Four of Sheffield United’s international players took part in matches during the most recent international period, but how did they fare? We take a look at the eight matches featuring the Blades’ players to find out how they got on.
Jacqui Hand – New Zealand
The Sheffield United forward was in good form for the double header of games against Venezuela, scoring the winner in the second game against La Vinotinto.
The first game against Venezuela on 31 May saw Hand spend the first hour of the game on the bench as the Football Ferns fell to a 3-1 defeat after a disappointing team performance.
New Zealand played considerably better in the second game, but went behind with just a few minutes to go until half-time, courtesy of a Mariana Speckmaier Fernandez goal and Katie Kitching’s missed penalty.
Emily Clegg equalised for the Football Ferns in added time in the first half, which paved the way for Hand to score the winner 15 minutes from time.
The goal is Hand’s 9th for New Zealand, and the first for her country since scoring against Thailand in April 2024.
Maria Farrugia – Malta
Sheffield United’s top scorer this season was once again in action for Malta, picking up her 54th and 55th caps in matches against Cyprus and Andorra.
The 24-year-old forward was ever present in Malta’s line up across the two games, playing a total of 180 minutes as the Reds beat Cyprus and kept a clean sheet in a goalless draw with Andorra, to earn promotion to Nations League B where they could face nations such as Wales, Portugal, Scotland or Belgium, the next time the tournament is held. This is expected to be in 2027.
Fallon Connolly-Jackson – Scotland U23
Having been a part of the Scotland U19 set up for much of this season, Connolly-Jackson made the step up to U23 level for this window and was rewarded with 135 minutes across the two games, back-to-back against Iceland U23.
Scotland U23 came out on top in the second game in Falkirk, winning 2-1, while they were held to a 2-2 draw in the first match, played on 29 May.
Esther Morgan – Wales
Morgan was an unused substitute as Wales were defeated 1-0 by Denmark to be relegated out of Nations League A with a game to spare, courtesy of a goal from Bayern Munich star Pernille Harder early in the second half.
Morgan was a late substitute with thirteen minutes to go, in the second game of the window against Italy
The Sheffield United midfielder was able to have a limited impact on the remainder of the game as Wales sunk to a 4-1 defeat to Italy, with Jess Fishlock’s consolation eight minutes of time not enough to undo the damage done by Italy’s four first-half goals.
Morgan is in contention for the Wales squad as the country travels to Switzerland this summer, for Euro 2025, their first major tournament.
The squad is expected to be announced on Thursday 19 June.
