October round-up: Bundesliga stars in international action
It's already time for the second international break of 2016/17. There are a host of key FIFA World Cup 2018 qualifiers on the agenda for many Bundesliga players, before they return to domestic action on Matchday 7 (14-16 October).
Fixtures
bundesliga.com rounds up all of the international action with Bundesliga involvement during the second international break of the season.
Tuesday 11 October
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World Cup qualifiers - Europe
Kazakhstan 0-0 Romania
VfB Stuttgart midfielder Alexandru Maxim did not make an appearance in Astana.
Denmark 0-1 Montenegro
RB Leipzig’s Yussuf Poulsen and Borussia Mönchengladbach’s Andreas Christensen both started as the Danes fell to a disappointing home loss in Copenhagen. Christensen’s team-mate Jannik Vestergaard and 1. FSV Mainz 05 goalkeeper Jonas Lössl were unused substitutes.
Poland 2-1 Armenia
FC Bayern München’s Robert Lewandowski scored for the eighth tournament qualifier in a row to earn Poland a last-gasp win against Armenia in Warsaw. The 28-year-old found the net in the 95th minute – his fourth goal in two games – to send the Poles joint-top of Group E. VfL Wolfsburg’s Jakub Blaszczykowski also started the match for the home side.
Czech Republic 0-0 Azerbaijan
SV Werder Bremen’s Theodor Gebre Selassie could net help Czech Republic overcome a dogged Azerbaijan, with the Czechs slipping to fifth in Group C. TSG 1899 Hoffenheim’s Pavel Kaderabek was an unused substitute for the hosts.
Germany 2-0 Northern Ireland
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Norway 4-1 San Marino
Hertha Berlin goalkeeper Rune Jarstein’s clean sheet was spoiled by minnows San Marino but Norway were nevertheless able to record a first win in qualifying. 1. FC Nürnberg defender Even Hovland also played, while Örjan Nyland of FC Ingolstadt 04 was an unused substitute.
Slovenia 0-0 England
Eintracht Braunschweig midfielder Nik Omladic came off the bench to help Slovenia take a point against England in Ljubljana. The Slovenians are now third in Group F, level with second-placed Lithuania.
World Cup qualifiers - Asia
Australia 1-1 Japan
Hertha Berlin's Genki Haraguchi was on target once again in World Cup qualifying. The Japan international, who completed the full 90 minutes, put his side in front inside five minutes, but they were unable to hold on for a victory that would have moved them top of Group B. Hamburger SV's Gotoku Sakai, Eintracht Frankfurt's Makoto Hasebe and Borussia Dortmund's Shinji Kagawa also featured for the entire game.
Iran 1-0 South Korea
FC Augsburg's Dong-Won Ji started and his clubmate Ja-Cheol Koo came off the bench, but neither could prevent South Korea falling to defeat against Iran.
World Cup qualifiers - South America
Argentina 0-1 Paraguay
Ingolstadt’s Dario Lezcano remained on the bench for Paraguay, who shocked neighbours Argentina in their own backyard with victory in Cordoba.
Chile 2-1 Peru
Bayern midfielder Arturo Vidal was the hero for Chile, grabbing both goals in their win over Peru in Santiago. A close-range header from Vidal early on was cancelled out deep into the second half, but his shot from 25 yards secured all three points five minutes from time. Hoffenheim’s Eduardo Vargas also had chances for Chile, and Leverkusen’s Charles Aranguiz also played the full 90 minutes for the home side.
Venezuela 0-2 Brazil
The Selecao did not call upon Leverkusen’s Wendell during their 2-0 win over Venezuela, the left-back remaining on the bench for the win that put Brazil back to the top of the South America qualification table.
