Three Werder players will look back happily on this international break. Milos Veljkovic and his Serbian side won both World Cup qualifiers and are still well in the race to qualify for Qatar 2022. Manuel Mbom and Ilia Gruev also collected vital points in their U21 EURO qualifiers.
Veljkovic and Serbia’s first team won both World Cup qualifiers, beating Luxembourg 1-0 and Azerbaijan 3-1. He played the full 90 minutes in both games and set up Dusan Vlahovic’s winner in the game against Luxembourg. Serbia currently lead qualification group A, one point ahead of Portugal, but have played a game more. The two table-toppers will meet in an important game on the 14th of November.
Germany U21 Manuel Mbom also played the full 90 in his side’s EURO qualifier against Israel, a game which ended 3-2. A 5-1 battering of Hungary followed, in which the right-back played 67 minutes. With four wins from four games, the German U21 side have a perfect record in qualification group B and lead the way with 12 points.
Ilia Gruev also represented his country at U21 level over the break, his Bulgaria side beating Gibraltar 5-0 but losing 1-0 away in Switzerland. Gruev played the whole game against Gibraltar, and a further 74 minutes in Switzerland. With six points, the Bulgarian U21 side currently sit third in qualification group E.
