RPL players on international duty: Vlasic and Berg score in Zagreb, Lisakovich’s seven-minute goal and assist

On 11 October, RPL players featured on matchday three of the UEFA Nations League, and the Kangwa brothers also participated in a friendly game for Zambia.

UEFA Nations League

League A, Group 1: Bosnia and Herzegovina 0-0 Netherlands

Rostov defender Dennis Hadzikadunic made his debut for the Bosnian national team and kept a clean sheet. Previously, he had played for Sweden at youth level. Bosnia are last in the group with two points after three games.

League A, Group 1: Poland 0-0 Italy

Lokomotiv midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak played a full match against Italy, while Dynamo’s Sebastian Szymanski was substituted in the 59th minute. At the end of three matchdays, Italy leads the table with five points, while the Netherlands and Poland have four points each. On 14 October, Poland will play in Wroclaw against Bosnia, while Italy and the Netherlands will meet in Bergamo.

League A, Group 2: Iceland 0-3 Denmark

CSKA defender Hordur Magnusson was shown a yellow card at the end of the second half, while fellow Armyman, midfielder Arnor Sigurdsson, was left out of the game. The Icelanders, having lost on all three matchdays, are last in the group. On 14 October, they will host Belgium, who lost 2-1 to England and suffered their first defeat since November 2018.

League A, Group 3: Croatia 2-1 Sweden

CSKA midfielder Nikola Vlasic opened the scoring in the 32nd minute with his fourth goal for the Croatian national team. His partners Filip Uremovic and Dejan Lovren, who play for Rubin and Zenit respectively, played the entire match in Zagreb.

Three FC Krasnodar players featured in the game for the visitors. Forward Marcus Berg scored his 22nd goal for Sweden, while Kristoffer Olsson played 90 minutes. Their club teammate Viktor Claesson came on in the 65th minute. Spartak forward Jordan Larsson was left out, while Rubin defender Carl Starfelt was not included in the squad.

The Croats picked up their first victory in the Nations League after two defeats, while Sweden remained fourth in the group without points. On 14 October, Croatia will play a match in Zagreb against France, and Sweden will play Portugal in Lisbon.

League B, Group 1: Norway 4-0 Romania

FC Rostov midfielder Mathias Normann played 70 minutes in his sixth match for the national team, but Ural Ekaterinburg defender Stefan Strandberg played the full 90 minutes. With six points, the Norwegians lead the group along with Austria. Norway will face Northern Ireland in Oslo on 14 October.

League B, Group 2: Israel 1-2 Czech Republic

Spartak Moscow midfielder Aleks Kral played the entire match in Haifa, and the Czechs are in second place in the group with six points. On 14 October, they will play in Glasgow against Scotland, who lead the table with seven points.

League B, Group 3: Serbia 0-1 Hungary

Rubin Kazan forward Djordje Despotovic was missing from the home team's squad for the match. Thanks to their victory in Belgrade, Hungary are one point closer to Russia at the top of the group, and the teams will meet in Moscow on 14 October. Serbia, who have earned one point after three matchdays, will play Turkey in Istanbul on the same day.

League B, Group 4: Finland 2-0 Bulgaria

Arsenal Tula midfielder Georgi Kostadinov missed the trip to Helsinki, having also previously missed out on the 3-1 Euro 2020 play-off defeat against Hungary. On 14 October, Bulgaria - who prop up the group - will host Wales in Sofia.

League C, Group 2: Armenia 2-2 Georgia

Rostov midfielder Khoren Bayramyan scored his first goal in his third match for the Armenian national team and also received a yellow card. FC Tambov defender Varazdat Aroyan was also cautioned for the nominal hosts - the game was played in Poland - and his club partner Aleksandr Karapetyan was substituted in the 67th minute.

Arsenal defender Gia Grigalava played 90 minutes for Georgia in his first appearance for the national team since November 2019. Rotor Volgograd defender Solomon Kverkvelia and FC Ufa player Jemal Tabidze were left out, while Rubin winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was not included in the squad.

In Group 2, Georgia are second with five points, while the Armenians are one point behind. On 14 October, Georgia will face North Macedonia, who also have five points, while Armenia will play Estonia in Tallinn.

League C, Group 3: Greece 2-0 Moldova

Ufa midfielder Catalin Carp spent the game in Athens on the bench, and his team conceded both goals after going down to 10 men at the end of the first half. Moldova remain last in the group with one point.

League C, Group 3: Kosovo 0-1 Slovenia

FC Sochi defender Miha Mevlja, after missing a friendly against San Marino, played 90 minutes for Slovenia. The game in Kosovo was his 30th cap. Slovenia and Greece each have seven points and remain leaders of the group. On 14 October, matchday four will see Moldova take on Slovenia and Greece face Kosovo.

League C, Group 4: Kazakhstan 0-0 Albania

Akhmat Grozny defender Marat Bystrov played the whole match for the hosts and was shown with a yellow card. Midfielders Islambek Kuat and Baktiyor Zaynutdinov, from FC Khimki and CSKA respectively, were substituted in the 69th and 86th minutes.

League C, Group 4: Lithuania 2-2 Belarus

Krasnodar captain Aleksandr Martynovich and Ural defender Nikolay Zolotov played the whole game. Arsenal midfielder Valery Gromyko played for the Belarusians for the first time since 8 June 2019, when he won his only previous cap against Germany, and in the 57th minute he was replaced by Lokomotiv forward Vitaly Lisakovich, who equalised with a penalty. This was his second goal for the national team, and seven minutes later he assisted Aleksandr Sachivko. However, after leading 2-1, the visitors couldn’t hold onto victory.

After three matchdays, all teams in League C Group 4 have four points each. On 14 October matchday four will see Lithuania vs Albania and Belarus vs Kazakhstan take place.

Friendly match

South Africa 1-2 Zambia

Arsenal midfielders Kings and Evans Kangwa were included in the starting line-up for the Zambians and were replaced in the second half; Evans played 63 minutes, while Kings managed 75. After the brothers came off, Zambia scored two goals and won. In November, they will play two matches against Botswana in the African Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Photo: Croatian Football Association; Football Federation of Armenia