Wednesday 12 October
International friendlies
USA vs New Zealand
Guyana vs Jamaica
Panama vs Mexico
Previous results
Monday 10 October
World Cup qualifiers - Europe
Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 Cyprus
There was a distinct Bundesliga flavour in the city of Zenica as the hosts chalked up their second Group H victory. Schalke's Sead Kolasinac and Hamburger SV's Emir Spahic both started in defence, while Hertha Berlin striker Vedad Ibisevic and SV Werder Bremen attacker Izet Hajrovic were brought on in the second half. Former Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko got both goals.
Estonia 0-2 Greece
Official Fantasy Bundesliga fans take note: FC Augsburg defender Konstantinos Stafylidis scored a direct free-kick for Greece as they returned home from Estonia with a 2-0 victory in the bag. It keeps the Greeks level on points with Belgium at the top of Group H.
Gibraltar 0-6 Belgium
Borussia Mönchengladbach attacker Thorgan Hazard was an unused substitute as Belgium ran riot away to Gibraltar. Not only was the 6-0 triumph their third successive qualifying victory, it was also a third straight match without conceding.
Netherlands 0-1 France
FC Bayern München midfielder Kingsley Coman was an unused substitute as France picked up a significant 1-0 win at the Netherlands. Coman witnessed a stunning strike from Paul Pogba in Les Bleus' victory in Amsterdam, where former VfL Wolfsburg forward Bas Dost featured for the hosts.
Sweden 3-0 Bulgaria
Emil Forsberg's Sweden extended their unbeaten start to World Cup qualifying with a 3-0 win over Bulgaria. The RB Leipzig midfielder was replaced by Borussia Mönchengladbach's Oscar Wendt in the 74th minute, while Hamburger SV's Albin Ekdal went the distance in the heart of the Sweden midfield.
Andorra 1-2 Switzerland
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim defender Fabian Schär and Bayer 04 Leverkusen attacker Admir Mehmedi were both on the scoresheet for the visitors as Switzerland maintained their perfect start to their Group B campaign. Goalkeeper Roman Bürki (Borussia Dortmund), Breel Embolo (FC Schalke 04), Ricardo Rodriguez (VfL Wolfsburg) and Haris Seferovic (Eintracht Frankfurt) also all started for the Swiss.
Faroe Islands 0-6 Portugal
Bayern midfielder Renato Sanches was an unused substitute throughout as the reigning European champions thrashed the Faroe Islands to stay second in Group B.
Latvia 0-2 Hungary
RB Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi kept a clean sheet as Hungary picked up their first win of Russia 2018 qualifying. TSG 1899 Hoffenheim striker Adam Szalai scored the team's second in the 77th minute to keep them two points behind Portugal.
Sunday 9 October
World Cup qualifiers - Europe
Ukraine 3-0 Kosovo
FC Schalke 04 midfielder Yevhen Konoplyanka helped Ukraine remain unbeaten in Group I, featuring in 79 minutes of their 3-0 win over international newcomers Kosovo. Ukraine are second in the standings with five points from three qualifying games so far.
Finland 0-1 Croatia
Elsewhere in Group I, there was plenty of Bundesliga interest in Helsinki, where Croatia came away with a hard-earned 1-0 win over Finland. Eintracht Frankfurt’s Lukas Hradecky and SV Werder Bremen’s Niklas Moisander were in the Finnish lineup, but it was striker Andrej Kramaric of TSG 1899 Hoffenheim who left on the winning side thanks to an early goal from ex-VfL Wolfsburg and FC Bayern München forward Mario Mandzukic. Croatia now top the group.
Serbia 3-2 Austria
Marcel Sabitzer was on the scoresheet, but finished on the losing side for Austria who slipped to a 3-2 defeat by Serbia in a thrilling Group D encounter that featured a host of Bundesliga stars. The RB Leipzig midfielder struck to draw Austria level at 1-1 after only a quarter of an hour, however it was Serbia who prevailed when Dusan Tadic grabbed the winner with 16 minutes remaining to put his side top of the group on seven points after three matches.
