International wrap as seven Sheffield Wednesday men feature in three continents
Seven Sheffield Wednesday players were in action in three different continents over the last few days.
The Owls have eight of their troops currently away on international duty for various types matches, with some playing in more important fixtures than others. Republic of Ireland U21 defender, Gabriel Otegbayo, was the only one who didn’t feature in his side’s first game of the international break.
Marvelous Nakamba was the final one in action as he captained Zimbabwe to a 3-0 victory over Botswana in the Mukuru 4 Nations Tournament, with the midfielder no doubt delighted to get some much-needed game time after a tough spell at Hillsborough. That victory sets up a clash with Zambia in the final of the competition on Tuesday, and Nakamba will be eager for a similar outcome for their second game in Francistown.
Elsewhere there was heartbreak for Pierce Charles as Northern Ireland were beaten 2-0 by Italy to see their World Cup hopes brought to an end, while Devlan Moses got a 20-minute debut for NI’s U21s as they lost 3-0 to Germany in their U21 Euro 2027 qualifier. Both will be in action again on Tuesday, with the seniors facing Wales in a friendly and the younger side taking on Latvia in another qualifying fixture.
The best result of the weekend from a Wednesday player perspective was Jamaica’s victory over New Caledonia in their World Cup qualifier, with Jamal Lowe featuring as a second half substitute in that clash - replacing goalscorer, and former Owl, Bailey Cadamarteri. They now face the Democratic Republic of Congo - also on Tuesday - to decide which of the two will head over to this summer’s showpiece event.
As previously mentioned, Otegbayo was unused by the ROI’s U21s as they drew 1-1 with Moldova in a European Under-21 Championship Qualifying fixture - but he’ll be hoping to get in on the action against Kazakhstan on March 31st.
Also at youth level, Joel Ndala played almost the entire game as England’s U20s let a 3-0 lead slip to draw 3-3 with Italy in a friendly tie on Friday, while Will Grainger and Logan Stretch both came on for the second half as Wales’ U19s were beaten 4-0 by the United States of America in a friendly clash in Spain.