Belgium boss Martinez gives Nations League thumbs up

“This is only the second edition but when you look at the teams in the final four, this has quickly become a prestigious competition,” said the Belgium coach after his country beat Denmark 4-2 in Leuven on Wednesday to win their group and advance to next October’s finals.

They will be joined by France and Spain, who advanced on Tuesday, and Italy, who beat Bosnia away on Wednesday to book their place.

“It’s a tournament with quality of opponents that you want to be facing, with a semi-final and final against these sort of teams,” Martinez said.

“For us, these are games that we need. You only get these kind of knockout games in big tournaments, so I’m a big fan of this competition.”