After their first win in the second game under new national coach Luciano Spalletti, European champions Italy have their participation in the European Championship back in their own hands.
The Squadra Azzurra defeated Ukraine 2-1 (2-1) in Milan and pushed the Eastern Europeans out of second place in Group C behind the sovereign leaders England. Davide Frattesi from Inter Milan (12th, 29th) scored twice for the hosts.
Meanwhile, Domenico Tedesco and Ralf Rangnick have the final round in their home country of Germany (June 14th to July 14th, 2024) very close in sight. The Belgians, coached by Tedesco, easily defeated Estonia 5-0 (2-0) and, like Rangnick’s Austrians, are ahead in Group F with 13 points each after winning 3-1 (0-0) against their pursuers Sweden.
Michael Gregoritsch from SC Freiburg (53rd) and former Bremen Marko Arnautovic (56th, 69th) ensured the clear Austrian victory in Solna. The Scandinavians in third place are already seven points behind and can only theoretically intercept the top duo.
By beating Cyprus 6-0 (2-0), Spain consolidated second place in Group A behind the Scots, who still had no lost points. Thanks to a goal from Erling Haaland, Norway is only two points behind the three-time European champions in the 2-1 (2-0) win against Georgia.
In Group H, Switzerland cemented its lead in the table with a 3-0 (0-0) win against Andorra, with Leverkusen’s Granit Xhaka (84th) scoring the second goal.
But the game between Romania and Kosovo made headlines. The game was interrupted for around three quarters of an hour after banners with the message “Kosovo is Serbia” were shown in the hosts’ block. The Kosovo players initially refused to continue playing.