2019 UEFA Nations League Finals explained

Tourney Name:UEFA Nations League Finals
Year:2019
Other Titles:Fase Final da Liga das Nações da UEFA de 2019
Country:Portugal
Dates:5–9 June
Num Teams:4
Venues:2
Cities:2
Champion:POR
Count:1
Second:NED
Third:ENG
Fourth:SUI
Matches:4
Goals:9
Player: Bernardo Silva
Young Player: Frenkie de Jong
Nextseason:2021

The 2019 UEFA Nations League Finals was the final tournament of the 2018–19 edition of the UEFA Nations League, the inaugural season of the international football competition involving the men's national teams of the 55 member associations of UEFA.[1] The tournament was held in Portugal from 5 to 9 June 2019,[2] and was contested by the four group winners of Nations League A. The tournament consisted of two semi-finals, a third place play-off, and final to determine the inaugural champions of the UEFA Nations League.

Portugal won the final 1–0 against the Netherlands to become the inaugural champions of the UEFA Nations League.[3]

Format

The Nations League Finals took place in June 2019 and was contested by the four group winners of League A. The four teams were each drawn into a five-team group (rather than a six-team group) for the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying group stage, thereby leaving the June 2019 window available for the Nations League Finals.[4]

The competition was played in a knockout format, consisting of two semi-finals, a third place play-off, and a final. The semi-final pairings, along with the administrative home teams for the third place play-off and final, were determined by means of an open draw on 3 December 2018.

The tournament took place over five days, with the first semi-final (which featured the host team) on 5 June, the second semi-final on 6 June, and the third place play-off and final on 9 June.[5] The winners of the final were crowned as the inaugural champions of the UEFA Nations League.[6]

The Nations League Finals were played in single-leg knockout matches. If the scores were level at the end of normal time, 30 minutes of extra time were played, where each team was allowed to make a fourth substitution.[7] If the score was still level, the winner was determined by a penalty shoot-out. All matches in the tournament utilised the goal-line technology system.[8] On 3 December, UEFA confirmed that the video assistant referee (VAR) system would be used for the Nations League Finals.[9]

Qualified teams

The four group winners of League A qualified for the Nations League Finals.[10]

GroupWinnersDate of
qualification		UNL Rankings
November 2018		FIFA Rankings
April 2019
A1316
A218
A3 (host)27
A444

Host selection

Portugal was confirmed as the host country by the UEFA Executive Committee during their meeting on 3 December 2018 in Dublin, Ireland.[11] [12] Only League A teams could bid for the Nations League Finals, and only one of the four participants was selected as hosts. The Nations League Finals was held in two stadiums, each with a seating capacity of at least 30,000. Ideally, the stadiums would have been located in the same host city or up to approximately 150km (90miles) apart.[13] [14]

On 9 March 2018, UEFA announced that Italy, Poland, and Portugal expressed interest in bidding prior to the deadline. The deadline to submit their dossiers was 31 August 2018. As all three associations formed Group A3, the group winner was in line to be appointed as the host, provided that the associations submitted bids that met UEFA's requirements.[15] Poland were relegated from Group A3 on 14 October 2018, leaving Italy and Portugal as potential hosts.[16] On 17 November 2018, Portugal won Group A3 and advanced to the Finals,[17] thereby automatically winning hosting rights, which were confirmed by the UEFA Executive Committee on 3 December 2018, the same day as the Nations League Finals draw.[2]

Venues

In their bid dossier, the Portuguese Football Federation proposed Estádio do Dragão in Porto and Estádio D. Afonso Henriques in Guimarães as the venues.[2]

PortoGuimarães
Estádio do DragãoEstádio D. Afonso Henriques
Capacity: 50,033Capacity: 30,000

Draw

The draw took place on 3 December 2018, 14:30 CET (13:30 local time), at the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin, Ireland.[18] [19] [20] No seeding was applied in the draw. The first two balls drawn were allocated as the administrative home teams for each semi-final pairing, with the next two balls drawn allocated as their opponents. For scheduling purposes, the semi-final pairing involving the host team was considered to be semi-final 1. The administrative home team for both the third place play-off and final were then jointly drawn between semi-final 1 and 2.[21]

Squads

See main article: 2019 UEFA Nations League Finals squads.