Iceland 2-0 Turkey
An own goal from Ömer Toprak of Bayer 04 Leverkusen set Iceland on their way to a 2-0 victory over Turkey in Reyjavik. The unlucky defender put Iceland ahead three minutes before the break, and the lead was doubled by FC Augsburg's Alfred Finnbogason within a couple of minutes. A Turkey side also featuring Leverkusen's Hakan Calhanoglu and Emre Mor of Borussia Dortmund could not find their way back into the match, leaving Iceland second in Group I behind Serbia on goal difference.
Israel 2-1 Liechtenstein
FC Ingolstadt 04’s Almog Cohen played all 90 minutes to help Israel to a 2-1 win over Liechtenstein. The 28-year-old midfielder played every minute of Israel’s two victories in Group G over the last few days, FYR Macedonia having been beaten by the same scoreline last Thursday, and they next face current group leaders Albania on 12 November.
Albania 0-2 Spain
Bayern midfielder Thiago Alcantara played the full 90 minutes as Spain earned a 2-0 victory in Albania, with Köln defender Mergim Mavraj going the distance for the hosts. The result means the Iberians go top of Group G on seven points from three games.
World Cup qualifiers - Africa
Tunisia 2-0 Guinea
Borussia Mönchengladbach’s Ibrahima Traore could not inspire Guinea to victory over Tunisia, who claimed the spoils with two second-half goals. Naby Keïta of RB Leipzig also played the full 90 alongside Traore, while SV Darmstadt 98’s Änis Ben-Hatira was a late substitute for the victorious Tunisians.
International friendlies
New Zealand 1-2 Mexico
Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Marco Fabian scored a thumping winner just inside the hour as Mexico won past New Zealand in Nashville, Tennnessee. El Tri face Panama on Wednesday before returning to competitive action against the USA next month.
Saturday 8 October
World Cup qualifiers - Europe
Azerbaijan 1-0 Norway
Hertha Berlin duo Rune Jarstein and Per Ciljan Skjelbred could not prevent Norway falling to a disappointing defeat away in Baku. The Norwegians, for whom FC Ingolstadt 04 goalkeeper Örjan Nyland was an unused substitute, have now lost their opening two games in Group C following defeat to Germany on Matchday 1.
Poland 3-2 Denmark
Robert Lewandowski’s hat-trick was just enough to take Poland to a 3-2 victory at home to Denmark. The FC Bayern München striker put his country three goals clear just inside the second half, but the Danes launched a spirited fightback, making it 3-1 through an own goal minutes later. RB Leipzig striker Yussuf Poulsen’s goal with 21 minutes left gave Poland more to worry about, but they held on to go onto four points after two Group E fixtures.
Germany 3-0 Czech Republic
FC Bayern München attacker Thomas Müller was on target twice for the reigning world champions in Hamburg as they made it two wins from as many qualifying games to go top of Group C.
Scotland 1-1 Lithuania
RB Leipzig attacker Oliver Burke endured a frustrating night with Scotland, who were held to a 1-1 draw at home against Lithuania. Burke was substituted seconds before the hosts went 1-0 behind to Fedor Cernych's 58th-minute opener. James McArthur equalised for Gordon Strachan's team late on.
Slovenia 1-0 Slovakia
SV Darmstadt 98 forward Roman Bezjak put in a shift to help his side earn a valuable win against Slovakia, coming off in second-half injury time. The Slovenians are now level on points with second-placed Scotland in Group F.
World Cup qualifiers - Africa
Gabon 0-0 Morocco
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could find no way past Morocco’s defence as his Gabon side were to a 0-0 draw, with the 27-year-old seeing an effort cleared off the line in the second half. The Borussia Dortmund striker played the full 90 minutes of the World Cup qualifier, which leaves Gabon second on the table behind Cote d'Ivoire after the first round of games.
DR Congo 4-0 Libya
FC Ingolstadt 04’s Marcel Tisserand enjoyed an excellent night for DR Congo, the 23-year-old defender, signed from AS Monaco in the summer, helping his side romp to a 4-0 win over Libya.
