There were mixed fortunes for the 11 Hibs players who were called up for international duty during the October session.
Grant Hanley, Kieron Bowie & Josh Mulligan – Scotland
Grant Hanley put in another impressive display in a Scotland jersey on his 64th cap for his country. He played the full 90 as Scotland came from behind to beat Greece 3-1 at Hampden Park.
In the lead-up to Scotland’s second qualifier with Belarus, Josh Mulligan received his first call-up to the senior Scotland National Team.
He was named on the bench alongside Hanley and Bowie, with Bowie making his competitive debut for Scotland in the closing stages of a 2-1 victory.
Those two results have guaranteed Steve Clarke’s side a World Cup play-off spot at the very least. Scotland sit joint-top of Group C alongside Denmark with two games to go.
Martin Boyle – Australia
Martin Boyle added another two caps to his international tally, representing the Socceroos in international friendlies with Canada and the United States.
The Socceroos have already qualified for the 2026 World Cup and have since begun their preparations for the tournament. Boyle came off the bench as Australia beat Canada 1-0 in Montreal before starting against the USA in Denver with the hosts running out 2-1 winners.
Rocky Bushiri – DR Congo
DR Congo took an important step towards World Cup qualification with two crucial wins over Togo (0-1) and Sudan (1-0).
Rocky played the full 90 minutes in DR Congo’s away victory over Togo, where he came up against fellow Hibs teammate Thibault Klidjé.
The Hibs defender was an unused substitute against Sudan as the Leopards guaranteed themselves as one of the best-placed group runners up.
DR Congo will now compete in the continental play-off tournament during the next international window in November.
Jordan Obita – Uganda
It was a heart-breaking end to Uganda’s and Jordan Obita’s World Cup hopes.
Obita played the full 90 minutes as Uganda beat Botswana 1-0 away from home.
The Hibs full-back started five days later against Algeria at the Nelson Mandela Stadium, where the Cranes led 1-0 with 10 minutes to play.
Unfortunately, Algeria scored twice in the closing stages, which meant Uganda missed out on one of the best-placed runner-up spots – bringing their qualification campaign to an end.
Thibault Klidjé – Togo
Thibault got more minutes under his belt while away representing Togo.
He started both matches, losing 1-0 to DR Congo, before drawing 0-0 with South Sudan.
Togo finished fourth in Group B, with eight points from their 10 matches.
Rudi Molotnikov – Scotland U21s
After representing his country at U17 and U19 level, Rudi Molotnikov earned his first call-up to the Scotland Under 21s side in October!
He made his debut for Scott Gemmill’s side, playing the full second half as the Scots eased to a 12-0 victory over Gibraltar at Dens Park.
The young Scots then drew 3-3 with Azerbaijan in Baku – picking up four points from a possible six available in their UEFA U21 European Championship qualifiers.
Joseph McGrath, Ryan Mallon & Lewis Gillie – Scotland U19s
Joseph McGrath, Lewis Gillie and Ryan Mallon were called up to represent Scotland U19s for their double header of friendlies against Italy.
The young Scots drew 1-1 with the Italians in the first match, before narrowly losing 1-0 at the Stadio Mario Lancellotta. Joseph started both matches whilst Mallon and Gillie were named among the substitutes.
