Khazri bags another goal and Man of the Match award, showing England & Sunderland what he can do

I’m getting a little tired of writing this, however, needs must. Wahbi Khazri turned in another stellar performance this week, this time for his international side Tunisia as they defeated Bryan Oviedo's Costa Rica by a single goal at the Allianz Riviera in Nice.

The 27-year-old has enjoyed a sublime season for Ligue 1 Rennes so far, netting 11 goals in 22 appearances in all competitions for the French side - including audacious efforts against top quality opposition in Olympique Marseillais and Olympique Lyon.

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And the former Bordeaux man managed to add to his tally at international level against Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas no less, prompting the Guardian’s Paul Doyle to wax lyrical over the attacking midfielder’s talents;

Khazri scored the game’s only goal and generally revelled in the central striking role that he has recently been assigned by his country’s manager, Nabil Maâloul.

A midfielder for most of his career, Khazri has flourished as a lone attacker since joining Rennes on loan from Sunderland last summer. His clever movement and tidy interplay with Tunisia’s fleet of technically deft midfielders made him a constant menace.

In the game previous to Costa Rica, Khazri's side overcame Iran 1-0. And although he didn't find the net on this occasion he was awarded the Man of the Match award - a successful international stint for the forward.

Tunisia share a group with England at the World Cup in Russia this summer and it will be interesting to see if Khazri can produce the same level of performances he has for club this season on the big stage for his country.

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Jake Clarke-Salter and Ovie Ejaria both produced outstanding displays in England’s U21s 2-1 win against Romania at Molineux Stadium. The Sunderland duo, both making their first international appearances at under 21 level, showed why they're on the books of Premier League giants Chelsea and Liverpool respectively.

Clarke-Salter scored the winner for the Young Lions with a header, earning BT Sport’s Man of the Match award in the process. The young defender also kept England a goal to the good at halftime with a superb piece of last-ditch defending, even taking the captain’s armband in the second half.

Romanian forward Andrei Ivan had goalkeeper Dean Henderson beaten only to be denied at full stretch by Clarke-Salter, the defender managing the faintest of touches onto the ball to divert it onto the far post: a goal-saving intervention.

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The Man of the Match award could have just as easily gone to the Ejaria – who, time and time again, successfully linked midfield to attack.

London-born Ejaria oozed the sort of composure and creativity Sunderland fans have seen little of up at the Stadium of Light in recent times. All told, Ejaria ended the game with a passing accuracy of 96.6% but it was the quality of passing and the youngster’s intelligence and awareness which impressed most.

The pair have proven they can perform given the right environment and correct professional setup. Now Sunderland must do their bit and provide a solid platform for both Clarke Salter and Ejaria to shine.

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Joel Asoro’s fine run of recent form has continued, with the youngster scoring twice for Sweden U21s in their 3-0 win over Turkey in their U21 European Championships qualifier.

Asoro started in his now-familiar wide right position and netted the opening goal of the game after some tricky wing play before stabbing the ball beyond Bursaspor goalkeeper Muhammed Şengezer to give his side the lead.

Later in the game Asoro latched onto a great through ball before chipping the onrushing 'keeper to score Sweden's third - a great finish which killed the game off.

Bryan Oviedo seems a far better operator when on duty with Costa Rica and bagged an assist for his side as they beat Scotland at Hampden Park on Friday night.

The ex-Everton defender has predominately played on the left of Coleman’s five at the back system - one which relies on wing backs to provide an attacking outlet.

With Oviedo on the left, and one of Matthews, Jones or Love on the right, Sunderland's wingback often find themselves stranded up the pitch - but Oviedo has no such issue with his international team.

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Papy Djilobodji made his return to international football after a three year absence, and played as left back as his Senegal side limped to a 1-1 draw against Uzbekistan. Senegal then reverted to a back five for their clash with Bosnia and Herzegovina, with Papy playing another 90 minutes, this time as a central defender.

Adam Matthews was an unused substitute for both of Wales' games in the China Cup, with new manager Ryan Giggs instead preferring Chris Gunter at right wing back.

The former Celtic man hasn’t been much of a feature in the Wales set up in recent years and was only recalled due to a number of drop-outs from the original squad.

U23s forgotten man Sam Brotherton played the full ninety minutes for New Zealand in their 1-0 defeat to Canada, with fellow Sunderland man Michael Woud one of the unused substitutes that day for the All Whites in their first game under the management of new head coach Fritz Schmid.

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Elliot Embelton made two appearances for England's U19 side during the international break, though the midfielder was left on the bench as his team overcame Hungary 4-1.

In the next fixture against Latvia, however, Sunderland's young starlet replaced Reiss Nelson in the 71st minute of a 2-0 victory over the Eastern European minnows. Embelton then started England's final game of the break against Macedonia but could not prevent his side succumbing to a shock 2-0 loss.

Interestingly, despite reported injury problems Paddy McNair came off the bench for Michael O'Neill's Northern Ireland in a 2-1 victory over South Korea Windsor Park.

Could the versatile midfielder prove a key figure in Sunderland's relegation run-in? His international appearance certainly suggests that he could play some part.