Top 11 Moments from Weekend's Euro 2016 Qualifying Matches

Club football might very well rule the roost for the most part, but it's hard to beat the unique passion and excitement that surrounds a match involving your home nation. Indeed, sweat, tears and shouts of anxiety were the order of the weekend as the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign resumed once more—but what was the best moment of it all?

Some of the best European footballers took centre stage in a bid to push themselves one step closer to France 2016, but there were plenty of thrills and spills on display from all angles.

Reigning champions Spain were in action, as were England, Italy and The Netherlands, but will any of them top our list?

Join us to find out as we count down the top 11 moments from the past couple days of international action from Europe.

Don't forget to have your say in the comments thread below!

11. Nemanja Matic's Acrobatic Volley Against Portugal

Kicking off our list is Chelsea's Nemanja Matic, who scored an absolute beauty against Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal as Serbia lost their away clash 2-1.

Second from bottom in Group I, joined on points with Armenia, the Serbs have not enjoyed a great time in qualification as they've only taken one point from a possible 12.

Brightening their evening somewhat, though, was Matic's extraordinary bicycle kick from just outside the six-yard area as they battled back from a goal down.

Connecting splendidly with a teammate's glancing header, he smashed the ball past Rui Patricio to the delight of the travelling support.

Nevertheless, they simply couldn't hold on as a brilliant Joao Moutinho assist set up Fabio Coentrao for the match winner late in the clash.

10. Gibraltar's First-Ever Euro Qualifying Goal

Next up on our list is this historic Gibraltar goal, and it gets the nod ahead of Matic's strike purely for how big of a goal it was.

On a day when Scotland drubbed Gibraltar 6-1, it might have been easy for many to forget that Gibraltar had successfully scored their first-ever goal in European Championship qualifying.

Pouncing almost immediately after the Scots had netted the opening strike from the penalty spot, the away side went on the offensive to pull the scores back to level terms once more, through Lee Casciaro.

Set up superbly by Aaron Pyas, the player, who earns his crust as a policeman, made absolutely no mistake from an incredibly tight angle to make history.

And it was also their first-ever competitive goal too.

Underdogs everywhere celebrated his strike in unison as it looked like they might nab a point, but a resurgent Scotland eventually laid down the law to run out impressively comfortable victors as they looked to keep the pressure on both Germany and Poland in Group D.

9. Belgium's 5-Star Display Against Cyprus

As if in an effort to make up for past mistakes, Belgium turned in their best performance of the year as they cruised past Cyprus with a 5-0 win.

Jumping ahead of the Cypriots in the Group D standings in the process, their dazzling team display will have gone some way to easing the fans' nerves.

In particular, Les Diables Rouges' fourth goal of the weekend was a real treat for the eyes as Chelsea wideman Eden Hazard produced a sumptuous piece of skill before curling the ball between two stationary defenders, off the post and in past the despairing goalkeeper.

There and then, it was all over even though there was around 25 minutes left in the clash.

Belgium will hope this win carries them to another win when they face Wales at the Cardiff City Stadium in June.

8. Kyle Lafferty's Match-Winning Brace Against Finland

Securing a massive three points that ensured they kept pace with Romania at the summit of Group F, Northern Ireland earned themselves a deserved win against Finland as Kyle Lafferty netted a fine brace.

And Lafferty pips Belgium to eighth spot on our list for his individual brilliance.

Currently plying his trade with Caykur Rizespor, the 27-year-old put in a sterling performance with two clinical strikes to ensure they kept on course to qualify automatically for France.

Getting off the mark in the 33rd minute of their 2-1 win with a sweetly struck volley, he then popped up just five minutes later with a clinical header to send the fans wild.

Next up, Michael O'Neill's charges face Romania at home in what could turn out to be the decider for first place.

Will Lafferty net yet again?

7. Nazarov's Thunderbolt Against Malta

Picking up their first three points of qualifying, Azerbaijan swatted aside the challenge of fellow Group H strugglers with a rather comfortable display.

Goals from Cavid Huseynov and Dimitrij Nazarov were enough to guarantee the home win and although they have incredibly slim hopes of making it to France next year, it was the strive of the 24-year-old Kazakh-born midfielder that really brightened up the home fans' evening.

Killing the cross-field ball with a deft touch, he then sidestepped his marker nonchalantly, before rifling into the top corner to send the fans wild.

Undoubtedly, one of the best goals of the weekend.

6. Shane Long's Late, Late Show

There was absolutely no shortage of drama when Ireland welcomed Poland to the Aviva Stadium on Sunday, and in the end the luck of the Irish saw Martin O'Neill's side pull through with a late equaliser courtesy of Southampton's Shane Long.

