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International Football Welcome to The Briefing, where every Monday this season, The Athletic will discuss some of the biggest questions from the weekend’s football. With the Premier League on hold and international matches taking centre stage, there was no top-flight domestic action to enjoy. But do not worry, because there was an assortment of World Cup qualifying games with some entertaining, poignant and surprising subplots to enjoy. Advertisement Then, of course, there was England. Or rather, Thomas Tuchel’s England — try saying it out loud without your inflexion hinting at deflation — who have yet to fully click into gear during their functional plod towards assured qualification for next summer’s tournament. You can read all about a victory that (if your glass is half full) could also be considered a small step in the right direction. Tuchel may have received little credit for winning, but Mauricio Pochettino must still envy his England counterpart. Although it was not a qualifier, his United States team were underwhelming again in New Jersey on Saturday as they lost 2-0 to South Korea. On Wednesday, he will try to avoid making it three consecutive defeats when his team face Japan. On an emotional Saturday night in the Armenian capital Yerevan, Portugal played their first game since the death of forward Diogo Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, in July. Spain travelled to Turkey hoping to lay down a psychological marker against Group E’s other major contender, and Sunday evening began with the Group A table in the unlikely shape of Northern Ireland top, with a win from their opening game last week against Luxembourg, and Germany bottom after their shock loss to Slovakia. It is still early days for those teams but things took on a greater sense of urgency for Nigeria, who really had to beat Rwanda, a team 83 places below them in FIFA’s world rankings, to remain in the mix for qualification. It was something of a night to forget for Florian Wirtz in Bratislava last Thursday. Not only did Germany sink to that surprising 2-0 defeat against Slovakia, but the Liverpool attacker lost the ball in the build-up to the hosts’ opening goal. Wirtz got himself worked up and distracted, complaining to the referee about a challenge from Ondrej Duda that led to him being dispossessed. Meanwhile, Slovakia broke and David Hancko gave them the lead. For such an exceptionally gifted player, it was not his finest hour. Advertisement In the end, Julian Nagelsmann’s team lost only their fourth-ever World Cup qualifier, and it appeared their confidence may have been dented in Cologne on Sunday evening. They huffed and puffed and at one stage, appeared to be facing another shock after an impressive Northern Ireland held them at 1-1 until 69 minutes. But after Mainz midfielder Nadiem Amiri put Germany ahead, Wirtz took three minutes to seal all three points in emphatic style. Perhaps taking inspiration from Anfield team-mate Dominik Szoboszlai, who fired in an unforgettable long-range free kick in the win over Arsenal before this international break, Wirtz lined up for his own audacious attempt, and boy did he pull it off. The 22-year-old curled a stunner into the top left of the goal from outside the box, and Germany could breathe easy again. Arne Slot’s side are spoilt for choice from set pieces now. Wolves fans spent the end of the transfer window worrying about the possibility of losing a striker, Jorgen Strand Larsen, but in the end, they kept him and gained another, Tolu Arokodare. If the 24-year-old, 6ft 6in (198cm) forward, who signed in a deal worth around £22. 4million ($30. 3m) plus £1m in bonuses, can repeat his international form, Wolves fans’ fears about this season may prove unfounded. Vítor Pereira’s side are currently propping up the top flight after three losses before the international break, but in Arokodare, they could have the right man to revive an ailing cause. That is exactly what last season’s Belgian top-flight Golden Boot winner did for Nigeria on Saturday. Arokodare volleyed in the only goal of a 1-0 win against Rwanda, which improves the Super Eagles’ hopes of automatic World Cup qualification. It meant Nigeria went above Rwanda and into third in Group C, six points behind South Africa — who they now play in a crucial fixture on Tuesday (5pm BST, noon ET). Advertisement Only the group winners in the African World Cup qualifiers are guaranteed to make it (the four best group runners-up will be drawn into play-offs), and with just three rounds of games left, Nigeria need a win in Bloemfontein. But cometh the hour, cometh super-sub Arokodare. He may have to bide his time to get minutes ahead of Strand Larsen in England, but he is also behind Victor Osimhen for his country, yet did what the latter couldn’t on Saturday. Osimhen thought he had scored, but his first-half goal from Ademola Lookman’s delivery was ruled offside, and the new Galatasaray striker went off injured before the interval. It remains to be seen if he recovers in time to face South Africa, but Arokodare came on at half-time and helped Nigeria in their mission to put the failure to qualify for the last World Cup behind them. Cristiano Ronaldo could not have timed it any better. On a night when Portugal mourned Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva with a minute’s silence before their first game since their deaths, the team’s talisman scored the second in a 5-0 win against Armenia. Ronaldo netted on 21 minutes, the number that Jota wore for his country, and afterwards, manager Roberto Martinez reflected on the special moment. “Diogo Jota is with us, ” he said. “Being able to score in the 21st minute was special. We continue on our journey. I really believe (in coincidences). Diogo’s spirit is with us, it was a sign, in the 21st minute and we scored. We felt Diogo Jota from the first day of the training camp and his strength and motivation. ” That defeat at Anfield before the break was all about two closely matched title contenders slugging to a near stalemate — until one found a way to break the deadlock. Advertisement While Liverpool had the difference-maker in Szoboszlai, Arsenal did not. Well, Mikel Arteta may be tempted to revisit an old ploy after Sunday evening. The Arsenal boss used Spain midfielder Mikel Merino as a makeshift striker last season when injuries bit, and in Konya, Turkey, last night, you were reminded of the soundness of his logic. Merino got a hat-trick as Spain battered Turkey 6-0, making it six goals in the 29-year-old’s past six international games. Merino got two goals from just two touches in the Leicester City box in February when Arteta last deployed him as a striker. In this sort of form, you wouldn’t rule out Arteta using him up front again, even if Arsenal have increased depth in that position following the signing of Viktor Gyokeres. (Top photos: Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle Greg O'Keeffe is a senior writer for The Athletic covering US soccer players in the UK & Europe.

Previously he spent a decade at the Liverpool Echo covering news and features before an eight-year stint as the paper's Everton correspondent; giving readers the inside track on Goodison Park, a remit he later reprised at The Athletic.

He has also worked as a news and sport journalist for the BBC and hosts a podcast in his spare time. Follow Greg on Twitter @Greg OK