Italy great Paolo Maldini’s son Daniel made his debut for the Azzurri in Monday’s 4-1 win over Israel, marking the first time three generations of a family have played for the country’s national team.

Former AC Milan defender Paolo Maldini earned 126 caps while Cesare Maldini, Daniel’s grandfather, played his last game for Italy 61 years ago.

Paolo Maldini attended the Nations League match in Udine and saw his son come on as a 74th-minute substitute.

“I’m happy that my parents came here, we’ll talk when I get home,” 23-year-old Monza forward Daniel Maldini said after the match.

“It was a strong, positive emotion, I am very happy to have played and that the match went well … I hope to bring some quality, even if there is already too much, I try to help as much as I can.”

Italy, who are top of their group with 10 points from four matches, visit Belgium and host France next month.

-Reuters

England winger Bukayo Saka has returned to Arsenal for further assessment of a leg injury and will miss Sunday’s Nations League match in Finland, the England team said on Saturday.

Saka was forced off in the 51st minute of England’s 2-1 loss to Greece at Wembley on Thursday. England interim manager Lee Carsley had said that Saka suffered a leg injury.

A 22-man squad will fly to Helsinki ahead of Sunday’s Nations League fixture as Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones has withdrawn due to personal reasons, the team statement added.

England are in second place in the GroupB2 standings, three points behind Greece after three games.

Saka’s injury is a blow for Arsenal with their captain Martin Odegaard also sidelined. Mikel Arteta’s side play Bournemouth away in the Premier League next Saturday

-Reuters

Italy were held to a 2-2 draw by Belgium on Thursday after Lorenzo Pellegrini was sent off and they squandered a 2-0 lead but remained top of Nations League A Group 2.

Italy lead the standing on seven points, one ahead of France who beat Israel 4-1 with Belgium third on four.

Italy scored in the first minute when winger Federico Di Marco fired a low cross into the box and Belgium keeper Koen Casteels saved the first shot from Andrea Cambiaso who bundled in the rebound.

Italy doubled the lead in the 24th minute when Di Marco volleyed the ball across the field to Cambiaso who was denied a second by Casteels before striker Mateo Retegui knocked in the loose ball.

Coach Luciano Spalletti’s team were cruising until midfielder Pellegrini was sent off for hitting Belgium defender Arthur Theate at the end of the first half, following a VAR review.

The red card galvanised the Belgians and they immediately hit back through Maxim de Cuyper who halved the deficit with a curling shot from the edge of the box after a clever free kick routine.

“There are episodes that change the games,” Spalletti said, referring to the red card.

Belgium started the second half strongly and equalised in the 61th minute when Leandro Trossard poked home from close range following a header by Wout Faes.

“Too bad, we did the first 40 minutes until the expulsion great,” said Cambiaso.

Belgium, who faced Italy without injured captain Kevin De Bruyne and striker Romelu Lukaku, face a key clash with France on Monday, when Italy face Israel.

Theate said Belgium still had chances to finish in the top two and qualify for the Nations League quarter-finals.

“We should have won with 10 against 11, we didn’t do it but we have a (key) game with France now,” he said.

-Reuters