Salomon Rondon gives Newcastle United a major boost ahead of Arsenal clash

The 28-year-old notched his first brace of the season in the early hours of Tuesday morning as Venezuela beat Panama 2-0 in an international friendly.

He scored the opener on 67th minute when he latched onto a low cross at the backpost.

His second followed in the third minute of injury time when Venezuela broke away on the counter-attack with Rondon applying a cool finish into the bottom left corner.

Rondonwas evidently delighted to find the back of the net, and Newcastle fans will be hoping to see similar passion to the one he possesses for his country very soon.

"My responsibility as a Venezuelan person is to make Venezuelan people proud of football," the former Malaga forward said.

"It’s the same when we play for the national team. We try to make them forget the bad moments, the bad things, just for those 90 minutes.

"I don’t have a tattoo, but if I did it would be the flag of my country. I feel very, very proud to be a Venezuelan. This is my ID. As a footballer, I try my best to make them proud."

Meanwhile, DeAndre Yedlin played the final six minutes in the USA's 1-0 victory over rivals Mexico.

Fabian Schar played a full 90 minutes in Switzerland's 3-0 loss to England at the King Power Stadium whilst defensive partner Ciaran Clark watched on from the bench as the Republic of Ireland drew 1-1 in Poland.

Ki Sung-yueng also got a full game under his belt as South Korea and Chile cancelled each other out.