Merciless Poles rock Gibraltar

Aiden McGeady may have been the toast of Ireland last night after his heroics in Georgia but the early Group D running is being set by Poland, after they condemned Gibraltar to a 7-0 defeat in their first-ever senior competitive game last night-

Robert Lewandowski scored four, Kamil Grosicki fired two and Lukas Szukala also got onto the scoresheet in a predictably one-sided match at Estadio Do Algarve in Portugal.

Elsewhere, Kyle Lafferty and Niall McGinn were the late heroes as Northern Ireland grabbed a dramatic 2-1 win in their Euro 2016 Group F opener in Hungary. It was the North’s first away win in four years.

“The work-rate throughout the game was fantastic and they executed the game plan to a tee,” boss Michael O’Neill said. “To have gone behind and then go on to win is huge for us, a really big start to the campaign.”

The shock result of the night came in Portugal, where the hosts slumped to an embarrassing 1-0 defeat at home to Albania in their opening Group I qualifier as any hopes of bouncing back from a miserable World Cup were shattered. A stunning volley from Bekim Balaj early in the second half decided the match, with the hosts, without rested Cristiano Ronaldo, unable to muster a response.