🇪🇺 England cruise; France breaks duck against Italy; Belgium lose late | OneFootball

UEFA Nations League action continued tonight across three intriguing fixtures, including Lee Carsley's final match in charge of England, and a clash of the titans between Italy and France.

Here is how things went down tonight across Europe.

France clinch top spot in Group 2

Scorers: Rabiot 2', 65', Vicario 33' (OG); Cambiaso 35'

France have sealed first place in Group 2 tonight after coming out of Milan with a 3-1 win over Italy; their first competitive win over the Azzurri since 2006.

Les Bleus got off to a flying start just two minutes into the match to silence the San Siro crowd when Adrien Rabiot headed home Lucas Digne’s out-swinging corner from close range to set Didier Deschamps' men off on the night.

Digne would nearly turn goalscorer in the 33rd minute with a superb dead-ball effort that curled into the top corner and off the bar, but would bounce off Guglielmo Vicario’s hand to go down as an own-goal, lifting France to a two-goal lead.

But Italy immediately pegged one back just two minutes later to restore hope through Juventus winger Andrea Cambiaso, whose first-time volley converted Federico Dimarco’s cut back into the box.

It would be Rabiot’s night in France though, when the Marseille midfielder rose highest for the second time to once again head home a Didge dead-ball delivery to restore France’s two-goal cushion, reversing the earlier defeat on matchday one.

Both France and Italy will now advance into the Nations League knockout stage.

Israel secures a narrow win over Belgium

Scorers: Shua 86'

In a meeting that hardly carried an expected result given the form sheet, struggling Belgium were unable to do the double over Israel, who earned a late 1-0 win at Budapest’s Bozsik Aréna.

It was all Belgium in the opening 30 minutes, with Domenico Tedesco’s troops eager to end their poor group stage campaign on a high but were still unable to find a breakthrough before the half-time interval.

Abject lethargy gripped much of the second half in what was an overall lackluster outing for both nations on the night, but particularly for Belgium, the absence of a cadre of first-choice options for Tedesco certainly played its part.

That absence proved critical in conjunction with a failure to convert a handful of earlier chances when second-half substitute Yarden Shua found a loose ball at his feet in the box before slotting past Koen Casteels after a penalty box scramble.

Belgium will now face a relegation playoff, while Israel are guaranteed to drop down to Nations League B.

Five-star England thrash Ireland

Scorers: Kane 53' (pen), Gordon 56', Gallagher 58', Bowen 76', Harwood-Bellis 79'

On a night when Newcastle saw three included in an England team since 1997, the Three Lions sent Lee Carsley off in stunning fashion with a 5-0 win at Wembley against ten-man Ireland.

England was restricted in the opening 45 minutes of play in the capital despite holding north of 70% of the ball, however, failing to test Liverpool's Caoimhin Kelleher with any shots on frame during that period of play.

But that would all change, ruthlessly.

Harry Kane would finally give the home side a deserved 1-0 lead just seven minutes after the restart with a cooly-taken penalty after Liam Scales fouled Jude Bellingham in the box for his second yellow on a night and subsequent sending-off.

Magpies star Anthony Gordon bagged his first England goal to double the advantage just three minutes later when the winger swept home past Kelleher after Tino Livramento's ball into the box deflected into his path.

Conor Gallagher would quickly match that milestone two minutes later with his own first international goal. The Atlético de Madrid midfielder converted from nearly on the goal line after Marc Guéhi headed on Livramento's corner.

Not to be outdone, substitute Jarrod Bowen got in on the action to also score a first for his country just seconds after coming into the match, slamming home a half-volley from inside the box.

In almost unreal fashion, former England U21 captain Taylor Harwood-Bellis would, you guessed it, bag a first senior goal on his debut after being introduced to replace Kyle Walker.

📸 ISABELLA BONOTTO - AFP or licensors