2023 UEFA Nations League Finals

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused with 2023 UEFA Nations League final, the final match of the Nations League.

2023 UEFA Nations League Finals
Finaleronde UEFA Nations League 2023 (in Dutch)
Tournament details
Host countryNetherlands
Dates14–18 June
Teams4
Venue(s)2 (in 2 host cities)
Final positions
Champions Spain (1st title)
Runners-up Croatia
Third place Italy
Fourth place Netherlands
Tournament statistics
Matches played4
Goals scored14 (3.5 per match)
Attendance126,319 (31,580 per match)
Top scorer(s)14 players
(1 goal each)
Best player(s)Spain Rodri
← 2021
2025 →

The 2023 UEFA Nations League Finals was the final tournament of the 2022–23 edition of the UEFA Nations League, the third season of the international football competition involving the men's national teams of the 55 member associations of UEFA. The tournament was held from 14 to 18 June 2023 in the Netherlands 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 a final to determine the champions of the UEFA Nations League.

Following their win in 2021, defending champions France were unable to retain their title after finishing third in their group.[1][2]

Spain won the final against Croatia, 5–4 on penalties following a 0–0 draw after extra time, for their first UEFA Nations League title.

Format[edit]

The Nations League Finals took place in June 2023, and were contested by the four group winners of League A. The four teams were drawn into a five-team group (rather than a six-team group) for the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying group stage, thereby leaving the June 2023 window available for the Nations League Finals.

The Nations League Finals took place over five days and were played in single-leg knockout matches, consisting of two semi-finals on 14 and 15 June (the first of which featured the host team), and a third place play-off and final three days after the second semi-final on 18 June 2023. The semi-final pairings were determined by means of an open draw. All matches in the tournament utilised goal-line technology and video assistant referee (VAR) systems.[3]

In the Nations League Finals, if the scores were level at the end of normal time:[3]

  • In the semi-finals and final, 30 minutes of extra time would be played. If the score was still level after extra time, the winner would be determined by a penalty shoot-out.
  • In the third place play-off, extra time would not be played, and the winner would be determined by a penalty shoot-out.

Qualified teams[edit]

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

Group Winners Date of
qualification 		Previous finals
appearances 		Previous best
UNL performance 		UNL Rankings
September 2022 		FIFA Rankings
April 2023
A1  Croatia 25 September 2022 0 (debut) Ninth place (2018–19) 2 7
A2  Spain 27 September 2022 1 (2021) Runners-up (2020–21) 3 10
A3  Italy 26 September 2022 1 (2021) Third place (2020–21) 4 8
A4  Netherlands (host) 25 September 2022 1 (2019) Runners-up (2018–19) 1 6

Host selection[edit]

The Netherlands was confirmed as the host country by the UEFA Executive Committee during their meeting on 29 November 2022.[4] Only League A teams could bid for the Nations League Finals, and only one of the four finals participants would ultimately be selected as hosts. UEFA required the tournament to be played at two Category 4 stadiums, each with at least 30,000 net seating capacity. The stadiums ideally would be located in the same host city or up to approximately 150 kilometres (93 mi) apart. UEFA envisioned the larger of the stadiums to host the first semi-final (featuring the host team) and the final. The bidding timeline was as follows:[5]

  • 28 February 2022: Applications formally invited
  • 13 April 2022, 16:00 CEST: Closing date for registering intention to bid (non-binding)
  • 14 April 2022: Bid requirements made available to bidders
  • May 2022: Opening workshop for bidders
  • July/August 2022: Technical calls with bidders
  • 7 September 2022, 16:00 CEST: Closing date for submission of preliminary bid dossier
  • 5 October 2022, 16:00 CEST: Closing date for submission of final bid dossier
  • 29 November 2022: Host appointment by the UEFA Executive Committee

On 13 April 2022, UEFA announced that Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland and Wales had declared interest in hosting the tournament. As all four associations were in Group A4, the group winner was in line to be appointed as the host, provided that the associations submitted bids which meet UEFA's requirements.[6] Poland and Wales were unable to win Group A4 following their results on 14 June 2022, leaving Belgium and the Netherlands as the remaining potential hosts.[7] On 25 September 2022, the Netherlands won Group A4 over Belgium and advanced to the Nations League Finals,[8] thereby automatically winning hosting rights, which were confirmed by the UEFA Executive Committee on 29 November 2022.[4]

Venues[edit]

De Kuip in Rotterdam and De Grolsch Veste in Enschede were confirmed as the venues for the tournament on 29 November 2022.[4] Other potential stadiums, such as the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam (the largest in the country) and the Philips Stadion in Eindhoven, were both unavailable for the tournament due to previously scheduled concerts.[9]

Rotterdam Enschede
De Kuip De Grolsch Veste
Capacity: 51,117 Capacity: 30,205

Draw[edit]

The semi-final pairings were determined by means of an open draw on 25 January 2023, 11:00 CET, at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.[10][11] Former Dutch international Wesley Sneijder, ambassador for the Nations League Finals, drew the match pairings.[12] The first two teams drawn were allocated to match pairing A, while the remaining two teams drawn were allocated to match pairing B. For scheduling purposes, the host team was allocated to the first semi-final as the administrative home team. The administrative home team for both the third place play-off and final were predetermined as the teams which advanced from semi-final 1.[13]

Squads[edit]

Main article: 2023 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 could be replaced by another player.[3]

Bracket[edit]

 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
14 June – Rotterdam
 
 
 Netherlands2
 
18 June – Rotterdam
 
 Croatia (a.e.t.)4
 
 Croatia0 (4)
 
15 June – Enschede
 
 Spain (p)0 (5)
 
 Spain2
 
 
 Italy1
 
Third place play-off
 
 
18 June – Enschede
 
 
 Netherlands2
 
 
 Italy3

All times are local, CEST (UTC+2).[14]

Semi-finals[edit]

Netherlands vs Croatia[edit]

Netherlands 2–4 (a.e.t.) Croatia
  • Malen 34'
  • Lang 90+6'
 Report
Attendance: 39,359[15]
Netherlands[16]
Croatia[16]
GK 1 Justin Bijlow
RB 22 Denzel Dumfries downward-facing red arrow 85'
CB 12 Lutsharel Geertruida
CB 4 Virgil van Dijk (c)
LB 5 Nathan Aké downward-facing red arrow 106'
CM 6 Mats Wieffer downward-facing red arrow 75'
CM 20 Teun Koopmeiners Yellow card 93'
CM 21 Frenkie de Jong Yellow card 38'
RF 18 Donyell Malen downward-facing red arrow 75'
CF 9 Cody Gakpo downward-facing red arrow 106'
LF 11 Xavi Simons downward-facing red arrow 64'
Substitutions:
FW 19 Wout Weghorst upward-facing green arrow 64'
MF 8 Georginio Wijnaldum upward-facing green arrow 75'
FW 7 Steven Bergwijn upward-facing green arrow 75'
FW 10 Noa Lang upward-facing green arrow 85'
MF 15 Marten de Roon upward-facing green arrow 106'
DF 16 Tyrell Malacia Yellow card 116' upward-facing green arrow 106'
Manager:
Ronald Koeman
GK 1 Dominik Livaković Yellow card 90+1'
RB 22 Josip Juranović downward-facing red arrow 78'
CB 6 Josip Šutalo downward-facing red arrow 91'
CB 21 Domagoj Vida
LB 14 Ivan Perišić
DM 11 Marcelo Brozović Yellow card 64'
CM 10 Luka Modrić (c) downward-facing red arrow 119'
CM 8 Mateo Kovačić Yellow card 17' downward-facing red arrow 85'
RW 15 Mario Pašalić Yellow card 24'
LW 16 Luka Ivanušec downward-facing red arrow 78'
CF 9 Andrej Kramarić downward-facing red arrow 90'
Substitutions:
MF 13 Nikola Vlašić upward-facing green arrow 78'
DF 2 Josip Stanišić upward-facing green arrow 78'
MF 7 Lovro Majer upward-facing green arrow 85'
DF 5 Martin Erlić upward-facing green arrow 90'
FW 17 Bruno Petković upward-facing green arrow 91'
DF 3 Borna Barišić upward-facing green arrow 119'
Manager:
Zlatko Dalić

Man of the Match:
Luka Modrić (Croatia)[17]

