After a 140-game wait for a win, San Marino has now secured two victories within two months. On Monday night, they triumphed 3-1 over Liechtenstein, earning promotion to the Nations League Group C. This follows their historic first win since 2004 against the same opponents in September. Goals from Lorenzo Lazzari, Nicola Nanni, and Alessandro Golinucci in the second half sealed the deal for the world's lowest-ranked team, FIFA's San Marino. Liechtenstein had taken an early lead through Aron Sele, but San Marino's comeback ensured they topped Group D1 with seven points, one ahead of Gibraltar, while Liechtenstein finished last with just two points.
Meanwhile, Northern Ireland nearly let a two-goal lead slip but managed to secure a 2-2 draw with Luxembourg, enough to win Group C3. Isaac Price of Standard Liège and Liverpool's Conor Bradley put Northern Ireland in control, but Seid Korac and Gerson Rodrigues brought Luxembourg back into the game. The draw, combined with a 1-1 tie between Bulgaria and Belarus, saw Northern Ireland top the group by two points.
Romania also advanced to League B by thrashing Cyprus 4-1. Croatia and Denmark qualified for the Nations League quarter-finals with draws against Cyprus and Serbia, respectively. Josko Gvardiol's goal in Croatia's match against Cyprus was his first international goal in two years. Denmark secured their spot with a goalless draw in Serbia, who missed out on the knockout rounds.
Spain secured a dramatic 3-2 win over Switzerland with a 93rd-minute penalty by Bryan Zaragoza. The victory ensured Spain's top spot in Group A4, while Switzerland, already relegated, ended with two points from six games.
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