OSLO, Norway, September 24, 2026: The first night of the 2026-27 UEFA Nations League produced 21 goals across eight matches, but the defining pattern was not volume. It was timing.
Six of Thursday’s eight fixtures featured a winning or equalizing goal in the 74th minute or later. Erling Haaland scored twice as Norway survived Denmark 3-2. Cody Gakpo struck at 90+2 to deny Germany a winning start under Jürgen Klopp. Greece completed a comeback in Belgrade through Anastasios Douvikas at 90+4. Austria, Kosovo and Malta also found decisive late goals.
Portugal were one of the exceptions. João Félix struck early enough to beat Wales 1-0, even as Cristiano Ronaldo went scoreless from seven attempts. Lithuania produced the night’s other relatively controlled result, beating Liechtenstein 2-0 with two second-half goals.
The official UEFA Nations League fixture and results list confirms all eight opening-night results across Leagues A, B and D.
Story at a glance
Haaland Turns Norway vs Denmark Into the Night’s Headline
Norway and Denmark produced the most complete attacking contest of the opening night.
Gakpo Denies Klopp as Xavi Gets a Point From His First Netherlands Match
Few Matchday 1 fixtures carried more managerial intrigue than Netherlands against Germany.
Greece Announce Their League A Arrival the Hard Way
Greece’s first match in the top tier could hardly have started worse.
João Félix Gives Portugal the Result Ronaldo Could Not
Portugal’s 1-0 win over Wales looked straightforward on the scoreboard and considerably less comfortable in execution.
Austria Wait Until the 90th Minute to Break 10-Man Israel
Austria’s 3-1 victory was much closer than the final score suggests.
TL;DR
- Norway beat Denmark 3-2 as Erling Haaland scored twice, including the 74th-minute winner.
- Cody Gakpo equalized at 90+2 as Xavi Hernández’s Netherlands drew 1-1 with Jürgen Klopp’s Germany.
- Greece recovered from conceding in the fourth minute to beat Serbia 2-1 through a 90+4 Anastasios Douvikas winner.
- João Félix scored the only goal as Portugal defeated Wales 1-0.
- Austria scored twice in the final minutes to beat 10-man Israel 3-1.
- Vedat Muriqi’s 83rd-minute header gave Kosovo a 1-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland.
- Malta came from behind to beat Andorra 2-1 as Teddy Teuma struck in the 81st minute.
- Lithuania beat Liechtenstein 2-0 through second-half goals from Lukas Michelbrink and Artūr Dolžnikov.
- Six of the eight matches had a winning or equalizing goal in the 74th minute or later.
UEFA Nations League Matchday 1 Results at a Glance
| Group | Match | Result | Decisive Story |
|---|---|---|---|
| League A, Group 2 | Netherlands vs Germany | 1-1 | Cody Gakpo equalized at 90+2 |
| League A, Group 2 | Serbia vs Greece | 1-2 | Anastasios Douvikas won it at 90+4 |
| League A, Group 4 | Norway vs Denmark | 3-2 | Erling Haaland scored twice, including the 74th-minute winner |
| League A, Group 4 | Portugal vs Wales | 1-0 | João Félix scored in the 22nd minute |
| League B, Group 3 | Austria vs Israel | 3-1 | Austria scored in the 90th and 90+3 minutes |
| League B, Group 3 | Kosovo vs Republic of Ireland | 1-0 | Vedat Muriqi headed the winner in the 83rd minute |
| League D, Group 1 | Andorra vs Malta | 1-2 | Teddy Teuma completed Malta’s comeback in the 81st minute |
| League D, Group 2 | Liechtenstein vs Lithuania | 0-2 | Lithuania scored twice after halftime |
Haaland Turns Norway vs Denmark Into the Night’s Headline
Norway and Denmark produced the most complete attacking contest of the opening night.
Oscar Bobb opened the scoring in the 14th minute before Haaland doubled Norway’s lead four minutes later. Denmark refused to disappear. Mikkel Damsgaard’s 25th-minute goal cut the deficit before Rasmus Højlund equalized on the hour.
The match had reset itself at 2-2.
Haaland then did what Norway increasingly expect from him.
In the 74th minute, Norway worked a corner into a scoring position and Haaland hammered home his second goal to restore the lead. Denmark pushed again, and Norway finished the match under additional pressure after substitute David Møller Wolfe received a second yellow card in stoppage time.
The 3-2 result continued a remarkable international year for a striker who had already turned Norway’s World Cup campaign into national history. TSE followed that rise when Haaland scored twice against Senegal to send Norway into the World Cup knockouts.
His ability to decide close matches became even clearer when his late goal eliminated Côte d’Ivoire in the Round of 32.
Haaland eventually finished the World Cup with seven goals, placing him among the tournament’s leading scorers.
Thursday suggested that run has not changed the basic formula.
