International Duty - Part 6

As well as Cauley and George there's quite an array of players off on International Duty, including one surprise goalkeeper. Here's the full list:


“The first man in action at senior level is Elsad Zverotić when Montenegro face Liechtenstein away from home in a European Championship Qualifier on Thursday, and they’re on their travels again when they meet Austria on Sunday.

Also in Group G, Alexander Kačaniklić – currently on loan at FC Copenhagen – has earned a recall to the Sweden squad for their matches against Russia and Liechtenstein.

George Williams has kept his place in the Wales squad as they look to build on their opening win against Andorra with positive results at home to Bosnia-Herzegovina and Cyprus on Friday and Monday, respectively.

Defender Nikolay Bodurov is also in action on those days as Bulgaria host Croatia before travelling to Norway in Group H.

There’s a recall to the full Greece squad for Kostas Stafylidis, and he’ll be hoping to feature for Claudio Ranieri’s side in their game against Finland in Helsinki on Saturday, and the home tie with Northern Ireland on Tuesday. He’s joined in the squad by Kostas Mitroglou, who’s spending the season with former side Olympiakos on loan.

That meeting with Finland could see the pair come up against Fulham goalkeeper Jesse Joronen who’s in the squad. After the clash with the Greeks, Finland then host Romania on Tuesday.

Another Whites keeper who could also be involved in Qualifiers on Saturday and Tuesday is 90-cap Hungary international Gabor Kiraly, who’s back in the national set-up for their meetings with Romania and the Faroe Islands.

Away from Europe, Mananga Jonathan Buatu is in the Angola camp for their crucial double header with Lesotho in the Africa Cup on Nations Qualifiers. Angola currently sit bottom of the four team group, and will need to pick up some positive results on Friday and Wednesday if they’re to nab one of the top two spots needed to progress.

In friendly action, Bryan Ruiz is in the Costa Rica squad for their games against Oman on Friday and the Republic of Korea on Tuesday, with both matches away from home.

Emerson Hyndman could also be involved in a friendly outing, as United States Under-23s take on Brazil in Brasilia on Monday.

At Under-21 level, there are big games for Cauley Woodrow, Lasse Vigen Christensen and Marcello Trotta, as their nations compete in the Play-Offs to see who qualifies for the 2015 European U21 Championships.”

 

Two of our young blades get the International break off to a good start:


"France kicked off their UEFA Under-19 Championship qualifying campaign in perfect style on Wednesday, with Moussa Dembélé hitting what proved to be the winner against Macedonia.

In the first of their three matches in Macedonia in the space of six days, Les Bleuets took the lead in the 19th minute when Nice striker Neal Maupay found the net after being set up from the left by Lucas Hernandez. Moussa
Dembélé doubled the advantage four minutes before the break, with Atlético Madrid's Hernandez again the architect, although Macedonia reduced the deficit through substitute Tauljant Sulejmanov’s 71st minute penalty.

Dembélé then went close to restoring the two goal lead, only to see his shot pushed onto the crossbar by goalkeeper Dushan Gjorgjev. The 18-year-old departed the action on 84 minutes as France held on to secure the three points.

They face Liechtenstein on Friday and Bosnia-Herzegovina on Monday, with the two highest placed teams in Group 12 ensuring progression to the Elite Round.


Elsewhere at Under-19 level, the Republic of Ireland secured a 1-0 friendly win over Sweden in Sollentuna, with Noe Baba playing the full 90 minutes.

After a bright start by the hosts, Ireland grew into the game and almost went ahead when Sean Heaney’s effort was cleared off the line. They took the lead soon after, though, when Fiacre Kelleher headed in from a Dessie Hutchison corner just before half-time.


The two nations go up against each other again on Friday"

 

A couple of other lads were up yesterday:


"Montenegro were left frustrated on their travels on Thursday evening as they were unable to breach the Liechtenstein goal in their second Group G qualifier. Elsad Zverotić played the full 90 minutes of the encounter as the visitors relentlessly attacked Liechtenstein but, despite having 28 attempts and hitting the woodwork twice, they were forced to settle for a 0-0 draw.

