In addition to England and Norway, Czechia and Wales will also play in League A of the next edition of the Nations League. Hasek’s team, which also earned the second place in the World Cup qualifiers, maintained its lead in Group B1 thanks to a 2-1 success over Kvaratskhelia’s Georgia, which instead finished in third place behind Ukraine and ahead of Albania (2-1 for the yellow-blues in Tirana). The British, victorious 4-1 at home against Iceland, instead snatched the top spot in Group B4 from Turkey, second after the 3-1 defeat against already relegated Montenegro (hat-trick by Lecce striker Krstovic).
The last matches of League A, those of Group 3, had nothing to say in terms of ranking, which in order saw and still sees Germany, the Netherlands, Hungary and Bosnia. The Germans were held back to a 1-1 draw by the Hungarians, the same result as the match played in Zenica between the other two teams. Slovakia, on the other hand, had something to smile about, as after the 1-0 win against Iceland they took their place in the second tier of the World Cup qualifiers, thus forcing Scotland into third.
James Krstovic: Absolutely, the competition will be fierce with teams like Czechia and Wales in the mix. Our strategy will revolve around solid teamwork and tactical execution. We aim to build on our strengths while being aware of the opposition’s tactics to secure favorable outcomes in these matches. We have faith in our training and preparation to guide us through
Guest 1: Martina Hasek, Head Coach of the Czech Women’s National Football Team
Guest 2: James Krstovic, Striker for the England Women’s National Football Team
World-Today-News: Coach Hasek, your team’s recent victory over Kvaratskhelia’s Georgia secured their spot in League A of the upcoming Nations League. How did your team manage to maintain its lead in Group B1? Were there any challenges or setbacks during the qualifying process?
Martina Hasek: Yes, of course, we faced some challenges throughout the qualifying process. Our group was quite tough with Ukraine and Albania also being strong contenders. However, we focused on our game plan and made sure we played to our strengths. We believed in our players and the hard work they had put in, and that paid off. The key to maintaining our lead was consistency. We won crucial games when it mattered and managed to secure the required points to top the group.
World-Today-News: James, congratulations on your team’s win against Iceland which secured their place in League A of the Nations League. Your team had a closely contested battle with Turkey for the top spot in Group B4. Could you share your thoughts on how your team managed to secure the lead?
James Krstovic: Thank you very much! It was a close call but we fought till the end. The credit goes to the entire team for their hard work and dedication. We knew it was going to be tough since Turkey had been performing really well. However, we stayed focused and played our game. The crucial factor was our attacking prowess; we scored some fantastic goals, and that made all the difference.
World-Today-News: Moving on to League A, Czechia and Wales will also be joining England and Norway. How do you think this will change the dynamic of the competition? Do you have any strategy going into these matches?
Martina Hasek: I believe this will make the League A even more competitive, as all these teams are quite strong. We will have to prepare well and be at our best to maintain our position. We need to focus on our strengths and exploit the weaknesses of our oppon
