Ipswich Town: Round-up from the September 2024 international break

Chiedozie Ogbene saw a stunning volley against Greece ruled out for offside (Image: PA)

Sammie Szmodics, Chiedozie Ogbene and Dara O’Shea – Republic of Ireland

For the first time in quite a while, Ipswich have had players in the Republic of Ireland's senior squad. All three arrived at Portman Road over the summer, with Sammie Szmodics, Chiedozie Ogbene and Dara O'Shea all called up.

They began with a tough test against arch-rivals England in Nations League B, the first competitive meeting between the two sides since 1991. The Town trio all started the match and played the full 90 minutes, but they were comfortably beaten by the Three Lions. Former Ireland youth internationals Declan Rice and Jack Grealish both scored in the first half to give Lee Carsley's side the win in Dublin.

The result put pressure on the next fixture, which was at home to Greece. Once again, the three Ipswich players all started, with Ogbene and Szmodics playing 84 minutes while O'Shea was given the full 90.

Heimir Hallgrímsson's side started well and thought they took the lead when Ogbene's stunning volley from outside the box fizzed into the top corner, but he was flagged for a narrow offside. In the second half, Fotis Ioannidis - who was strongly linked with a move to Suffolk over the summer - put the visitors ahead with a stunning strike, with ex-Norwich City winger Christos Tzolis wrapping up the points late on.

The Boys in Green sit third in Group B, only ahead of Finland, who they face in their first game of the October international break. They'll need a positive result in Helsinki to give themselves a good chance of avoiding relegation to Nations League C.

Arijanet Muric was expelled from Kosovo's squad (Image: Ross Halls)

Arijanet Muric – Kosovo

It’s been a turbulent few weeks for goalkeeper Arijanet Muric, who had a difficult return to former club Manchester City last month, making two mistakes as Ipswich were beaten 4-1. He showed a clear improvement against Fulham the following week and subsequently went away on international duty.

He started for Kosovo against Romania as they lost 3-0 in Pristina in Nations League C, with fans clearly very upset after the match. The Kosovo FA subsequently released a statement, revealing that Muric was one of three players sent home for ‘breaking regulations of the national team’ alongside Edon Zhegrova and Florent Muslija.

Photos were spread on social media that claimed Muric was spotted in a nightclub after curfew. The 25-year-old responded by saying that the reaction was ‘not fair at all’, posting a photo on Instagram of him watching Kosovo’s 4-0 win against Cyprus on his phone.

They now sit second in their group behind Romania and ahead of Cyprus. It remains to be seen whether Muric will return to the squad next month.

Liam Delap started up front for England Under-21s against Austria (Image: PA)

Liam Delap – England Under-21

Liam Delap was supposed to feature for England U21s alongside Town team-mate Omari Hutchinson, but the former Chelsea attacker withdrew for 'medical assessment'.

Delap was named on the bench for their opener against Northern Ireland in Euro U21 qualifying, coming off the bench for the final 30 minutes. He had a chance to win the game late on, but it finished goalless in Ballymena.

The striker started their friendly game against Austria at Kenilworth Road in Luton, where he thought he’d done enough to win a penalty after just 15 seconds. However, he was booked for simulation instead.

A brace from Morgan Rogers coupled with goals from James McAtee and Tom Fellows saw the Young Lions earn a 4-1 win, with Delap now on seven caps for the U21s.

Ben Futcher’s side currently sit second in Group F, five points behind leaders Ukraine, who they’ll host at the Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth next month. If they don’t finish top, they’ll have to go through the play-offs to reach next summer’s tournament in Slovakia.

Jens Cajuste came off the bench twice as Sweden beat Azerbaijan and Estonia (Image: Ross Halls)

Jens Cajuste – Sweden

Midfielder Jens Cajuste joined up with Sweden for the start of their Nations League C campaign. He played 18 minutes off the bench against Azerbaijan in Baku as his side won 3-1 thanks to a brace from Alexander Isak and a penalty from Viktor Gyokeres.

They returned home to face Estonia in Solna a few days later, with Cajuste named on the bench once again. This time, he got 27 minutes on the pitch, testing Karl Hein with a powerful strike as his side won 3-0. This time, Isak scored once while Gyokeres bagged a brace.