After the game, Montenegro Head Coach Branko Brnović admitted his disappointment but paid credit to their hosts. “We did not expect a draw here,” he stated. “We wanted three points from this game but I have to congratulate the Liechtenstein team. They defended very well and deserve a point from this match. We had approximately 25 chances to score and played well but did not manage to get the goal.”


Elsewhere in the group, Sweden drew 1-1 at home with Russia, with out-on-loan Fulham man Alexander Kačaniklić coming on as a late substitute.

Fabio Capello’s Russia took a 10th minute lead through Aleksandr Kokorin, although Sweden could have drawn level three minutes later had Sunderland’s Seb Larsson not seen his penalty kick saved. Ola Toivonen did force an equaliser, though, four minutes into the second half, with Kačaniklić – currently on loan at FC Copenhagen – coming on in the 79th minute.


Sweden now sit fourth in Group G with two points, with Zverotić’s Montenegro in second with four."

 

And not mentioned before now, Patrick Roberts played a starring role in England U19s UEFA European Championship qualifying game as they win 3-0 over Belarus in Luxembourg this afternoon.


"Managed by Sean O’Driscoll – who made 175 appearances for Fulham in the 1980s – the Young Lions almost took the lead as early as the eighth minute when Dele Alli of MK Dons went close with a free-kick, although Belarus responded with a Yauheni Shauchenka effort requiring a save from Newcastle United’s Freddie Woodman.

The breakthrough arrived on the half hour mark when Ruben Loftus-Cheek – who featured in both legs of the FA Youth Cup Final for Chelsea against Fulham last season – found the back of the net from close range. Roberts went close to doubling the lead shortly before half time as he finished off an impressive run with a shot that forced a good save from Maksim Khutko, and the Whites forward was causing problems again just after the restart with a volley that flew wide.

The Belarus backline just couldn’t deal with the 17-year-old and he grabbed a deserved goal on 53 minutes when he slotted the ball under Khutko. And he was heavily involved in England’s third, too, when he was taken down inside the area, with Middlesbrough’s Bradley Fewster dispatching the subsequent penalty kick.

That was the final goal of the afternoon, with England next in action against Luxembourg on Sunday."

 

Also this afternoon,

”Bryan Ruiz was involved in the full 90 minutes of a manic friendly match, as Costa Rica defeated Oman 4-3 away from home.

The visitors took an early lead through Alvaro Saborio, although they were pegged back through Raed Ibrahim Saleh’s effort. Los Ticos were back in front on the stroke of half time courtesy of a John Jairo Ruiz strike, before quick-fire goals after the restart from Juan Bustos and David Ramirez put them 4-1 up and into a seemingly unassailable lead.

But the hosts fought back through Mohammed Al-Shyabi and Emad, although they were unable to force an equaliser.


Back at Under-19 level, Noe Baba got another 90 minutes under his belt in the Republic of Ireland’s 2-2 friendly draw in Sweden.

The visitors went into half-time with a firm advantage courtesy of goals from Eoghan Stokes and Ryan Manning, but they were pegged back after the interval through Shkelqim Krasniqi and Valmir Berisha efforts.

Ireland kick off their UEFA Championship Qualifiers next month.”

 

And from Friday night, as Moussa Dembele keeps on scoring:


"George Williams came on as a substitute as Wales secured a creditable 0-0 draw with Bosnia-Herzegovina in Cardiff on Friday night.

Chris Gunter had the best chance of the first half, but the visitors began to exert considerable pressure after the restart, with Wales relying on goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey who made good saves to deny Haris Medunjanin, Edin Dzeko and Miralem Pjanic. That said, after Williams was introduced in the 83rd minute in place of namesake Jonathan, the Dragons could have won it through Gareth Bale whose effort was superbly pushed behind by Asmir Begovic, before Hal Robson-Kanu missed the target from the resultant corner.

