It was a busy Friday night for Tottenham players on international duty, with Omar Marmoush finding the net for Egypt, Andy Robertson making Scottish football history and two Spurs defenders enjoying a remarkable clean sheet with the Netherlands.
There was also a frustrating evening for England Under-21s, where Archie Gray and Mikey Moore were involved in a narrow defeat to Portugal. Here are five things we learned from the latest round of fixtures.
1. Omar Marmoush gets on the scoresheet for Egypt
Marmoush made an early contribution as Egypt beat Malawi 5-0 in their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
The Tottenham forward scored in the 10th minute, just four minutes after Nasser Maher had opened the scoring.
Mohamed Hany added a third before half-time, while Mohamed Salah struck twice late on to complete a convincing result. Marmoush was substituted in the 72nd minute after helping Egypt take control of the contest.
2. Van de Ven and Van Hecke help Netherlands run riot
Micky van de Ven and Jan Paul van Hecke both started as the Netherlands thrashed Greece 7-0 in the Nations League. It was a dominant display from the Dutch, who had the contest all but settled before half-time.
Tijjani Reijnders scored a first-half hat-trick, with Crysencio Summerville and Jurrien Timber also getting on the scoresheet before the break. Timber added another after the interval, while Donyell Malen completed the rout.
For Spurs, the most important detail was seeing both defenders start in a comprehensive victory and keep Greece off the scoresheet. Van de Ven, in particular, will welcome another strong outing as he builds rhythm during the international break.
3. Robertson equals Scotland’s all-time appearance record
Andy Robertson made history by winning his 102nd Scotland cap in the 2-1 Nations League victory over North Macedonia. The Tottenham left-back started and captained his country, drawing level with Sir Kenny Dalglish as Scotland’s most-capped player.
Dalglish had held the record for 40 years. Robertson now has the chance to move clear on his own when Scotland face Switzerland on Monday, provided he features again.
John McGinn scored both goals for Scotland, who had to work hard for the points after North Macedonia briefly drew level.
4. Gray starts as England Under-21s suffer defeat
Archie Gray started for England Under-21s as they were beaten 1-0 by Portugal in a friendly. Afonso Moreira scored the only goal in the 28th minute, leaving the Young Lions with work to do after the break.
Gray’s involvement is another valuable opportunity to build experience at this level, particularly during a period in which Tottenham will want their young midfielder continuing to develop and gain minutes.
5. Moore gets another taste of Under-21 football
Mikey Moore began the Portugal game on the bench before being introduced in the 61st minute. The match was his latest opportunity to make an impression after earning his first England Under-21 call-up.
England could not find an equaliser, but the minutes will be useful for Moore as he continues his development away from north London.
Bentancur also in action for Uruguay
Rodrigo Bentancur was named in Uruguay’s starting line-up for their friendly against Argentina, which kicked off late on Friday night in the UK. That match was still under way at the time of writing, so we will update his contribution once the final details are confirmed.
Tottenham’s international schedule continues over the weekend, with Ben Davies, Mateus Fernandes, Dejan Kulusevski, Kevin Danso and Jamie Donley among those due to feature.