Sneaking ahead of Nazarov's goal on our list, Long's strike sits in sixth spot because of just how important the goal could prove to be in the grand scheme of things.

In the 91st minute of the clash, a Robbie Brady corner was whipped in deep towards the back post where it met the head of Wes Hoolahan, and his cushioned header found Shane Long who scooped it over the helpless Lukasz Fabianski.

The goal gives Ireland real hope and although Poland remain unbeaten in Group D, the Boys In Green are now just three points off the top with three of their five remaining games to be played at home.

Will their luck hold out?

5. Sneijder and Huntelaar Save Holland's Skin, for Now

The Netherlands continued their mediocre Euro 2016 qualifying campaign as they were forced to wait until deep into stoppage time for their equaliser against Turkey.

Before their weekend clash, Guus Hiddink's charges had only picked up six points from a possible 12 and now have only seven from 15—hardly inspiring form from a country that performed so well at the World Cup in Brazil in 2014.

Credit to Wesley Sneijder and the Dutch players for not giving up as the Galatasaray midfielder smashed a long-range effort at goal in the 92nd minute before it ricocheted off Klaas Jan-Huntelaar and into the back of the net.

Currently sitting in third spot in Group A, there is still hope for the Oranje, but they need to see a sharp upturn in fortunes before anyone gets excited about watching them again any time soon.

4. Martin Odegaard's Record-Breaking Appearance

Becoming the youngest player to ever start a European qualifier, the Real Madrid Castilla starlet had a relatively anonymous feature as Norway slumped to a heavy 5-1 defeat.

Getting on the ball whenever he could, the intention from the 16-year-old was clear to see, but there was just no end product.

As reported by Goal.com's Tony Mahoney, his display was far from the headline-grabbing one his fans might have hoped for and his clash with Marcelo Brozovic summed up his night:

"

[Martin] Odegaard was catapulted to the ground and took the best part of 30 seconds to get to his feet. In a microcosm, the tussle summed up Odegaard's performance. While technically, he is a player who has everything - physically and mentally, he was a boy playing a man's game. 

"

Looking at the highlights package above, we can see that much of his contributions involved playing the ball backwards as well as a few neat tricks, but there was little substance to his play.

That said, it is still very early days for the ex-Stromsgodset player, and he has a lot of growing up left to do before anyone can really criticise him.

For now, one hopes he enjoys the experience of playing football at the highest level and doesn't let the pressure get to him.

3. Morata's Goal Against Ukraine

Pulling three points clear of Ukraine in Group C thanks to Alvaro Morata's goal in their 1-0 victory, Spain can now focus their efforts on joining Slovakia at the top.

With just seven goals to his name in the Serie A top scorers charts, he is some way off catching his club team-mate Carlos Tevez, who has 16 goals to his name.

Nevertheless, watching the way he stuck away the ball played into him by Andres Iniesta, it's obvious he has the necessary skills to bang in a few more as the campaign enters its second half.

Will he net a few more as the reigning champions look to send a signal out to the rest of the big guns?

2. Harry Kane's First Goal for England

Disappointing no one (except of course Lithuanian football fans), Harry Kane took full advantage of his cameo for England at the weekend to net a goal inside 80 seconds.

Coming off the bench in the second half, the Tottenham Hotspur striker, and the Premier League's top goalscorer alongside Diego Costa, rounded off the scoring for The Three Lions after Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck and Raheem Sterling had given Roy Hogson's men a commanding lead.

Confirming his brilliance, the 21-year-old made no mistake with his calm header to nod the ball past Giedrius Arlauskis.

As relayed by the Daily Mail's Richard Arrowsmith, the Spurs starlet is set to start against Italy.

Will we see the in-form striker double his England tally when they travel to Turin to face the Azzurri?

1. Gareth Bale's Stunning Free-Kick Against Israel

Ariel Schalit/Associated Press

Wales' Gareth Bale celebrates his second goal against Israel during Euro 2016 group B qualifying soccer match in Haifa, Israel, Saturday, March 28, 2015. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Wales ran out comfortable 3-0 winners against Israel over the weekend as a Gareth Bale brace built on a first-half Aaron Ramsey strike.

Without a shadow of a doubt, however, it was Bale's free-kick in the 50th minute that stole all the headlines.

Allowing himself the opportunity to shine away from the high-pressure stakes of the Bernabeu for Real Madrid, he managed to find the net on a weekend when Cristiano fired yet another blank for his country.

Bale was once more the star of the show as the Welsh side continued their march towards automatic qualification.

Just take a look at the strike once more and drink in how he manages to get the ball up and over the wall with such precision. Clearly the best goal of the weekend and it deservedly takes the No. 1 spot ahead of Kane for the quality of the strike.

Quality football. And what a weapon he will continue to be in the coming weeks.