Amad in action for Ivory Coastplaceholder image
Amad in action for Ivory Coast | AFP via Getty Images
How Man United’s international players are getting on after the first lot of fixtures during the break.
Amad was in action for Côte d'Ivoire on Friday in their World Cup qualifying clash with Burundi. They were able to secure a 1-0 win after a goal in the third minute from Vakoun Issouf Bayo looked to set the tone for a dominant result but the former Watford star’s effort was the only breakthrough of the game.
Amad was named in the starting lineup, operating on the right of the attack in support of Bayo, alongside Nottingham Forest’s Ibrahim Sangaré and Simon Adingra of Sunderland.
Amad booked and replaced in latest international match
Ivory Coast dominated the match in terms of statistics (via Flashscore), holding 61 percent of the possession and registering 14 shots with five on target, but could only convert Bayo’s effort. Burundi had one attempt at the opposition goal throughout the entire evening but couldn’t get it on target.
Amad was shown a yellow card in the 58th minute before being brought off by manager Emerse Faé less than ten minutes later. The United man was replaced by former Arsenal record signing Nicolas Pépé, who now plays for Villarreal.
Bayo’s early strike was enough to wrap up the win at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, moving Côte d'Ivoire to the top of their group on 19 points, and leapfrogging Gabon by one point.
Finishing first in their group is crucial for Les Éléphants, as the top spot will be the only club guaranteed a place in the 2026 World Cup. They will face closest rivals Gabon in their next clash on Tuesday, September 9th. A win will give the Ivory Coast a significant advantage over a team who enjoyed a dominant 4-0 win Seychelles last time out.
Man United players on international duty
As well as Amad’s latest appearance for Côte d'Ivoire, others have been in senior international action. Bryan Mbeumo enjoyed setting up two goals as Cameroon comfortably beat Eswatini 3-0, while André Onana kept a clean sheet in goal.
Matthijs de Ligt was an unused substitute during the Netherlands’ 1-1 draw against Poland. Denmark were also forced to settle for a draw as they played out a 0-0 stalemate with Scotland. Rasmus Hojlund was brought on in the 74th minute but Patrick Dorgu remained on the bench.
Altay Bayındır was also named on the bench for Türkiye’s 3-2 win over Georgia, with Uğurcan Çakır the first choice for his country.
Manuel Ugarte saw a late spell off the bench after being brought on for Uruguay in their 3-0 win over Peru, while Casemiro started in midfield for Brazil and picked up a yellow card in their 3-0 win over Chile.
Benjamin Šeško played the full 90 minutes in Slovenia’s 2-2 draw against Sweden. Bruno Fernandes will be given the opportunity to make an impact against Armenia later today.
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