London: All 20 Premier League clubs were represented by at least five players on international duty, showcasing talent across 59 different countries. From scoring debut goals to unfortunate injuries, the international break brought mixed fortunes for many top-flight stars.
According to BBC, Aston Villa’s Matty Cash made headlines by scoring a late equalizer against the Netherlands and netting another goal in a 3-1 victory over Finland, although he was substituted at half-time due to an injury which is reportedly not serious. Youri Tielemans was instrumental for Belgium, scoring twice in their 6-0 win over Liechtenstein, while Ezri Konsa found the net for England in a 5-0 rout against Serbia.
Bournemouth had 13 players on international duty, with Antoine Semenyo receiving praise from Ghana’s coach Otto Addo despite not scoring during their matches. Brentford’s Dango Ouattara was in top form, scoring twice in Burkina Faso’s 6-0 win over Djibouti, and Mikkel Damsgaard scored for Denmark in a 3-0 victory over Greece.
Brighton saw Yakuba Minteh score in Gambia’s win over Kenya, while Kaoru Mitoma was rested during Japan’s defeat to the USA. Goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen performed well for the Netherlands, while Carlos Baleba had mixed fortunes with Cameroon.
Manchester City celebrated Erling Haaland’s five-goal haul against Moldova, but the joy was tempered by Omar Marmoush’s knee injury, ruling him out of the upcoming Manchester derby. Meanwhile, Jeremy Doku and Bernardo Silva contributed goals for Belgium and Portugal respectively.
Manchester United’s new signing Benjamin Sesko featured prominently for Slovenia, despite limited success, while Newcastle United’s Yoane Wissa shone with two goals and an assist for DR Congo. Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes were also among the goals for Italy and Brazil.
Tottenham Hotspur’s Pape Sarr scored a decisive goal for Senegal, and Djed Spence made history as the first Muslim to play for the senior England men’s team. West Ham’s Lucas Paqueta continued his impressive form with a goal for Brazil, while Tomas Soucek’s limited involvement for the Czech Republic was surprising given his usual reliability.
Overall, the international break provided a platform for Premier League stars to impress, though not without challenges and setbacks along the way.