safc.com round-up all the goings on, on the international front. . .
Jermain Defoe: England
Where else could we possibly start? Jermain Defoe marked his return to the international fray with a goal against Lithuania which helped Gareth Southgate's men to a 2-0 win.
The 34-year-old had to wait three years and four months for his moment to shine in a Three Lions shirt, but the Sunderland striker didn't disappoint as he opened the scoring inside 21 minutes.
⚽️ @IAmJermainDefoe opens the scoring for @England! pic.twitter.com/OHJSYlWNyV
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) March 26, 2017
Jordan Pickford: England U21
With preparations geared towards this summer’s UEFA European Under-21 Championships, Aidy Boothroyd’s side romped through the qualification stages unbeaten, with the Sunderland stopper pivotal to their success.
However, Pickford was powerless to preventing the young Lions from tasting defeat on Friday night in Germany, with Boothroyd praising the young stopper's efforts between the posts.
England under-21s will have a chance to make amends tonight, though, as they travel to Denmark.
John O’Shea: Republic of Ireland
Few games come bigger than Friday's match between Ireland and Wales. Sadly, though, the goalless draw was marred with Seamus Coleman's double leg break in the 69th minute.
Martin O’Neill’s side have made a superb start to their World Cup qualifying campaign, picking up 11 points from their opening five games to remain unbeaten.
Next up for O'Neill's men is an international friendly on Tuesday 28 March against last summer's Euros surprise, Iceland.
Seb Larsson: Sweden
No player has earned more international caps during their time on Wearside than Seb Larsson, and the midfielder has been called up once again as Sweden face a seismic clash.
Janne Andersson’s side have picked up seven points from their opening four World Cup qualifiers, with the Blagult level on points with Netherlands and France topping the group.
Larsson was an unused substitute in Saturday's crushing 4-0 victory over Belarus, a win which has moved Andersson's side into second in Group A.
Sweden will next be in action tomorrow when they take on European Champions Portugal.
Bryan Oviedo: Costa Rica
Like many of his team-mates, Bryan Oviedo will be in World Cup qualifying action as the road to Russia continues.
Costa Rica made a perfect start to qualifying with wins over Trinidad and Tobago and USA, but were stopped in their tracks on Saturday when Mexico defeated them 2-0. Oviedo didn't feature as goals from Javier Hernandez and Nestor Araujo proved to be enough to secure victory.
Costa Rica will return to action on Tuesday 28 March when they face Honduras.
Didier Ndong: Gabon
Didier Ndong's Gabon played for the first time since the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, drawing 2-2 in an international friendly against Guinea Conakryon Friday evening.
Sam Brotherton: New Zealand
Young Sunderland defender Sam Brotherton was an unused substitute as New Zealand made light work of their third World Cup qualifier on Saturday, defeating Fiji 2-0.
Captained by West Ham United’s Winston Reid, the All Whites currently sit top of their group having picked up three wins from three games.
Brotherton will be hopeful of featuring in Tuesday's match in Wellington against Fiji.
Elliot Embleton: England U18
Elliot Embleton completes Sunderland’s England involvement with the academy starlet selected for under-18 duty.
The Young Lions are into the final leg of an intense week into the Middle East. With two wins from two, Embleton and co will be hoping to maintain their 100% record on Monday when they face Qatar for the second time in four days.
Joel Asoro: Sweden U21
Joel Asoro retained his place within the Sweden under-21 set-up as they, like Pickford and England, look ahead to the UEFA European Under-21 Championships.
However, Asoro experienced an evening to forget against Croatia last night after he was dismissed for two bookable offences inside 22 minutes of entering the field of play. Fortunately, though, the sending off did little to change the outcome of the game as Sweden held out to secure a 4-2 victory.
Sweden under-21s will next be in action on Monday when they face Czech Republic.