Cote d'Ivoire 3-1 Mali
SV Werder Bremen’s Sambou Yatabare put Mali a goal ahead against Ivory Coast, but his side could not hold onto their lead and slipped to a 3-1 defeat, with Yatabare also picking up a booking late on.
Friday 7 October
International friendlies
Cuba 0-2 USA
FC Bayern München starlet Julian Green scored his first USMNT goal since his international debut at the 2014 World Cup, helping Jürgen Klinsmann’s men to a 2-0 friendly victory over Cuba in Havana. Hamburger SV striker Bobby Wood, Borussia Dortmund midfielder Christian Pulisic, Hertha Berlin stalwart John Brooks and Borussia Mönchengladbach utility man Fabian Johnson also started the match, with Eintracht Frankfurt’s Timothy Chandler replacing Brooks at half-time.
World Cup qualifiers - Africa
Ghana 0-0 Uganda
Abdul Rahman Baba played the full 90 minutes for Ghana, who had to settle for a share of the spoils against Uganda in qualifying group C.
World Cup qualifiers - Europe
Hungary 2-3 Switzerland
Hertha Berlin forward Valentin Stocker came off the bench to score a late winner and ensure Switzerland made it two wins from two in Group B. TSG 1899 Hoffenheim striker Adam Szalai had earlier scored twice for the hosts to cancel out strikes from Eintracht Frankfurt’s Haris Seferovic and Wolfsburg’s Ricardo Rodriguez, before Stocker’s late intervention.
SV Darmstadt 98 midfielder Laszlo Kleinheisler started for Hungary, while Admir Mehmedi, Breel Embolo, Nico Elvedi, Fabian Schär and Yann Sommer were in the starting line-up for the Swiss. Marwin Hitz and Roman Bürki were unused substitutes in Budapest.
Luxembourg 0-1 Sweden
RB Leipzig winger Emil Forsberg and Hamburger SV midfielder Albin Ekdal started as Sweden recorded a narrow victory. Borussia Mönchengladbach’s Oscar Wendt was on the bench for Sweden but did not come on.
Netherlands 4-1 Belarus
VfL Wolfsburg defender Jeffrey Bruma helped the Oranje to a comfortable win over Belarus and go level on four points with Sweden and France in Group A.
France 4-1 Bulgaria
FC Bayern München’s Kingsley Coman, recently named second on FourFourTwo magazine’s list of the world’s best U-21 players, was an unused substitute as France came from behind to record an easy win in Paris. The French now have four points from their two qualifiers in Group A.
Portugal 6-0 Andorra
Borussia Dortmund’s Raphael Guerreiro started for UEFA EURO 2016 winners Portugal, who had no problems overcoming nine-man Andorra. FC Bayern München star Renato Sanches was an unused substitute at the Estadio Municipal de Aveiro.
Greece 2-0 Cyprus
Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Konstantinos Stafylidis and Kyriakos Papadopoulos all featured as Greece overcame Cyprus in Group H. Sokratis and Stafylidis both started, while Papadopoulos replaced the FC Augsburg man with 19 minutes remaining.
Belgium 4-0 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Belgium coasted past a Bosnia outfit with four Bundesliga stars in their starting XI. Vedad Ibisevic, Sead Kolasinac, Ermin Bicakcic and Emir Spahic, whose unfortunate own goal opened the scoring in Brussels, began the match for the visitors, who also had Mario Vrancic and Izet Hajrovic among their substitutes.
Thursday 6 October
World Cup qualifiers - Europe
Iceland 3-2 Finland
Lukas Hradecky and Niklas Moisander were powerless to prevent Finland slipping to a 3-2 defeat to Iceland, who scored twice in the final five minutes to earn all three points. FC Augsburg’s Alfred Finnbogason equalised in the 90th minute, before Ragnar Sigurdsson netted a dramatic winner for the hosts in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time.
