Bundesliga stars on international duty - November
The last international break of 2017 sees a whole host of Bundesliga stars in action around the globe, with many players involved in crucial play-offs for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
bundesliga.com rounds up the results with German top-flight involvement…
Results
Wednesday, 15 November
2018 FIFA World Cup play-off
Australia 3-1 Honduras
Hertha Berlin's Mathew Leckie played every minute of Australia's winner-takes-all play-off second leg against Honduras which secured Australia's place at the World Cup finals. After the first leg ended goalless, the Socceroos made no mistakes in Sydney by securing a 3-1 win over their opponents from CONCACAF.
Tuesday, 14 November
2018 FIFA World Cup play-off - Europe
Republic of Ireland 1-5 Denmark
Denmark recovered from an early goal down to book their place at the World Cup finals at a canter. Werder Bremen midfielder Thomas Delaney and RB Leipzig striker Yussuf Poulsen both started, whilst Borussia Mönchengladbach defender Jannik Vestergaard was an unused substitute.
International friendlies
Slovakia 1-0 Norway
Hertha Berlin goalkeeper Rune Jarstein's 50th senior international cap ended in a narrow defeat to a Slovakia side containing club-mate Peter Pekarik. Hoffenheim's Havard Nordtveit was also involved for the beaten visitors.
Russia 3-3 Spain
Bayern Munich's Thiago played the first hour of a topsy-turvy game at the Krestovsky Stadium. Borussia Dortmund defender Marc Bartra was an unused substitute.
Austria 2-1 Uruguay
RB Leipzig's Marcel Sabitzer opened the scoring as an Austria side featuring six Bundesliga stars beat Uruguay in Vienna. Kevin Danso (Augsburg), Julian Baumgartlinger (Bayer Leverkusen), Florian Kainz (Werder Bremen), Florian Grillitsch (Hoffenheim), Guido Burgstaller (Schalke) and Sabitzer started the match at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion, while Valentino Lazaro (Hertha Berlin) and Alessandro Schöpf also made an appearance of the bench.
Portugal 1-1 USA
Schalke starlet Weston McKennie scored on his international debut to earn the USNMT a draw against the UEFA EURO 2016 winners. John Anthony Brooks (Wolfsburg) was named in the Americans’ starting XI alongside McKennie, while Bruma (RB Leipzig) played over an hour for the hosts in Leiria.
Belgium 1-0 Japan
Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Mönchengladbach) started for Belgium, who edged past a Japan team featuring three Bundesliga players. Cologne striker Yuya Osako led the line for the visitors, while Genki Haraguchi (Hertha Berlin) and Takuma Asano (Stuttgart) were also named in Vedad Halilhodzic’s starting line-up. Hamburg's Gotoku Sakai came on with four minutes of normal time remaining, but Eintracht Frankfurt's Makoto Hasebe did not make it off the bench.
A late Lars Stindl goal helped Die Mannschaft extend their unbeaten run to 21 matches at Cologne’s RheinEnergieSTADION. Alexandre Lacazette scored twice for the UEFA EURO 2016 finalists, but Timo Werner's seventh goal in ten international appearances and Stindl’s last-gasp strike earned Joachim Löw’s side a deserved draw.
Argentina 2-4 Nigeria
Mainz defender Leon Balogun was named in Nigeria’s starting line-up as the Super Eagles beat 2014 World Cup finalists Argentina in a friendly in Krasnodar, Russia. Stuttgart's Emiliano Insua was introduced with ten minutes of normal time remaining, but was unable to prevent Jorge Sampaoli’s side from slumping to a surprise defeat.
South Korea 1-1 Serbia
Augsburg midfielder Ja-Cheol Koo was on target for South Korea, who were held to a draw by Serbia in Ulsan. Werder Bremen’s Milos Veljkovic and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Mijat Gacinovic came off the bench in the 68th and 74th minute respectively, while Hamburg’s Filip Kostic was an unused substitute for the visitors.
Monday, 13 November
2018 FIFA World Cup play-off - Europe
Italy 0-0 Sweden (Sweden win 1-0 on aggregate)
RB Leipzig attacker Emil Forsberg and Werder Bremen defender Ludwig Augustinsson both played the full 90 minutes as Sweden pulled off the unthinkable and qualified for the World Cup at Italy's expense - the first time since 1958 that the Azzurri have failed to reach the finals. The match finished 0-0 in Milan, with Sweden going through by virtue of their 1-0 win in the first leg.
International friendlies
Turkey 2-3 Albania
Freiburg defender Caglar Söyüncü and Hannover's Kenan Karaman both started for Turkey in a surprise defeat at home to Albania. Hamburg centre-back Mergim Mavraj played throughout for the victors.
