Italy. Nkunku’s maiden goal for France, almost 10 months after his last cap, helped France to six points from three games.

The Chelsea forward struck midway through the first half after Omri Gandelman had cancelled out Eduardo Camavinga’s early opener before Mattéo Guendouzi and Bradley Barcola sealed the win in the closing stages.

France were without regular captain Kylian Mbappé, who skipped the double header with Israel and Belgium, away on Monday, while fit to play with Real Madrid.

“It’s always good to win. The atmosphere around the squad is not exactly pleasant,” coach Didier Deschamps said, referring to the criticism Mbappé faced for missing the games and a poor performance against Italy last month.

“It’s not perfect, we’re in a transition period but there are some good things, with players who have qualities and now need to confirm.”

While Greece shocked England at Wembley in Group B2, Robbie Brady and Liam Scales spared Nathan Collins’ blushes as the Republic of Ireland fought back to claim victory in Finland. Preston defender Brady smashed home an 88th-minute winner to snatch a 2-1 win at Helsinki’s Olympic Stadium after Liam Scales had cancelled out Joel Pohjanpalo’s first-half opener with his first senior international goal.

No one will have been more relieved at their intervention than Ireland skipper Collins, whose blunder had set up Venezia striker Pohjanpalo. For Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson, who launched his reign with back-to-back defeats by England and Greece last month, a first win will have come as a welcome boost.

The hosts were handed a 17th-minute lead when Collins left his backpass to goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher woefully short and Pohjanpalo pounced to beat the keeper with ease.

In the 57th minute, the Irish got a free-kick after Chiedozie Ogbene had been hauled back by Topi Keskinen. Brady curled the free-kick to the far post where Scales climbed above defender Arttu Hoskonen to head firmly back across Lukas Hradecky to level. Substitute Benjamin Kallman might have snatched victory for Finland when he headed wide from Robin Lod’s 87th-minute free-kick, but Brady was not so wasteful seconds later when he controlled Festy Ebosele’s cross and blasted into the roof of the net.

In Group B3, Erling Haaland scored twice for table-topping Norway in a 3-0 canter past Slovenia, either side of a goal from Atlético Madrid’s Alexander Sørloth. Austria thrashed Kazakhstan 4-0 in the group’s other game.

North Macedonia managed a 3-0 Group C4 victory away at Latvia, capped by Elif Elmas’ stoppage-time effort. They lead by three points after second-placed Armenia were almost shocked by the Faroe Islands – Gor Manvelyan’s 93rd-minute leveller spared their blushes.

In Group D2 Moldova beat Andorra 2-0 through a first-half goal from Artur Ionita and a second five minutes into stoppage time from Maxim Cojocaru. Gibraltar beat fellow minnows San Marino 1-0 in Group D1.