Norway can be pushed. Norway can concede. Norway can lose control for stretches.
If Haaland remains within one decisive action of goal, none of those problems necessarily become fatal.
Gakpo Denies Klopp as Xavi Gets a Point From His First Netherlands Match
Few Matchday 1 fixtures carried more managerial intrigue than Netherlands against Germany.
Xavi Hernández was taking charge of the Netherlands for the first time. Jürgen Klopp was beginning his own international coaching chapter with Germany.
Felix Nmecha put Germany ahead in the 32nd minute, leaving Xavi facing the possibility of beginning his Oranje tenure with a home defeat.
That changed two minutes into stoppage time.
Ruben van Bommel delivered from the right and Cody Gakpo finished brilliantly to rescue a 1-1 draw.
The late goal was particularly relevant because Xavi inherited a Netherlands team whose World Cup ended through exactly the opposite problem. TSE’s analysis of Xavi’s appointment as Netherlands coach focused on whether he could make the Dutch more resilient when matches stopped following their preferred rhythm.
At the World Cup, the Netherlands had led Morocco through Gakpo before allowing a stoppage-time equalizer and eventually losing on penalties, a collapse examined in TSE’s Netherlands-Morocco knockout report.
This time, Gakpo was the player producing the late rescue rather than watching one happen against his team.
His influence is not new. He had already scored twice when the Netherlands demolished Sweden 5-1 at the World Cup.
One draw cannot establish Xavi’s new system. It can establish something smaller but still useful: his first team kept searching until the match gave them one more opportunity.
Greece Announce Their League A Arrival the Hard Way
Greece’s first match in the top tier could hardly have started worse.
Andrija Živković scored for Serbia after only four minutes, becoming the first League A scorer of the new Nations League edition.
For a Greek side playing its first League A campaign, the early deficit could have turned promotion into an immediate reminder of the level above.
Instead, Greece grew into the contest.
Christos Tzolis equalized in the 74th minute before Anastasios Douvikas scored at 90+4 to complete a 2-1 comeback in Belgrade.
UEFA had framed this campaign as Greece’s first test in League A after their rise through the competition’s lower tiers.
The significance of the result therefore extends beyond three points.
Greece were placed in a group with Germany, the Netherlands and Serbia. They were supposed to discover whether the technical progress and emerging talent that carried them upward could survive against stronger opposition.
The answer after one night is incomplete.
It is also encouraging.
They conceded almost immediately, stayed in the match and won it with the final meaningful attack.
João Félix Gives Portugal the Result Ronaldo Could Not
Portugal’s 1-0 win over Wales looked straightforward on the scoreboard and considerably less comfortable in execution.
João Félix scored the decisive goal in the 22nd minute, his shot taking a deflection on its way beyond the Wales defense.
Cristiano Ronaldo remained the central attacking reference and took seven shots, but none became a goal. One second-half effort was also disallowed following VAR intervention before Ronaldo was substituted in the 67th minute.
The result matters more than the individual blank.
Portugal entered another Nations League campaign with expectations shaped partly by their history in this competition. Ronaldo has been central to that history, including Portugal’s title-winning runs.
TSE’s examination of Ronaldo’s international and World Cup legacy also highlighted how Nations League success helped transform Portugal from a team capable of competing for major trophies into one accustomed to winning them.
Against Wales, Portugal showed they do not always need Ronaldo to provide the goal that decides the match.
That may become increasingly important as the international cycle moves forward.
Austria Wait Until the 90th Minute to Break 10-Man Israel
Austria’s 3-1 victory was much closer than the final score suggests.
Romano Schmid gave Austria the lead in the 43rd minute. Sayed Abu Farhi equalized for Israel in the 55th.
One minute later, Abu Farhi received a second yellow card and Israel were reduced to 10 men.
Even then, Austria needed until the 90th minute to regain the lead.
Phillipp Mwene scored to make it 2-1 before substitute Sasa Kalajdzic added the third at 90+3.
Austria’s late acceleration matters because their World Cup had exposed how thin the line can be between competitive performances and results. TSE’s World Cup Day 12 report covered Austria’s 2-0 defeat to Argentina during a difficult tournament run.
The Nations League opener presented a different challenge. Austria were expected to control more of the match and eventually had a numerical advantage.
They still had to wait until the final minutes to convert that advantage into separation.
Vedat Muriqi Gives Kosovo the First Move in Group B3
Kosovo and the Republic of Ireland spent more than 80 minutes without finding the breakthrough.
Vedat Muriqi changed that in the 83rd minute.
The Kosovo striker headed in from close range, with the goal surviving a VAR review, to secure a 1-0 victory.
That result immediately creates an interesting Group B3 picture.
Austria and Kosovo both have three points, but Austria hold the early goal-difference advantage after their 3-1 win.
