International Roundup: France, Algeria roll
Other Competitions
With the international break now in full swing we take a look back at how the stars of Ligue McDonald's fared on the first day, headlined by big wins for France and Algeria.
UEFA Nations League
New-look France continue to impress as they rebound from a September loss to Italy. A comprehensive 4-1 win over Israel was headlined by Bradley Barcola, the league's top scorer, netting off the bench, while his Paris Saint-Germain teammates Ousmane Dembélé and Randal Kolo Muani both played 90 minutes.
For Finland, Stade Rennais' Glen Kamara played 90 minutes as well, but was unable to prevent his side's home defeat to Ireland, while his club teammate Leo Østigard fared better in a 3-0 shutout win for Norway over Slovenia. Lyon winger Malick Fofana made his international debut for Belgium, but the Red Devils could only draw, two-all against Italy.
Algerian baller. Saïd Benrahma. 🇩🇿🪄 pic.twitter.com/8zOd0iAUYr
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) October 10, 2024
CAF AFCON Qualifying
In Africa, Algeria caught the eye with a 5-1 win over Togo, with Lyon's Saïd Benrahma netting a brace and Rennes' Amine Gouiri scoring off the bench for Les Verts. A Ghana side featuring several Ligue 1 players, including AS Monaco's Mohammed Salisu and Rennes' Alidu Seidu were surprisingly held to a scoreless draw by Sudan, while DR Congo, featuring Dmitry Bertaud of Montpellier, Chancel Mbemba of Marseille and Samuel Moutoussamy of FC Nantes, among others, edged Tanzania, 1-0. Finally, Marshall Munetsi of Stade de Reims played 90 minutes as Zimbabwe earned a 1-0 victory away to Namibia.
Other confederations
In Asia, Japan's Junya Ito and Keito Nakamura, both in strong form for Stade de Reims, both featured in a 2-0 win away to Saudi Arabia, while PSG's Lee Kang-In helped South Korea win 2-1 away to Jordan. In Uzbekistan, Lens' Abdukodir Khusanov played 90 minutes as his team held visiting Iran to a scoreless draw.
In CONMEBOL, Ecuador and PSG defender Willian Pacho played 90 minutes as the hosts held Paraguay to a scoreless draw. In Brazil, the Selecão earned a home win with a debut for Lyon defender Abner, while PSG's Marquinhos played 90 minutes as the the hosts edged closer to a place in the 2026 World Cup.
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