Skhodran Mustafi, Calum Chambers and Alexis Sanchez represented their countries last night.
- Mustafi and Alexis went head-to-head in the Confederations Cup
- Alexis breaks Chile record
- Chambers helped England reach the U21 Euros semi-final
It was a good night for Arsenal players on international duty as they helped their countries progress through major tournaments.
It was an especially good one for Alexis Sanchez, whose goal against Germany made him Chile’s all time leading goalscorer with 38 goals.
The goal arrived after a mistake from Skhodran Mustafi, who played a poor pass out of defence that was intercepted by Chile. In an effort to make up for his mistake, Mustafi lunged in on Arturo Vidal, a tackle that incensed Chile.
Alexis goal after Mustafi mistake pic.twitter.com/tVQOJn4wN1
— Sam (@samuelJayC) June 22, 2017
Mustafi endured a difficult first half as Germany struggled to cope with Chile’s intensity. However, they improved in the second half and managed to level the game through a goal from Lars Stindl.
With a point each, both Chile and Germany only need to draw against Australia and Cameroon respectively to qualify for the next round.
Chile manager Juan Antonio Pizzi was pleased with Alexis’ impact.
“Alexis scored a very special goal because he is now the top scorer ever for Chile,” he said. “That is very important.”
Calum Chambers played another 90 minutes for the England U21s as they defeated Poland 3-0 to secure their place in the semi-finals.
In truth, Chambers didn’t have a great deal to do as England controlled most of the match and sealed qualification in emphatic style thanks to goals from Demarai Gray, Jacob Murphy and Lewis Baker.
It seems the England team are getting better with each game and manager Aidy Boothroyd believes they’re peaking at just the right time.
“We’re getting better and better all the time. I think there’s more to come from our side. We should be tip-top by Tuesday,” he said.
“We were among the best 12 teams in Europe, and now we’re down to the last four. Our next challenge is to get to the last two.”
While Rob Holding is yet to play, he could be called upon in the semi-final as Aflie Mawson, Chambers’ partner so far, picked up a suspension.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mootjhUGEzs