This International Break in Football

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The international break is finally over.

After more than two weeks without the usual weekend diet of Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga and Serie A football, club football returns this weekend.

But there was plenty happening while domestic football took a back seat.

From England's demolition of Croatia and Harry Kane's record-equalling night to Lionel Messi's emotional Argentina farewell, Brazil's two matches against Australia, France's dramatic comeback against Belgium and some major injury concerns for Premier League clubs, this international break had it all.

Here are the biggest stories from the international break.

England send a statement

If Thomas Tuchel wanted to remind everyone that England remain one of the world's strongest international teams, this international break went about as well as possible.

England began the window by beating Croatia 7-0, producing one of their most dominant performances of the Tuchel era.

They then finished the break with a 3-0 win over Czechia at Wembley. Harry Kane was the headline act.

The England captain scored twice against Czechia after helping create the opening goal and now has 91 international goals. The appearance also saw Kane equal Peter Shilton's England record with his 125th cap.

England now sit second in their Nations League group behind Spain and look increasingly comfortable under Tuchel.

The bigger question is whether they can maintain this level when the pressure of a major tournament arrives.

Spain continue to look unstoppable

Spain might be the biggest winners of the entire international break.

The reigning world champions beat Croatia 2-1 on Tuesday after coming from behind, with Mikel Merino scoring both goals.

The victory extended Spain's unbeaten run to an incredible 42 matches and put them top of Nations League Group A3 with four wins from four.

Spain had already beaten England 3-2 earlier in the competition before defeating Czechia and Croatia again.

At this point, the question isn't whether Spain are good enough to challenge for another major trophy. It's whether anybody can actually stop them.

France survive a scare — then explode

France looked vulnerable for much of their clash with Belgium.

Playing without Kylian Mbappe, France fell behind to Dodi Lukebakio and struggled to break down Belgium's defensive block.

Then came the substitutes. Desire Doue equalised in the 77th minute before Rayan Cherki put France ahead four minutes later.

Michael Olise then scored twice as France transformed a difficult night into a 4-1 victory.

It was also Zinedine Zidane's first home victory as France manager.

The result leaves France top of their group with 10 points from four matches.

The biggest takeaway?

France have an enormous amount of attacking talent even when their biggest superstar isn't available.

Messi says goodbye to Argentina

Perhaps the most emotional moment of the international break came in Buenos Aires.

Lionel Messi played his final match for Argentina in a 3-0 victory over Benin, and appropriately, he left his mark.

Messi produced a goal and two assists before being given an emotional farewell by the packed crowd at the Monumental.

The 39-year-old has now officially ended an international career that delivered the 2022 World Cup, two Copa América titles and a remarkable 125 goals for Argentina.

It is difficult to imagine Argentina without him. For more than a decade, Messi was the centre of the national team. Even after the disappointments of his early international career, he eventually delivered the trophies that had eluded him.

Now Argentina have to figure out what comes next.

Brazil and Australia produce two very different games

Australia had an impressive international break against one of football's biggest nations.

The Socceroos drew 1-1 with Brazil before losing the second match 4-2.

The results may not have produced a win for Tony Popovic's side, but there were plenty of positives.

Australia's aggressive pressing and willingness to play forward impressed, while several emerging players continued to strengthen their claims for a place in the national team.

Nestory Irankunda, Mohamed Toure and Paul Okon-Engstler were among the players highlighted during a break that provided further evidence that a new generation is emerging for the Socceroos.

Brazil ultimately had too much quality in the second meeting. Bruno Guimaraes scored in the 4-2 win, while Chelsea winger Estevao was also among Brazil's standout performers during the window.

For Australia, however, this was still an encouraging two-game series.

Elsewhere in South America, Colombia defeated Peru 1-0, while Uruguay produced one of the more eye-catching results of the break with a 6-1 victory over India.

Uruguay's Darwin Nunez scored twice, while Ronald Araujo also found the net twice.

Argentina, meanwhile, had earlier crushed Burkina Faso 7-0 before their emotional meeting with Benin.

Haaland's early withdrawal raises concerns

Manchester City fans may have been watching Norway's games more closely than most.

Erling Haaland was substituted in the 67th minute during Norway's 2-1 defeat to Portugal, after asking to come off.

Haaland had already played three consecutive full matches during the international break and had scored three goals, so Norway coach Stale Solbakken had planned to manage his minutes.

Nevertheless, his early departure will be something City supporters monitor closely with Liverpool coming up immediately after the international break. Manchester City can hardly afford to lose their star striker.

Liverpool have their own injury concern

City aren't the only club worried about their players returning from international duty.

Liverpool striker Alexander Isak left the Sweden squad with a thigh problem after scoring against Romania.

The injury came at an especially awkward time for Liverpool, with their Premier League campaign resuming against Manchester City.

The international break has therefore left several Premier League clubs nervously waiting for their players to return to training.

Portugal remain dangerous

Portugal also enjoyed an important break, beating Norway 2-1 after previously defeating Denmark 4-2.

Portugal are playing solid football despite all the headlines around Cristiano Ronaldo, and his temporary withdrawal from the side.

Viktor Gyokeres remains one of the biggest attacking threats in the competition, while Portugal continue to possess an extraordinary amount of attacking talent.

Their win over Norway was particularly notable because Haaland's side had taken the lead through Kristoffer Ajer before Portugal came back to win.

The Nations League remains wide open, but Portugal are once again among the teams capable of winning the competition.

USA smash Mexico

The United States produced one of the strongest results in CONCACAF, beating Mexico 3-0.

The result was particularly significant given the rivalry between the two countries and the importance of continuing to develop the USA's squad.

Canada were also in action, defeating Peru 2-0 before facing the USA later in the window.

Mexico's results were mixed, with the 3-0 defeat to the USA following a 1-1 draw against Colombia.

With the United States, Mexico and Canada all having major ambitions on the international stage, CONCACAF's leading nations are already looking towards the next generation of their squads.

Japan, South Korea make headlines

Japan defeated Venezuela 2-1, with Ayase Ueda scoring twice, including a late penalty.

South Korea produced a strong result of their own, defeating Uruguay 4-1 before responding with a 2-0 victory over Uzbekistan.

The international window also produced some memorable results involving nations further down the Asian football pyramid, including Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Lebanon.

South Africa make a statement

Africa also produced several important results during the international window.

One of the standout results came in Cairo, where South Africa defeated Egypt 1-0.

Puso Dithejane scored the only goal of the game shortly after half-time, giving South Africa a memorable away victory.

Senegal also continued their strong run, beating Comoros 1-0.

Morocco, meanwhile, were held to a 1-1 draw by Mali, while Algeria defeated Niger 2-1.

Nigeria were involved in one of the more entertaining games of the break, drawing 3-3 with Russia.