Wan-Bissaka plays full game in DR Congo's 2-0 win

Aaron Wan-Bissaka played the full 90 minutes as DR Congo began their 2027 African Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with a 2-0 victory over Equatorial Guinea in Kinshasa on Thursday.

The Aston Villa right-back helped his side keep a clean sheet, with goals from captain Chancel Mbemba and Newcastle United striker Yoane Wissa securing the three points.

The result puts DR Congo top of Group E after the opening round of fixtures. They travel to face Zimbabwe on Monday, with kick-off at 5pm.

Among Aston Villa's younger players on international duty, Fletcher Boyd started and completed 90 minutes for Scotland Under-19s in a 3-1 friendly win over Finland in Spain.

On Wednesday, Josh Blake came off the bench 17 minutes from time to score the fifth goal in England Under-17s' 5-1 friendly victory over Republic of Ireland. His Villa Under-18s teammate Oscar Johnson had started the match at St. George's Park before being replaced by Blake.

Wales Under-17s also featured two Villa academy players — George Thomas and Fabian Williams both started as Wales were beaten 3-0 by Switzerland. Thomas completed the full game while Williams was withdrawn seven minutes before the final whistle.