Internationals: Monday Roundup
On an international day without senior competitive action, there was still plenty to follow as teams took advantage of the final break before this summer's World Cup to fine-tune their play. Catch up on how the stars of Ligue 1 McDonald's got on with our roundup.
Ghana run Germany close
In a matchup of two sides who have already qualified for this summer's tournament, a Ghana squad featuring a quartet of Ligue 1 McDonald's players played better than they had in Friday's heavy 5-1 loss to Austria, but still fell to a late penalty on the part of the hosts in Stuttgart. For the Black Stars, Kojo Pepprah Oppong (OGC Nice) was in the eleven and Elisha Owusu (Auxerre) came off the bench, while Owusu's club teammates both remained on the bench after having played against Austria.
Our Ligue 1 talents ready to shine for Ghana 🇬ðŸ‡âœ¨ pic.twitter.com/V9n6sdFHbV
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) March 17, 2026
Gabon draw against Trinidad & Tobago
Still looking to rebuild after a frustrating performance at the recent Africa Cup of Nations, Gabon faced Trinidad & Tobago in a friendly in Uzbekistan. After losing to the hosts earlier in the break, Gabon were sharper here, despite playing more than half an hour with ten men. The France-based trio of Johann Obiang (Orléans), Urie-Michel Mboula (Metz) and Teddy Averlant (Amiens) were all in the eleven in a two-all draw.
In another match played in Uzbekistan as part of the new FIFA series, the hosts were held by a Venezuela side featuring Toulouse FC midfielder Cristián Casseres, the game finishing in a scoreless draw. Also in the FIFA Series, Indonesia squared off against Bulgaria, and LOSC's Calvin Verdonk played 90 minutes in midfield, but was unable to prevent a narrow defeat at home for his country.
Finally, in U-21 action, Belgium faced the Netherlands in a friendly. RC Strasbourg's Mike Penders was an unused substitute, but Marseille's Arthur Vermeeren and AS Monaco's Stanis Idumbo were both in the eleven in a 2-1 loss played in Venlo.