Poland 0-1 Mexico
Eintracht Frankfurt defender Carlos Salcedo played the first 45 minutes for Mexico in a 1-0 triumph away to a Poland side deprived of injured talisman Robert Lewandowski. Wolfsburg's Jakub Blaszczykowski came on in the 76th minute for the hosts.
Sunday, 12 November
2018 FIFA World Cup play-offs - Europe
Greece 0-0 Croatia
The dream is over for the Bundesliga's Greek contingent - Sokratis (Borussia Dortmund), Panagiotis Retsos (Bayer Leverkusen), Kyriakos Papadopoulos (Hamburg) and Kostas Stafylidis (Augsburg) - after a Croatia side including Andrej Kramaric (Hoffenheim) and Ante Rebic (Eintracht Frankfurt) powered into the World Cup finals, 4-1 on aggregate.
Switzerland 0-0 Northern Ireland
Borussia Mönchengladbach pair Yann Sommer and Denis Zakaria, Hoffenheim midfielder Steven Zuber, Bayer Leverkusen forward Admir Mehmedi and Schalke striker Breel Embolo can all look forward to playing at next summer's finals, after Switzerland shut out Northern Ireland in their play-off second leg in Basel. Die Nati won the first leg 1-0.
2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers - Africa
Group E
Ghana 1-1 Egypt
Augsburg defender Daniel Opare was an unused substitute the goalless draw between Ghana and Group E winners Egypt. The Black Stars will hope they can be part of Qatar 2022.
Saturday, 11 November
2018 FIFA World Cup play-offs - Europe
Denmark 0-0 Republic of Ireland
Even with Werder Bremen's Thomas Delaney and RB Leipzig striker Yussuf Poulsen on the pitch, Denmark were unable to gain a first-leg advantage ahead of Tuesday's decisive clash in Dublin. Gladbach defender Jannik Vestergaard was an unused substitute.
2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers - Africa
Group A
DR Congo 3-1 Guinea
Victory over Guinea was not enough for a DR Congo outfit boasting Wolfsburg defender Marcel Tisserand, after Tunisia picked up the point they needed to top the group and qualify for the World Cup finals.
Group C
Ivory Coast 0-2 Morocco
Schalke midfielder Amine Harit was an unused substitute as Morocco pipped Ivory Coast to a place in Russsia. Bad news for Mainz's Jean-Philippe Gbamin and Salomon Kalou (Hertha Berlin), whose World Cup dreams are over.
International friendlies
Spain 5-0 Costa Rica
Bayern Munich's Thiago was at his string-pulling best as Spain blew Costa Rica away in Malaga. Borussia Dortmund defender Marc Bartra was a second-half substitute.
Qatar 0-1 Czech Republic
Werder Bremen goalkeeper Jiri Pavlenka kept a clean sheet in a victorious outing for the Czechs. Stuttgart's Jan Kliment, currently on loan at Brondby, also started.
Russia 0-1 Argentina
Cologne defender Konstantin Rausch played 88 minutes as 2018 World Cup hosts Russia suffered a narrow defeat to 2014 finalists Argentina in Moscow. Stuttgart's Emiliano Insua was an unused substitute for the visitors.
Friday, 10 November
2018 FIFA World Cup play-off - Europe
Sweden 1-0 Italy
RB Leipzig's Emil Forsberg and Hamburg's Albin Ekdal played their part as Sweden scored a crucial first-leg advantage at Solna's Friends Arena. The two sides meet in Milan on Monday to determine who will qualify for the finals.
2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers - Africa
Group B
Algeria 1-1 Nigeria
Mainz's Leon Balogun set a captain's example as Nigeria warmed up for next year's finals with a battling draw in Constantine.
Group D
South Africa 0-2 Senegal
Hannover defender Salif Sane celebrated a famous win as Senegal punched their ticket to Russia, thanks to a 2-0 win over South Africa in Polokwane. It will be the Teranga Lions' second appearance at the World Cup finals.
International friendly
Portugal 3-0 Saudi Arabia
Leipzig's Bruma was a 75th-minute substitute in a routine win for the European champions at the Estadio do Fontelo.
Poland 0-0 Uruguay
An effort from Wolfsburg's Jakub Blaszczykowski aside, Poland struggled for chances with Bayern goal machine Robert Lewandowki left on the bench in Warsaw.
Belgium 3-3 Mexico
Gladbach's Thorgan Hazard and Wolfsburg's Liverpool loanee striker Divock Origi were late substitutes in a six-goal thriller in Brussels.
RB Leipzig's Timo Werner went as close as anybody to breaking the deadlock at Wembley Stadium. Mats Hummels captained the side and was joined in the starting line-up by Bayern teammate Joshua Kimmich. Gladbach's Matthias Ginter also started, while Leipzig's Marcel Halstenberg made his senior international debut.
