Aston Villa’s grueling Championship will pick up again very shortly, but for some players no break was allowed in the past week. Here’s a look at how those players finished up in the second set of qualifying matches.
Glenn Whelan
The experienced center midfielder’s side went down 0-1 at home to Serbia and have relinquished second place as a result. He did not feature in this match, a little curiously.
Conor Hourihane
Hourihane came on in the 80th minute as Ireland were chasing the result, but he and his side could not muster a goal to equalize.
Neil Taylor
The Wales man saw his side leapfrog his aforementioned teammates after a late 0-2 victory away to Moldova. Taylor was an unused substitute for the Welsh.
James Chester
The Welsh center back played all 90 minutes for his side in the 0-2 win at Moldova. He helped keep a clean sheet for them.
Ahmed Elmohomady
The Egyptian was a part of the 1-0 home win over Uganda on Tuesday that saw his side go back to the top spot in the group. He did not make the bench for them, however.
Birkir Bjarnson
Iceland overcame Ukraine 2-0 at home on Tuesday to put them level with Croatia at the top of the table on points. He played all 90 minutes of the match for them in the victory.
Robert Snodgrass
Scotland have their destiny in their own hands now after a 2-0 home win over minnows Malta. Snodgrass was an unused substitute this time around for them.