THE INCREDIBLE IRISH win in Dublin will dominate the majority of headlines tomorrow and beyond – as will Northern Ireland’s qualification – but there was plenty more European action right across Thursday night.
Group F
In Group F, Ovidiu Hoban’s 91st-minute equaliser for Romania kept them in pole position to claim second place after a 1-1 draw at home to Finland.
Romania, who travel to the Faroe Islands in their final game, will assure themselves of automatic qualification providing they match Hungary’s result in Greece at the weekend.
| Pos. | Team | P | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northern Ireland | 9 | 8 | 20 | |
| 2 |
Romania
|
9 | 6 | 17 | |
| 3 |
Hungary
|
9 | 3 | 16 | |
| 4 |
Finland
|
9 | -1 | 11 | |
| 5 |
Faroe Islands
|
9 | -8 | 6 | |
| 6 | Greece | 9 | -8 | 3 |
Group I
Meanwhile, in Group I, Joao Moutinho’s second-half goal for Portugal earned Fernando Santos’ men a place in France, while Denmark face an anxious wait to see if they automatically qualify.
Albania could have pipped the Danes into second with three points at home to Serbia, but stoppage-time goals from Aleksandar Kolarov and Adem Ljajic earned the visitors a 2-0 victory, leaving Albania needing a win in Armenia on Sunday to qualify for their first major tournament.
| Pos. | Team | P | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portugal | 7 | 5 | 18 | |
| 2 | Denmark | 8 | 3 | 12 | |
| 3 |
Albania
|
7 | 2 | 11 | |
| 4 |
Serbia
|
7 | -4 | 4 | |
| 5 |
Armenia
|
7 | -6 | 2 |
Additional reporting by Eoin O’Callaghan
