European Qualifying Team of the Week September 7-8: Silva, Cana Impress
Welcome to B/R's first edition of the European International Team of the Week, based solely off the latest round of Euro 2016 qualification matches.
We've gauged the recent round of games and sourced the best showings to create an ultimate XI. Robert Lewandowski's four-goal haul against poor, unsuspecting Gibraltar lands him a spot, but who else makes the grade?
With apologies to Erkan Zengin who just misses out, here is our best selection.
GK: Joe Hart, England
1 of 11
Joe Hart made several key saves as England escaped Basel with a hard-fought 2-0 win.
He claimed crosses superbly throughout, saved a one-on-one with Haris Seferovic by using an outstretched leg to push the ball clear and looked very, very confident overall.
Best of all, his distribution was magnificent. It's usually terrible, but multiple counter-attacks were started via his throws and kicks.
DEF: Lorik Cana, Albania
2 of 11
Remember Lorik Cana? The red-card magnet who had a short stint at Sunderland before packing for Galatasaray?
Well, he led an Albanian defence to a clean sheet against Portugal on Sunday evening to put his nation top of the table...and he did it without even grabbing a yellow!
Six Albanians were booked as they put their bodies on the line to secure a result; that Cana avoided the book shows just how important an influence he was on the day.
DEF: Sergio Ramos, Spain
3 of 11
Spain smashed Macedonia 5-1, but despite the free nature of their performance and the undoubted, mesmeric passing display on offer, Sergio Ramos still manages to grab the headlines.
He chipped goalkeeper Tome Pacovski with a "panenka" penalty to open the scoring, fooling the shot-stopper and lifting it gently over the outstretched body.
Audacious.
DEF: Jordi Alba, Spain
4 of 11
Jordi Alba's performances are key to Spain's success, and his bluntness at the FIFA World Cup 2014 was a big factor in his side's inability to move the ball freely and create chances.
His speed and ability to breach between the lines to receive passes gives La Roja an absurdly talented left-sided game, and he was back to his best against Macedonia, grabbing an assist in the 5-1 win.
MID: Pierre Hojbjerg, Denmark
5 of 11
Denmark fell behind to a gutsy Armenia team in their first qualifying match, but Pierre Hojbjerg helped inspire a great comeback to win 2-1.
He was at the heart of everything for the Danes in midfield and scored a crucial equalising goal, negating Henrikh Mkhitaryan's effort and setting the stage for Thomas Kahlenberg to net the winner.
Oh, and his goal was a magnificent volley too.
MID: David Silva, Spain
6 of 11
David Silva was at his silky, smooth best as Spain demolished Macedonia on Monday evening.
The "new era" for La Roja is off to a strong start, and while the personnel largely looks much the same, the players are expressing themselves more, and Silva is an obvious beneficiary.
He finished the match with a goal and an assist.
MID: Aiden McGeady, Republic of Ireland
7 of 11
If the Republic of Ireland harbour any hopes of qualifying from a gruelling Group D, they have to take maximum points off teams like Georgia.
Fans were already fearing the worst as the clock ticked down in Tbilisi on Sunday with the score 1-1, but Aiden McGeady stepped up in the 90th minute to score his country's winner in dramatic fashion.
It was his second of the night, and his overall contribution was excellent.
MID: Steven Naismith, Scotland
8 of 11
Steven Naismith has become quietly excellent without many noticing, but now the Everton man is translating his domestic form onto the international stage, and everybody is sitting up to take notice.
He's so smooth in the way he plays and so intelligent too; Germany had no answer to him as he torched their midfield
ST: Thomas Muller, Germany
9 of 11
Scotland fought hard, but they couldn't overcome an efficient Germany side led by Thomas Muller in attack.
The Bayern Munich man, just months removed from making yet another splash at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, scored two goals in opportunistic fashion to ensure no upsets were caused at Signal Iduna Park on Sunday.
ST: Paco Alcacer, Spain
10 of 11
Paco Alcacer had an international debut to remember on Monday, netting for Spain and looking smooth up front ahead of a talented midfield.
ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan wrote:
"With [Diego] Costa injured, Valencia's Paco Alcacer, who just turned 21, was given a first senior start, and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
From the off, it was apparent that Alcacer was on the same wavelength as his teammates, and he was found inside the box by David Silva inside the game's first minute.
Throughout the first half, Alcacer linked well with Cesc Fabregas and Pedro Rodriguez, regularly swapping positions with his colleagues and seeming to know the right runs to make when they had the ball.
"
ST: Robert Lewandowski, Poland
11 of 11
OK, so Gibraltar aren't exactly a fierce opponent, but credit where credit is due: Robert Lewandowski scored four goals in a 7-0 win.
The Bayern Munich man took his time to get into his stride, going goalless in the first half, but found the net in the 50th minute, and from there, Gibraltar were done for.
Allen Bula was effusive in his praise for the Pole:
"We have learned a lot from this game, and coming up against a striker like Robert Lewandowski," he told UEFA.com. "We showed we can handle him in the first half, but if you give strikers of his calibre an inch, they will punish you."
