France and Germany credited their stand-in forwards for securing victories against their fierce rivals in the Nations League on Monday.

With Kylian Mbappé once again unavailable, Randal Kolo Muani took the lead for France, scoring in both halves to contribute to a 2-1 win against Belgium away from home.

Belgium must be growing weary of Kolo Muani, who also found the net in a 2-0 victory during the previous encounter in Lyon last month. Additionally, it was Kolo Muani's shot that deflected into the goal when France triumphed 1-0 over Belgium in the last 16 of the European Championship this past summer.

In his debut for Germany, Jamie Leweling had a goal disallowed in the second minute following a video review but redeemed himself with a powerful strike in the 64th minute, securing a 1-0 victory against the Netherlands in Munich.

Leweling, who plays for Stuttgart, was among four players making their first starts for Germany on a night when fans honored four recently retired national team players—Toni Kroos, Manuel Neuer, Thomas Müller, and Ilkay Gündogan. Neuer, Müller, and Gündogan were present at the Allianz Arena to receive the admiration of the German supporters.

Italy also celebrated a win, defeating Israel 4-1, while Hungary secured a 2-0 victory over Bosnia in the top-tier League A.

With two group matches remaining in November, France, Italy, and Germany are all poised to secure a top-two finish and advance to the quarterfinals.

France managed to hold on for its third win in four group matches after Aurélien Tchouaméni, acting as captain in Mbappé's absence, received a second yellow card in the 76th minute for tripping Belgium's Youri Tielemans.

Earlier, Tielemans missed a penalty kick by sending it over the bar in the 23rd minute, while Kolo Muani successfully converted his own penalty after Wout Faes was penalized for handball while attempting to challenge Bradley Barcola.

Loïs Openda equalized with a header from Timothy Castagne’s cross, with the goal initially ruled offside but later confirmed after a VAR review.

Kolo Muani, who has made only two starts for PSG this season, secured the victory in the 62nd minute in Brussels by heading in a cross from Lucas Digne on the left flank.

New Era

Germany appeared to enter a new chapter, as Neuer, Muller, and Gundogan received heartfelt farewells prior to the match. Alongside Kroos, who was absent due to commitments at his youth academy, these four players collectively earned over 450 caps for the national team.

Under the guidance of coach Julian Nagelsmann, younger talents are being integrated into the squad, with 20-year-old Aleksandar Pavlovic and 23-year-old Angelo Stiller receiving their first starts, while 23-year-old Leweling made his debut in place of the injured Deniz Undav. On the other end of the spectrum, goalkeeper Oliver Baumann, at 34 years and 134 days, became the third oldest debutant for Germany, having previously been on the bench 26 times.

Baumann delivered an outstanding flying save to thwart Netherlands substitute Donyell Malen, maintaining a clean sheet and ending the Oranje's 13-match unbeaten run in the Nations League group stage.

Germany currently holds 10 points from four matches, five points ahead of both the Netherlands and Hungary.

High Alert

Robust security measures were implemented, including armed military personnel stationed on the roof of the 25,000-seat stadium in Udine, as Italy faced an Israel team playing its first match outside neutral Hungary this year. This occurred amid ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, which have extended to Lebanon following a prolonged war with Hamas in Gaza.

Mateo Retegui opened the scoring for Italy from the penalty spot, with additional goals from Giovanni Di Lorenzo (two) and Davide Frattesi, along with a debut for Daniel Maldini, son of AC Milan legend Paolo Maldini.

Approximately 1,000 individuals participated in a pro-Palestine demonstration in the city center prior to the match. Areas surrounding the stadium were cordoned off 48 hours before kickoff and designated as a “red zone,” with hundreds of additional police officers deployed from nearby regions.

Italy is grouped with France, holding a one-point advantage. Belgium occupies the third position, trailing France by five points, and Israel has suffered defeats in all four of its matches.