Each national team had to submit a squad of 23 players, three of whom had to be goalkeepers, at least ten days before the opening match of the tournament. If a player became injured or ill severely enough to prevent his participation in the tournament before his team's first match, he was replaced by another player.[8]

Bracket

All times are local, WEST (UTC+1).

Semi-finals

Portugal vs Switzerland

width=25!width=25
GK 1 Rui Patrício
RB 20Nélson Semedo
CB 3
CB 4 Rúben Dias
LB 5 Raphaël Guerreiro
RM 16
CM 14William Carvalho
CM 18Rúben Neves
LM 10Bernardo Silva
CF 23
CF 7 Cristiano Ronaldo (c)
Substitutions:
DF 6
MF 17
MF 8
Manager:
Fernando Santos
width=25!width=25
GK 1 Yann Sommer
RB 2 Kevin Mbabu
CB 22
CB 5 Manuel Akanji
LB 13Ricardo Rodríguez
RM 17
CM 10Granit Xhaka (c)
CM 8
LM 14
AM 23
CF 9 Haris Seferovic
Substitutions:
MF 20
MF 11
FW 19
Manager:
Vladimir Petković
Man of the Match:
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)[22]

Assistant referees


Mark Borsch (Germany)
Stefan Lupp (Germany)
Fourth official


Viktor Kassai (Hungary)
Video assistant referee


Christian Dingert (Germany)
Assistant video assistant referee


Tobias Stieler (Germany)

Netherlands vs England

width=25!width=25
GK 1 Jasper Cillessen
RB 22
CB 3
CB 4 Virgil van Dijk (c)
LB 17Daley Blind
CM 15
CM 21
CM 8 Georginio Wijnaldum
RW 7
CF 10Memphis Depay
LW 9
Substitutions:
FW 11
MF 20
MF 6
MF 16
Manager:
Ronald Koeman
width=25!width=25
GK 1 Jordan Pickford
RB 2 Kyle Walker
CB 5 John Stones
CB 6 Harry Maguire
LB 14Ben Chilwell
CM 16
CM 17
CM 18Ross Barkley
RW 11
LW 10Raheem Sterling (c)
CF 19
Substitutions:
FW 9
MF 7
MF 8
MF 20
Manager:
Gareth Southgate
Man of the Match:
Frenkie de Jong (Netherlands)[23]

Assistant referees


Nicolas Danos (France)
Cyril Gringore (France)
Fourth official


Anastasios Sidiropoulos (Greece)
Video assistant referee


François Letexier (France)
Assistant video assistant referee


Nicolas Rainville (France)

Third-place play-off

width=25!width=25
GK 1 Yann Sommer
CB 22Fabian Schär
CB 5 Manuel Akanji
CB 4 Nico Elvedi
RM 2 Kevin Mbabu
CM 10Granit Xhaka (c)
CM 8 Remo Freuler
LM 13
RW 23
LW 20
CF 9
Substitutions:
MF 17
MF 14
FW 19
MF 7
Manager:
Vladimir Petković
width=25!width=25
GK 1 Jordan Pickford
RB 22Trent Alexander-Arnold
CB 12Joe Gomez
CB 6 Harry Maguire
LB 3
CM 4 Eric Dier
CM 17
RW 7
AM 20Dele Alli
LW 10Raheem Sterling
CF 9 Harry Kane (c)
Substitutions:
DF 2
FW 21
FW 11
MF 18
Manager:
Gareth Southgate
Man of the Match:
Jordan Pickford (England)[24]

Assistant referees


Octavian Șovre (Romania)
Sebastian Gheorghe (Romania)
Fourth official


Anastasios Sidiropoulos (Greece)
Video assistant referee


Michael Fabbri (Italy)
Assistant video assistant referee


Marco Di Bello (Italy)

Final

See main article: 2019 UEFA Nations League final.

