Julian Alvarez and Manuel Akanji both started as Argentina and Switzerland picked up crucial wins overnight. They continued the strong showing of Manchester City stars for their countries over the international break.
Julian Alvarez started for Argentina as they cruised to a 3-nil victory over Bolivia in La Paz. Alvarez led the line for Argentina, who were missing their legend Lionel Messi for the Bolivia clash. City’s Argentinean hitman didn’t get on the scoresheet but was a constant menace throughout the game. He was substituted after 85 minutes in the Argentinean victory.
Manchester City’s versatile defender Manuel Akanji started for Switzerland in their 3-nil win over Andorra. The scoreline didn’t reflect the tough nature of the game as the Swiss had to battle to secure a vital victory.
Akanji was one of several players booked in a testy affair. Outside of the booking, Akanji was rarely troubled in defence as the Swiss maintained their unbeaten start to their qualifying campaign.
Also in action overnight was Oscar Bobb for the Norwegian under-21 side. Norway beat Latvia 7-nil in a dominant display for the Norwegians. Bobb scored a goal and provided an assist in the rout. It builds on Bobb’s impressive showing in his cameo appearance in the 5-1 win over Fulham before the international break.
Oscar Bobb, Julian Alvarez and Manuel Akanji will all return to City in good form following the international schedule. The treble winners resume in the Premier League this weekend with a trip to London to face West Ham.
