Nations League round-up: A and B best XIs dominated by Switzerland and Wales

As fans around Europe slowly get to grips with the concept of UEFA’s new Nations League format, there was some understandable apprehension as to just how seriously the matches would be taken, particularly by the elite sides in League A.

It’s fair to say that the first big game of the tournament did little to question any assumptions that these would be nothing but glorified friendlies then, as former World champions Germany hosted their successors in France on Thursday night.

That said, both managers fielded full-strength sides, with the visitors making just one change to the XI that won the World Cup final back in July, with Alphonse Areola replacing the injured Hugo Lloris in goal. The Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper was the busier of the two on the night, producing six saves to earn a clean sheet and WhoScored.com man of the match rating of 8.48, along with a subsequent place in the League A team of the round.

There was encouragement for Germany then, after a disastrous summer, with Joachim Loew fielding an experimental side, with the likes of Antonio Rudiger (left-back), Matthias Ginter (right-back), Joshua Kimmich (centre-midfield), Timo Werner (left-wing) and Marco Reus (centre-forward) all playing in positions that they have not really been used to at club level of late. Another goalless display, however, was further evidence that Die Mannschaft are short of a truly world class striker as the match ended 0-0.

Elsewhere in the top league, Poland earned a 1-1 draw in Italy in what was new manager Jerzy Brzeczek’s first game in charge. The visitors took the lead through Italy-based Piotr Zielinski, only for the midfielder’s former Napoli teammate Jorginho to equalise from the spot in the second half in a match of relatively few chances, with just 10 shots apiece.

If the first two League A matches were somewhat underwhelming, however, Switzerland quickly put an end to that trend with a thumping 6-0 win over Iceland that suggested the visitors may well be out of their depth in the top category. The Scandinavians have deservedly received plenty of praise for punching above their weight in recent years, qualifying for successive major tournaments having never appeared at either the Euros or the World Cup previously.

However, their recent form at international level has been worrying to say the least, picking up just two draws from their last eight matches, and Erik Hamren’s first game in charge was an unmitigated disaster. Up against a side known for being well organised but lacking a real clinical edge, Iceland were torn to shreds, with 21-year-old Denis Zakaria running the show in midfield, scoring the second and assisting the last goal in a complete rout to earn the WhoScored.com man of the match award (9.39).

England against Spain promised to be equally goal-filled after the first half an hour, as Gareth Southgate’s side took an early lead through Marcus Rashford, only for the visitors to equalise within two minutes. Saul Niguez got the goal after a pull-back from Rodrigo Moreno, who went from provider to scorer when steering home Thiago’s free-kick after slack marking from the hosts.

The entertainment petered out thereafter, however, and felt very much like an exhibition match, with just seven shots between the sides in the remaining hour of the encounter as the game ended 2-1. That said, the any rhythm in the game was very much disrupted by a long stoppage due to a head injury suffered by the returning Luke Shaw, who had set up the opener superbly and is thankfully on the mend having been stretchered off early in the second half on Saturday night.

Elsewhere, in League B Wales were very much the standout performers, hammering the Republic of Ireland 4-1 in Ryan Giggs’ first competitive match in charge. The former Manchester United star named a young line-up, with four players aged 22 and under, including goalscorer Connor Roberts at right-back and Chelsea teenager Ethan Ampadu, who pulled the strings in midfield, assisting Aaron Ramsey’s first half strike before being replaced midway through the second half.

The home side were dominant throughout despite substitute Shaun Williams’ consolation goal for Martin O’Neill’s side, who lacked quality and, more worryingly, fighting spirit for a side that had previously prided itself on defensive organisation, particularly on the road.

The other four matches in League B all ended in 2-1 away wins, with Ukraine bagging an injury time winner in the Czech Republic through Manchester City youngster Oleksandr Zinchenko. Bosnia and Herzegovina ran out narrow victors in Northern Ireland, while a depleted Russia side carried over the enthusiasm from the World Cup to earn an impressive win in Turkey.