Statistics

Awards

Team of the TournamentThe Team of the Tournament was selected by UEFA's technical observers, and includes at least one player from each of the four participants.[25]

UEFA also announced a team of the tournament based on the FedEx Performance Zone player rankings.[26]

Player of the TournamentThe Player of the Tournament award was given to Bernardo Silva, who was chosen by UEFA's technical observers.
Young Player of the TournamentThe SOCAR Young Player of the Tournament award was open to players born on or after 1 January 1996. The award was given to Frenkie de Jong, as chosen by UEFA's technical observers.
Top ScorerThe "Alipay Top Scorer Trophy", given to the top scorer in the Nations League Finals,[28] was awarded to Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored a hat-trick in the semi-final against Switzerland.[29] [30] The ranking was determined using the following criteria: 1) goals in Nations League Finals, 2) assists in Nations League Finals, 3) fewest minutes played in Nations League Finals, 4) goals in league phase 5) fewest yellow and red cards in Nations League Finals, 6) fewest yellow and red cards in league phase.[31]
Top scorer rankings
RankPlayerGoalsAssistsMinutes
Cristiano Ronaldo30191
Gonçalo Guedes11101
Marcus Rashford1049
Goal of the TournamentThe SOCAR Goal of the Tournament was decided by online voting. A total four goals were in the shortlist, chosen by UEFA's technical observers, from two players: Cristiano Ronaldo (all three goals against Switzerland) and Matthijs de Ligt (against England).[32] [33] Ronaldo won the award for his second goal against Switzerland.[34]
RankGoalscorerOpponentScoreResultRound
Cristiano Ronaldo2–13–1Semi-finals
3–1
1–0
4 Matthijs de Ligt1–13–1 Semi-finals

Discipline

A player was automatically suspended for the next match for receiving a red card, which could be extended for serious offences. Yellow card suspensions did not apply in the Nations League Finals.[8]

The following suspensions were served during the tournament:[35]

Prize money

The prize money to be distributed was announced in October 2018.[36] In addition to the €2.25 million solidarity fee for participating in the Nations League, the four participants received an additional €2.25 million for winning their groups and qualifying for the Nations League Finals.

In addition, the participants received payment based on performance:

  • Winners: €6 million
  • Runners-up: €4.5 million
  • Third place: €3.5 million
  • Fourth place: €2.5 million