The result puts Chris Coleman’s side top of Group B with four points from their two games played.


In Group H, Nikolay Bodurov scored the winner in Bulgaria’s home match against Croatia, but unfortunately for the Fulham defender it was at the wrong end as the visitors claimed a 1-0 win.

The majority of the openings throughout the 90 minutes fell Bulgaria’s way, but the decisive moment came after the half hour mark when Bodurov turned into his own net after Ivan Perisic nodded down Ivan Rakitic’s free-kick. “Of course, scoring an own goal is a tough pill to swallow,” Bodurov said after the game. “It was a really bad moment, a slip and an unfortunate touch. Now I must focus on the next game and try to make amends. We were below-par against Croatia. We must forget this game and focus on Norway. There are lots of games to come and we must play much better.”



At Under-21 level, Denmark were left frustrated in Aalborg where Iceland held them to a goalless draw, a game in which Lasse Vigen Christensen saw 90 minutes. A good chance fell the way of the Fulham man, and he was frustrated that he couldn’t put it away.

“I just did a bad job when I got our best chance,” he admitted afterwards. “It was a good chance but a bad shot. I tried to hit the far corner with a hard shot but the timing was bad, and maybe I was put off a little by the defender behind me, but it was just not good enough. “It frustrates me because it would have been nice to have scored a goal, then they would have had to come out of their shells when we play them in Iceland. “We have to look for the right tools to crack open this rock-solid defence and we have to do it by Tuesday.”


Mananga Jonathan Buatu helped Angola to a clean sheet in their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Lesotho, but the goalless draw does not hugely help their chances of reaching the Finals in Morocco in January. The Fulham centre-back played 82 minutes of the encounter, with the draw ensuring they remain at the bottom of Group C.


Cameron Burgess made his Australia debut in the Under-19s’ AFC U19 Championship draw with the UAE. The imposing defender played 90 minutes of the 1-1 stalemate, in which Brandon Borrello gave the Socceroos a late lead, only for Khalfan Mubarak to level things up from the penalty spot five minutes from time.


France Under-19s confirmed their place in the Elite Round of qualifying for the UEFA European Championship with a comfortable 6-0 win over Liechtenstein. They were already four goals up when Moussa Dembélé stepped off the substitutes bench, and he needed just five minutes to grab his second international goal in as many games."

 

Two more for Pat Roberts as England U19s thump Luxemburg 8-0

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Match report: http://www.thefa.com/news/england/d...bourg-0-8-england-u19s-euro-qualifying-121014

 

How the others got on yesterday:

” Gábor Király helped Hungary earn a point following his recall to the national side, when a late goal earned them a 1-1 draw in Romania on Saturday.

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Raul Rusescu put the home side in front on the stroke of half-time, but a Balázs Dzsudzsák free-kick meant the points had to be shared in Group F.



Finland and Greece played out a 1-1 draw, with Jesse Joronen and Kostas Stafylidis unused substitutes for their respective nations. Nikos Karelis’ first half goal was cancelled out by Jarkko Hurme 10 minutes after the restart. Kostas Mitroglou came on as an 84th minute substitute for Greece.

Elsad Zverotić played 70 minutes of Montenegro’s 1-0 defeat away to Austria. The crucial goal arrived midway through the first half when Rubin Okotie struck from close range. The result sent Austria to the top of Group G, three places and three points above Zverotić’s Montenegro.

In the AFC U-19 Championship in Burma, Cameron Burgess featured for the duration of Australia’s 1-0 win over Indonesia. Jaushua Sotirio scored the game’s only goal on 67 minutes to leave the Young Socceroos with a great chance of qualifying for the knock-out stage of the competition.

With one game to play in Group B, a victory over Uzbekistan on Tuesday will guarantee Burgess’ side a place in the last eight, though a draw may be enough for them to progress."

 

Nikolay Bodurov on the score sheet again - the right end this time though.

 

Aye, but unfortunately for him Bulgaria still went down.