Turkey 2-2 Ukraine
Hakan Calhanoglu’s late penalty earned Turkey a share of the spoils against Ukraine. Calhanoglu’s Bayer 04 Leverkusen team-mate Ömer Toprak and Borussia Dortmund’s Emre Mor also started for the hosts against the Ukrainians, who had Yevhen Konoplyanka in their ranks. Yunus Malli, Caglar Söyüncü were unused substitutes for Turkey, while Artem Fedetskyy failed to get off the bench for the visitors.
Italy 1-1 Spain
Thiago Alcantara came on as a second-half substitute as Spain were held to a draw against Italy. The FC Bayern München midfielder came on two minutes after Daniele De Rossi’s 82nd-minute penalty had restored parity for the hosts, but was unable to help Julen Lopetegui’s side snatch a late winner.
Liechtenstein 0-2 Albania
1. FC Köln defender Mergim Mavraj played the full 90 minutes as Albania eased to a comfortable victory in Liechtenstein.
Moldova 0-3 Serbia
Hamburger SV star Filip Kostic was on target as Serbia eased past Moldova. FC Schalke 04’s Matija Nastasic played the entire match for the visitors, while Köln’s Filip Mladenovic was an unused substitute.
Austria 2-2 Wales
An Austria side featuring six Bundesliga stars in their starting XI were held to a 2-2 draw at home to Wales. Aleksandar Dragovic, Martin Hinteregger, Marcel Sabitzer, Julian Baumgartlinger, David Alaba and Zlatko Junuzovic all started for the Austrians, with former SV Werder Bremen star Marko Arnautovic grabbing the goals for Marcel Koller’s side. FC Schalke 04’s Alessandro Schöpf was a second-half substitute.
Kosovo 0-6 Croatia
Andrej Kramaric featured as Croatia romped to victory over minnows Kosovo. The TSG 1899 Hoffenheim striker played 71 minutes of the match before being taken off, while Leverkusen’s Tin Jedvaj was an unused substitute.
Macedonia 1-2 Israel
FC Ingolstadt 04’s Almog Cohen helped Israel to a narrow victory in Macedonia. The visitors held on for all three points despite Eytan Tibi’s dismissal in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time.
World Cup qualifiers - Asia
Japan 2-1 Iraq
Hertha Berlin's Genki Haraguchi scored the opening goal as Japan nicked a last-gasp win over Iraq to keep their hopes of automatic World Cup qualification alive. Hamburger SV defender Gotuku Sakai and Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Makoto Hasebe also started in Saitama.
South Korea 3-2 Qatar
FC Augsburg forward Dong-Won Ji was on target in a game that also featured Augsburg midfielder Ja-Cheol Koo. South Korea are now top of their qualifying group and remain on course to reach the finals in Russia.
Saudi Arabia 2-2 Australia
Mathew Leckie and Robbie Kruse started for Australia, who were pegged back twice to draw with Saudi Arabia. Leverkusen’s Kruse, who played the full 90 minutes for the visitors, set up Australia’s second goal. Ingolstadt forward Leckie, meanwhile, was taken off just past the hour mark.
World Cup qualifiers - South America
Ecuador 3-0 Chile
A trio of Bundesliga stars were on the receiving end of a major shock as Copa America champions Chile were defeated in Ecuador. Arturo Vidal, Charles Aranguiz and Eduardo Vargas all started the match but were unable to prevent the home side powering to victory.
Paraguay 0-1 Colombia
FC Ingolstadt 04 striker Dario Lezcano was substituted off 15 minutes before the end and had to watch as his Paraguay teammates conceded a last-minute goal to Columbia.
Brazil 5-0 Bolivia
Wendell was an unused substitute as Brazil cruised to victory, meaning the Bayer 04 Leverkusen left-back will have to wait a little while longer for his full debut for the Selecao.