France 2-0 Wales
Bayern Munich duo Kingsley Coman and Corentin Tolisso started as France recorded a routine win in Paris. Stuttgart defender Benjamin Pavard made his senior international debut as a second-half substitute.
Ukraine 2-1 Slovakia
Borussia Dortmund forward Andriy Yarmolenko and Schalke's Yevhen Konoplyanka scored the goals in Lviv as Ukraine came from behind to beat Slovakia.
South Korea 2-1 Colombia
Bayern star James Rodriguez played the full 90 minutes for Colombia in Suwon, but was unable to help his side get the better of an impressive South Korea, who brought on Augsburg's Ja-Cheol Koo as a late substitute. Both nations have already stamped their ticket to the World Cup in Russia next summer.
China 0-2 Serbia
Hamburg winger Filip Kostic started for Russia-bound Serbia as they eased to a friendly win over China in Guangzhou. Werder Bremen centre-back Milos Veljkovic came on as a second-half substitute for the visitors, while Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Mijat Gacinovic remained on the bench.
Japan 1-3 Brazil
There were three Bundesliga stars in Japan's starting line-up against Brazil, but Frankfurt midfielder Makoto Hasebe, Hertha Berlin winger Genki Haraguchi and Cologne forward Yuya Osako never seriously looked like threatening Neymar and Co. in the northern French city of Lille. Stuttgart frontman Takuma Asano came off the bench at half-time while Hamburg right-back Gotoku Sakai was an unused substitute.
Thursday, 9 November
2018 FIFA World Cup play-offs - Europe
Croatia 4-1 Greece
Hoffenheim striker Andrej Kramaric was on target as Croatia brushed aside Greece in Zagreb to put themselves on course for a place at Russia 2018 in the first leg of their play-off tie. Eintracht Frankfurt attacker Ante Rebic came on as a late substitute for the victors, while Sokratis (Borussia Dortmund), Kyriakos Papadopoulos (Hamburg) and Konstantinos Stafylidis (Augsburg) all started in defence for the visiting side.
Northern Ireland 0-1 Switzerland
Hoffenheim's Steven Zuber and Borussia Mönchengladbach duo Yann Sommer and Denis Zakaria all started for Switzerland in a closely-fought contest in Belfast, while a number of other Bundesliga stars also feature for Die Nati, including Breel Embolo (Schalke), Fabian Frei (Mainz) and Admir Mehmedi (Bayer Leverkusen). Former Wolfsburg left-back Ricardo Rodriguez scored the only goal of the game to put the Swiss in the driving seat ahead of the decisive return fixture on Sunday.
International friendlies
Finland 3-0 Estonia
Werder Bremen's Niklas Moisander and Bayer Leverkusen striker Joel Pohjanpalo both started what was ultimately a comfortable victory for Finland in Helsinki. Frankfurt goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky was rested and remained as an unused substitute.
Romania 2-0 Turkey
Caglar Söyüncü (Freiburg), Yunus Malli (Wolfsburg) and Kenan Karaman (Hannover) all featured for Turkey in a disappointing defeat away to Romania.
Scotland 0-1 Netherlands
Hertha Berlin defender Karim Rekik played the full 90 minute for the Netherlands in the country's first game since Arjen Robben announced his retirement from international duty, helping the Dutch to a narrow victory in Aberdeen.
Wednesday, 8 November
International friendly
Iceland 1-2 Czech Republic
Neither Augsburg's Alfred Finnbogason nor Werder Bremen's Jiri Pavlenka made it off the bench.
Want more Bundesliga Action?
Watch: There were plenty of international stars involved in Der Klassiker last weekend!
