Our final Scout Notes article of the international break summarises the matches involving Fantasy Premier League players that took place on Tuesday.
CONCACAF Nations League
Mexico 2-1 Bermuda
The bad news for owners of Raul Jimenez (£7.3m) is that the Wolverhampton Wanderers striker wasn’t spared Mexico’s latest match in the early hours of Wednesday morning, with the in-form FPL forward now facing a mad dash back to England from Central America ahead of Wolves’ Gameweek 13 clash with Bournemouth.
The more positive news is that fatigue (other than the sort associated with long-haul flights) oughtn’t to be an issue, as Jimenez was only brought on as a substitute for the final 18 minutes of this clash with Bermuda.
The Wolves centre-forward followed up his brace on Saturday with a last-minute assist earlier today, setting up Carlos Antuna for Mexico’s winner.
Cuba 0-4 USA
DeAndre Yedlin (£4.4m) played the first 59 minutes of the USA’s 4-0 win over Cuba in the Cayman Islands.
Euro 2020 Qualifiers
Belgium 6-1 Cyprus
Having supplied two assists in the win over Russia on Saturday, Kevin De Bruyne (£10.2m) was involved in three more goals as Belgium rounded off their Euro 2020 qualification campaign in style.
While his owners would have been peeved to see him starting this essentially meaningless game, De Bruyne was at least spared the final quarter of the match and was replaced by Leicester’s Dennis Praet (£5.3m) on 68 minutes.
Playing in a more advanced role for his country and drifting between the right flank and the centre of the pitch, De Bruyne put Belgium ahead at 2-1 after Cyprus had taken a shock lead – although his mishit volley owed much to the awful handling of visiting goalkeeper Neophytos Michael, who allowed the City midfielder’s bobbling effort to spin past him.
De Bruyne’s second goal was more worthy of praise, with the premium FPL asset collecting Yannick Carrasco’s pass before pivoting and firing a low shot beyond Michael.
The Manchester City man supplied a fine through-ball for Christian Benteke (£5.7m) to round off the scoring, having also created two more ‘big chances’ for his side.
De Bruyne also ‘assisted the assister’ for Belgium’s fifth goal.
Benteke – who scored twice – lasted 80 minutes before being replaced by Divock Origi (£5.2m), while Youri Tielemans (£6.7m) and Toby Alderweireld (£5.4m) played the full game for the hosts.
Playing in a more withdrawn role, Tielemans made more passes in the opposition half than anyone on show but didn’t register a single key pass or shot.
Leander Dendoncker (£4.4m) and Michy Batshuayi (£6.6m) were unused substitutes.
Wales 2-0 Hungary
Five FPL assets were involved in Cardiff as Ryan Giggs’ side sealed a place at next summer’s European Championships with a 2-0 win over Hungary.
Harry Wilson (£6.0m) only featured as an 88th-minute substitute but Wayne Hennessey (£4.4m), Chris Mepham (£4.4m), Ben Davies (£5.4m) and Daniel James (£6.2m) lasted the full game as Wales secured all three points.
With Aaron Ramsey having put Wales two goals up, the dangerous James was inches from sealing the victory with a trademark curling effort from the left of the visitors’ penalty box.
Hennessey had earlier made a superb double-stop to deny Hungary but was scarcely troubled thereafter.
Davies, who took a number of set pieces for Wales, also caught the eye with his offensive display.
Scotland 3-1 Kazakhstan
John McGinn (£5.8m) kept up his excellent scoring record for his country in what was otherwise an unimpressive victory for Scotland in their final Euro 2020 qualification Group I match.
The Aston Villa midfielder has scored in every international break of 2019/20 so far and brought his calendar year tally to seven with a brace in Tuesday’s win over Kazakhstan.
With Scotland embarrassingly trailing 1-0 at the interval, McGinn restored parity with a deflected free-kick just after half-time.
The budget FPL midfielder rounded off the scoring in stoppage time, converting Greg Taylor’s cross after a trademark burst into the opposition box – something we have seen plenty of at club level this season, too.
McGinn was then replaced by Southampton’s Stuart Armstrong (£5.2m) for the final seconds of the game.
With Oli McBurnie (£5.7m) an unused substitute and Sheffield United teammate John Fleck (£4.8m) only emerging from the bench in the 83rd minute, McGinn was the sole Premier League-based player who started for Steve Clarke’s side on Tuesday.