The wins see Sweden sit top of their group on goal difference ahead of Slovakia, who they face away from home next month. Cajuste now has 25 caps to his name at senior level.

Axel Tuanzebe has become a regular starter for DR Congo (Image: PA)

Axel Tuanzebe – DR Congo

Axel Tuanzebe started both games for DR Congo as they started their AFCON qualifying campaign.

He played the full 90 minutes against Guinea in Kinshasa as Watford midfielder Edo Kayembe, who was reportedly a transfer target for Ipswich over the summer, scored a spectacular goal from distance to seal all three points.

Tuanzebe then played the full match away against Ethiopa, which Sebastien Desabre’s side won 2-0 thanks to second-half goals from substitutes Theo Bongonda and Meschack Elia.

DR Congo currently sit top of Group H with six points ahead of games two games against Tanzania next month. Having made his debut back in June, Tuanzebe now has three caps for the Leopards.

Cameron Burgess started for Australia against Indonesia (Image: Ross Halls)

Cameron Burgess – Australia

Cameron Burgess returned to Australia's squad for their AFC World Cup qualifying fixtures. The Socceroos coasted through the second round, winning all six games, but found things to be much harder in the third round.

Burgess was an unused substitute for the first match, where a late own-goal from Sheffield United's Harry Souttar handed Bahrain three points in a shock defeat on the Gold Coast.

The centre-back was brought in for their second game, which was away at Indonesia, who were without fellow Ipswich defender Elkan Baggott due to an injury he picked up on loan at Blackpool. Burgess played the full 90 minutes and kept a clean sheet, but Graham Arnold's men couldn't find a way through as the match ended 0-0.

The 28-year-old now has 10 caps at senior level for Australia, who occupy fifth spot in the group ahead of next month's games at home to China and away at Japan.

Iraq fans showed their support for Ali Al-Hamadi in Basra (Image: Ross Halls)

Ali Al-Hamadi - Iraq

Ali Al-Hamadi returned to the Iraq national team for their AFC World Cup qualifiers after topping their group in the second round by winning all six games, just like Burgess' Australia.

Unlike the Socceroos, they started the third round well, beating Oman 1-0 in Basra thanks to Ayman Hussein's first-half strike. Al-Hamadi was named on the bench, coming on for the final six minutes of normal time. As he was warming up on the sidelines, the crowd of more than 63,000 supporters began to loudly chant his name - a special moment.

The striker was named in the starting lineup for their trip to Kuwait soon after, but the game turned early on as defender Rebin Sulaka was given a red card following a VAR check. Although Iraq largely had the better of the chances, Al-Hamadi - who now has 14 caps for his country - was subbed off at the interval and the match finished goalless.

With four points from their first two matches, Jesús Casas' side currently sit third in Group B ahead of games against Palestine and South Korea.

Cieran Slicker made a number of impressive saves against Spain Under-21s (Image: PA)

Cieran Slicker – Scotland Under-21

Scotland U21 continued their Euro U21 qualifying campaign, having done incredibly well to remain in contention at the top of Group B. A tough test against Spain was set for Tynecastle in Edinburgh, with a number of talented youngsters named in the visitors' squad.

Cieran Slicker started in goal, knowing that he was set for a busy evening in the Scottish capital. It took a while for Spain to break down their opponents, but AFC Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen opened the scoring opened the scoring for them just before the hour-mark.

Former Bristol City attacker Adedire Mebude came off the bench and struck back soon after, with Slicker making a string of heroic saves to keep the game level before Leeds United's Mateo Joseph won it in the 69th minute.

A positive result was needed in Scotland's next game away at Malta, which is exactly what they got. An early own-goal from Matthew Elul was followed up by strikes from Dane Murray, Josh Mulligan, Lennon Miller and Lewis Neilson, handing Scot Gemmill's side a 5-0 win as Slicker picked up a clean sheet.

They still sit second in the group on goal difference, with a crunch clash against Belgium to come next month as they look to secure a play-off spot. Slicker has now featured 19 times for the U21s, having taken the captain's armband in both games this month.