What do Ian Rush, Mark Hughes and Ryan Giggs have in common?
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But reflecting on Wales and Albania’s achievements, and the people you have met along the way to whom they mean so much, your view softens to wonder whether an enlarged finals might yet be for the best. It was a curse I was sure would afflict Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale. The latter’s Andriy Yarmolenko was the team’s top scorer with four in 10 although three came in one game against Luxembourg.
It is an unremarkable city to the eye but Montenegro has fashioned a few spectacular talents and none more so than Dejan Savicevic, now the president of the local FA, who looked on as a side shorn of modern-day talisman Stefan Jovetic through injury played Group G winners Austria.
Wales are not the only minnow nation that has made it through to the Finals in France next year, and they have the decision by UEFA to expand the tournament to 24-teams to thank for that.
Which countries will be in the play-offs?
Hungary would appear to be the dream draw for Ireland from here. Gordon Strachan’s team were unable to finish off the puzzle.
Norway, meanwhile, were squeezed out of the top two in Group H after having led at the break away to Italy where they needed all three points.
The campaign has been a major disappointment for the Bosnians who would have been desperate to build on their first appearance at a major championship a year ago.
Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill says he will be picking the brains of former Ireland boss Mick McCarthy ahead of Euro 2016.
Denmark will have to settle for a play-off place.
Still, it would have been their first European Championships since Belgium in 1972 when the whole affair was a four team tournament that started with the semi-finals so there would have been a few sentimental appeal to them making it. The Slovaks finished second in Group C; back-to-back champions Spain won the group, and the Ukraine will go through to the playoffs.
Ireland have recent experience of clashes against the Swedes as they were our chief rivals in the last World Cup qualifying campaign, with a battling 0-0 away from home backed up by a 2-1 home defeat that all-but ended qualification hopes for Giovanni Trapattoni’s side. In the event, the match passed with next to no incident apart from two late Serbian goals that meant Albania, who would have qualified with a win, would have to wait three more days for a tilt at glory. The 2014 World Cup third-placed finishers will have to make do with a berth in front of the TV set next summer.
The Italians and Austrians also qualified without losing a game.
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The Euro 2016 play-off draw will take place on Sunday morning, with home advantage not guaranteed for the seeded teams in the second leg of the tie.