”In Group H, Nikolay Bodurov scored for Bulgaria but was left disappointed again as Norway claimed a 2-1 win in Oslo.

In a game which saw Norway’s Martin Ødegaard become the youngest ever player to feature in a European Championship Qualifier at 15 years of age, the home side went ahead when Tarik Elyounoussi rounded visiting goalkeeper Nikolay Mihaylov to score. But Bulgaria responded through Bodurov’s first international goal when the Fulham defender found the net with a powerful header just before half-time.
Substitute Håvard Nielsen had the final say, though, when he converted a cross on 72 minutes to leave Bulgaria sitting in fourth spot.”


In the other games George Williams certainly caught the eye of the pundits as Chris Coleman’s Wales continued their good run

”George Williams marked his full debut for Wales with a 2-1 win over Cyprus on Monday evening, as Chris Coleman’s side maintained their position at the top of UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying Group B.

The Fulham man impressed down the left-wing in Cardiff, running at the Cypriot defence with real confidence, and it was that positivity which won the corner that led to the opening goal 13 minutes in. After the set-piece was taken, the ball was worked back out to David Cotterill on the left and his in-swinging cross was missed by everyone, including Cyprus goalkeeper Tasos Kissas, and nestled in the far corner.

And it was 2-0 just 10 minutes later courtesy of a slick team move. Andy King fed Gareth Bale in the centre circle and the world’s most expensive player delivered a first time reverse flick pass to send Hal Robson-Kanu in behind the Cyprus defence, with the Reading forward keeping his composure to slot through Kissas’ legs.

The home side were well on top but Cyprus hauled their way back into the game on 36 minutes when goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey was unable to get a solid punch on Vincent Laban’s free-kick which sailed into the net. Wales’ hopes of securing a second win of their campaign took a hit two minutes after the restart when King was dismissed for a rash challenge – an incident which led to Williams’ withdrawal on 58 minutes as part of a tactical reshuffle.

Cyprus upped the pressure thereafter, although the Dragons weren’t without their chances and deserved to see the game out to make it seven points won from their three games played.


In friendly action, Emerson Hyndman played an hour of the United States Under-23s’ 3-0 defeat by Brazil. An early goal from Luan set the home side on their way in Brasilia, before strikes from Douglas and Araujo added some gloss to the scoreline following Hyndman’s withdrawal.


At Under-19 level, Moussa Dembélé played 81 minutes of France’s goalless draw with Bosnia-Herzegovina as they concluded their Qualifying Round for the UEFA European Under-19 Championship by finishing top of Group 12, and advancing to the Elite Round."

 

A video clip of the England goals - fast forward to about 2 mins 30 secs for the Roberts Magic:


[video=youtube;lM6Zb3lRnCE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM6Zb3lRnCE [/video]

 

Loftus-Cheek! Please tell me he plays for QPR.

 

Quote of the week from our very own Lasse after Iceland's defensive tactic.
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He plays for the other lot down the road actually.

 

In the Greece N Ireland game report Lafferty, outpacing his defensive opposition Staflyidis
The former I believe is a Norwich player, so hopefully after todays 90m he will have him well sussed out.

 

Hopefully!

 

Lafferty absolutely skinned him. And while it doesn't have any immediate consequence Aaron Hughes has Kostas Mitroglou in his pocket all night.

 

Here's the full round up from the Club:


“Kostas Stafylidis tasted defeat on his return to the Greece national team as they were humbled 2-0 by Northern Ireland in Piraeus on Tuesday evening. The home side were already trailing to Jamie Ward’s early goal following a corner when the versatile Fulham player came on as a 12th-minute replacement for Levante’s Loukas Vyntra.

Greece were seeing plenty of possession but failed to really trouble Northern Ireland, who fielded three former Fulham players in Aaron Hughes, Steven Davis and Chris Baird.

