Reds striker Craig Bellamy played the full 90 minutes for Wales last night as they beat San Marino at the Millennium Stadium. Just 15,000 fans saw the 3-0 win.
Meanwhile, Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard was playing for England against Andorra, and scored twice as England won 3-0. The England team are under pressure as ever and were booed off the pitch by supporters expecting an 8-0 win. Possession stats were nearly 80-20 in England's favour, with Andorra failing to have a single shot at goal, but England struggled to break their defensive opponents down. After the game Gerrard sounded downhearted, despite his own personal performance: "The first half was one of the most difficult 45 minutes I have ever experienced in an England shirt," he said. "We had to show a lot of character after half-time. We only got on top when they were tired. The fans expected six points from the two games; there's been a lot of pressure. Of course, you can hear it but we had to show a lot of character after half-time. It's not as easy as going out and running over teams but eventually we did. It is not draining but it was difficult."
That game was played in Barcelona at the Olympic Stadium, whilst the Spanish national side were playing in Palma. Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso played the last 11 minutes of the 1-0 win over Iceland. Former Reds striker Fernando Morientes was out of the game in the first half due to a dislocated shoulder sustained when he collided with a post. The Spanish doctor says Nando will be out of the forthcoming Champions League clashes with Chelsea.
Liverpool's full-backs were also on duty last night: John Arne Riise played in Norway's 2-2 draw with Turkey and Steve Finnan in Ireland's 1-0 win over Slovakia. Striker Dirk Kuyt had chances to put Holland ahead in their game in Slovenia, but in the end a deflected goal from Giovanni van Bronckhorst gave the Dutch their 1-0 win.
Rafael Benitez will be pleased that there were no reported injuries last night to his players, and now has to work hard to get them ready for the lunchtime kick-off against Arsenal this Saturday. Rafa has had problems preparing his players for league games after international fixtures in the past, with practically no time to train ahead of the games.
Update: Earlier today we missed out Daniel Agger's friendly appearance for Denmark in their 1-0 win over Germany. And one Red was on the losing side last night after all – Sami Hyypia's Finland lost 1-0 in Azerbaijan in their Euro 2008 qualifier..