The matches involving the Chelsea pair took place in the early hours of Friday morning (UK time) as they were played in the CONCACAF region of North America, Central America and the Caribbean.

Ecuador, having already secured a spot at next summer’s World Cup after a strong showing in South American qualifying, continued their preparations for the tournament with an away friendly in Canada, who qualified automatically as one of the three co-hosts.

Caicedo started in midfield in Toronto, with Kendry Paez – currently on loan from Chelsea to Strasbourg – joining him from the bench in the second half, by which time Canada had a man sent off.

Ecuador once again showed the defensive resilience that saw them concede just five goals in their 18 qualifying fixtures, frustrating the home team throughout a 0-0 draw

Qualifying is still ongoing for Jamaica, though, for whom Richards featured as a substitute against Trinidad & Tobago in their penultimate match.

Steve McClaren's side took the lead in the second half and Richards, earning his 13th cap, was introduced with 23 minutes remaining. However, Trinidad & Tobago netted a late equaliser to earn a share of the points.

That leaves Jamaica second in Group B, one point behind Curacao, who they host in Kingston for their final game. That match kicks off at 1am UK time on Wednesday 19 November.

A win for Jamaica would seal just the second World Cup qualification in the country’s history, and the first since 1998. Their strong goal difference means if they fail to beat Curacao, the Reggae Boyz have a good chance of making the inter-continental play-offs as one of the best second-placed sides.