UEFA Nations League may not be the most prestigious or sought-after trophy for European countries, particularly those used to winning World Cups and Euro Cup, something that all four finalist have in common. However, that didn't stop Sunday's to be an epic football night, with three out of four quarter-finals ties going into extra time, and two of them to penalties.
It was a night of big emotions, penalty goals and misses, and comebacks, leading to a Final Four with arguably Europe's biggest teams (minus Italy, which fell to Germany, and obviously without England, who buried their chances much earlier, when they were relegated to Nations League B).
Spain beat the Netherlands on penalties, with 'la Roja' landing on the scoreboard twice, but the Dutch never surrendered and trapped title holders (they won the 2023 edition) and Euro champions last year to a 3-3, 5-5 on aggregate, that was decided from penalties.
France, who lost in the first leg to Croatia 2-0, overcame the two-goal disadvantage with the same result and took the win on penalties, too. Portugal was more effective, also coming back from a defeat on the second leg, but punishing Denmark with two goals in the extra-time, ending 5-2, 5-3 on aggregate.
Finally, an eventful match between Germany and Italy saw the Germans taking a 4-0 lead on aggregate, before an overwhelming effort by Italy, who scored three goals in the second half, but ended up losing 5-4 on aggregate.
After the thrilling night, the final four is set for June:
Germany vs Portugal - 4 June, 19:45 GMT, 20:45 CET, Munich Football Arena
Spain vs France - 5 June, 19:45 GMT, 20:45 CET, Stuttgart Arena
The third place match and the final will be on June 8, at the Munich Football Arena.