One place off top spot in the group, highly respected Eastern European opposition in town, and a second successive qualification for a major tournament on the line. Yep, Belfast must have been rocking on Monday evening.

Northern Ireland’s elder statesmen are driven by a desire to feature at a World Cup finals before they call it a day, defender Chris Brunt has said.

Northern Ireland have beaten Czech Republic 2-0 in their World Cup qualifying Group C match at Windsor Park.

Northern Ireland are on the brink of securing second place in their World Cup qualifying group after beating San Marino 3-0 to record their fourth successive victory.

Michael O'Neill expects his Northern Ireland players to treat Friday's World Cup qualifier with San Marino as if they were playing Germany.

Captain Manuel Neuer has been left out of the Germany squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Czech Republic and Norway.

IT WAS pleasant indeed to be rafting down the River Vltava in Bohemia in Czech Republic of a Sunday afternoon, so pleasant that some of us said that, one day, we’d paddle all the way to the Elbe and across Germany to the North Sea, writes Damien Enright

FK Mlada Boleslav 2 - 0 Shamrock Rovers (Boleslav win 5-2 on agg.) Already facing a mammoth task following the first leg, Shamrock Rovers duly bowed out of the Europa League in the Czech Republic last night.

Shamrock Rovers 2 Mladá Boleslav 3

Shane Long hopes to inspire Southampton's bid to reach the Europa League knockout stages after leaving his newborn son for Thursday's visit to Sparta Prague.

An emergency EU foreign ministers' meeting called to discuss Donald Trump's shock US election victory has been snubbed by Britain's Boris Johnson.

Hell or High Water 5/5

Villarreal eased into the semi-finals of the Europa League with a 4-2 second-leg victory over Sparta Prague last night.

Nobody knows what the Irish ever did to upset the Wisniewski family but whatever it was, they’re still at it — still putting the boot into the Greenshirts after all these years.

Britain and the EU must be all things to all people as they attempt to forge a document that aims to keep everyone happy, says Ann Cahill Europe Correspondent.

Turkey moved a significant step closer to securing a place in the Euro 2016 qualifying play-offs and the elimination of former champions Holland after beating the Czech Republic 2-0.

European states to share 54,000 refugees after divisive deal reached

“We can build walls, we can build fences. But imagine for a second it were you, your child in your arms, the world you knew torn apart around you. There is no price you would not pay, there is no wall you would not climb, no sea you would not sail, no border you would not cross if it is war or the barbarism of the so-called Islamic State that you are fleeing”.

By Karl Fradgley

Get a taste of some of the interesting and quirky happenings in Europe from our Europe correspondent, Ann Cahill

Holland came from behind to beat Kazakhstan 3-1 at the Amsterdam ArenA and get their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign up and running.

Gareth Bale spared Wales blushes when his stunning free-kick late helped his side overcame tiny Andorra in their Euro 2016 Group B qualification opener.

Exit polls from the Netherlands suggest anti-EU sentiment might be levelling off as decidedly pro-EU parties came out on top, but the message from Britain appears to be very different with Ukip clear winners.

Ireland tries to milk EU for all it’s worth

The Czech Republic’s incoming finance minister has raised the possibility that the country might adopt the euro.

That sucks: Cockroach lodges in man’s ear

Czech authorities are working to identify the explosive that killed the Palestinian ambassador who died after opening an embassy safe.

Have you ever wondered which country has the largest amount of gold reserves or how Ireland's youth unemployment rate compares with the rest of the world?

Substitute Alvaro Negredo and Edin Dzeko kept Manchester City’s hopes of topping Champions League Group D alive by securing a 4-2 win over Viktoria Plzen.

Manchester City 4 Viktoria Plzen 2

South African asks court to change bail so he can have loud sex

More than half of Irish people have shopped online in the past year — just below the European average.

There are certain sayings that should be banned from the language.

An Irish citizen and two Britons are among 16 tourists injured when their bus overturned on a road in Cuba.

Czech prosecutors have charged seven people in a multi-pronged scandal involving the prime minister’s aide, his estranged wife, the military, former politicians and kilograms of gold.

Two early goals helped the Czech Republic heap more problems on struggling Turkey with a 2-0 friendly win at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium tonight.

Spain relinquished their Davis Cup crown tonight after veteran Radek Stepanek guided the Czech Republic to a stunning triumph in Prague.

Thousands of Czechs have rallied in protest against the government’s policies and austerity cuts and other policies on the 23rd anniversary of the Velvet Revolution.

Farmers have been warned to prepare for great change in relation to the “harsh realties” of Common Agricultural Policy reform.

At any other point in the last four years, it would have been ridiculous. On Friday though, it will be entirely relevant: Giovanni Trapattoni could do with following Steve Staunton’s example.