This meant that the maximum amount of solidarity and bonus fees for the UEFA Nations League winners was €10.5 million.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: UEFA Nations League receives associations' green light . UEFA.com . 27 March 2014.
  2. Web site: 17 November 2018 . Portugal confirmed as Nations League Finals hosts . UEFA.com.
  3. News: Portugal 1-0 Netherlands . BBC Sport . 2022-09-24.
  4. Web site: UEFA Nations League format and schedule approved . UEFA.com . 4 December 2014.
  5. News: UEFA Nations League 2018/19 League Phase draw . UEFA.com . Union of European Football Associations . 24 January 2018 . 24 January 2018.
  6. News: All you need to know: UEFA Nations League Finals . UEFA.com . Union of European Football Associations . 19 November 2018 . 2 December 2018.
  7. News: Amendments to football's Laws of the Game in various UEFA competitions . UEFA.com . Union of European Football Associations . 5 July 2018 . 5 July 2018.
  8. Web site: Regulations of the UEFA Nations League 2018/19 . UEFA.com . Union of European Football Associations . 28 September 2017 . 3 October 2017 .
  9. News: 3 December 2018. VAR to be used in UEFA Champions League knockout phase. UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 3 December 2018.
  10. News: England, Netherlands, Portugal and Switzerland in Nations League Finals . UEFA.com . . 19 November 2018 . 19 November 2018.
  11. News: Portugal confirmed as Nations League Finals hosts . UEFA.com . Union of European Football Associations . 3 December 2018 . 3 December 2018.
  12. Web site: UEFA Executive Committee agenda for Dublin meeting. UEFA.com. 16 November 2018.
  13. Web site: Lyon to host 2018 UEFA Europa League final . UEFA . 9 December 2016.
  14. News: UEFA Nations League regulations approved . UEFA.com . Union of European Football Associations . 20 September 2017 . 29 January 2018.
  15. News: Italy, Poland, Portugal express interest in hosting Nations League Finals . UEFA.com . Union of European Football Associations . 9 March 2018 . 9 March 2018.
  16. News: Italy relegate Poland as Russia near promotion . UEFA.com . Union of European Football Associations . 14 October 2018 . 15 October 2018.
  17. Web site: Portugal hold Italy to reach Finals, Sweden win. UEFA.com. 17 November 2018.
  18. Web site: UEFA Nations League Finals draw. UEFA.com. 3 December 2018 .
  19. Web site: 2019 UEFA Nations League Finals draw press kit . UEFA.com . Union of European Football Associations . 30 November 2018 . 2 December 2018.
  20. News: Nations League Finals draw: Portugal v Switzerland, Netherlands v England . UEFA.com . Union of European Football Associations . 3 December 2018 . 3 December 2018.
  21. Web site: UEFA Nations League Finals: Draw Procedure . UEFA.com . Union of European Football Associations . 27 September 2018 . 27 September 2018.
  22. News: Atkin . John . Porto . Portugal 3–1 Switzerland: Nations League at a glance . UEFA.com . Union of European Football Associations . 5 June 2019 . 5 June 2019.
  23. News: Atkin . John . Guimarães . Netherlands 3–1 England: Nations League at a glance . UEFA.com . Union of European Football Associations . 6 June 2019 . 6 June 2019.
  24. News: England beat Switzerland on penalties in Nations League match for third place . UEFA.com . Union of European Football Associations . 9 June 2019 . 9 June 2019.
  25. News: UEFA Nations League Finals: Team of the Tournament . UEFA.com . Union of European Football Associations . 10 June 2019 . 10 June 2019.
  26. . UEFAEURO . 1137862735448985601 . 9 June 2019 . FedEx Performance Zone Team of the Tournament . 10 June 2019 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190610011202/https://twitter.com/UEFAEURO/status/1137862735448985601 . 10 June 2019.
  27. News: Bernardo Silva and Frenkie de Jong win Nations League awards . UEFA.com . Union of European Football Associations . 9 June 2019 . 9 June 2019.
  28. News: Strikers compete for Alipay trophy at Nations League . UEFA.com . Union of European Football Associations . 30 May 2019 . 3 June 2019 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20190530080006/https://www.uefa.com/uefanationsleague/news/newsid=2603917.html . 30 May 2019.
  29. News: UEFA Nations League finals top scorer: Cristiano Ronaldo . UEFA.com . Union of European Football Associations . 9 June 2019 . 18 June 2023.
  30. . UEFAEURO . 1138085298859118592 . 10 June 2019 . Alipay Top Scorer rankings . 10 June 2019 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190610162206/https://twitter.com/UEFAEURO/status/1138085298859118592 . 10 June 2019.
  31. Web site: Alipay Top Scorer . UEFA.com . Union of European Football Associations . 9 June 2019 . 9 June 2019 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20190609212012/https://www.uefa.com/uefanationsleague/top-scorer/index.html . 9 June 2019.
  32. Web site: SOCAR Goal of the Tournament . UEFA.com . Union of European Football Associations . 9 June 2019 . 10 June 2019.
  33. . UEFAEURO . 1137855568180404224 . 9 June 2019 . SOCAR Goal of the Tournament . 10 June 2019 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190610013857/https://twitter.com/UEFAEURO/status/1137855568180404224 . 10 June 2019.
  34. News: Goal of the Tournament: clean sweep for Ronaldo . UEFA.com . Union of European Football Associations . 10 June 2019 . 10 June 2019.
  35. Web site: UEFA Nations League 2019: Booking List before semi-finals . UEFA.com . Union of European Football Associations . 29 May 2019 . 2 June 2019.
  36. News: Increased UEFA Nations League solidarity and bonus fees . UEFA.com . Union of European Football Associations . 10 October 2018 . 19 November 2018.

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