Three years of hard work have gone into Jens Stage’s return to international action. That moment finally came in St. Gallen on Tuesday, 15th October 2024, when Denmark’s interim coach Lars Knudsen – normally an assistant to Jess Thorup at FC Augsburg and stepping in for the ill Morten Wieghorst – subbed on Werder’s number 6 for Lazio’s Gustav Isaksen in the 57th minute. Although the visitors trailed Switzerland 2-1 at the time, a Christian Eriksen equaliser shortly after Stage’s introduction ensured a share of the points in Group A4 in the UEFA Nations League. As a result, Denmark still sit strong in second place with seven points, and can secure a spot in the quarter-finals with a point against third-placed Serbia next time out in November, when Stage will be hoping for more international caps.
Tuesday night also saw Isak Hansen-Aarøen keep Norway’s hopes of qualifying for the 2025 European U21 Championship in Slovakia alive. There had already been drama on Friday night, when their battle for that all important second place with rivals Ireland looked to be ending in defeat, until a stoppage-time equaliser from Andreas Schjelderup earned the Scandinavians a 1-1 draw to keep the sides level on points going into the final round of fixtures.
While Ireland were held to a 1-1 draw by group winners Italy on Tuesday, Hansen-Aarøen’s side brushed Turkey aside, winning 5-1 to confirm a place in the play-off round. The Werder attacker was brought on in the 63rd minute and got to enjoy the post-match celebrations, although Norway still have to overcome a two-legged tie against a fellow second-placed team during November’s international break if they want to reach next summer’s tournament.
Schmid sets up Lienhart twice
Romano Schmid and Marco Friedl already wrapped up their international break on Sunday night. While Schmid corner-kicks set up headed goals for Freiburg’s Philipp Lienhart in both the 4-0 win over Kazakhstan and the 5-1 drubbing of Norway, SVW captain Friedl didn’t feature in either of October’s fixtures. The Werder duo will be hoping to make their case to be called up again over the coming Bundesliga matches, as Austria’s final two Nations League group games await in November against Kazakhstan (14.11.) and Slovenia (17.11). Meanwhile, Mio Backhaus was an unused substitute in the Germany U20s’ 5-0 friendly win over Ghana.
Tuesday night also saw Isak Hansen-Aarøen keep Norway’s hopes of qualifying for the 2025 European U21 Championship in Slovakia alive. There had already been drama on Friday night, when their battle for that all important second place with rivals Ireland looked to be ending in defeat, until a stoppage-time equaliser from Andreas Schjelderup earned the Scandinavians a 1-1 draw to keep the sides level on points going into the final round of fixtures.
While Ireland were held to a 1-1 draw by group winners Italy on Tuesday, Hansen-Aarøen’s side brushed Turkey aside, winning 5-1 to confirm a place in the play-off round. The Werder attacker was brought on in the 63rd minute and got to enjoy the post-match celebrations, although Norway still have to overcome a two-legged tie against a fellow second-placed team during November’s international break if they want to reach next summer’s tournament.