Van Dijk snatches a point from Germany and finals ticket for the Netherlands

Virgil van Dijk scored a last-minute equaliser with a fierce volley against already relegated Germany in Gelsenkirchen on Monday night to secure the Netherlands a week in Portugal next June for the finals of the Nations League.

The Dutch rallied after Quincy Promes pulled a goal back with five minutes remaining and set up a nervous finale for Germany, who had dominated throughout and looked good value for their 2-0 lead, a result which would have sent France through as group winners. Ronald Koeman’s side will join Portugal, Switzerland and England (the highest ranked of the four by Fifa) in the finals. The draw will be made in Dublin on 3 December.

Quick guide

Nations League fixtures and results

Thursday 15 November

League A, Group 2: Belgium 2-0 Iceland
A4: Croatia 3-2 Spain
B3: Austria 0-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina
C2: Hungary 2-0 Estonia, Greece 1-0 Finland
D1: Kazakhstan 1-1 Latvia, Andorra 1-1 Georgia
D2: Luxembourg 0-2 Belarus, San Marino 0-1 Moldova

Friday 16 November

League A, Group 1: Netherlands 2-0 France
B1: Slovakia 4-1 Ukraine
B4: Wales 1-2 Denmark
C3: Cyprus 1-1 Bulgaria, Slovenia 1-1 Norway
D4: Gibraltar 2-6 Armenia, Liechtenstein 0-2 FYR Macedonia

Saturday 17 November

League A, Group 3: Italy 0-0 Portugal
B2: Turkey 0-1 Sweden
C1: Albania 0-4 Scotland
C4: Serbia 2-1 Montenegro, Romania 3-0 Lithuania
D3: Azerbaijan 2-0 Faroe Islands, Malta 0-5 Kosovo 

Sunday 18 November

League A, Group 2: Switzerland 5-2 Belgium
A4: England 2-1 Croatia 
B3: Northern Ireland 1-2 Austria 
C2: Hungary 2-0 Finland, Greece 0-1 Estonia
D2: San Marino 0-2 Belarus, Moldova 1-1 Luxembourg 

Monday 19 November

League A, Group 1: Germany 2-2 Netherlands
B1: Czech Republic 1-0 Slovakia
B4: Denmark 0-0 Republic of Ireland
C3: Cyprus 0-2 Norway, Bulgaria 1-1 Slovenia
D1: Georgia 2-1 Kazakhstan, Andorra 0-0 Latvia
D4: FYR Macedonia 4-0 Gibraltar, Liechtenstein 2-2 Armenia

Tuesday 20 November

League A, Group 3: Portugal v Poland
B2: Sweden v Russia
C1: Scotland v Israel
C4: Serbia v Lithuania, Montenegro v Romania
D3: Malta v Faroe Islands, Kosovo v Azerbaijan

• All kick-offs 7.45pm GMT unless stated

Ups and downs so far

League A
Finals: Netherlands, Switzerland, Portugal, England
Relegated: Germany, Iceland, Poland, Croatia

League B
Promoted: Ukraine, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Denmark
Relegated: Slovakia, Turkey, N Ireland, Rep of Ireland

League C
Promoted: Finland, Norway
Relegated: Estonia, Slovenia, Lithuania

League D
Promoted: Georgia, Belarus, Macedonia

Photograph: Jane Barlow/PA
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The Netherlands, who defeated Germany 3-0 in Amsterdam last month, made a cautious start but they fell behind after nine minutes when Timo Werner fired a low drive past Jasper Cillessen from 25 yards. Leroy Sané added a second 11 minutes later when his left-foot shot from 18 yards went in with the aid of a deflection off Tete.

Germany knocked the ball around with total confidence in the second half and should have been out of sight but Promes’ fine goal changed the mood. Van Dijk stayed up the pitch on the assistant manager’s orders and got the reward after a cross into the box was headed on. It also ensured Germany finished without a win in group A.

Nicolai Jørgensen hits the post for Denmark in Copenhagen.

Nicolai Jørgensen hits the post for Denmark in Copenhagen. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho/Rex/Shutterstock

“There is still much to improve, we have seen that again today, but this team has shown that it has a bright future ahead,” Koeman said.

The Republic of Ireland ended their year on a positive note with a 0-0 draw in Denmark, though they barely threatened in the match. Christian Eriksen went close when he curled a 42nd-minute free-kick inches over the Irish crossbar and Nicolai Jørgensen saw a shot come back off a post in the second period. “Overall, in terms of creativity [we were ] maybe not completely there, but I thought the commitment was absolutely excellent against a very strong Danish team,” said Martin O’Neill, the Republic manager.

Quick guide

Nations League finals

When are they taking place?

The four-team knockout tournament begins on 5 June 2019 with the semi-finals. The final (and third-place play-off) will be played on 9 June

Who has qualified?

The four League A group winners: England, Portugal, Switzerland and Netherlands, who sealed their place with a dramatic late comeback to draw with Germany. England are the highest-ranked team (No 5 in the world), followed by Portugal (7), Switzerland (8) and Netherlands (15)

Where are they taking place?

The games will be held in Portugal, with Porto’s Estádio de Dragão and Vitória’s stadium in Guimarães the likely venues. Italy and Poland also applied, with Portugal earning the right to host by topping Group A3 ahead of those two teams

Who plays who in the semis?

The draw for the one-leg semi-finals will be made after the Euro 2020 qualifying draw, which starts at 11am GMT in Dublin on 3 December

What do the winners receive?

The inaugural Nations League winners will receive an elaborate trophy (pictured above), as well as a total prize pot of €10.5m (£9.36m). The winners will not qualify for Euro 2020 automatically, however

Photograph: Pierre Albouy/X03420
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“In the competitive games we’ve played this season, I think that might have been our eighth debutant, and the players are getting used to playing with each other. The players are bedding in, young players coming on. This is international football, this is a massive step up for a number of our players, but they are trying to adjust.”

Slovakia were relegated from group B after losing 1-0 to the Czech Republic. A point would have been enough to secure the Czechs’ survival in a group that had already been won by Ukraine but Roma’s Patrik Schick gave them some comfort.