Internationals: Hornets In The Thick Of The Action

As the international break comes to a close, several Hornets who were called up to represent their countries made significant contributions that positively impacted their team’s results.

Edo Kayembe and DR Congo won both of their fixtures against Tanzania as they confirmed their place at the next Africa Cup of Nations. The midfielder started in the first game in Kinshasa where they were victorious with a narrow 1-0 home win.

The second meeting between the two was hosted at Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Kayembe started again and helped guide the team to a win as two late goals made sure of a 2-0 victory.

DR Congo now sit top of Group H after winning their first four games and have secured their spot at the next AFCON in Morocco, taking place in late 2025.

Giorgi Chakvetadze’s Georgia faced Ukraine in Poznan, Poland, where he played 90 minutes in their 1-0 loss due to a Mykhailo Mudryk goal just after the half-hour mark.

The Georgians looked to push for an equaliser in the UEFA Nations League clash, but to no avail.

Another 90 minutes for the Hornets midfielder in the heart of the Georgian side came in their second game of the break, but a second-half goal from Kristjan Asllani secured a 1-0 win for Albania.

Once again, Georgia were the dominant side but they just couldn’t find the finishing touch.

Georgia now sit in second place in League B Group 1 after four games, as they look to progress to the top-flight of the Nations League.

Ken Sema grabbed a goal for Sweden against Slovakia, following up after former Coventry man Viktor Gyökeres saw his strike saved in the Nations League clash.

His goal saw his side go 2-0 up just after the half-hour mark, but Slovakia struck back twice, causing the game to end in a 2-2 draw. 

Sweden's following game saw Estonia host the Scandinavian side in Tallinn, with Sema playing another 90 minutes. The Hornets man helped guide his team to an impressive 3-0 win thanks to a brace from Sebastian Nanasi, and a third from Gyökeres.

Sweden are now top of the League C Group 1 as they look to respond from successive relegations in the Nations League.

Festy Ebosele appeared for the Republic of Ireland as a substitute in the 80th minute away to Finland, and minutes later he assisted Robbie Brady for the winner as the game finished 2-1 in the Green Army’s favour.

The side then faced Greece in their second successive away match, with the pacy wing-back brought off the bench just before the hour as Ireland were beaten 2-0 in Athens. 

The Republic of Ireland are third in League B Group 2 in the Nations League after four games, with two more fixtures to go.

Ryan Porteous was on the bench for Scotland’s two Nations League games during the break, with his side falling to a 2-1 away loss to Croatia despite going in front. They then improved with a goalless home draw against Portugal, leaving them bottom of League A Group 1.

Rocco Vata was brought on as a late substitute in the Republic of Ireland Under-21’s 1-1 draw to Norway, as his side conceded a stoppage-time equaliser. He was an unused sub in their 1-1 draw against Italy in Trieste.

Back-to-back draws meant Vata's side finished in third place in their group and they have not qualified for next year's UEFA European Under-21 Championship. 

Mamadou Doumbia did not feature in either game as Mali played Guinea-Bissau twice in Africa Cup of Nations qualifying.

His side earned a 1-0 win in the first clash before the reverse fixture ended in a 0-0 draw, which leaves Mali second in Group I as they look to qualify for next year’s AFCON.

Marats Galajevs started all three games over the international break for Latvia Under-19s as his side beat Slovakia 2-0, drew 1-1 with North Macedonia and lost 3-2 to Luxembourg.

Another Academy player to feature on the international stage was Gabriel Ortelli, who featured for Cyprus Under-19s in their 1-1 draw against Israel.

The goalkeeper was on hand to make an impressive save to help his side gain a valuable point.

Finally, Kristian Shevchenko appeared for Ukraine Under-19s in their 1-0 loss away to the Netherlands.