Paris Saint-Germain international wrap

PRESNEL KIMPEMBE / KYLIAN MBAPPÉ – FRANCE

Presnel Kimpembe and Kylian Mbappé's France team played three matches in the qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup - Qatar 2022. The world champions were held to two draws; against Bosnia-Herzegovina (1-1) at the Stade de la Meinau and then against Ukraine (1-1) at the Olimpiyskiy Stadium. Presnel Kimpembe played in the first two games before being rested in the third match against Finland. Kylian Mbappé, for his part, played 90 minutes of the match against Bosnia-Herzegovina before leaving the team as a precautionary measure after feeling pain in a calf. France defeated Finland 2-0 and are now top of its group with a 7-point cushion over second place.

LEANDRO PAREDES / LEO MESSI / ANGEL DI MARIA – ARGENTINA

The Albiceleste including Leandro Paredes, Leo Messi and Angel Di Maria had three qualifying matches on the card during this international break. The winners of the last Copa America first travelled to the Estadio Olimpico in Caracas where they won 3-1 over Venezuela. Rouge et Bleu duo Leo Messi and Angel Di Maria were in the starting line-up. The Argentinians then travelled to Sao Paulo to face Brazil but a sanitary incident involving English-based Argentine players saw the match halted after just five minutes. In their third and final game against Bolivia a few days later, Messi scored a hat-trick in a 3-0 victory to keep Argentina in 2nd place in the standings.

NEYMAR JR / MARQUINHOS – BRAZIL

The Seleção featuring Paris numbers 5 and 10 also continued their campaign to qualify for the FIFA World Cup - Qatar 2022. The Auriverde first travelled to the Estadio Monumental in Santiago where they beat Chile 1-0. Marquinhos and Neymar played the entire game. Brazil then hosted Argentina but the game was suspended after five minutes due to an administrative issue related to Covid. Marquinhos was suspended and the Seleçao did not know if he had served his match suspension or not, so the player was allowed to return to Paris midweek. Finally, the Brazilians beat Peru 2-0, thanks in large part to Neymar Jr, scorer of his team's second goal. The Auriverde have won eight games out of eight.

ABDOU DIALLO / IDRISSA GUEYE – SENEGAL

Two matches were on the program for the Lions of Teranga, as part of their qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup - Qatar 2022. Senegal won 2-0 at home to Togo in the Lat Dior Stadium in Thies. It was a special game for our defender Abdou Diallo as he scored his first goal for the national team in the 81st minute. Senegal then won 3-1 against Congo. Diallo and Idrissa Gueye played the whole game. The Senegalese team sit in first place in its group and remain on track to reach the World Cup qualifying playoffs.

KEYLOR NAVAS – COSTA RICA

The Costa Rica national team, including our Paris goalkeeper, started its qualification campaign for the FIFA World Cup - Qatar 2022 during this international break. Costa Rica first travelled to Panama City where they held Panama to a 0-0 draw, before hosting Mexico in San Jose and losing 1-0. Keylor Navas made a number of saves but was unable to prevent his team's defeat. He also played the whole game against Jamaica, which finished in a 1-1 draw in San José.

GEORGINO WIJNALDUM – NETHERLANDS

The Paris No.18 played three games in qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar. The Netherlands played their first match against Norway and Georgino Wijnaldum provided the assist for the equaliser that earned the Netherlands a 1-1 draw. The Oranji then went on to beat Montenegro 4-0, with Wijnaldum scoring the third goal. The Dutch ended the international break in the best possible way with a 6-1 victory over Turkey, which allowed them to take the lead in their group, level with Norway.

GIANLUIGI DONNARUMMA / MARCO VERRATTI – ITALY

The Squadra Azzurra played three qualifying games for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The Italians were held to a 1-1 draw by Bulgaria and by Switzerland. However, they set a new national team world record of 36 matches without defeat. That record was then extended to 37 thanks to a stunning 5-0 victory over Lithuania.

THILO KEHRER – GERMANY

Thilo Kehrer's Germany had three 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar qualifying matches during the international window. They began with a 2-0 win over Liechtenstein, before outclassing Armenia with a 6-0 win at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Stuttgart. Thilo Kehrer started all three games for Die Nationalmannschaft, as he also played a key role in their 4-0 win in Iceland on Matchday 6.

ACHRAF HAKIMI – MOROCCO

The Atlas Lions played only one match during this international break. They won 2-0 in Rabat against Sudan. Achraf Hakimi played the whole game. Morocco then travelled to Guinea to play their second match but the game was postponed due to the ongoing coup d’etat in Guinea. Morocco sit second in Group I of the African continent's qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, with a game in hand.

DANILO PEREIRA / NUNO MENDES – PORTUGAL

Danilo Pereira and Nuno Mendes' Portugal started their international week with a 2-1 World Cup qualifying win over Ireland. Left-back Nuno Mendes was introduced on the hour mark. Portugal then recorded a 3-1 friendly win over Qatar. They then travelled to Baku where they defeated Azerbaijan 3-0.

El Chadaille Bitshiabu / Lenny Manisa / Ismaël Gharbi – FRANCE U18

Called up to the French U18 team by coach Lionel Rouxel, the three Parisian players, El Chadaille Bitshiabu, Lenny Manisa and Ismaël Gharbi played three friendly matches. Ismaël Gharbi scored a goal from the penalty spot in Les Bleus' 2-1 win over Switzerland. El Chadaille received a red card in the 88th minute of the 4-2 loss to Portugal. The U18s completed the international break with a draw against Spain (2-2).