Centurion sensation Ronaldo stars alongside Griezmann in Best Nations League XI

 

The second round of UEFA Nations League matches drew to a close on Tuesday night with Belgium and France both excelling in respective victories over Iceland and Croatia. The two nations are both represented in the team of the round from League A... 

 

Goalkeeper 

 

Gianluigi Donnarumma kept the Netherlands offensive at bay well in Italy's 1-0 win over the Oranje. Indeed, the Italy number one made three saves for Roberto Mancini's side as they quickly moved on from their 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina, with Donnarumma returning a WhoScored rating of 7.11. 

 

Defenders 

 

Poland have two defenders in the best XI of the round from League A on the back of their hard fought 2-1 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina. Kamil Glik scored a decisive goal on the stroke of half time that gave Poland the belief they could go on and secure all three points. Eight aerial duels won and three clearances to go with his strike saw the centre-back garner a WhoScored rating of 8.22. 

 

At left-back, Maciej Rybus provided the assist for Kamil Grosicki's winner midway through the second half. That assist came from one of three key passes, while Rybus defended impressively, too, as he made four tackles in the victory. 

 

On the opposite flank, Silvan Widmer earned the man of the match award from Switzerland's 1-1 draw with Germany as he gained a WhoScored rating of 8.24. The right-back bagged the equaliser for the Swiss side early in the second half while Germany struggled to get the better of Widmer as he made two tackles and five interceptions in the stalemate. 

 

Spain hero Sergio Ramos completes the defence as the only representative for La Roja. The Real Madrid star netted twice in a 4-0 win over Ukraine, hitting the back of the net with two of his three shots. Ramos, as is to be expected, played the ball out from defence well, too, as he yielded a 95.2% pass success rate from his 84 passes to come away from the clash with a WhoScored rating of 8.44. 

 

Central Midfielders 

 

It's an all-Belgium central midfield pair in this best XI with Axel Witsel and Kevin De Bruyne providing the foundation in this 4-2-3-1 setup. The Red Devils have four representatives in this XI with Witsel quickly drawing Belgium level after Iceland had gone 1-0 up after 10 minutes. That goal came from one of four shots, while two aerial duels won and one dribble contributed towards his inclusion in this team with a WhoScored rating of 8.21. 

 

De Bruyne was at his creative best in the 5-1 win over Iceland as he provided two assists during his 80 minutes on the pitch, teeing up Dries Mertens and Jeremy Doku to hit he back of the net in the second half. Those two assists came from three key passes as De Bruyne earned a WhoScored rating 8.02.  

 

Centurion sensation Ronaldo stars alongside Griezmann in Best Nations League XI

 

Attacking Midfielders 

 

Dries Mertens is the third Belgian player to make the cut after he hit the back of the net in the second half in the Red Devils' 5-1 win over Iceland. That goal came from one of five shots in the resounding victory as Mertens sought to ease past the Iceland rearguard, completing two dribbles too, to cap a performance that saw him garner a WhoScored rating of 8.33. 

 

The sole French player in the team of the round is Antoine Griezmann. The Barcelona star disappointed in France's 1-0 win over Sweden, but made amends in their repeat of the 2018 World Cup final as Les Bleus earned a 4-2 win over Croatia. Griezmann scored France's first shortly before the break to draw them level at the Stade de France before turning provider for Dayot Upamecano midway through the second half, with those returns coming from three shots and four key passes to yield a WhoScored rating of 8.73. 

 

Rounding off the three attackers behind the striker is Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo. The 25-year-old scored Portugal's two goals in their 2-0 win over Sweden to take his international total to 101, just eight goals off Ali Daei as the leading goalscorer in men's international football. Ronaldo mustered seven shots in total in the victory, while two successful dribbles saw him earn a better WhoScored rating (8.88) than any other player in League A in this round. 

 

Honourable mentions go to Jeremy Doku (8.87) and Ansu Fati (8.85), both of whom earned the WhoScored man of the match award in respective wins over Iceland and Ukraine, but just miss out on a spot in the XI on the left. 

 

Striker 

 

The final player in the XI to make the grade rounds off the Belgium contingent as Michy Batshuayi gave a timely reminder of his goalscoring quality in their 5-1 win over Iceland. Batshuayi is expected to join Crystal Palace on loan before too long and the Eagles will be excited at the prospect of what is to come from the frontman after his brace on Tuesday night, which sees the 26-year-old lead the attack with a WhoScored rating of 8.75.

Centurion sensation Ronaldo stars alongside Griezmann in Best Nations League XI