Kenny McLean (£4.9m) again missed out through injury, having picked up a knock.
Andrew Robertson (£7.0m), Ryan Fraser (£7.0m) and Scott McTominay (£5.1m), of course, had all withdrawn from the Scotland squad last week.
Netherlands 5-0 Estonia
FPL assets were involved in four of the Netherlands’ five goals as they rounded off their Euro 2020 qualification campaign with a comfortable victory over bottom-of-the-table Estonia.
Georginio Wijnaldum (£5.4m), again playing in a more advanced role for his country than the one we are accustomed to seeing with Liverpool, scored a hat-trick in a 90-minute run-out for the hosts.
The budget FPL midfielder nodded in a Quincy Promes cross to break the deadlock before adding two more strikes after half-time when sent clean through on goal.
Nathan Ake (£5.1m), a real threat in the air for Bournemouth from set plays, had doubled the Netherlands’ lead after Wijnaldum’s opener when nodding in Memphis Depay’s delivery.
Ake, along with Patrick van Aanholt (£5.6m), completed 90 minutes at the back in the absence of Virgil van Dijk (£6.4m).
The Liverpool stopper missed out due to “personal circumstances“.
Brighton midfielder Davy Propper (£5.0m) also played the full game for Ronald Koeman’s side in this Euro 2020 qualifying dead rubber.
Germany 6-1 Northern Ireland
Ilkay Gundogan (£5.2m) played the full 90 minutes as Germany recovered from going a goal down to hammer Northern Ireland in Frankfurt.
The Manchester City midfielder, who has played three hours of football over the international break, wasn’t involved in any of Die Mannschaft’s half-dozen strikes.
Bailey Peacock-Farrell (£4.4m) and Craig Cathcart (£4.4m) lasted the full game for the visitors, who were without Jonny Evans (£5.1m) because of illness.
Bernd Leno (£5.0m) was an unused substitute for the hosts.
Slovakia 2-0 Azerbaijan
Martin Dubravka (£5.0m) had a relatively quiet evening as Slovakia signed off for 2019 with a routine win.
The Newcastle United goalkeeper had only one shot to save, with the visitors not troubling him until the 81st minute.
Poland 3-2 Slovenia
Jan Bednarek (£4.5m) played the full 90 minutes of what was essentially a meaningless game for the hosts as Poland – already qualified for Euro 2020 – overcame Slovenia in a five-goal thriller.
International Friendlies
Brazil 3-0 South Korea
Son Heung-min (£9.6m) completed 90 minutes in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday afternoon as South Korea were beaten 3-0 by Brazil in an international friendly.
Son, who also played the entirety of South Korea’s World Cup qualifier against Lebanon last Thursday, had six attempts on goal but drew a blank as Selecao ended a five-match winless run.
The sharp-looking Tottenham Hotspur midfielder curled narrowly wide in the first half and saw a deflected free-kick palmed away, with most of his efforts coming from distance.
Roberto Firmino‘s (£9.4m) owners would have been pleased to see the Liverpool striker have his pitch-time managed, with the premium FPL forward appearing only as a 84th-minute substitute and creating a big chance for Richarlison (£7.9m) in the little time he was afforded.
The Everton midfielder, as he has been for his club of late, was deployed “out of position” as a striker for his country in the Middle East on Tuesday but had something of an off-day, firing wide with both of his attempts and putting in a fairly unconvincing shift up front.
Like Richarlison, Liverpool pair Alisson (£5.9m) and Fabinho (£5.5m) also lasted the full 90 minutes.
Fabinho won the 36th-minute free-kick that Philippe Coutinho converted to put Brazil 2-0 up.
Gabriel Jesus (£9.5m) reprised the right-wing role that he often plays for his country, playing 88 minutes.
Douglas Luiz (£4.5m) was thrown on by Tite with ten minutes to go but Aston Villa teammate Wesley (£6.0m) and Chelsea’s Willian (£7.1m) remained unused substitutes.
Ecuador 0-1 Colombia
Budget FPL midfielder Steven Alzate (£4.5m) made his full international debut in the early hours of Wednesday morning, playing the full 90 minutes of an international friendly in New Jersey.
The Brighton player had only featured off the bench in Colombia’s previous match last Saturday.
