Gyokeres Leads Sweden to Nations League Win, the Dutch Reach Knockout Rounds

Soccer Football - Nations League - Group Stage - Sweden v Slovakia - Strawberry Arena, Stockholm, Sweden - November 16, 2024 Sweden's Viktor Gyokeres in action with Slovakia's David Hancko and Milan Skriniar Jakob Akersten Broden /TT News Agency via REUTERS
Soccer Football - Nations League - Group Stage - Sweden v Slovakia - Strawberry Arena, Stockholm, Sweden - November 16, 2024 Sweden's Viktor Gyokeres in action with Slovakia's David Hancko and Milan Skriniar Jakob Akersten Broden /TT News Agency via REUTERS
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Gyokeres Leads Sweden to Nations League Win, the Dutch Reach Knockout Rounds

Soccer Football - Nations League - Group Stage - Sweden v Slovakia - Strawberry Arena, Stockholm, Sweden - November 16, 2024 Sweden's Viktor Gyokeres in action with Slovakia's David Hancko and Milan Skriniar Jakob Akersten Broden /TT News Agency via REUTERS
Soccer Football - Nations League - Group Stage - Sweden v Slovakia - Strawberry Arena, Stockholm, Sweden - November 16, 2024 Sweden's Viktor Gyokeres in action with Slovakia's David Hancko and Milan Skriniar Jakob Akersten Broden /TT News Agency via REUTERS

Viktor Gyokeres led Sweden to a 2-1 win over Slovakia while the Netherlands qualified for the Nations League quarterfinals with a 4-0 win over Hungary on Saturday, The Associated Press reported.
Germany also set a single-game scoring record for the relatively new competition — this is its fourth edition — by routing Bosnia and Herzegovina 7-0.
Gyokeres took his nation’s opening goal in the third minute. After Slovakia's David Hancko leveled in the 19th, the Sporting Lisbon striker set up Aleksander Isak to put Sweden back in front for good in the 31st.
Gyokeres is the joint leading scorer of the Nations League with five along with Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo and Slovenia’s Benjamin Sesko. Gyokeres recently upstaged Erling Haaland by scoring a hat trick as Sporting beat Manchester City 4-1 in the Champions League.
Sweden is trying to earn promotion from League C to League B. Estonia finished at Azerbaijan 0-0 in the same group.
The Netherlands joined Germany as the two teams from League A, Group 3 to advance to the quarterfinals in March.
The Dutch easily won their game in Amsterdam, which was briefly suspended in the first half for the medical evacuation of Hungary assistant coach Adam Szalai. The Hungarian Football Federation said the former player was in “stable” condition after being taken by ambulance to a local hospital.
Wout Weghorst converted a penalty in the 21st and Cody Gapko added a second spot kick in first-half injury time. Denzel Dumfries and Teun Koopmeiners added second-half goals.
Germany rolls to record win Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Florian Wirtz scored twice, including from a superb free kick, to help fuel the Germans' demolition of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Forward Tim Kleindienst also got his first two international goals, while Jamal Musiala, Kai Havertz and Leroy Sane all added to the lopsided scoreline in Freiburg.
League B Wales escaped with a scoreless draw from Türkiye after the host's top scorer Kerem Akturkoglu missed an 89th-minute penalty. Akturkoglu, who leads Türkiye with four goals in the Nations League, sent his spot kick off the post.
Iceland won at Montenegro 2-0 after late goals by Orri Oskarsson and Isak Bergmann. The loss meant Montenegro will be relegated to League C.
A goal by Georges Mikautadze got Georgia a 1-1 draw at home with Ukraine after an own goal by Solomon Kverkvelia put the visitors ahead.
The Czech Republic missed the chance to earn promotion from League B after drawing at Albania 0-0.
League D Virgiliu Postolachi scored in injury time to give Moldova a 1-0 win in Andorra.



Di Maria Studying to Become a Coach after Retirement

Benfica's Argentine forward #11 Angel Di Maria (front) celebrates with teammate Benfica's Danish defender #6 Alexander Bah after converting a penalty to score their fourth goal during the Portuguese League football match between SL Benfica and FC Porto at at the Luz stadium in Lisbon, on November 10, 2024. (AFP)
Benfica's Argentine forward #11 Angel Di Maria (front) celebrates with teammate Benfica's Danish defender #6 Alexander Bah after converting a penalty to score their fourth goal during the Portuguese League football match between SL Benfica and FC Porto at at the Luz stadium in Lisbon, on November 10, 2024. (AFP)
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Di Maria Studying to Become a Coach after Retirement

Benfica's Argentine forward #11 Angel Di Maria (front) celebrates with teammate Benfica's Danish defender #6 Alexander Bah after converting a penalty to score their fourth goal during the Portuguese League football match between SL Benfica and FC Porto at at the Luz stadium in Lisbon, on November 10, 2024. (AFP)
Benfica's Argentine forward #11 Angel Di Maria (front) celebrates with teammate Benfica's Danish defender #6 Alexander Bah after converting a penalty to score their fourth goal during the Portuguese League football match between SL Benfica and FC Porto at at the Luz stadium in Lisbon, on November 10, 2024. (AFP)

Benfica forward Angel Di Maria said he is studying to become a coach as he will consider opportunities in the dug-out when he eventually ends his 20-year-long playing career.

The 36-year-old, who helped Argentina win the 2022 World Cup, retired from international soccer after winning his second Copa America trophy in July.

Former Real Madrid, Manchester United, and Paris St Germain player Di Maria has scored five goals and registered two assists in 14 appearances for Benfica this season, including a goal in their 4-0 win over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last month.

"I am taking the course to be a coach. I am doing it just in case," Di Maria said in an interview with Clank Media published late on Monday. "From the age of 30 I started to see football differently and analyze it."

"I started to see it not only from the player´s side, but also how a coach can see it. I know that the coaching side is much more difficult because it takes much more time. As a player you just train and go home.

"When I retire, I would like to enjoy time with my family for a while but later on, maybe this can happen."

Di Maria, who joined Benfica last year from Italian side Juventus, has a contract with the Portuguese club valid until June 2025.