Northern Ireland could have doubled their lead just before the interval when Kyle Lafferty – a man who’s likely to feature for Norwich City at Craven Cottage on Saturday – hit the woodwork after being found by a clever Baird pass. But the striker didn’t have to wait long for his third goal in as many international games, finding the back of the net with a low effort from the edge of the box on 51 minutes.

The result leaves Greece – for whom Kostas Mitroglou played 90 minutes – sitting second from bottom of Group F in UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying.


Lasse Vigen Christensen played the entirety of Denmark Under-21s’ tense 1-1 play-off second leg draw with Iceland in Reykjavik which saw the Danes qualify for next year’s European Championship by virtue of away goals. After going 180 minutes without a goal, the breakthrough finally arrived at the end of the second leg when Nicolaj Thomsen netted from close range, although the hosts did equalise with a penalty in the third minute of stoppage time.

That proved inconsequential though as Denmark’s away goal was enough to secure their place at next summer’s tournament in the Czech Republic, where they will be joined by England and Italy who named Cauley Woodrow and Marcello Trotta on their benches for Tuesday’s respective wins over Croatia, 2-1, and Slovakia, 3-1.


Bryan Ruiz played 90 minutes and claimed two assists in Costa Rica’s 3-1 friendly win in the Republic of Korea. The Central Americans took the lead just after the half hour mark when a deep cross from the left was smartly nodded down by Ruiz to Celso Borges who unleashed a fine volley that nestled in the far corner.

Veteran striker Lee Dong-Gook, once of Middlesbrough, equalised for the hosts with a tap in on the stroke of half-time, but Los Ticos’ lead was restored immediately after the break with a slick back-heeled attempt from Borges. And the victory was wrapped up on 78 minutes when captain Ruiz flighted in a fine corner kick which was headed home by Oscar Duarte.


In the AFC Under-19 Championship, Uzbekistan secured a Quarter-Final place at the expense of Australia after the sides played out a 1-1 draw. Cameron Burgess played the full 90 minutes as Stefan Ingo Mauk’s goal was cancelled out by a late Urinboev Zabikhillo effort. The Young Socceroos finished the group with five points, the same as Uzbekistan and the United Arab Emirates but, following the UAE’s 4-1 win over Indonesia, Australia’s inferior goal difference meant they failed to progress to the knock-out stages.”

 

Pat Roberts continues on the International goal trail .. and assists -


"Pat Roberts put England U19s in front with a beautifully flighted free-kick just 10 minutes in, with his curling effort sailing into the far corner. It was his fourth goal in three matches for the Young Lions.

Dion Cools headed Belgium level seven minutes later, but Sean O’Driscoll’s side restored their lead on the half hour mark courtesy of Bradley Fewster. Obbi Oulare Mamadou had a number of chances to restore parity in the second half but fluffed his lines on several occasions before eventually finding the back of the net with a low shot on 65 minutes. But England secured the victory late on when Brandon Barker netted on 81 minutes following more good work by Roberts, before Fewster added daylight moments later, with Roberts again the architect.

The result ensured England took top spot in Group 1 as they now move into the Elite Round – the draw for which takes place on Wednesday 3rd December."


And Jon Buatu did his bit in his debut at full International side level -


"Angola kept their hopes of qualifying for the 2015 Africa Cup on Nations alive on Wednesday with a comfortable 4-0 victory over Lesotho in Luanda.

The sides played out a goalless draw last week – a game in which Mananga Jonathan Buatu made his first start for his country, and he was again selected from the off in the reverse fixture. Angola knew that a win was imperative if they were to stand any chance of gatecrashing the top two in Group C, and they made a perfect start when they went in front through Bastos’ second minute effort.

Ary Papel doubled the advantage shortly after the half hour mark, and the game was as good as over when Lesotho’s Tšoanelo Koetle put into his own net just moments into the second half. Veteran striker Love wrapped up proceedings in the 57th minute to move Angola up to third in the table. With only the top two guaranteed a place in Morocco in January, Buatu and co know that victory in their final matches against Gabon and Burkina Faso would practically assure them of a spot."