Jefferson Lerma (£4.8m), available for Bournemouth in Gameweek 13 after serving a one-match ban, was thrown on as a 73rd-minute substitute in the 1-0 win over Ecuador.
Yerry Mina (£5.4m) was handed the evening off as he remained unused on the Colombian bench, while his regular centre-half partner at international level, Davinson Sanchez (£5.3m), played the first 45 minutes before being hooked at the interval.
All four players now face a late return to England ahead of Gameweek 13, with their respective clubs all in action on Saturday.
Croatia 2-1 Georgia
Having only played the final quarter of an hour of his country’s Euro 2020 qualifying win over Slovakia on Saturday, Mateo Kovacic (£5.3m) was given a 65-minute run-out in Croatia’s 2-1 win over Georgia yesterday.
Aston Villa’s fourth-choice goalkeeper, Lovre Kalinic (£4.4m), started the game and was withdrawn at the break.
Dejan Lovren (£5.3m) wasn’t involved for Croatia over the November international break because of suspension.
Saudi Arabia 0-0 Paraguay
A familiar-sounding night for Miguel Almiron (£5.8m): plenty of shots and chances created (six and three respectively) but no attacking returns.
The Newcastle United midfielder, who to be fair to him did score in last Thursday’s win over Bulgaria, played the full 90 minutes of this latest international friendly in Riyadh.
Fabian Balbuena (£4.3m) was an unused substitute in the Tuesday evening stalemate with Saudi Arabia.
Japan 1-4 Venezuela
Japan had an evening to forget as they were beaten 4-1 at home by a Salomon Rondon-inspired Venezuelan side, although Southampton’s Maya Yoshida (£4.4m) – along with many other Japan regulars – was given the night off.
Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers
Ethiopia 2-1 Ivory Coast
Serge Aurier (£4.8m) was on the scoresheet for the Ivory Coast, who slipped to a shock 2-1 defeat to Ethiopia.
Aurier, along with Arsenal’s Nicolas Pepe (£9.2m), played the full 90 minutes.
Burundi 0-3 Morocco
Romain Saiss (£4.4m) played the full 90 minutes as Morocco saw off Burundi, with Sofiane Boufal (£5.5m) not making it onto the field of play.
Zambia 1-2 Zimbabwe
Marvelous Nakamba (£4.4m) played most of Tuesday’s win over Zambia, with the budget Aston Villa midfielder being substituted in the dying seconds of stoppage time.
Under-21 International Friendly
Netherlands under-21s 2-1 England under-21s
Mason Greenwood (£4.3m) came off the bench to score for Aidy Boothroyd’s side in Doetinchem on Tuesday.
The budget FPL forward, along with Reiss Nelson (£5.3m), played the final 28 minutes of England under-21s’ international friendly against their Dutch counterparts.
Greenwood capitalised on a defensive mix-up to latch onto Phil Foden‘s (£5.2m) long ball and draw England level at 1-1.
Foden, the creative heartbeat for Boothroyd’s troops, played the first 79 minutes before being replaced by Joe Willock (£4.9m).
Bournemouth goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale (£4.6m), who was perhaps culpable for the Dutch’s opener, played the full 90 minutes along with Premier League fringe players Marc Guehi (£4.0m), James Justin (£4.8m) and Oliver Skipp (£4.4m).
Max Aarons (£4.4m) and the misfiring Rhian Brewster (£4.4m) were both handed 62-minute run-outs before being replaced by Reece James (£5.0m) and Greenwood.
Ryan Sessegnon (£5.4m) came on for the final quarter of an hour, while Dwight McNeil (£6.0m) was restricted to a 28-minute cameo off the bench.
Ben Godfrey (£4.5m) and Tom Davies (£5.3m) were unused substitutes.
Euro under-21 Qualifying
Moise Kean (£6.5m) and Patrick Cutrone (£5.6m) played the full 90 minutes as Italy under-21s beat their Armenian counterparts 6-0.
The Everton striker grabbed a brace.
Budget FPL forwards Adam Idah (£4.5m) and Troy Parrott (£4.4m) played the bulk of the Republic of Ireland under-21s’ 4-1 win over Sweden, with both players getting on the scoresheet before being replaced in the final ten minutes.
Eric Garcia (£4.5m) lasted the full game as Spain under 21s drew 1-1 with their Israeli equivalents.
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