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Nations League: England rally to win against Belgium; France, Portugal, Italy play goalless draws

The victory, which helped England move to the top, was a sweet revenge for Gareth Southgate’s men after losing their last two encounters against Belgium.

Nations League: England rally to win against Belgium; France, Portugal, Italy play goalless draws

England players celebrate Mason Mount's goal against Belgium. (Photo: Twitter/@england)

England moved to the top of their respective group in the ongoing UEFA Nations League after coming back from behind to beat Belgium 2-1 at the Wembley Stadium on Sunday.

Romelu Lukaku’s early penalty had given the world number one team Belgium the lead. However, a similar action at the other end in the first half saw Marcus Rashford successfully scoring from the 12 yards spot to bring parity.

While Belgium were the better side in the first half, the hosts looked to gain control of the proceedings after the break. England’s efforts paid dividends when Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount scored off a heavy deflection of a Belgium defender in the 65th minute.

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The victory, which helped the Three Lions move to the top of League A Group 2, was a sweet revenge for Gareth Southgate’s men after losing their last two encounters against Belgium.

In another match of the day, star-studded France and Portugal played a boring goalless draw at at the Stade de France to remain jointly at the top of their group.

Despite a string of talents in the frontline of both the teams, the reigning European and Nations League champions Portugal and world champions France could keep just four shots on target.

France came to the match on the back of a five-match winning streak where they scored 11 goals, while Portugal were unbeaten in their last four international contests.

Yet, the match emerged as a repeat of both the 2016 Euro final where both the teams were locked at 0-0 after the end of 90 minutes at the very same venue. Eder had scored the winner for Portugal in extra time.

Italy, on the other hand, failed to make profit of their dominating display against Poland in a League A Group 1 match. However, Roberto Mancini’s men remained at the top of the points table and extended their winning streak to 18 matches.

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