{"id":8895,"date":"2025-03-23T12:16:40","date_gmt":"2025-03-23T12:16:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/?p=8895"},"modified":"2025-03-23T12:16:41","modified_gmt":"2025-03-23T12:16:41","slug":"uefa-nations-league-quarter-finals-second-leg-can-spain-france-portugal-and-italy-overcome-the-odds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/uefa-nations-league-quarter-finals-second-leg-can-spain-france-portugal-and-italy-overcome-the-odds","title":{"rendered":"UEFA Nations League Quarter-Finals Second Leg: Can Spain, France, Portugal, and Italy Overcome the Odds?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/league\/uefa-nations-league-7016\">UEFA Nations League 2025<\/a><strong> <\/strong>quarter-finals are reaching their decisive phase, with four high-stakes second-leg encounters set to determine the semi-finalists. After intense first-leg battles, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/team\/spain-5050\">Spain<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/team\/france-5061\">France<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/team\/portugal-5028\">Portugal<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/team\/italy-2375\">Italy<\/a> face uphill tasks, while the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/team\/netherlands-2377\">Netherlands<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/team\/croatia-5055\">Croatia<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/team\/denmark-5027\">Denmark<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/team\/germany-2372\">Germany<\/a> look to protect their advantages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As the teams finalize their preparations, we analyze the first leg results, tactical approaches, key players, and potential outcomes for these crucial fixtures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h2>Table of Contents<\/h2><nav><ul><li><a href=\"#spain-vs-netherlands\">Spain vs Netherlands<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#first-leg-recap-late-drama-in-rotterdam\">First-Leg Recap: Late Drama in Rotterdam<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#team-news-tactical-outlook\">Team News &amp; Tactical Outlook<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#key-players-to-watch\">Key Players to Watch<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#france-vs-croatia\">France vs Croatia<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#first-leg-recap-croatia-stun-france-in-zagreb\">First-Leg Recap: Croatia Stun France in Zagreb<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#team-news-tactical-outlook-1\">Team News &amp; Tactical Outlook<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#key-players-to-watch-2\">Key Players to Watch<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#portugal-vs-denmark\">Portugal vs Denmark<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#first-leg-recap-denmark-edge-past-portugal\">First-Leg Recap: Denmark Edge Past Portugal<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#team-news-tactical-outlook-3\">Team News &amp; Tactical Outlook<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#key-players-to-watch-4\">Key Players to Watch<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#germany-vs-italy\">Germany vs Italy<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#first-leg-recap-germany-take-the-advantage-in-italy\">First-Leg Recap: Germany Take the Advantage in Italy<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#team-news-tactical-outlook-5\">Team News &amp; Tactical Outlook<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#key-players-to-watch-6\">Key Players to Watch<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"spain-vs-netherlands\">Spain vs Netherlands<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"first-leg-recap-late-drama-in-rotterdam\"><strong>First-Leg Recap: Late Drama in Rotterdam<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The first leg ended in a 2-2 thriller, with both teams displaying their attacking prowess. Spain took an early lead through <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/nico-williams-86782\">Nico Williams<\/a><strong> <\/strong>(9&#8242;), but the Netherlands hit back as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/cody-gakpo-55881\">Cody Gakpo<\/a><strong> <\/strong>(28&#8242;) and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/tijani-reijnders-50904\">Tijjani Reijnders<\/a> (46&#8242;) put the hosts in front. However, after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/jorrel-hato-126371\">Jorrel Hato<\/a>&#8216;s red card, Spain found a late equalizer via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/mikel-merino-42874\">Mikel Merino<\/a> (90+3&#8242;).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u27a1 <strong>Key stat:<\/strong> Spain had 65% possession but struggled to break down the Dutch defense until the final moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"team-news-tactical-outlook\"><strong>Team News &amp; Tactical Outlook<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Spain will have a full squad except for young defender <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/pau-cubarsi-138032\">Pau Cubars\u00ed<\/a> and forward <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/ferran-torres-53924\">Ferran Torres<\/a> (both injured). Coach <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/luis-de-la-fuente-68240#national\">Luis de la Fuente<\/a> has emphasized mental resilience, calling for his team to &#8220;suffer&#8221; and show determination.