Panichelli's dream, Akliouche's impact: what we learned from the international break
It was an enthralling international break as World Cup qualifying came to a head. There were plenty of Ligue 1 McDonald's players involved - we take you through some of the most intriguing narratives over the past week.
Akliouche makes his mark for France
Didier Deschamps said that Monaco academy product Maghnes Akliouche "took it up a notch" during the recent international break. This was the third time that Akliouche was called up by Les Bleus. His impact during the September international break was limited, however, as noted by Deschamps, he has grown in stature since.
First goal with France from Maghnes Akliouche 😍🇫🇷
Congrats, @Nesmaar_A! ❤️🤍 https://t.co/yYoJ8mRnzx— AS Monaco EN 🇲🇨 (@AS_Monaco_EN) November 16, 2025
The October international break marked Akliouche's first assist, and he played an even more important role this month. Deschamps praised his impact off the bench in the 4-0 win over Ukraine, which secured Les Bleus' place in next summer's World Cup. Having registered another assist, he then scored his first goal for Les Bleus, an instinctive tap-in at the back post, as France beat Azerbaijan 3-1 to ensure that they ended the qualification campaign unbeaten.
"It was important for him to score today [...] even if there are a lot of attacking players and lots of absentees, he has moved up a notch to be more decisive," reacted Deschamps on Sunday.
Panichelli realises Argentina dream
Joaquín Panichelli is currently the Ligue 1 McDonald's top-scorer with nine goals. It has been an excellent start to the season for the Argentina forward, who only joined Strasbourg in the summer. His reward was a first call-up to the national team, whilst the form of his RCSA teammate, Valentín Barco, also earned him a deserved recall.
PANICHELLI MAKES HIS ARGENTINA NT DEBUT ✨🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/xR8bRDFqBw
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) November 14, 2025
Panichelli got on the pitch during a 2-0 friendly win over Angola on Friday. The man he replaced? None other than his idol, former PSG forward Lionel Messi. "I grew up watching Messi for years. Being here, seeing him in the flesh... him and all of the stars, it was great," said Panichelli, who evoked a "dream" at having represented his national team.
PSG's decisive Portuguese
It wasn't quite Portugal's biggest ever win, but it wasn't far off. They beat Armenia 9-1 on Sunday to secure their place in next summer's World Cup, to be held in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
Two hat tricks from midfield. João Neves, you’re special 🇵🇹🎩 pic.twitter.com/jFBjPgtWCA
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) November 18, 2025
PSG's players made a big impact in the game. In the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo, Roberto Martínez's men ran riot. Joao Neves was excellent throughout, netting a hat-trick, not his first of the season, of course. Goncalo Ramos also got on the scoresheet, whilst the centre-forward, a super-sub at club level, also registered an assist during the game. Both he and Neves will return to the Parc des Princes with plenty of confidence.
The Danes must wait
It went down to the wire for Denmark. A draw against Belarus earlier in the international window meant that it all came down to Tuesday's match against Scotland. The winner took it all, and the winners were Scotland. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg started in midfield, whilst his Marseille teammate, Matt O'Riley, had to settle for a place on the bench alongside fellow Ligue 1 McDonald's players Mika Biereth and Lucas Hogsberg.
Late goals from Kieran Tierney and Kenny McLean secured the win for the Scots. But for Denmark, they must now wait for their chance to secure their place in the World Cup finals. They must pass through the play-offs, the draw for which takes place on Thursday.
Marseille's Murillo going to the World Cup
Panama shocked the world when they qualified for the World Cup back in 2018. It was the first time that the Central American nation had done so in their history, and they will now return.
Their place was booked thanks to two wins during the international break. The first was a 3-2 win away to Guatemala, which was then followed up by a 3-0 win over El Salvador.
Both wins were secured without OM's versatile defender Michael Murillo, who, despite an initial call-up, missed out on these key games through injury. Having played in two of Panama's three World Cup games in Russia back in 2018 (3-0 defeat to Belgium, 6-1 defeat to England), he can now set his sights on another World Cup campaign.
READ MORE
>> International round-up: Joao Neves the hat-trick hero for Portugal
>> France conclude World Cup qualifying with a win over Azerbaijan
