THE final international break of 2023 has now come and gone.

Cherries had 14 players away representing their countries, with 13 getting time on the pitch.

They came across a variety of competitions including key European Championship qualifiers and the early stages of World Cup campaigns.

In Europe, it ultimately ended in disappointment for many Cherries players.

Bournemouth Echo:

Kieffer Moore, David Brooks and Chris Mepham all featured for Wales as they looked to clinch a spot at next summer’s Euros.

Two wins were required, but instead Rob Page’s men were held to draws by both Armenia and Turkey.

Brooks and Moore featured in both contests, starting the first and coming on in the second. Mepham meanwhile played the whole game in Armenia, but picked up a booking which ruled him out against Turkey due to suspension.

Wales will now head into the play-offs in March.

There they will be joined by Cherries teammate Illia Zabarnyi.

Featuring for Ukraine, they had a must-win clash against Italy to try and secure their spot in Germany next year. However, the game ended goalless, meaning Ukraine finished third in their group.

Zabarnyi played the entirety of the contest, taking his tally of caps to 32.

Milos Kerkez played for Hungary as they did secure their spot at Euro 2024.

But it was a tough day for the young Cherries left-back, who was sent off against Bulgaria. It looked like that could be costly, only for Hungary to grab the late equaliser they needed to book their place.

Bournemouth Echo: Ryan Christie was overjoyed to help Scotland to another major tournament.

Ryan Christie made two appearances for already-qualified Scotland.

He started against Georgia, getting booked and substituted at half-time of the 2-2 draw. The midfielder then came on in the 3-3 draw with Norway in Glasgow.

Mark Travers watched on from the bench as Republic of Ireland’s disappointing campaign ended with a 1-0 defeat to Netherlands.

But the 24-year-old did get his fourth cap, more than two years on from his third. The goalkeeper was introduced for the second half of a 1-1 friendly draw against New Zealand in Dublin.

Bournemouth Echo:

Andrei Radu was an unused substitute for both of Romania’s qualifiers, wins over Israel and Switzerland. Romania will now feature at Euro 2024.

In Africa, World Cup qualifiers are underway ahead of the 2028 finals in Canada, Mexico and USA.

Hamed Traore scored twice off the bench as Ivory Coast trounced Seychelles 9-0. Traore was then given a start in the following game, only withdrawn late on in a 2-0 win against Gambia.

Dango Ouattara now has seven international goals to his name, after netting in a 3-0 win for Burkina Faso away to Ethiopia.

Ouattara is the only Cherries man to have played two full games during this international window, also featuring in a 1-1 draw against Guinea-Bissau.

Antoine Semenyo started twice for Ghana as they beat Madagascar and lost against Comoros.

Across the Atlantic, Luis Sinisterra was with Colombia for their World Cup qualifiers.

The Leeds United loanee came off the bench during a 2-1 win over Brazil, but was an unused sub in a 1-0 victory against Paraguay.

Nathan Moriah-Welsh scored his third goal for Guyana as they beat Antigua and Barbuda 6-0, netting a stunning free-kick from inside his own half.

Guyana were also due to face Bahamas, but the game was postponed due to bad weather.

However, the win over Antigua secured promotion for Guyana into the top tier of the CONCACAF Nations League.

Owen Bevan, currently out on loan at Cheltenham Town, started twice for Wales under-21s. They defeated Iceland 1-0, before losing 2-1 to Denmark.

Mins played –
Dango Ouattara - 180
Owen Bevan - 166
Antoine Semenyo - 136
Hamed Traore - 116
Kieffer Moore - 97
Illia Zabarnyi, Chris Mepham, Nathan Moriah-Welsh - 90
David Brooks - 79
Ryan Christie - 66
Milos Kerkez - 56
Mark Travers, Luis Sinisterra - 45
Andrei Radu - 0