Internationals: Douglas Luiz stars for Brazil

The rise of Douglas Luiz continued on Saturday night as he made his first start for Brazil, who began their 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign with victory over Bolivia.

The midfielder was one of four Villa players to start their respective fixtures over the weekend, along with Marvelous Nakamba, Conor Hourihane and John McGinn.

Here's how they all got on...

Brazil

The Seleção got their campaign off to the perfect start, beating Bolivia 5-0 at the Neo Química Arena.

Douglas Luiz made his international debut as a substitute in November 2019, but this time he was in from the start for his competitive bow. 

Alongside Real Madrid's Casemiro and Barcelona's Philippe Coutinho in midfield, the Villa star helped Tite's side to control the game, completing 88 of his 93 attempted passes while creating two chances for his teammates. 

Strikes from Marquinhos, Roberto Firmino (2) and Coutinho - as well as an own goal - secured a comfortable win. 

Zimbabwe

Marvelous Nakamba's Zimbabwe travelled to Malawi for an international friendly on Sunday.

The midfielder started the game to make his 16th appearance for his country but chances were few and far between, with the game ending goalless. 

Republic of Ireland

Conor Hourihane started in midfield for the second time in four days as the Republic of Ireland played out a goalless draw with Wales. 

After penalty shoot-out heartbreak in Slovakia on Thursday, Stephen Kenny's side were back in UEFA Nations League action at the Aviva Stadium on Sunday.

Once again, Hourihane played the full game to earn his 20th international cap and contributed to a clean sheet as well as a point gained, although Ireland are still looking for their first win of the tournament. 

Hourihane and Ireland will now travel to face Finland on Wednesday. 

Scotland

Fresh from their penalty shoot-out victory over Israel, Scotland took on Slovakia looking to continue their unbeaten start to the latest UEFA Nations League campaign. 

After completing 120 minutes and converting his spot-kick earlier in the week, John McGinn was substituted on 89 minutes as Steve Clarke's side took all three points thanks to Lyndon Dykes' goal nine minutes after half-time. 

The result means that Scotland remain top of their group, with seven points from their first three games. 

Czech Republic are up next for McGinn and Scotland on Wednesday. 

England

Jack Grealish and Tyrone Mings were both unused substitutes as England beat Belgium 2-1 in the UEFA Nations League. 

Gareth Southgate's side went behind to a Romelu Lukaku penalty but fought back thanks to goals from Marcus Rashford and Mason Mount to secure the win.

The Villa duo maintained their sharpness with a post-match training session at Wembley, with Denmark up next on Wednesday.