No less than 14 Paris Saint-Germain were away on international duty last week and here is how they got on:
PRESNEL KIMPEMBE / KYLIAN MBAPPÉ - FRANCE
France, including Presnel Kimpembe and Kylian Mbappé, booked their ticket to UEFA EURO 2020 finals during this international week, thanks to a 2-1 win over Moldova on Thursday at the Stade de France and a 2-0 win over Albania on Sunday at Arena Kombëtare in Tirana. The Parisian striker played the entire first game, the Rouge et Bleu defender the 90 minutes of the second. Les Bleus finished top of Group H with 25 points from 10 matches.
JUAN BERNAT / PABLO SARABIA - SPAIN
Juan Bernat and Pablo Sarabia's La Roja, who are already assured of a place in the European Championships, also finished their qualifying campaign with two wins. The Spaniards beat Malta 7-0 on Friday in the Ramon de Carranza de Cadiz, then 5-0 against Romania on Monday at the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano in Madrid. The two Paris Saint-Germain players played the entire first game, giving Sarabia the opportunity to score his first goal with La Roja, and Bernat the opportunity to provide an assist. Spain finished first in Group F with 26 points from 10 matches.
MARQUINHOS / THIAGO SILVA - BRÉSIL
Next stop, the Middle East with Brazil and Marquinhos and Thiago Silva, with two friendly matches on the menu. The Brazilians first lost 1-0 to Argentina's Leandro Paredes on Friday at King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, before winning 3-0 against Korea Republic on Tuesday at Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Thiago Silva, starter and captain, played the entire first match, before giving up his place and the armband to Marquinhos in the second game.
EDINSON CAVANI - URUGUAY
Edinson Cavani's Celesté also took part in two friendly matches during this international week. The Uruguayans first beat Hungary 2-1 on Friday at Ferenc Puskas Stadion in Budapest, before drawing 2-2 with Leandro Paredes' Argentina at New Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv, Israel. The Parisian striker, who started both matches, scored twice to see him reach the 50 goal mark with the national team.
LEANDRO PAREDES - ARGENTINA
Leandro Paredes matched up against his three clubmates Marquinhos, Thiago Silva and Edinson Cavani in the Albiceleste's two friendly matches against Brazil and Uruguay. The Rouge et Bleu No.8 started both matches.
ERIC MAXIM CHOUPO-MOTING - CAMEROON
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting's Indomitable Lions played their first two matches in the qualifying phase for the Africa Cup of Nations Cameroon 2021. The Cameroonians began with a 0-0 draw with Cape Verde on Wednesday at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Sports Stadium in Yaoundé, before winning 1-0 against Rwanda on Sunday at the Nyamirambo Regional Stadium in Kigali. The Paris Saint-Germain striker, who started the first match, did not participate in the second match. Cameroon leads Group F with 4 points.
IDRISSA GUEYE - SENEGAL
Two AFCON qualifying matches were also on the agenda of the Teranga Lions and Idrissa Gueye. The Senegalese first won 2-0 against Congo on Wednesday at Stade Lat Dior in Thies, before winning 4-1 against Eswatini on Sunday at Manzini's Mavuso Sports Centre. The men of former Paris Saint-Germain player Aliou Cissé are at the top of Group I, with 6 points.
COLIN DAGBA - FRANCE U21
Two matches in the UEFA U21 CHAMPIONSHIP ITALY 2019 qualifying phase were on the menu for Colin Dagba's Espoirs. Les Bleuets first won 3-2 against Georgia on Friday at Stade Marcel Picot in Nancy, with the capital's number 31 playing the full 90 minutes. The U21s then lost their second game 3-1 to Switzerland at the Stade de la Maladière - a match in which the Parisian did not play. This is the first defeat of the French Espoirs team in qualifying for Euro 2021. Les Bleuets now take second place in their group behind Switzerland.
MARCIN BULKA - POLAND U21
Marcin Bulka's Polish U21 team also participated in the qualifying for the next Euro in their age category. The result was a 3-0 loss against Bulgaria on Friday at Slavia in Sofia. The Poles then took part in a friendly match, with a 1-0 defeat against Montenegro in Podgorica. The Rouge et Bleu No.30, who remained on the bench during the first match, played in the first half of the second match.
TANGUY KOUASSI / ADIL AOUCHICHE - FRANCE U18
Tanguy Kouassi and Adil Aouchiche were playing in the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil with Les Bleuets, alongside their team-mates from the Paris Saint-Germain U19 team Timothée Pembele and Arnaud Kalimuendo. After five wins against Chile (2-0), South Korea (3-1) and Haiti (2-0) in the group stage and then against Australia (4-0) in the last-16 and Spain (6-1) in the quarter-finals, the Tricolores lost to the host nation (3-2) in the semis before taking third-place against the Netherlands (3-1). Pembele (6 matches, 2 goals and 1 assist), Kalimuendo (7 matches, 5 goals), Kouassi (7 matches, 1 goal) and Aouchiche (7 matches, 1 goal and 7 assist), all played leading roles with France with Aouchiche finishing top assists provider and being named the tournament’s second-best player.