Several Tottenham Hotspur stars were in action for their international sides on Wednesday and Thursday, as teams ramp up preparations for the World Cup.
Nine Tottenham players will be at the World Cup this summer, and that number could have been much higher if not for injuries.
Spurs trio Xavi Simons, Dejan Kulusevski and Mohammed Kudus would all likely have played key roles for their sides if not for their injuries.
Dominic Solanke and James Maddison may have also had a shot at making the England squad if their campaign had not been riddled by injuries.
Tottenham’s defensive duo have less than ideal preparation for the World Cup
Micky van de Ven, who is expected to be a key cog for the Netherlands at the World Cup, started at his customary left-back role against Algeria on Wednesday.
The defender was replaced at the break after a goalless first-half, with the Algerians eventually running out 1-0 winners, owing to a late strike by Anis Hadj Moussa.
Pedro Porro started for Spain against Iraq on Thursday night and played the first 73 minutes in what was his 17th cap for his country.
However, it was not the ideal preparation for the Spaniards, who were held to a 1-1 draw by the West Asian side.
Lucas Bergvall, Jamie Donley and Manor Solomon were also in international action
Bergvall, who is also going to the World Cup, came off the bench for Sweden with 27 minutes to play as the Scandinavian side played out a 2-2 draw wth Greece on Thursday.
Elsewhere, Jamie Donley, who will not be going to the World Cup, was in action for Northern Ireland, picking up his ninth consecutive cap for his country as they beat Guinea 1-0 in a friendly.
Finally, Manor Solomon started and played 88 minutes for Israel, who beat Albania 1-0 in a friendly in Tirana on Thursday.