Euro 2016 Qualifiers: Winners and Losers from Saturday's Matches
Saturday’s Euro 2016 qualification matches had a bit of everything: blowouts, draws, upsets, history-making performances and crowd trouble.
The most compelling fare was surely in Group D, where a few hours after the Republic of Ireland shellacked Gibraltar, 7-0, and Scotland edged Georgia, 1-0, Poland recorded their first ever win over Germany.
Group I’s matches saw Armenia pick up a surprising point at home to Serbia and Albania earn a draw with Denmark, and in Group F, Northern Ireland beat the Faroe Islands, 2-0, while Finland and Greece played to a 1-1 draw.
It was in the section’s third match, between Romania and Hungary, that police and supporters clashed in Bucharest, as per The Associated Press, via USA Today.
Following are some of the winners and losers from Saturday’s matches.
Winner: History, Which Was Made in Warsaw
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Heading into Saturday’s Group D encounter, Poland had yet to beat Germany in 18 attempts and had just six draws to show for their previous showdowns with their regional rivals.
It was a streak that ended in Warsaw, where Arkadiusz Milik and Sebastian Mila scored against the run of play to secure a 2-0 victory for the hosts.
Poland goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was especially impressive against Germany, and Kamil Glik and Robert Lewandowski contributed standout performances as well.
Germany debutante Karim Bellarabi simply couldn’t buy a goal over the 90 minutes, despite being his side’s best attacker on the night.
"I can't fault the team, but perhaps we should have made more of our chances," Germany coach Joachim Low said, per BBC Sport. "After a loss you always need to show a good reaction."
Loser: Akaki Khubutia, Whose Own Goal Cost Georgia Dearly
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Scotland made a good start to their Group D match at home to Georgia, but it took until the 28th minute for them to find a breakthrough.
And even then, it wasn’t one of their own players who put the ball in the back of the net.
Following a partially cleared Scotland corner, Giorgi Loria made the initial save off Shaun Maloney before the rebound hit Akaki Khubutia and bounced over the goal line.
It proved to be the only goal of the night as Scotland, having lost, 2-1, to Germany in their Euro 2016 qualification opener, picked up their first points of the campaign.
Winner: Robbie Keane, Who Scored a Hat-Trick Against Gibraltar
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Robbie Keane’s history-making international career added another chapter—and three more goals—on Saturday as the Republic of Ireland trounced Gibraltar, 7-0, in Dublin.
The Los Angeles Galaxy striker scored a hat-trick within the opening 18 minutes, stretching his all-time mark for his country to 65 goals.
Keane, 34, is also the Republic’s appearances leader and earned his 136th cap at Aviva Stadium.
Winner: Ermir Lenjani, Who Scored a Marvelous Goal for Albania
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Don’t look now, but Albania have yet to lose in Euro 2016 qualifying after matches against Group I heavyweights Portugal and Denmark.
Goalkeeper Etrit Berisha made several important saves to limit the Danes to just a single goal on Saturday (most notably on Simon Kjaer and Yussuf Poulsen), but it was Ermir Lenjani’s goal that both put Albania in front and brought the fans to their feet in Tirana.
Cutting in from the left, Lenjani released a delightful, swerving shot that found the far corner of the net.
Losers: The Troublemakers in Bucharest, Who Required Police Intervention
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Chanting, firecrackers and smoke bombs drowned out Hungary’s national anthem in Bucharest on Saturday, and police responded by using tear gas against the culprits.
According to USA Today, 12,000 police and riot personnel had been dispatched ahead of Saturday’s Group F encounter between Romania and Hungary, and while they were called into action ahead of kick-off, there were no reports of injuries or arrests.
Winner: Roy Carroll, Who Saved a Penalty for Northern Ireland
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It was back in 2010 that Northern Ireland could only draw, 1-1, with Faroe Islands, and at one point, Saturday’s match between the two sides threatened to be a similarly tight affair.
Gareth McAuley and Kyle Lafferty had put the hosts in a seemingly comfortable 2-0 lead at Windsor Park inside the opening 20 minutes, but a quarter of an hour later, the guests were handed a lifeline when Shane Ferguson fouled Joan Edmundsson inside the box.
Frodi Benjaminsen stepped up to do the honours for Faroe Islands, who stood to pull to within just a single goal of their Group F rivals.
But Northern Ireland goalkeeper Roy Carroll made a superb, diving save to deny Benjaminsen, and his side eventually cruised to the full three points.
