Madueke once again started for England on the right flank at Wembley as the Three Lions won the match they needed to get back to the top of the Nations League.

With a brilliant slalom run early on, Madueke attempted to get England moving in the largely dull first half against the Republic of Ireland.

After the half, Jude Bellingham was pulled down inside the box, ending the first forty-five minutes in which neither team had any shots on goal. It resulted in a penalty kick from Harry Kane that opened the floodgates and a second yellow card for Ireland defender Liam Scales.Before Marc Guehi flicked on a Madueke corner and Conor Gallagher turned it in for his first England goal, Anthony Gordon swiftly increased the home team’s lead.

With fifteen minutes left, Madueke was substituted out, and Jarrod Bowen got in on the action with his first touch. In order to make it 5-0 England and cap out Lee Carsley’s interim reign in style, another substitute, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, then headed past struggling Irish keeper Caoimhin Kelleher.

England’s attention will shift to qualifying for the 2026 World Cup when Thomas Tuchel takes over as manager on the first day of the next year.

Nkunku made his debut for France later on Sunday in their thrilling 3-1 victory over Italy on the road, which put them in first place in Group A2 of the Nations League.

At the San Siro, Nkunku played in a front three with Marcus Thuram and Randal Kolo Muani. Adrien Rabiot’s header gave Didier Deschamps’ team the ahead early on.

When Lucas Digne’s free kick struck the crossbar, bounced off Guglielmo Vicario’s back, and went in at the half, France doubled their lead.

Andrea Cambiaso’s volley gave Italy an early response, but Les Bleus kept up the pressure after the interval, and Vicario thwarted a ferocious Nkunku effort as they attempted to regain the two-goal lead that would guarantee them first place.

Rabiot accomplished this with another header from another Digne corner, and France managed to hold on to advance to the Nations League quarterfinals in March, where they will face the group runner-up.