Euro 2016 qualifiers in pictures

It was a pigpile as Poland took an early lead in Ireland in this Group D clash. But the Poles only defended after the whistle, and although they frustrated their hosts for 90 minutes, they ultimately paid the price. The Irish scored an extra-time equalizer to earn a 1-1 draw.

In Group I, Portugal picked up three valuable points at home against a game Serbia side. Ricardo Carvalho scored in minute 10 and Fábio Coentrao responded immediately to a second-half Serbian equalizer to snare the Portugese a 2-1 victory.

The Netherlands desperately needed a win at home against Turkey to get their sputtering qualification campaign in Group A back on track. But it was the visitors who drew first blood in minute 37. Wesley Sneijder saved some Dutch blushes with an injury time equalizer, but the 1-1 draw still leaves Oranje a distant third in their group.

Underdogs Bulgaria came very close to pulling off their first competitive win over Italy in 47 years. The Bulgarians scored three times in the first half - twice for themselves and an own goal for their visitors. But the Azzurri managed to claw out a 2-2 draw with a late goal. Italy are second in Group H.

Going into their match at home against tiny Latvia, the Czechs had to be feeling pretty confidant. Maybe over-confidant. Latvia grabbed a surprise lead on the half-hour mark and maintained their advantage throughout regulation time. The hosts were lucky to scramble a last-minute equalizer for the 1-1 draw. Still the Czechs do stay at the top of Group A.

Croatia grabbed a clear advantage in group H with a 5-1 thrashing of Norway. The Croats led by three goals after a little more than an hour, and even a conceded penalty (Norway missed it) and a sending off ultimately didn't slow them down.

There was a scandal in Podgorica as home fans repeatedly hurled objects at Russian players. Russia keeper Igor Akinfeev was hit by a flare in the first minute, and though play eventually resumed, the match was abandoned in minute 66 after further incidents. Montenegro can expect sanctions, while Russia will likely be awarded a win by forfeit.

The Three Lions got a comfortable 4-0 win against their Baltic visitors. Wayne Rooney broke the ice after only six minutes and England cruised from that point on. Rising young star Harry Kane (left) got his first goal for his country with only his third touch of the ball, giving his teammates plenty of reason to celebrate.

The days when the Spaniards dominated international football are over. The furia roja were taken to limit at home in Madrid by Ukraine on Friday and had to eke out a 1-0 win. Alvaro Morata scored the lone goal. Still the three points took Spain up to second place in Group C behind Slovakia.