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Netherlands<\/strong> face a defensive headache with Hato suspended, leaving <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/ian-maatsen-72116\">Ian Maatsen<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/youri-baas-99994\">Youri Baas<\/a> as potential replacements. Coach <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/ronald-koeman-46111#national\">Ronald Koeman<\/a> warned his team to be better and expects Spain to be aggressive from the start.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"key-players-to-watch\"><strong>Key Players to Watch<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Spain:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/lamine-yamal-131182#national\">Lamine Yamal<\/a> (explosive winger), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/dani-olmo-38403\">Dani Olmo<\/a> (playmaker), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/pedri-69251#national\">Pedri<\/a> (midfield general).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Netherlands:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/memphis-depay-191#national\">Memphis Depay<\/a> (goal threat), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/frenkie-de-jong-39293#national\">Frenkie de Jong<\/a> (midfield control), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/virgil-van-dijk-9104#national\">Virgil van Dijk <\/a>(defensive leader).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"684\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-2205416040-1024x684.jpg\" alt=\"Lamine Yamal participates in the match between the Netherlands and Spain for the UEFA Nations League Quarter-finals 1st leg season 2024-2025\" class=\"wp-image-8899\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-2205416040-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-2205416040-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-2205416040-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-2205416040-1536x1026.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-2205416040-scaled.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(Photo by Marcel van Dorst \/ EYE4images) (Photo by EYE4images\/NurPhoto via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"france-vs-croatia\">France vs Croatia<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"first-leg-recap-croatia-stun-france-in-zagreb\"><strong>First-Leg Recap: Croatia Stun France in Zagreb<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A clinical Croatia shocked France with a 2-0 home win. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/ante-budimir-42614#national\">Ante Budimir<\/a> (26&#8242;) and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/ivan-perisic-59#national\">Ivan Peri\u0161i\u0107<\/a> (45+1&#8242;) were the heroes as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/didier-deschamps-889\">Didier Deschamps<\/a>\u2019 men failed to convert their chances despite the return of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/kylian-mbappe-39820\">Kylian Mbapp\u00e9<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/ousmane-dembele-39779\">Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u27a1 <strong>Key stat:<\/strong> France attempted 16 shots, but only 5 were on target.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"team-news-tactical-outlook-1\"><strong>Team News &amp; Tactical Outlook<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>France need a big response in Paris. Mbapp\u00e9, who was returning from injury, is now fully fit and expected to lead the attack.<br>Croatia will focus on defensive organization, aiming to frustrate France and hit on the counter. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/luka-modric-62#national\">Luka Modri\u0107<\/a> and Ante Budimir will dictate the tempo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"key-players-to-watch-2\"><strong>Key Players to Watch<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>France:<\/strong> Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 (X-factor), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/bradley-barcola-102289#national&amp;competitionId=7016\">Barcola<\/a> (creativity), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/william-saliba-61467\">William Saliba<\/a> (defensive anchor).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Croatia:<\/strong> Luka Modri\u0107 (midfield maestro), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/josko-gvardiol-80805\">Jo\u0161ko Gvardio<\/a>l (rock at the back), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/andrej-kramaric-9130\">Andrej Kramari\u0107<\/a> (goal poacher).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"portugal-vs-denmark\">Portugal vs Denmark<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"first-leg-recap-denmark-edge-past-portugal\">First-Leg Recap: Denmark Edge Past Portugal<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A hard-fought 1-0 win for Denmark in Copenhagen has left Portugal needing a strong response. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/rasmus-hojlund-82760\">Rasmus H\u00f8jlund<\/a> (78&#8242;) scored the only goal, while <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/cristiano-ronaldo-817#national\">Cristiano Ronaldo<\/a> was kept quiet by Denmark\u2019s well drilled defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u27a1 Key stat:<\/strong> Portugal had 60% possession but only managed two shots on target.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"team-news-tactical-outlook-3\">Team News &amp; Tactical Outlook<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Portugal will push forward aggressively, with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/bruno-fernandes-6262#national\">Bruno Fernandes<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/bernardo-silva-4461#national\">Bernardo Silva<\/a> looking to unlock the Danish defense.