Vardy Goal Concludes International Break
- Jamie Vardy scored his seventh goal for England on Tuesday against Italy
- Ben Chilwell set up the winning strike for England’s Under-21s against the Ukraine on the same day
- Andy King’s appearance for Wales against Uruguay saw him register the 1,000th cap earned by a Leicester City player
- Academy youngster Conor Tee marked his international debut for Republic of Ireland’s Under-18s with a goal
- Several other Foxes were in action for their nations over the last few days at both senior and youth level
The in-form Leicester City No.9 slammed a superb effort into the top corner against Italy, but Lazio frontman Ciro Immobile converted from 12 yards with just three minutes to play after the Azzuri were awarded a penalty via VAR.
Vardy’s goal means he has now scored against international heavyweights Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Italy for the Three Lions.
Foxes defender Harry Maguire, who helped England to a 1-0 win over the Netherlands in Amsterdam on Friday, was an unused substitute during the 1-1 draw with Italy.
Further success also came on Tuesday for centre back Aleksandar Dragović, who completed 90 minutes in Austria’s friendly triumph over Luxembourg.
Marko Arnautović, Florian Grillitsch, Michael Gregoritsch and Louis Schaub all found the back of the net during the 4-0 win at the Stade Josy Barthel in Luxembourg City.
Another Denmark clean sheet came for Kasper Schmeichel on the same evening following a goalless draw with Chile at Aalborg Portland Park.
The Danes continued their preparations for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where they will face France, Australia and Peru in Group C in Russia.
Nigeria pair Wilfred Ndidi and Ahmed Musa, currently on loan at CSKA Moscow, were also in action at Barnet’s Hive Stadium as they took on Serbia in London.
A brace from Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrović sealed a 2-0 win over the City duo’s nation, as both international outfits readied themselves for this summer’s World Cup.
At the Merkur Arena in Austria, Riyad Mahrez and Islam Slimani both added to their international caps for Algeria as the Desert Foxes took on Iran.
However, Newcastle United loanee Slimani and Mahrez could not prevent their nation from losing 2-1 in Graz.
Yohan Benalouane, who made his international debut for Tunisia against Iran on Friday, made another appearance for his nation, this time against Costa Rica.
Coming off the bench in injury time at the Allianz Riviera in Nice, the centre back helped Tunisia grind out a 1-0 victory.
Meanwhile, Ben Chilwell and Demarai Gray enjoyed a successful outing for England’s Under-21s, with the former setting up the winning goal during a late 2-1 triumph over Ukraine.
After Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin had given England the lead, Dynamo Kyiv midfielder Mykola Shaparenko levelled matters, but Dominic Solanke was on hand to head home Chilwell’s cross with two minutes to play at Bramall Lane.
Chilwell completed the full match and Gray notched up 73 minutes as the Young Lions strengthened their chances of qualifying for the 2019 UEFA European U21 Championships.
In the same competition, Bartosz Kapustka gained further international experience for Poland’s Under-21s, who beat Lithuania 1-0.
Sampdoria striker Dawid Kownacki scored the only goal of the game as Kapustka’s side maintained top spot in their qualification group.
Also in international action at youth level on Tuesday were Leicester youngsters Harvey Barnes and Darnell Johnson, who both came off the bench in the second period for England’s Under-20s.
Efforts from Chris Willock, Keinan Davis and captain Easah Suliman sealed a 3-0 triumph against Portugal at Manchester City’s Academy Stadium for Keith Downing’s side, who continued their fine form in the U20 Elite League.
On Monday, while Andy King’s Wales lost 1-0 to Uruguay in the China Cup, the Academy graduate hit another significant international milestone for the Club.
King, currently on loan at Swansea City until the end of the season, marked the 1,000th cap earned by a Leicester City player after making his 46th appearance for Wales.
Adrien Silva, meanwhile, played 45 minutes for Portugal at Stade de Genève against the Netherlands, who scored three times in the first period through Memphis Depay, Ryan Babel and Virgil van Dijk.
The 2016 European champions were then reduced to 10 men in the second half, making it difficult for them to recover from the Netherlands’ first-half strikes.
Youngster Callum Wright also emerged from the bench on Monday for England’s Under-18s, who defeated Belarus 2-1 at St. George’s Park.
The midfielder’s appearance proved to be his third this international break having also featured against both Qatar and Argentina.
Finally, on Sunday, Academy midfielder Conor Tee made his debut for Republic of Ireland’s Under 18s against Romania, netting his side’s first goal in a 2-1 win.