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National teams 29 March 2023, 15:26

Qualification, debuts and more: A look back at the international break

Qualification, debuts and more: A look back at the international break
The players of AS Monaco impressed during this international break. Between debuts, goals and plenty of playing time, it's time to recap their exploits.

It’s time to return to club life. This international break in March is coming to an end and Ligue 1 is making a comeback this Sunday (5:05 p.m.) with  avisit from Strasbourg. As all of our Monegasques return to the Principality, this is an opportunity to take stock of the outstanding performances by the Rouge et Blanc with their respective countries.

Senegal qualify, France and Mali are on track

This international break, Euro and AFCON qualifiying was the headline competition. And the Monegasques who played did well, starting with Krépin Diatta (31 minutes of total playing time) and Senegal, who are guaranteed to defend their title next January thanks to their two wins against Mozambique (5-1 and 0-1).

Still in Africa, Mohamed Camara took part in a qualifying match with Mali against Gambia as a starter. Not yet qualified after a 2-0 victory and a 0-1 defeat, Mali are nevertheless still top of Group G and are on track to play in the next AFCON. As for France, with Axel Disasi and Youssouf Fofana (15 minutes against the Netherlands), they achieved a nice double against the Dutch and Ireland (4-0 and 0-1), taking hold of first place.

First steps for their country

Among the young players, Saïmon Bouabré – who played his first minutes in U17 – will also participate in the Euros in his age group in May. Performing well, the Academy midfielder won a penalty in his first match against Albania and added an assist against Switzerland in the final match.

For their part, Eliesse Ben Seghir and Malamine Efekele also wore the U-19 jersey for the first time. The player from Gassin notably scored a goal against Norway (1-2) and also played in the following match against Romania (4-2). And what a performance from “Mala” against this same opponent. He was quite simply involved in three of the four goals scored by Les Bleus in the game (a goal, an assist and a penalty won).

Playing time for the Rouge et Blanc

For this March international period, 16 Monegasques were called upon by their countries. This also included Edan Diop (145 minutes), scorer of a goal against Romania (1-2) with the French U-19s, where everyone had playing time. This was also the case for Yann Lienard (135 minutes) and Jordan Semedo Varela (215 minutes) with the U-20s.

In the same age bracket, Eliot Matazo also made several appearances with Belgium in preparation matches for the U-21 Euros (113 minutes), while his teammate Guillermo Maripán started in Chile’s win against Paraguay (3-2). It was enough to keep their rhythm before their next matches with AS Monaco, starting with a visit from Strasbourg on Sunday (5:05 p.m.) at the Stade Louis-II.

Photos: Icon Sport

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