April 1, 2022 11:15 am
Crystal Palace’s international Eagles made a big impression not just across Europe but around the world as they had success with their respective nations – check out their achievements below!
The biggest story was at home, where Tyrick Mitchell and Marc Guéhi made their England debuts against Switzerland, with Guéhi starting – alongside Conor Gallagher, who grabbed an assist – and Mitchell coming on as a substitute.
The latter made an impression and was rewarded with a first start three days later, as he was part of a defence to keep a clean sheet against Côte d’Ivoire. Gallagher was also introduced in the second-half.
Check out their reaction below!
It was also a huge international break for Cheikhou Kouyaté, who was part of a Senegal side to secure World Cup qualification in a two-legged play-off victory over Egypt – a rematch of the Africa Cup of Nations final.
Kouyaté and co. were victorious on penalties once again after recovering from a first-leg defeat, with the midfielder playing in both games.
Also at the tournament will be Jordan Ayew, who started in two fiercely fought play-offs against rivals Nigeria, eventually qualifying via away goals.
In Europe, Christian Benteke made an instant impact for the world’s number one ranked international side, coming on for Belgium against Burkina Faso and scoring soon after. He also played against Ireland in a 2-2 draw.
Joachim Andersen was part of two emotionally-charged matches with Denmark, as Christian Eriksen made a goalscoring return to the national side after his cardiac arrest at the European Championships last summer.
The defender played in the 4-2 loss to the Netherlands, before starting and keeping a clean sheet in Copenhagen against Serbia.
Earlier this international break, Michael Olise earned his first France Under-21s cap in a 2-0 victory over the Faroe Islands on Thursday night.
Olise came on in the 64th-minute as the Bleuets led 1-0. They were looking to make amends for a 1-1 draw with the Faroe Islands last September and consolidate their place atop Group H in the U21 European Championship qualifiers. Olise was closely involved, setting up the initial move and making the cross which led to the Bleuets’ second.
Olise has represented France Under-18s twice, and is eligible to play for them, England, Nigeria and Algeria.
There have also been call-ups for six Academy players, which you can read about here.