Assistant referees:[16]
Vasile Marinescu (Romania)
Ovidiu Artene (Romania)
Fourth official:
Halil Umut Meler (Turkey)
Video assistant referee:
Bastian Dankert (Germany)
Assistant video assistant referee:
Sören Storks (Germany)

Spain vs Italy[edit]

See also: Italy–Spain football rivalry
Spain 2–1 Italy
 Report
Attendance: 24,558[18]
Spain[19]
Italy[19]
GK 23 Unai Simón
RB 22 Jesús Navas
CB 3 Robin Le Normand
CB 14 Aymeric Laporte
LB 18 Jordi Alba (c) Yellow card 45+1'
CM 16 Rodri
CM 6 Mikel Merino downward-facing red arrow 74'
RW 19 Rodrigo downward-facing red arrow 46'
AM 9 Gavi Yellow card 57' downward-facing red arrow 68'
LW 15 Yeremy Pino downward-facing red arrow 74'
CF 7 Álvaro Morata Yellow card 83' downward-facing red arrow 84'
Substitutions:
FW 10 Marco Asensio upward-facing green arrow 46'
MF 11 Sergio Canales upward-facing green arrow 68'
MF 8 Fabián Ruiz upward-facing green arrow 74'
FW 12 Ansu Fati upward-facing green arrow 74'
FW 20 Joselu upward-facing green arrow 84'
Manager:
Luis de la Fuente
GK 1 Gianluigi Donnarumma
CB 13 Rafael Tolói
CB 19 Leonardo Bonucci (c) downward-facing red arrow 46'
CB 15 Francesco Acerbi
RM 2 Giovanni Di Lorenzo
CM 7 Davide Frattesi downward-facing red arrow 76'
CM 8 Jorginho downward-facing red arrow 60'
CM 18 Nicolò Barella
LM 4 Leonardo Spinazzola downward-facing red arrow 46'
CF 11 Nicolò Zaniolo Yellow card 90+3'
CF 17 Ciro Immobile Yellow card 38' downward-facing red arrow 60'
Substitutions:
DF 5 Matteo Darmian upward-facing green arrow 46'
DF 3 Federico Dimarco upward-facing green arrow 46'
FW 14 Federico Chiesa upward-facing green arrow 60'
MF 16 Bryan Cristante upward-facing green arrow 60'
MF 6 Marco Verratti upward-facing green arrow 76'
Manager:
Roberto Mancini

Man of the Match:
Rodri (Spain)[20]

Assistant referees:[19]
Tomaž Klančnik (Slovenia)
Andraž Kovačič (Slovenia)
Fourth official:
Irfan Peljto (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Video assistant referee:
Nejc Kajtazović (Slovenia)
Assistant video assistant referee:
Matej Jug (Slovenia)

Third place play-off[edit]

Netherlands 2–3 Italy
 Report
Attendance: 21,292[21]
Referee: Glenn Nyberg (Sweden)
Netherlands[22]
Italy[22]
GK 1 Justin Bijlow
RB 22 Denzel Dumfries
CB 12 Lutsharel Geertruida downward-facing red arrow 46'
CB 4 Virgil van Dijk (c)
LB 5 Nathan Aké
CM 6 Mats Wieffer downward-facing red arrow 76'
CM 21 Frenkie de Jong
CM 11 Xavi Simons downward-facing red arrow 63'
RF 18 Donyell Malen downward-facing red arrow 46'
CF 9 Cody Gakpo
LF 10 Noa Lang downward-facing red arrow 46'
Substitutions:
FW 7 Steven Bergwijn upward-facing green arrow 46'
MF 8 Georginio Wijnaldum upward-facing green arrow 46'
FW 19 Wout Weghorst Yellow card 90+5' upward-facing green arrow 46'
MF 20 Teun Koopmeiners upward-facing green arrow 63'
MF 17 Joey Veerman upward-facing green arrow 76'
Manager:
Ronald Koeman
GK 1 Gianluigi Donnarumma (c)
RB 13 Rafael Tolói
CB 15 Francesco Acerbi Yellow card 90+5'
CB 23 Alessandro Buongiorno
LB 3 Federico Dimarco Yellow card 34' downward-facing red arrow 74'
CM 7 Davide Frattesi
CM 16 Bryan Cristante
CM 6 Marco Verratti downward-facing red arrow 85'
RF 20 Wilfried Gnonto downward-facing red arrow 63'
CF 9 Mateo Retegui downward-facing red arrow 85'
LF 22 Giacomo Raspadori downward-facing red arrow 63'
Substitutions:
FW 14 Federico Chiesa upward-facing green arrow 63'
MF 11 Nicolò Zaniolo upward-facing green arrow 63'
DF 4 Leonardo Spinazzola upward-facing green arrow 74'
MF 18 Nicolò Barella Yellow card 90+2' upward-facing green arrow 85'
MF 10 Lorenzo Pellegrini upward-facing green arrow 85'
Manager:
Roberto Mancini

