LONDON
\nItaly ensured qualification for the Nations League quarter-finals with a victory over Belgium on Thursday that also guaranteed France a place in the last-eight despite a lacklustre display against Israel as England got their revenge on Greece ahead of the imminent arrival of Thomas Tuchel as coach.
\nFrance drew 0-0 with Israel in a match requiring a high-security operation in and around Paris, a week after violence erupted in Amsterdam in connection with Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv\u2019s visit for a Europa League match.
\nAround 150 Israel supporters were among a crowd of 16,611 inside the 80,000-capacity Stade de France and there was a brief scuffle between some fans at one point in the first half.
\nThe draw was enough to secure France a top-two finish in their group along with Italy, who beat Belgium 1-0 away thanks to Sandro Tonali\u2019s 11th-minute goal.
\nThey advance to the quarter-finals in March, from which the lineup of the Final Four mini-tournament in June will be determined.
\nGermany and Spain were the first two nations to qualify for the quarter-finals in October.
\nEngland won 3-0 in Athens thanks to strikes by Ollie Watkins and debutant Curtis Jones, either side of an own-goal, and that made amends for a humbling first loss to Greece last month at Wembley Stadium.
\nEngland captain Harry Kane was left out of the team, with Watkins preferred up front, and came on as a second-half substitute.
\nEngland have one more match under interim coach Lee Carsley before Tuchel begins his tenure in January as the country\u2019s latest foreign-born manager.
\nProlific Manchester City striker Erling Haaland was again among the scorers for Norway in their 4-1 win in Slovenia.
\nFootball took a back seat to security for the France-Israel match at the Stade de France, with Paris authorities having been on high alert after last week\u2019s incidents in Amsterdam where assaults on Maccabi fans sparked outrage and were widely condemned as antisemitic.
\nSome 4,000 police officers and security staff were deployed in and around the Stade de France, and the vast number of empty seats made for an eerie atmosphere at a match attended by French President Emmanuel Macron.
\nStewards had to intervene at one point to stop fans of both nations from clashing in the stands. Around 100 Israeli fans attended the match despite calls from Israeli authorities to stay away.
\nIsrael\u2019s national anthem was whistled by some fans and Israel players were jeered at times when they got the ball, but the visitors held firm for their first point in qualifying against a France team again lacking a cutting edge without Kylian Mbappe.
\nIsrael goalkeeper Daniel Peretz saved well from Randal Kolo Muani, Warren Za\u00efre-Emery and Christopher Nkunku, while veteran midfielder N\u2019Golo Kante \u2014 France\u2019s captain in the ongoing absence of Mbappe \u2014 dragged a shot wide.
\n\u201cAnger. Frustration,\u201d said France fullback Jules Kounde when asked his immediate reaction by French broadcaster TF1.
\n\u201cThe only good point from tonight is that qualification is assured.\u201d
\nItaly moved three points clear of France atop Group 2 in League A ahead of the teams\u2019 meeting in Milan on Sunday that will determine their finishing positions.
\nThe visitors dominated the early stages in Brussels and scored after 11 minutes. A cross from fullback Giovanni Di Lorenzo deflected into the path of Sandro Tonali for a tap in.
\nBelgian centre back Wout Faes hit a post with a second-half header.
\n\u201cWe showed again that we give it a go and don\u2019t just sit back in matches, that\u2019s the big change,\u201d Tonali told RAI.
\nBelgium stayed in third place, three points ahead Israel. They meet on neutral territory in Hungary on Sunday, with Israel in the relegation spot and Belgium currently in line to face a two-legged promotion-relegation playoff with a runner-up from second-tier League B \u2014 potentially England or Greece.
\nCarsley, forced into a string of changes by a flurry of withdrawals from his last England squad, sprung a surprise in Athens by dropping Kane.
\nWatkins took seven minutes to justify Carsley\u2019s decision. Noni Madueke raced onto a Jude Bellingham pass and crossed for Watkins to stab home.
\nAs in their win at Wembley in October, the Greeks caused England\u2019s inexperienced defence problems in the Group B2 clash.
\nAfter 30 minutes, right back Kostas Tsimikas ran into space in the box.
\nEverton\u2019s Jordan Pickford hurled himself to his right to turn away a piledriver from the Liverpool man.
\nEngland started the second half in control. Rico Lewis forced a save from Odysseas Vlachodimos and Bellingham hit a post with a header before Fotis Ioannidis drew another diving save from Pickford.
\nKane came on but another England talisman, Bellingham, forced the goal that put England top of the group after 78 minutes. His shot struck the post, rebounded into the back of airborne Vlachodimos and flew in.
\nJones\u2019 deft back-flick five minutes later clinched the win on the Liverpool midfielder\u2019s senior debut.
\nEngland and Greece both have 12 points with one game to go but England\u2019s goal difference is three better.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re moving in the right direction,\u201d Carsley told ITV. \u201cWe have a lot of outstanding talent.\u201d
\nThe top two in B3 are also separated on goal difference as leaders Austria and pursuers Norway both won.
\nAustria\u2019s Christoph Baumgartner and Michael Gregoritsch scored in the first 25 minutes in Almaty by which time Kazakhstan were down to ten men.
\nAustria saw out a 2-0 win and lead the pool on goal difference from Norway who won in Slovenia with Haaland moving onto 19 goals for the season for club and country this season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LONDON Italy ensured qualification for the Nations League quarter-finals with a victory over Belgium on Thursday that also guaranteed France a place in the last-eight despite a lacklustre display against Israel as England got their revenge on Greece ahead of the imminent arrival of Thomas Tuchel as coach. France drew 0-0 with Israel in a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-444047","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n