Players by club
Bayern Munich: Jerome Boateng, Mats Hummels, Joshua Kimmich, Niklas Süle, Sebastian Rudy (all Germany), Kingsley Coman, Corentin Tolisso (both France), James Rodriguez (Colombia), Robert Lewandowski (Poland), Thiago Alcantara (Spain)
RB Leipzig: Bruma (Portugal), Emil Forsberg (Sweden), Marcel Halstenberg, Timo Werner (both Germany), Marcel Sabitzer (Austria), Yussuf Poulsen (Denmark), Lukas Klostermann (Germany U21), Konrad Laimer (Austria U21), Dayot Upamecano (France U21), Ibrahima Konate (France U20), Philipp Köhn (Switzerland U20)
Borussia Dortmund: Marc Bartra (Spain), Roman Bürki (Switzerland), Mario Götze (Germany), Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Greece), Ömer Toprak (Turkey), Andriy Yarmolenko (Ukraine), Jacob Bruun Larsen (Denmark U21), Mahmoud Dahoud (Germany U21), Alexander Isak (Sweden U21), Dan-Axel Zagadou (France U19)
Schalke: Guido Burgstaller, Alessandro Schöpf (both Austria), Yevhen Konoplyanka (Ukraine), Nabil Bentaleb (Algeria), Amine Harit (Morocco), Breel Embolo (Switzerland), Weston McKennie (USA), Alexander Nübel, Thilo Kehrer (both Germany U21)
Hoffenheim: Florian Grillitsch (Austria), Andrej Kramaric (Croatia), Havard Nordtveit (Norway), Sandro Wagner (Germany), Steven Zuber (Switzerland), Nadiem Amiri, Philipp Ochs (both Germany U21), Gregor Kobel (Switzerland U21), Justin Hoogma (Netherlands U21), Posch (Austria U21), Robin Hack, Felix Passlack (Germany U20)
Hannover: Ihlas Bebou (Togo), Kenan Karaman (Turkey), Salif Sane (Senegal), Waldemar Anton (Germany U21), Iver Fossum (Norway U21)
Eintracht Frankfurt: Gelson Fernandes (Switzerland), Mijat Gacinovic (Serbia), Makoto Hasebe (Japan), Lukas Hradecky (Finland), Branimir Hrgota (Sweden), Ante Rebic (Croatia), Carlos Salcedo (Mexico), Luka Jovic (Serbia U21), Renat Dadashov (Azerbaijan U21), Aymen Barkok (Germany U20)
Borussia Mönchengladbach: Nico Elvedi, Yann Sommer, Denis Zakaria (all Switzerland), Matthias Ginter, Lars Stindl (both Germany), Thorgan Hazard (Belgium), Jannik Vestergaard (Denmark), Reece Oxford (England U20), Michael Cuisance (France U19)
Bayer Leverkusen: Julian Brandt, Bernd Leno (both Germany), Julian Baumgartlinger (Austria), Admir Mehmedi (Switzerland), Panagiotis Retsos (Greece), Joel Pohjanpalo (Finland), Sam Schreck, Atakan Akkaynak (Germany U20)
Augsburg: Kevin Danso, Michael Gregoritsch (both Austria), Alfred Finnbogason (Iceland), Marwin Hitz (Switzerland), Ja-Cheol Koo (South Korea), Daniel Opare (Ghana), Konstantinos Stafylidis (Greece), Marco Richter (Germany U20)
Hertha Berlin: Ondrej Duda, Peter Pekarik (both Slovakia), Genki Haraguchi (Japan), Rune Jarstein (Norway), Salomon Kalou (Ivory Coast), Valentin Lazaro (Austria), Mathew Leckie (Australia), Karim Rekik (Netherlands), Marvin Plattenhardt (Germany), Jordan Torunarigha (Germany U21), Maximilian Mittelstädt, Sidney Friede (Germany U20), Arne Maier, Florian Baak, Palko Dardai (Germany U19)
Stuttgart: Chadrac Akolo (DR Congo), Takuma Asano (Japan), Emiliano Insua (Argentina), Ebenezer Ofori (Ghana), Benjamin Pavard (France), Timo Baumgartl (Germany U21), Josip Brekalo (Croatia U21), Anto Grgic (Switzerland U21), Stjepan Radeljic (Bosnia & Herzegovina U21), Dzenis Burnic (Germany U20)
Mainz: Leon Balogun (Nigeria), Viktor Fischer (Denmark), Fabian Frei (Switzerland), Jean-Philippe Gbamin (Ivory Coast), Levin Öztunali (Germany U21), Abdou Diallo (France U21), Suat Serdar (Germany U20)
Wolfsburg: Jakub Blaszczykowski (Poland), Koen Casteels, Divock Origi (both Belgium), Yunus Malli (Turkey), Marcel Tisserand (DR Congo), John Brooks (USA), Riechedly Bazoer (Germany U21), Nany Dimata (Belgium U21), Gian-Luca Itter (Germany U20)
Hamburg: Albin Ekdal (Sweden), Filip Kostic (Serbia), Mergim Mavraj (Albania), Gotoku Sakai (Japan), Kyriakos Papadopoulos (Greece), Rick van Drongelen (Netherlands U21)
Freiburg: Caglar Söyüncü (Turkey), Bartek Kapustka (Poland U21), Pascal Stenzel (Germany U21)
Werder Bremen: Ludwig Augustinsson (Sweden), Thomas Delaney (Denmark), Florian Kainz (Austria), Niklas Moisander (Finland), Jiri Pavlenka (Czech Republic), Milos Veljkovic (Serbia), Ishak Belfodil (Algeria), Ulisses Garcia (Switzerland U21), Johannes Eggestein (Germany U20),
Cologne: Yuya Osako (Japan), Konstantin Rausch (Russia), Jannes Horn (Germany U21), Jorge Mere (Spain U21), Joao Queiros (Portugal U20)