Southampton: Elyounoussi scores as several Saints feature or their sides
By Chris Hughes
As the international break heads towards it’s conclusion, a host of Southampton players featured once again for their national sides.
Mohamed Elyounoussi had the best night to boast about, as his Norway side made it two wins from two for the international break as he scored the game’s only goal against Bulgaria to ensure that his country sit top of their UEFA Nation’s League group as we return to club football.
The tricky winger is yet to score his first goal in Southampton colours but finished off a slick Norway move like a seasoned poacher this evening – he latched onto the end of a nice low ball to fire it home.
Meanwhile both Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Jannik Vestergaard got the not for Denmark as they comfortably beat Austria 2-0.
The latter wasn’t a regular for his national side at the World Cup whilst Hojbjerg missed the squad all together, meaning it was nice to see the two Saints play the duration this evening. Lukas Lerager and Martin Brathwaite scored for the hosts in the 29th and 93rd minute respectively.
However it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for every Southampton international, as Shane Long’s Ireland side suffered defeat to fellow home nation Wales to continue their dismal 2018.
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Many fans have called for Martin 0’Neill’s sacking after another poor performance, which saw Long play 34 minutes off the bench before Harry Wilson scored another inch-perfect free-kick to decide the tie.
Meanwhile in the afternoon’s proceedings Maya Yoshida captained Japan to a famous win over Uruguay despite the fact that the latter still fielded a strong team featuring the likes of Edinson Cavani.
The high-scoring friendly finished 4-3 in favour of the Blue Samurai, which may not bode well for their defensive capabilities but would’ve made for excellent viewing for the neutral.
And finally Mario Lemina’s Gabon kept their cool against South Sudan to make it two wins from two against the nation in the space of a week. The Southampton midfielder and his team beat the minnows 3-0 in their pursuit of African Cup of Nation’s qualification and faced them against the reverse fixture this evening. They held their nerve and won 1-0.