Serbia forward Aleksandar Mitrović and Slovenia striker Benjamin Šeško are the only players to have scored in five consecutive UEFA Nations League matches, according to UEFA.

The pair share the competition’s longest scoring streak, with Mitrović finding the net in five successive matches between June 5, 2022 and October 12, 2024, while Šeško achieved the feat between June 12, 2022 and September 9, 2024.

Both players also scored hat-tricks during their respective scoring runs.

Mitrović scored three times against Sweden on September 24, 2022, while Šeško netted a treble against Kazakhstan on September 9, 2024.

Meanwhile, UEFA, in a Saturday release, said 18 different players have scored Nations League hat-tricks, with Finland forward Joel Pohjanpalo the latest to join the list after scoring three times in Finland’s 7-0 victory over San Marino in September 2026.

Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo remains the only player to score a hat-trick in the Nations League Finals.

His treble came against Switzerland in the 2019 semi-final.

Norway forward Erling Haaland and Spain’s Ferran Torres are the youngest players to score Nations League hat-tricks, doing so at 20 years and 82 days and 20 years and 262 days respectively.

Nations League players with hat-tricks

– Yura Movsisyan (Armenia) — vs Gibraltar, November 16, 2018*

– Haris Seferović (Switzerland) — vs Belgium, November 18, 2018

– James Forrest (Scotland) — vs Israel, November 20, 2018

– Arber Zeneli (Kosovo) — vs Azerbaijan, November 20, 2018

– Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) — vs Switzerland, June 5, 2019

– Erling Haaland (Norway) — vs Romania, October 11, 2020

– Eran Zahavi (Israel) — vs Slovakia, October 14, 2020

– Haris Vučkić (Slovenia) — vs Moldova, October 14, 2020

– Ferran Torres (Spain) — vs Germany, November 17, 2020

– Stefan Mugoša (Montenegro) — vs Romania, June 14, 2022

– Aleksandar Mitrović (Serbia) — vs Sweden, September 24, 2022

– Benjamin Šeško (Slovenia) — vs Kazakhstan, September 9, 2024

– Kerem Aktürkoğlu (Türkiye) — vs Iceland, September 9, 2024

– Isaac Price (Northern Ireland) — vs Bulgaria, October 15, 2024

– Erling Haaland (Norway) — vs Kazakhstan, November 17, 2024

– Viktor Gyökeres (Sweden) — vs Azerbaijan, November 19, 2024*

– Nikola Krstović (Montenegro) — vs Türkiye, November 19, 202

– Vedat Muriqi (Kosovo) — vs Iceland, March 23, 2025

– Joel Pohjanpalo (Finland) — vs San Marino, September 26, 2026

*UEFA denotes Movsisyan and Gyökeres as players who scored four goals in those matches.

Longest successive scoring runs

5 matches

– Aleksandar Mitrović (Serbia) — June 5, 2022 to October 12, 2024
– Benjamin Šeško (Slovenia) — June 12, 2022 to September 9, 2024

4 matches

– Răzvan Marin (Romania) — September 6, 2024 to October 15, 2024
– Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Georgia) — October 14, 2020 to June 9, 2022
– Georges Mikautadze (Georgia) — November 16, 2024 to September 25, 2026
– Viktor Gyökeres (Sweden) — October 14, 2024 to present

Source: punchng.com

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Portugal manager Jorge Jesus has clarified why Cristiano Ronaldo remained an unused substitute throughout the 2-1 UEFA Nations League victory over Norway in Oslo on Sunday.

Ronaldo, 41, was named among the substitutes and was fit to play, but stayed on the bench for the full 90 minutes as Gonçalo Ramos started up front and scored the winning goal.

Jesus said he had initially planned to introduce the captain.

As reported by Fabrizio Romano on X on Monday, the coach was quoted as saying,  “I was thinking of Cristiano to come in… but then the game dictates other things,” he explained.

The coach emphasised that the decision was purely tactical and not related to fitness concerns. “I felt it wasn’t the right time to put him in the game. There are still two more games, but it wasn’t to protect him physically. He was ready,” Jesus added.

He further revealed that he had even agreed with Ronaldo beforehand to bring him on for the final half-hour. However, Ramos was performing well — scoring one goal and having another disallowed — and the match situation required different changes to maintain balance and protect the result.

Portugal used all five permitted substitutions, introducing players such as Vitinha, Rafael Leão, Rúben Neves, Francisco Trincão and Bernardo Silva, but Ronaldo was not among them.

Jesus left the door open for Ronaldo’s return in the upcoming fixtures, suggesting he could start against Denmark.

The result leaves Portugal top of their Nations League group after back-to-back wins.

Source: punchng.com

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Spain defeated defending champions DPR Korea 4-3 on penalties after a goalless draw to win the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Łódź, Poland, on Sunday.

According to a report published on the FIFA website on Sunday night, Spain goalkeeper Laia Lopez was the hero of the shootout, saving penalties from Choe Yon-A and Pak Il-Sim as La Rojita secured their second U-20 Women’s World Cup title.

The victory came after a tightly contested final in which neither side could find a goal during 90 minutes or extra time.

Lopez had earlier kept Spain in the game during the first half, coming off her line to block an effort from Ho Kyong after the DPR Korea substitute picked up the ball just outside the area following a mistake by the Spanish defence.

Spain increased the pressure after the break, with Pau Comendador forcing an excellent diving save from DPR Korea goalkeeper Pak Ju-Gyong in the 78th minute.

Marisa Garcia also threatened for Spain in extra time, with Pak making two saves to deny the forward.

The final was eventually settled by penalties, with Lopez saving twice to secure the trophy for Spain.

The triumph marked Spain’s second U-20 Women’s World Cup title, following their 2022 success in Costa Rica. It also means Spain have won a second global title in succession after their senior men’s team won the FIFA World Cup in July.

Reacting to the victory, Spain coach David Aznar said the title completed “a beautiful cycle” for his players.

“For us, it was a way to bring a beautiful cycle to a close with a brilliant generation that has achieved so much success at youth level, and I think the players have made a tremendous effort. I’m very happy for them, above all to see them happy and to see them rewarded for all the work they have put in to get this far and for the effort they made in this match. It was a very tough, very difficult match, and they made things extremely difficult for us,” Aznar said.

Spain defender Silvia Cristobal said the players had dreamed of lifting the trophy from a young age.

“I think it’s the happiest day of our lives. We’ve dreamed of being here and lifting this long-awaited trophy since we were little. And, well, we’re incredibly happy, extremely proud of the result and of everything we’ve achieved,” Cristobal said.

DPR Korea coach Han Chol-Hak said he was proud of his players despite their defeat.

“After the game was all over, all of our players were crying and that really broke my heart. So I tried to comfort them. And as the head coach, I think that they all did their best. So I’m very proud of them,” Han said.

The final was a repeat of the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup final, when DPR Korea defeated Spain 4-3 on penalties.

DPR Korea also made history in Poland by becoming the first team to complete a FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup tournament without conceding a goal.

Spain forward Pau Comendador also became the first player to win two adidas Golden Boot awards in two different FIFA women’s youth tournaments, having previously won the award at the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup with five goals.

Source: punchng.com

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