Nations League: Italy eliminated, Calha on the scoresheet

The UEFA Nations League fixtures in this international window have come to an end. Six Nerazzurri players took to the pitch in the competition on Sunday 23 March.

It was a spectacular match at the Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund, where Luciano Spalletti's Italy drew 3-3 with Germany. After losing 2-1 at San Siro, the Azzurri needed a win to have a chance of progressing to the Nations League Final Four, but they displayed great heart to come from 3-0 down in the second half. Indeed, Germany were 3-0 up at the break following goals from Kimmich, Musiala and Kleindienst. In the second half, a brace from Moise Kean and a late penalty from Raspadori saw Italy come from behind in thrilling fashion, but it wasn't enough to overturn the first-leg deficit. The Azzurri now know who they will face in World Cup qualifying: they will be in Group I and come up against Norway, Israel, Estonia and Moldova.

Four Nerazzurri players took to the pitch in Dortmund. Nicolò Barella and Alessandro Bastoni started and finished the match, while Davide Frattesi came on for Daniel Maldini at half-time. It was an unforgettable evening for Yann-Aurel Bisseck, who made his Germany debut after being sent on by Julian Nagelsmann in the 77th minute. He almost scored, too, coming close with a header just five minutes after entering the fray.

Late in the afternoon, six matches in the Nations League promotion/relegation play-offs took place, with both Hakan Calhanoglu and Marko Arnautovic taking to the pitch.

The Turkey captain, who played the full 90 minutes, was a key figure in his country's 3-0 victory over Hungary at the Puskas Arena in Budapest. Calhanoglu opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 37th minute, with Arda Guler and Bardakci also getting on the scoresheet for the Turks. After two wins in the space of a few days (the first leg finished 3-1), Turkey have secured promotion to League A.

It was a different outcome for Marko Arnautovic and Austria, who lost 2-0 to Serbia. After a 1-1 draw in the first leg, the hosts emerged victorious at the Rajko Mitić Stadium in Belgrade following second-half goals from Maksimovic and Vlahovic. Arnautovic entered the fray at half-time, but it was a disappointing evening for Rangnick's men who will once again be in League B in the next edition of the Nations League.