With several Hornets in action over the international break, here’s a round-up of what the Golden Boys have been up to so far...
William Troost-Ekong marked his 50th Nigeria cap with a 2-0 victory over Liberia, playing alongside fellow Hornet Peter Etebo. Etebo came on as a late substitute in the World Cup Qualifier, with Troost-Ekong captaining the Super Eagles as they topped the group.
The Nigeria duo will not play in the next fixture with Cape Verde tomorrow (Tuesday September 7), and will return to Watford ahead of Saturday’s match with Wolves.
Ken Sema’s Sweden have won back-to-back games in this international break. Sema played 90 minutes in the 2-1 victory over Uzbekistan on Sunday September 5. Sweden also recorded an important win against Spain last week, with Sema and on-loan Watford goalkeeper Pontus Dahlberg unused substitutes. Sweden have a 100 per cent record so far in their qualifiers, and are second in Group B.
Juraj Kucka featured for Slovakia for the first time as a Watford player last Wednesday in a 1-1 draw with Slovenia. Kucka was substituted late on in the draw, and was involved throughout last Saturday, losing narrowly to World Cup finalists Croatia. Slovakia play Cyprus on Tuesday and currently sit fourth in Group H of the World Cup Qualifiers.
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Academy scholar George Abbott made his debut for Wales’ Under-18 side in a 1-1 draw with England on Friday afternoon. The defender started for the hosts and played most of the game, with the Young Lions only scoring once Abbott had been withdrawn. The 16-year-old enjoyed the experience training with the Under-18s.
“I came off when we were 1-0 up, so on a personal note I kept a clean sheet which is always good as a defender,” said Abbott, who played for Xisco Muñoz’s first team during pre-season.
“It was hard because as a ball-playing centre-half I like to step in, and England pressed really high out of possession.
“It was really good and a bit of a challenge but I’ve played with the boys before at Under-17 level for a few training camps, so it’s always nice to go away and play with players from different clubs. You can speak to them about how things are at their club, teams they are playing against. We played against England, playing against the best boys in the country, so it was a great experience.”
Daniel Bachmann started for Austria in two World Cup Qualifiers in the past week. Watford’s shot-stopper kept a clean sheet last Wednesday as Austria ran out 2-0 winners against Moldova, but they were defeated 5-2 on Saturday by second-placed Israel in Group F.
Craig Cathcart impressed in the centre of defence as Northern Ireland beat Lithuania 4-1 on Thursday, with the defender on the bench for their 1-0 win against Estonia on Sunday. They take on Switzerland on Wednesday, who are currently second in Group C, three points ahead of Cathcart’s Northern Ireland in fourth.
Joshua King was a late substitute in Norway’s 2-0 win against Latvia. Norway are level on points with second-placed Netherlands, and will hope to top Group G with a win against Gibraltar on Tuesday.
Moroccan internationals Adam Masina and Imrân Louza's match on Monday was cancelled due to political uncertainty in Guinea, Morocco's opponent.
