Nine West Ham United women's team players were in action for their respective countries on Friday night.
Kinga Szemik helped Poland get their UEFA Women’s Nations League campaign off to the perfect start as she kept her third successive clean sheet for her national team in a 2-0 win over Northern Ireland.
The shot-stopper helped Poland qualify for their first-ever major tournament with a pair of 1-0 victories over Austria before the turn of the year, and watched her side ease past Northern Ireland on Friday night.
Two goals in the space of four first-half minutes proved to be the difference, with Ewelina Kamczyk and Adriana Achcińska finding the back of the net for Poland in Group B1.
Full-back Verena Hanshaw also tasted victory on Friday night, as she played all of Austria’s 1-0 win over Scotland in Group A1.
Lilli Purtscheller’s 14th-minute goal was enough for Austria to claim three points from their opening Nations League encounter, while Hanshaw’s Hammers teammate Kirsty Smith was an unused substitute for Scotland in the clash.
Meanwhile, despite playing out a goalless draw with Switzerland in Group A2, Friday night will live long in the memory of Dagný Brynjarsdóttir, who made her first appearance in Iceland colours since becoming a mum of two.
The midfielder played 81 minutes of the stalemate, as West Ham forward Seraina Piubel was among Switzerland’s unused substitutes.
Elsewhere, there was late heartbreak for Amber Tysiak and Belgium, who suffered a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Spain in Group A3 on Friday night.
Tysiak, who played all of the contest, was celebrating with her team inside 18 minutes when Mariam Toloba put them ahead, and Tessa Wullaert looked to have sealed the three points 18 minutes from time, as she doubled Belgium’s advantage.
Clàudia Pina pulled a goal back for the home side not long after and then Spain levelled in the 93rd minute through Lucía García. And in a dramatic turn of events, the hosts found a winning goal in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage time, courtesy of Cristina Martín-Prieto.
West Ham’s Finland duo Oona Siren and Eva Nyström both played another 90 minutes for their country on Friday night but unfortunately fell the wrong side of a 1-0 scoreline against Serbia in Group B3.
A penalty two minutes before the break was enough to clinch Serbia the three points, as Jovana Damnjanović dispatched her spot-kick from 12 yards.
Meanwhile, Jessie Stapleton was an unused substitute in Republic of Ireland’s 1-0 success over Turkey in Group B2, which saw Kyra Carusa claim the only goal of the game.
