Arsenal had its contingent represent their respective nations on international duty for the first round of matches. Gooner Daily gives a quick roundup of these players and how they fared.

Thursday

Egypt 6-0 Djibouti: Mohamed Elneny played 90 minutes in the Pharaohs emphatic trouncing of Djibouti in an AFCON qualifying match. Liverpool’s Mo Salah stole the show, scoring four goals from the six on the night. 

Cyprus 1-3 Spain: David Raya got some minutes ahead of Spain regular, Unai Simon, in a dead rubber clash against Cyprus. With Spain already securing their ticket to the European Championships, the gaffer, Luis de la Fuente, used the opportunity to hand out caps to some of the folks that haven’t featured much in the campaign. Mikel Oyarzabal, Joselu and highly rated Barcelona youngster, Lamine Yamal, got in on the scoring act.

Estonia 0-2 Austria: Karl Hein was between the sticks for Estonia as they lost yet again to Austria. It has been a disastrous campaign for Hein and his nation, but with them being minnows, it’s expected.

Friday

Colombia 2-1 Brazil: Moving on from the drama regarding Gabriel Jesus and the Brazilian national team medical staff, there was actually some football to be played, and Luis Dias dominated the back pages with a brace for Colombia against the Selecao. With the Liverpool man’s family in turmoil in recent weeks, this was a good respite. Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Martinelli played the full 90, with the latter scoring his first goal for his nation.

England 2-0 Malta: Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka came on as substitutes for England in the routine win over Malta to further solidify their status at the top of their qualifying group. Enrico Pepe scored an own goal early on and top scorer, Harry Kane got a second courtesy of an assist from Saka. What’s with Saka and all these good contributions? His consistency is frightening.

Poland 1-1 Czechia: Jakub Kiwior played the full 90 minutes for Poland in their Euro qualifying clash against Czechia. The Poles needed a win to gain qualification to the tournament, but the draw sealed their third spot in the group, thereby compounding their woes. Jakub Piotrowski scored the goal that sent the Polish fans to raptures but Czechia captain, Tomas Soucek, stepped up with a massive equalizer that sealed second place for the visitors.

Sayonara.

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