🤔 Four conclusions as the first ever Nations League comes to an end | OneFootball

That’s that then.

The inaugural Nations League has come to an end with Portugal crowned champions on home soil.

A Gonçalo Guedes goal was enough for the hosts as they narrowly overcame the Netherlands.

But what exactly did we learn from the final in Porto and just how bad was England’s win over Switzerland earlier in the day?

It ain’t pretty, but…

It certainly helps when you have one of the best players of all-time leading your attack, but despite not setting any game on fire for about the past five years, Portugal keep on winning when it matters most.

They are definitely not the prettiest team to watch, and play the kind of game Sam Allardyce has been hounded for for years.

And yet, Cristiano Ronaldo and co. do what football teams are supposed to do – win.

Gonçalo Guedes’ second half strike was the difference here but it was a backs-to-the-wall effort for the Selecao on an evening that was, very much, one for the purist.

They won’t go down as one of the great international sides, but frankly, who cares?

Kurious Oranje

There’s no doubting that this is the start of something very special for the Netherlands.

After the nadir of the past four years, this new, vibrant, all-action Dutch generation are just the tonic and have produced some stunning football to get to this Nations League final.

Sunday night, though, looked a game too far.

Portugal did what Portugal do – frustrate opponents and force them into silly mistakes.

It’s not what we’ve come to expect from the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Frenkie de Jong, but here in Porto, we saw that they are mortal after all.

Bollocks to bronze

You didn’t watch it, did you? Of course you didn’t, because it’s a third-place play-off game for Uefa’s third international competition between two teams that didn’t want to be there.

Switzerland versus England was dross of the very lowest order, played at a tempo befitting such a pointless occasion.

Why Uefa felt the need to even play this game is beyond us. This isn’t the Olympics. Nobody cares who finished third.

Success or failure?

So, was this first ever Nations League a success or failure?

Well, as with most things, it wasn’t quite black or white.

The tournament in general was an unmitigated plus on the international calendar.

Teams of a similar level playing each other, games that used to be friendlies actually feeling like they had something at stake – who remembers that Germany – Netherlands epic?

But this finals weekend, perhaps naturally, felt like something of a damp squib.

At the end of a long season, on a boiling hot weekend in Portugal, it seemed like it was bolted-on, an extension to the season that no one really wanted.

There’s definitely a few things for Uefa to think about before the next addition.