Man of the Match:
Federico Dimarco (Italy)[23]

Assistant referees:[22]
Mahbod Beigi (Sweden)
Andreas Söderqvist (Sweden)
Fourth official:
Kristo Tohver (Estonia)
Video assistant referee:
Bartosz Frankowski (Poland)
Assistant video assistant referee:
Paweł Pskit (Poland)

Final[edit]

Main article: 2023 UEFA Nations League final
Croatia 0–0 (a.e.t.) Spain
Report
Penalties
 4–5
Attendance: 41,110[24]
Croatia[25]
Spain[25]
GK 1 Dominik Livaković
RB 22 Josip Juranović downward-facing red arrow 112'
CB 6 Josip Šutalo
CB 5 Martin Erlić
LB 14 Ivan Perišić
DM 11 Marcelo Brozović
CM 10 Luka Modrić (c)
CM 8 Mateo Kovačić
RW 15 Mario Pašalić downward-facing red arrow 61'
LW 16 Luka Ivanušec downward-facing red arrow 78'
CF 9 Andrej Kramarić downward-facing red arrow 90+1'
Substitutions:
FW 17 Bruno Petković Yellow card 90+2' upward-facing green arrow 61'
MF 13 Nikola Vlašić upward-facing green arrow 78'
MF 7 Lovro Majer upward-facing green arrow 90+1'
DF 2 Josip Stanišić upward-facing green arrow 112'
Manager:
Zlatko Dalić
GK 23 Unai Simón
RB 22 Jesús Navas downward-facing red arrow 97'
CB 3 Robin Le Normand downward-facing red arrow 78'
CB 14 Aymeric Laporte
LB 18 Jordi Alba (c)
CM 16 Rodri Yellow card 97'
CM 8 Fabián Ruiz downward-facing red arrow 78'
RW 10 Marco Asensio
AM 9 Gavi Yellow card 81' downward-facing red arrow 87'
LW 15 Yeremy Pino downward-facing red arrow 66'
CF 7 Álvaro Morata downward-facing red arrow 66'
Substitutions:
FW 12 Ansu Fati upward-facing green arrow 66'
FW 20 Joselu upward-facing green arrow 66'
MF 6 Mikel Merino upward-facing green arrow 78'
DF 4 Nacho Yellow card 96' upward-facing green arrow 78'
FW 21 Dani Olmo upward-facing green arrow 87'
DF 2 Dani Carvajal upward-facing green arrow 97'
Manager:
Luis de la Fuente

Man of the Match:
Marcelo Brozović (Croatia)[26]

Assistant referees:[27]
Stefan Lupp (Germany)
Marco Achmüller (Germany)
Fourth official:
Ivan Kružliak (Slovakia)
Video assistant referee:
Marco Fritz (Germany)
Assistant video assistant referees:
Sven Jablonski (Germany)
Stuart Attwell (England)

Statistics[edit]

Goalscorers[edit]

There were 14 goals scored in 4 matches, for an average of 3.5 goals per match.

1 goal

Awards[edit]

Player of the Tournament

The Player of the Finals award was given to Rodri, who was chosen by UEFA's technical observers.[28]

Goal of the Tournament

The Alipay Goal of the Tournament was decided by online voting. A total of four goals were in the shortlist, chosen by UEFA's technical observers: Federico Dimarco (against Netherlands), Donyell Malen (against Croatia), Mario Pašalić (against Netherlands) and Bruno Petković (against Netherlands). Petković won the award for his goal in the semi-final.[29]

