International round-up: Senior debuts, qualifications & promotions

Club

20 hours ago

Eight Crystal Palace players were in action for their respective international sides in November, with milestone appearances, senior debuts, and both qualification and promotion to celebrate.

Justin Devenny capped a remarkable fortnight with his first call-up for the Northern Ireland senior international squad – and then, on Monday night, his senior international debut.

The 21-year-old midfielder, who has captained Crystal Palace Under-21s side this season, made his Eagles and Premier League debut from the start against Fulham recently.

Just two days later, Devenny was fast-tracked into the senior Northern Ireland squad by manager Michael O’Neill, ahead of two decisive UEFA Nations League matches.

He was not named in the squad in Friday's 2-0 win over Belarus in Belfast on Friday, but made his senior international debut as a 92nd-minute substitute in the 2-2 draw against Luxembourg in Luxembourg City on Monday evening.

That result which saw his team secure promotion to League B in the Nations League.

Congratulations, Justin!

Marc Guéhi recorded his second assist for England as the Three Lions ran out 5-0 winners against ten-man Republic of Ireland at Wembley on Sunday evening.

The defender reacted sharply at the near post from a corner to flick the ball on for former Palace teammate Conor Gallagher to stab home from close range – England's third goal in the space of five second-half minutes.

That result saw Lee Carsley's side secure promotion back to League A of the UEFA Nations League at the first time of asking.

The previous week, Guéhi had added another England cap as he started and kept a clean sheet against Greece in Athens, with the Three Lions running out comfortable 3-0 winners. The defender was imperious throughout, making a team-high three interceptions in an impressive performance across the team.

Dean Henderson was among the substitutes in both matches.

Both Guéhi and Henderson earned a place in the England squad, joining up with interim manager Lee Carsley for the final time in 2024, before a new era begins for the Three Lions in the New Year.

Having won all three of the tournament’s editions so far, Chris Richards and Matt Turner were both named in Mauricio Pochettino’s roster for the two-legged 2024/25 CONCACAF Nations League quarter-final against Jamaica.

Turner started the first leg in Kingston, keeping a clean sheet in a 1-0 win – including saving a 14th-minute penalty from Demarai Gray, which you can see below. Richards was an unused substitute on the night.

In the second leg in St. Louis on Monday night, Richards was again unused, but Turner played the full game, as Pochettino's side ran away with the tie, 5-2 on aggregate winners.

The USA were three goals to the good – and four on aggregate – by half-time following a dominant display, with only a pair of Gray goals reducing that deficit later on in an otherwise-comfortable day for Turner.

The result saw the Americans reach the finals of the 2024/25 CONCACAF Nations League; the semi-finals and final will be played in California in March 2025.

The Nations League also serves as qualification for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup, with the exact method still to be announced.

Daichi Kamada continued their dominant start to life in Group C of qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 4-0 win in Indonesia, with Kamada bagging an assist.

And that showed no signs of slowing earlier this week as Kamada came on midway through the second-half of a 3-1 away win over China in Xiamen, marking his fifth consecutive appearance for his national side.

Japan have now won five of their opening six matches, with Kamada scoring for the Samurai Blue in the last round of qualifiers, and now sit nine points clear at the top of the pool.

The top two teams from each group qualify, with four matches left to play.

Also in November, Ismaïla Sarr linked up with Senegal, who have already secured their place at next year’s Africa Cup of Nations finals tournament in Morocco.

On Thursday night, Senegal beat Burkina Faso 1-0 in Bamako to leapfrog them to the top of the group, with Sarr starting the match alongside Sadio Mane and Nicolas Jackson in attack.

He was then an unused substitute as Senegal clinched top spot with an unbeaten record, defeating Burundi 2-0 in Diamniadio on Tuesday evening.

Also hoping to advance his team’s hopes of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup was Daniel Muñoz with Colombia; compatriot Jefferson Lerma was injured for this round of matches.

Last week, Los Cafeteros slipped to a late 3-2 defeat against Uruguay in Montevideo , with Muñoz playing the full match.

And despite dominating fifth-placed Ecuador at the Estadio Metropolitano in Barranquilla, having 25 shots on goal and with Muñoz again completing 90 minutes, Colombia slipped to a 1-0 defeat – despite the visitors playing the entire second-half with 10 men.

That result saw the team slip to fourth in the qualification table, six points within the automatic qualification spots, with six games left to go.

Finally, on-loan Palace Academy graduate Jesurun Rak-Sakyi earned his first call-up with England Under-21s.

The winger was called upon in the 68th minute by the Young Lions against Spain on Friday night, earning his U21s debut in Cadiz in a 0-0 draw.

He enjoyed more minutes when England faced the Netherlands in a second friendly in Almere on Monday night, coming on in the 57th of an eventual 1-1 draw.

Rak-Sakyi has made 15 appearances for the Sheffield United in all competitions this season, scoring two goals and fast becoming one of Chris Wilder’s most important players as they seek promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

All kick-off times in GMT (UK time).

Northern Ireland – Devenny

Fri, 15th Nov (19:45): Northern Ireland 2-0 Belarus (Devenny was not named in the squad)
Mon, 18th Nov (19:45): Luxembourg 2-2 Northern Ireland (Devenny made his senior international debut as a 92nd-minute substitute; his nation won promotion to League B with this draw)

England – Guéhi & Henderson

Thu, 14th Nov: Greece 0-3 England (Guehi started the match and kept a clean sheet)
Sun, 17th Nov (17:00): England 5-0 Republic of Ireland (Guéhi recorded an assist as England won promotion back to the top tier of the UEFA Nations League)

Japan – Kamada

Fri, 15th Nov: Indonesia 0-4 Japan (Kamada played 79 minutes and got an assist)
Tue, 19th Nov (12:00): China 1-3 Japan (Kamada came on in the 63rd minute of another dominant victory)

Colombia – Muñoz

Sat, 16th Nov (00:00): Uruguay 3-2 Colombia (Muñoz played the full match as Colombia slipped to an injury-time loss in Montevideo)
Tue, 19th Nov (23:00): Colombia 0-1 Ecuador (Muñoz played the full match as Colombia suffered a frustrating defeat)

United States – Richards & Turner

Fri, 15th Nov (01:00): Jamaica 0-1 United States (Turner started the match and kept a clean sheet, saving a penalty in the process)
Tue, 19th Nov (01:00): United States 4-2 Jamaica (Turner played the full match as the USA advanced to the Nations League semi-finals)

Senegal – Sarr

Thu, 14th Nov (19:00): Burkina Faso 0-1 Senegal (Sarr started the match, playing 64 minutes)
Tue, 19th Nov (19:00): Senegal 2-0 Burundi (Sarr was an unused substitute)

England U21s – Rak-Sakyi

Fri, 15th November (17:30): Spain 0-0 England (Rak-Sakyi made his England U21s debut as a 68th-minute substitute in Cadiz)
Mon, 18th November (17:45): Netherlands 1-1 England (Rak-Sakyi came on in the 57th minute with the scores already at 1-1)

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