Ireland leave Matchday 1 without a point and now have less room for another low-scoring defeat in a six-match League B campaign.
Malta Turn the First Goal of the Entire Tournament Into a Comeback
The first goal of the entire 2026-27 Nations League belonged to Andorra.
Guillaume Lopez scored in the 17th minute in Encamp, becoming the opening scorer of the new edition. UEFA later confirmed his place in the competition’s history alongside the first scorers from previous Nations League seasons through its official first-goal record.
Malta did not allow the milestone to become the result.
Teddy Teuma created Irvin Cardona’s 36th-minute equalizer before the same two players reversed roles late in the second half.
Cardona supplied the pass and Teuma scored in the 81st minute to complete a 2-1 comeback.
Malta then missed the opportunity to make it 3-1 when Ilyas Chouaref failed to convert a late penalty.
The victory is particularly valuable because League D groups contain only three teams. Unlike League A, B and C nations, which play six league-phase matches, League D teams play four.
Every dropped point therefore occupies a larger percentage of the schedule.
Lithuania Provide the Night’s Least Complicated Victory
Liechtenstein kept Lithuania scoreless through the first half.
The resistance ended eight minutes after the restart.
Lukas Michelbrink scored in the 53rd minute before Artūr Dolžnikov doubled the lead in the 66th.
Lithuania finished with a 2-0 victory and the first advantage in League D Group 2, which also contains Azerbaijan.
Compared with the rest of the opening night, it was almost unusual in its lack of late chaos.
No comeback.
No stoppage-time equalizer.
No 90th-minute winner.
Just two second-half goals and three points.
Why the Late Goals Matter Beyond Matchday 1
The Nations League group phase is short enough that one late goal can alter far more than a single evening.
Gakpo’s 90+2 equalizer changed Germany from a three-point team into a one-point team and kept the Netherlands level with them.
Douvikas’ 90+4 goal moved Greece from one point to three.
Muriqi’s 83rd-minute header did the same for Kosovo.
Teuma transformed Malta’s League D opener after they had trailed.
Haaland prevented Denmark from leaving Oslo with a point after Højlund had erased Norway’s early two-goal advantage.
Austria converted a 1-1 match into a 3-1 victory inside the final minutes.
Those are not cosmetic goals.
They changed the tables immediately.
Early UEFA Nations League Group Positions
| Group | Early Leader | Points | Key Opening Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| A2 | Greece | 3 | Beat Serbia 2-1 |
| A4 | Norway | 3 | Beat Denmark 3-2 |
| B3 | Austria | 3 | Beat Israel 3-1 |
| D1 | Malta | 3 | Beat Andorra 2-1 |
| D2 | Lithuania | 3 | Beat Liechtenstein 2-0 |
Portugal are level with Norway on three points in Group A4, while Kosovo also have three in Group B3. Goal difference and goals scored create the early ordering.
The standings remain extremely young, but opening-night pressure has already divided teams into those protecting momentum and those immediately needing a response.
What Matchday 1 Really Told Us
The strongest conclusion from the first eight matches is not that Norway, Greece, Austria or Malta suddenly control their groups.
One game is too small a sample for that.
The more useful lesson is that several teams already showed the ability to stay functional after the match moved away from their preferred script.
Norway lost a two-goal advantage and still won.
Greece conceded in the fourth minute and still won.
Malta trailed and still won.
The Netherlands entered stoppage time behind and still took a point.
Austria were held at 1-1 by 10 men until the 90th minute and still found two goals.
International football gives teams less preparation time than club football and fewer opportunities to repair early mistakes in short competitions.
That makes response under pressure one of the most revealing qualities available on Matchday 1.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What were the UEFA Nations League results on September 24, 2026?
Norway beat Denmark 3-2, Portugal beat Wales 1-0, Greece beat Serbia 2-1, the Netherlands drew Germany 1-1, Austria beat Israel 3-1, Kosovo beat the Republic of Ireland 1-0, Malta beat Andorra 2-1 and Lithuania beat Liechtenstein 2-0.
How many goals were scored on the first night?
The eight matches produced 21 goals.
How many goals did Erling Haaland score against Denmark?
Haaland scored twice, including Norway’s winning goal in the 74th minute.
Who scored the Netherlands equalizer against Germany?
Cody Gakpo scored at 90+2 to earn the Netherlands a 1-1 draw.
Who scored Greece’s winning goal against Serbia?
Anastasios Douvikas scored Greece’s winner in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time.
Who scored Portugal’s winner against Wales?
João Félix scored the only goal in the 22nd minute.
Who scored the first goal of the 2026-27 Nations League season?
Andorra’s Guillaume Lopez scored the first goal of the new Nations League season in the 17th minute against Malta.
Do all Nations League teams play six group matches?
No. Teams in Leagues A, B and C play six league-phase matches. League D teams play four because their groups contain three teams.
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