Israel, Belarus and Ireland registered wins in the Euro qualifiers. Meanwhile, Romania and Switzerland fought to a draw in a four goal game.
Switzerland 2-2 Romania
Switzerland gave away a generous starting position in the European Championship qualifying period on Monday evening. A 2-0 lead was not enough against Romania, which scored twice in extra time.
With two goals from Zeki Amdouni in the first half, Switzerland seemed to be on its way to making it a very comfortable group run. After all, at this position Switzerland would be five points behind the numbers two and three.
However, Valentin Mihaila has made the situation in Group I a lot more exciting. The Parma striker scored in quick succession in extra time, keeping Switzerland in the crosshairs of both Romania and Israel.
Israel 2-1 Andorra
Israel had to go deep against Andorra to keep the points in their own country, after Raz Shlomo’s opening goal, Rosas Ubach equalized. However, it was Manor Solomon who gave his country victory, with former Vitesse back Eli Dasa at the back. This puts the country three points behind leader Switzerland.
Belarus 2-1 Kosovo
Switzerland, Israel and Romania seem to be allowed to worry about the European Championship ticket, Belarus seems to become the best of the rest. The country made the difference in the final phase, in the last fifteen minutes Vladislav Morozov and Maks Ebong scored against Kosovo. Kosovo came close to a draw through a penalty kick from Vedat Muriqi, but it remained at 2-1. Aro Muric, Ibrahim Dresevic and Bersant Celina made their appearance at the away country.
Ireland 3-0 Gibraltar
With an average of three goals conceded in the first three European Championship qualifying matches, Gibraltar showed that it is no longer the shooting gallery of yesteryear. The southern Europeans also showed their best side at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, as Ireland remarkably did not score against the semi-pros of Gibraltar before half-time.
Things went wrong for the visitors in the second half. First substitute Mikey Johnston took advantage of a smothered free kick, then Brighton & Hove Albion striker Evan Ferguson doubled the score (2-0). In the final phase, another substitute, Adam Idah, ensured that Gibraltar’s average number of goals against remained intact (3-0).
