Raphael Guerreiro and the Bundesliga Players at the UEFA Nations League Finals
Borussia Dortmund all-rounder Raphael Guerreiro helped Portugal win the inaugural UEFA Nations League Finals, but who else from the German top flight was in action for hosts Portugal, Switzerland, England and the Netherlands?
bundesliga.com has the tournament lowdown...
Fixtures
Semi-finals
Portugal 3-1 Switzerland (5 June)
England 1-3 (AET) The Netherlands (6 June)
Third-place play-off (9 June)
England 0-0 Switzerland (England win 6-5 on penalties)
Final (9 June)
Portugal 1-0 The Netherlands
Portugal
In the squad: Raphael Guerreiro (Borussia Dortmund)
Guerreiro featured in the Nations League before Christmas and went on to start both of Portugal’s UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers in March. A key member of his country’s 2018 World Cup squad, the 25-year-old enjoyed a solid third year in Germany.
Hampered by a hamstring problem in the first half of the campaign, thirteen of his 17 starts in the league came in 2019.
Usually playing on the left side of midfield, he ended with two goals and six assists from 23 appearances in the Bundesliga, and had a memorable year in the UEFA Champions League. He came off the bench to score twice in a 4-0 home win over Atletico Madrid in October before getting another brace in December’s 2-0 success in Monaco.
In Portugal: Guerreiro played the full 90 minutes at left-back as Portugal beat Switzerland 3-1 in the semi-finals to progress to the inaugural UEFA Nations League final. There, he once again played from start to finish at left-back as the reigning European champions lifted the title thanks to a 1-0 victory.
Switzerland
In the squad: Manuel Akanji (Borussia Dortmund)
Akanji has been a regular for Switzerland since joining Dortmund in January 2018. The 23-year old played 25 league games for the Bundesliga runners-up this season, although a hip injury caused him to miss seven matches between January and the end of February. The centre-back got his only goal in the 7-0 demolition of Nuremberg in November, and he also started five Champions League matches.
In Portugal: He played from start to finish in the Nations League semi-final defeat to Portugal and also went the distance in the third-place play-off against England, and even scored a penalty in the shootout defeat.
Josip Drmic (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
A 32-time Switzerland international and veteran of two FIFA World Cups, Drmic made just five appearances for Gladbach in 2018/19 due to various physical ailments. He scored twice, though, and started the Foals' last two games of the season, so should be in fine fettle in Portugal.
In Portugal: The forward appeared as an 89th-minute substitute in the Nations League semi-final defeat to Portugal. He came off the bench in the 87th minute against England, but it was his penalty that was saved in the shootout.
Nico Elvedi (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
The 22-year-old was a mainstay for Gladbach, scoring in wins over Mainz and Eintracht to help the Foals qualify for Europe with a fifth-placed finish. The defender has started all three Nations League games so far as well as Switzerland’s 3-3 draw with Denmark in Euro 2020 qualifying.
In Portugal: Elvedi was an unused substitute in the match against Portugal, but played the full 90 minutes against England.
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Michael Lang (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
Lang had a tough start to life at Gladbach, suffering a serious knee injury last summer shortly after joining from Basel. The right-sided defender got back to fitness to play two Nations League matches in October, and scored once in 17 league matches for his club.
In Portugal: He was an unused substitute against both Portugal and England.
Kevin Mbabu (Wolfsburg)
Mbabu will join Wolfsburg in the summer, after helping Young Boys win back-to-back Swiss Super League titles. The 24-year-old, who is of Congolese descent, made 33 appearances in all competitions in 2018/19 and plays predominantly as a right-back, but can also operate centrally.
In Portugal: He played the full 90 minutes against Portugal and England, scoring his penalty in the shootout against the latter.
Yvan Mvogo (RB Leipzig)
The 24-year-old is second-choice goalkeeper at Leipzig behind the impressive Peter Gulacsi, and he occupies the same role for his national team. The ex-Young Boys netminder only played two league matches in 2018/19, but sharpened his reflexes with a run of 10 starts in the Europa League.
In Portugal: He was an unused substitute against Portugal and England.
Yann Sommer (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
Sommer is number one for both club and country, and the 30-year-old has just enjoyed another successful season in Germany. He started all 34 league games in 2018/19, conceding 42 goals. He was captain in 15 of those matches, helping the Foals to a top-five finish and a place in next season’s Europa League.
In Portugal: Sommer was between the posts against both Portugal and England.
Renato Steffen (Wolfsburg)
Just like his club, Steffen had a fine season. The winger signed off after scoring five league goals, with a brace in the win over Hannover in April pushing the Wolves along to a top-six finish. The 27-year-old former Basel player was used as a substitute in Euro qualifiers in March.
In Portugal: Steffen appeared as an 83rd-minute substitute for Steven Zuber in the match against Portugal, but did not make it off the bench against England.
Denis Zakaria (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
Zakaria had four goals in 31 league games for Gladbach in 2018/19, another key player for the Foals as they sealed a return to European football. The 22-year-old netted in Switzerland’s 2-0 win in Georgia in March, so he’ll expect to take his place in central midfield against Portugal.
In Portugal: Zakaria started on the right side of midfield against Portugal, but was substituted off in the 71st minute. He was a second-half substitute against England.
Steven Zuber (Hoffenheim)
Zuber was a revelation during the early part of the Rückrunde after moving to VfB Stuttgart on a six-month loan deal. The Hoffenheim-owned midfielder enjoyed a run of five goals and one assist in as many games to breathe new life into Die Schwaben's survival push, but missed the last four games of the regulation season with a knee ligament injury. He returned to the starting line-up in the relegation play-off second leg, but it was too little too late as second-tier Union Berlin prevailed on away goals to send VfB down.
In Portugal: He started against Portugal, but made way for Steffen late on. He replaced former Bayern Munich attacker Xherdan Shakiri in the 65th minute against England.
England
In the squad: Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund)
Sancho’s early season form saw him earn his first cap for England in October, and his consistency thereafter almost got him a league winner’s medal in only his second season in Germany. The 19-year-old wide man finished the campaign with 12 goals and 14 assists in the Bundesliga and started against the Czech Republic in March.
In Portugal: Sancho played 61 minutes of the Nations League semi-final against the Netherlands and replaced Jesse Lingard in extra time against Switzerland. The Dortmund attacker scored his penalty in the shootout as the Three Lions earned third place.
Watch: Sancho's magical skills and goals
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