Euro 2012 playoffs wrap: Portugal, Ireland seal qualification

Portugal thumped Bosnia and Herzegovina 6-2 in Lisbon to book their Euro 2012 spot in style, while the Republic of Ireland also qualified.

Bosnia headed to Portugal full of hope after a 0-0 home draw in the first leg, but it was Paulo Bento’s team who started off best, thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo’s free-kick after eight minutes.

The Real Madrid star hit a trade-mark dipping set-piece and Bosnian goalkeeper Asmir Begovic was beaten from long distance again just 16 minutes later as Nani let fly with a 25-yard effort that dipped in.

Portugal continued to dominate and had claims for a penalty as they looked to kill off the tie, but the visitors were thrown a lifeline just five minutes before the break when Fabio Coentrao was adjudged to have handled the ball while leaping for a header inside the area.

Despite the decision being hotly protested, Zvjezdan Misimovic converted the penalty as the hosts took a 2-1 lead into the break.

The match appeared over when Ronaldo rounded Begovic for his second just after half-time with Senad Lucic given his marching orders for dissent in the aftermath, but Bosnia again fought back, this time through Emir Spahic who scored with 25 minutes to play.

But with their numerical advantage, Portugal were well on top and a late double from Helder Postiga, either side of Miguel Veloso’s impressive free-kick, sealed the thumping win.

In the other three qualifiers played on Tuesday, the Republic of Ireland, Croatia and the Czech Republic all held onto first-leg advantages to book their places at next year’s tournament in Poland and Ukraine.

After a 4-0 first-leg win in Estonia, Irish fans at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin were in party mode as Giovanni Trappatoni’s team claimed a 1-1 draw to qualify for their first European Championships since 1988.

Left-back Stephen Ward put Ireland into a 31st-minute lead when he bundled home the rebound from Kevin Doyle’s saved header, and although Konstantin Vassiljev equalised from long-range early in the second half, an Estonian comeback was never on the cards.

Things were more even in Podgorica in the second leg, with the Czech Republic hoping to defend a 2-0 first-leg win against Montenegro.

The visitors faced lots of pressure but managed to keep Montenegro at bay before Petr Jiracek’s late strike gave Michal Bilek’s Czech side a 1-0 away win.

In Zagreb, Croatia and Turkey played out a goalless draw, ensuring Croatia progressed with a 3-0 aggregate win.

Selcuk Inan hit the post in the first minute while Hamit Altintop was also denied by the woodwork in the second half, but the Turks failed to make inroads into the deficit after their heavy home loss in the first leg.