Arsenal’s international players had a busy week with some securing qualification for the Paris Olympics, while others grappled with the UEFA Nations League.
Here’s how key players performed for their respective countries and what it means for their clubs.
Canada (Cloe Lacasse and Sabrina D’Angelo): Through to the Paris Olympics by winning the Concacaf play-offs against Jamaica. Canada won 4-1 on aggregate, beating Jamaica 2-0 away and 2-1 at home. Cloe Lacasse scored the opener in the home leg.
Australia (Caitlin Foord, Kyra Cooney-Cross, Steph Catley) had no international game and therefore got a deserved rest after an exhausting World Cup.
Republic of Ireland (Katie McCabe): They are top of Group B1 with six points from two games. They won the derby 3-0 against Northern Ireland and defeated Hungary 4-0. Katie McCabe assisted Lily Agg in the first game and scored a screamer in the second game.
England (Alessia Russo, Lotte Wubben-Moy): They are currently in third place in Group A1 with three points. There was a win against Scotland 2-1 and an away defeat to the Netherlands 2-1. Alessia Russo scored in the Netherlands defeat.
Netherlands (Victoria Pelova): The Netherlands are second in Group A1 with three points. They surprisingly lost away to Belgium 2-1 and then defeated the UEFA Euros winner England 2-1. Victoria Pelova had an impact on the game.
Austria (Manuela Zinsberger): They are currently bottom of the A2 group with one point. They had an excellent 1-1 away draw to Norway and then lost at home to France 1-0. Manuela Zinsberger performed well despite the loss.
Norway (Frida Maanum): They are currently in third place in Group A2, they are in crisis after a poor World Cup and the management’s departure. They drew at home to Austria and then lost away to Portugal 3-2. Two big setbacks for a team aiming to qualify for the Paris Olympics. Frida Maanum scored from long range against Portugal.
Danemark (Kathrine Kuhl): Danemark are top of their group with a 100% record in Group A3. They defeated Germany at home 2-0 and Wales away 5-1. Kathrine Kuhl contributed to their success.
Sweden (Amanda Ilestedt, Lina Hurtig, Stina Blackstenius): They are in second place in Group A4 behind world champion Spain. They lost at home to them 3-2, despite Spain having a lot of domestic trouble with their own FA and unable to prepare for the game properly. Lina Hurtig scored in that game and Amanda Ilestedt was sent off and gave away the winning penalty.
Switzerland (Lia Wälti, Noelle Maritz): Switzerland are bottom of Group A4 with nil points in two games. They lost at home to Italy 1-0 and away to world champions Spain 5-0, relegation to Group B is likely if they don’t manage to grab points off Sweden or Spain as well as beating Italy away.
The positive news from the international break is that as of today, no one besides Lotte Wubben-Moy was presumed to be injured while on duty.
160-character Meta Description:
Potential Keywords for Tags: International break,
SEO-friendly Slug: