Bournemouth On International Duty - Paulsen The Hero But Brooks Is Sent Home

International breaks always tend to bring various contrasting emotions, and with one Bournemouth player emerging as a national hero while another has seen his campaign brought to a premature end, this one has been no different.

Young goalkeeper Alex Paulsen played a starring role for New Zealand, producing the crucial save in a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Panama. It was another significant moment in the youngsters growing international career and a performance that underlined why the Cherries continue to hold him in such high regard. However, there was disappointment elsewhere, as David Brooks’ involvement with Wales came to an unfortunate conclusion. Having started his country’s opening match of the international break, the Bournemouth midfielder has been forced to withdraw after suffering an injury, with Wales confirming that he has now been sent home. Two very different stories for two Cherries players hoping to take their respected opportunities. 

The All Whites have advanced to the Kirin Cup final in Japan after beating Panama in a penalty shootout in Yokohama.

New Zealand were first on the scorecard when Marko Stamenic found the back of the net after 13 minutes. They had looked set to head into the break with a 1-0 lead until Giovany Herbert scored an equaliser for Panama on the stroke of half time.

So it came to penalties, Tyler Bindon, Marko Stamenic, Moses Dyer, Lachlan Bayliss and Michael Boxall all held their nerve, and Alex Paulsen's prevented Panama from being equally impeccable from the spot, saving Jimenez's penalty to send New Zealand through.

An important moment for Paulsen who is fighting to keep hold of the number one shirt for his nation and doing himself no harm. He will now head to the final at the Tokyo National Stadium on Monday 5th October fully expected to be the man between the sticks once more.

Cherries man David Brooks has sadly been withdrawn from the Wales squad due to injury and will miss the upcoming matches against both Norway and Denmark.

Brooks picked up the injury after playing 63 minutes in Wales' 1-0 loss to Portugal, though the nature and severity of the injury remain unclear. The silky midfielder has yet to start a Premier League match this season and has primarily been used off the bench at club level, so this was a real opportunity to build up some match sharpness. His status will need to be monitored ahead of the return to domestic action, but any period out will be a huge loss to both him and Bournemouth. The Cherries have a gruelling schedule ahead and Marco Rose has opted to utilise Brooks from the bench often, both him and David himself will be hoping this setback isn't too serious.