Rank Goalscorer Opponent Score Result Round
1st place, gold medalist(s) Croatia Bruno Petković  Netherlands 3–2 4–2 (a.e.t.) Semi-finals
— Italy Federico Dimarco  Netherlands 1–0 3–2 Third place play-off
— Netherlands Donyell Malen  Croatia 1–0 2–4 (a.e.t.) Semi-finals
— Croatia Mario Pašalić  Netherlands 2–1 4–2 (a.e.t.) Semi-finals

Discipline[edit]

A player would have been automatically suspended for the next match for receiving a red card, which could have been extended for serious offences. However, no players received a suspension during the Nations League Finals.[30][31] Yellow card suspensions did not apply in the Nations League Finals, including any pending suspensions from the league phase, while yellow cards issued were not carried forward to any other future international matches.[3]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "France's Nations League final four hopes vanish with Croatia defeat". Reuters. 13 June 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  2. ^ "Croatia end France's Nations League hopes". BBC Sport. 13 June 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d "Regulations of the UEFA Nations League, 2022/23". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 22 September 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 September 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  4. ^ a b c "Netherlands to host 2023 UEFA Nations League finals". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 29 November 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  5. ^ "UEFA Nations League Finals 2023 – invitation to bid" (ZIP). UEFA Circular Letter. No. 9/2022. Union of European Football Associations. 28 February 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  6. ^ "Four bidders declare interest in hosting 2022/23 UEFA Nations League finals". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 13 April 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  7. ^ "Permutations: Who needs what to reach the UEFA Nations League finals?". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 27 June 2022. Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  8. ^ "Netherlands 1–0 Belgium: Virgil van Dijk scores as Dutch qualify for Nations League finals". BBC Sport. 25 September 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  9. ^ Vlietstra, Bart (28 September 2022). "Nations League mag handen dichtknijpen met Nederland, Spanje, Italië en Kroatië in finaleronde" [Nations League can squeeze hands with the Netherlands, Spain, Italy and Croatia in the final round]. de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  10. ^ "UEFA Nations League finals draw". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 1 December 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  11. ^ "UEFA Nations League finals draw". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  12. ^ Martínez, Ferran (25 January 2023). "Spain will face Italy in the Nations League semifinals". Mundo Deportivo. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  13. ^ "2023 UEFA Nations League Finals | Press Kit" (PDF). UEFA. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  14. ^ "UEFA Nations League Finals 2023 Match Schedule" (PDF). UEFA. 25 January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  15. ^ "Netherlands vs. Croatia" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 14 June 2023. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  16. ^ a b c "Tactical Line-ups – Semi-finals – Netherlands v Croatia" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 14 June 2023. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  17. ^ Pettit, Mark (14 June 2023). "Netherlands 2–4 Croatia (aet): Vatreni win classic in extra time". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  18. ^ "Spain vs. Italy" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 15 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  19. ^ a b c "Tactical Line-ups – Semi-finals – Spain v Italy" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 15 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  20. ^ Pettit, Mark (15 June 2023). "Spain 2–1 Italy: Joselu sends La Roja back to final". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  21. ^ "Netherlands vs. Italy" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 18 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  22. ^ a b c "Tactical Line-ups – Third-place match – Netherlands v Italy" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 18 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  23. ^ "Netherlands v Italy | UEFA Nations League 2023". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 18 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023. Italy's Dimarco has been named the Player of the Match. UEFA's Technical Observer Panel praised his showing this afternoon, highlighting his play at both ends of the pitch: "He scored a spectacular first goal and was heavily involved in the second. He also defended solidly: blocking shots, stopping crosses and making crucial tackles."
  24. ^ "Croatia vs. Spain" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 18 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  25. ^ a b "Tactical Line-ups – Final – Croatia v Spain" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 18 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  26. ^ Pettit, Mark (18 June 2023). "Spain win Nations League: Croatia edged out on penalties". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  27. ^ "Patience pays off for Rotterdam referee Zwayer". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 16 June 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  28. ^ "Rodri named 2023 UEFA Nations League Player of the Finals". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 18 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  29. ^ "Goal of the Tournament". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 19 June 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  30. ^ "UEFA Nations League 2023: Booking List before Semi-finals" (PDF). UEFA. 7 June 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  31. ^ "UEFA Nations League 2023: Booking List before Final and Third-place match" (PDF). UEFA. 16 June 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2023.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2023_UEFA_Nations_League_Finals&oldid=1216049282"