<br>Denmark will stick to their compact defensive shape, relying on H\u00f8jlund\u2019s pace to exploit Portugal\u2019s high defensive line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"key-players-to-watch-4\">Key Players to Watch<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Portugal: Cristiano Ronaldo (big game experience), Bernardo Silva (playmaking ability), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/ruben-dias-41613#national\">R\u00faben Dias <\/a>(defensive leader).<br>Denmark: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/christian-eriksen-1661#national\">Christian Eriksen<\/a> (set piece danger), Rasmus H\u00f8jlund (goal scorer), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/andreas-christensen-6784\">Andreas Christensen <\/a>(defensive pillar).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-2205696185-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal during the UEFA Nations League quarterfinal leg one match between Denmark and Portugal\" class=\"wp-image-8896\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-2205696185-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-2205696185-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-2205696185-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-2205696185-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-2205696185-scaled.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt &#8211; AMA\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"germany-vs-italy\">Germany vs Italy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"first-leg-recap-germany-take-the-advantage-in-italy\"><strong>First-Leg Recap: Germany Take the Advantage in Italy<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A 2-1 away win for Germany has put Italy under pressure. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/sandro-tonali-52242#national\">Sandro Tonali<\/a> (9&#8242;) gave Italy the lead, but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/tim-kleindienst-42485#national\">Tim Kleindienst<\/a> (49&#8242;) equalized for Germany, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/leon-goretzka-5459#national\">Leon Goretzka<\/a> (76&#8242;) sealed the turnaround for the visitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u27a1 <strong>Key stat:<\/strong> Italy had 59% possession but managed only four shots on target.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"team-news-tactical-outlook-5\"><strong>Team News &amp; Tactical Outlook<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Germany will look to control the tempo at home, with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/jamal-musiala-78061#national\">Jamal Musiala<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/leroy-sane-5461#national\">Leroy San\u00e9<\/a> driving their midfield.<br>Italy, under <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/luciano-spalletti-46237\">Luciano Spalletti<\/a><strong>,<\/strong> will go all-out in attack, needing at least two goals. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/mateo-retegui-64506#national\">Mateo Retegui<\/a> <\/strong>is injured, meaning <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/moise-kean-45792\">Moise Kean<\/a> will be relied upon to lead the attack. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/nicolo-barella-10935\">Nicol\u00f2 Barella<\/a><strong> <\/strong>will be crucial in midfield as Italy seeks to break down Germany&#8217;s defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"key-players-to-watch-6\"><strong>Key Players to Watch<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Germany:<\/strong> Jamal Musiala (game changer), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/leon-goretzka-5459#national\">Leon Goretzka<\/a> (goal scoring midfielder), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/antonio-rudiger-5542#national\">Antonio R\u00fcdiger<\/a> (defensive rock).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Italy:<\/strong> Moise Kean (speed and creativity), Nicol\u00f2 Barella (engine in midfield), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/alessandro-bastoni-45887#national\">Alessandro Bastoni<\/a> (defensive anchor).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The UEFA Nations League 2025 quarter-finals are reaching their decisive phase, with four high-stakes second-leg encounters set to determine the semi-finalists. After intense first-leg battles, Spain, France, Portugal, and Italy face uphill tasks, while the Netherlands, Croatia, Denmark, and Germany look to protect their advantages. As the teams finalize their preparations, we analyze the first &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":8900,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[888,902,2504,186,294,267,1350,307,2771,108,2670],"class_list":["post-8895","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-soccer","tag-croatia","tag-denmark","tag-equipe-de-france","tag-france","tag-germany","tag-italy","tag-nations-league","tag-netherlands","tag-portugal-national-team","tag-soccer","tag-spain-national-football-team"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8895","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8895"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8895\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8900"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8895"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8895"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8895"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}