Giovanni Trapattoni said the Republic of Ireland are "well prepared" for their forthcoming tests against the top seeds in Group B, Russia and Slovakia

Republic of Ireland coach Giovanni Trapattoni has named a 26-man squad for the potentially key Group B qualifiers against Russia and Slovakia.

Ireland posted maximum points from their opening matches but are ready for tougher tests in Moscow and Dublin, on 8 and 12 October respectively. "We go into these qualifiers with six points from six in the opening games of the campaign in September," Trapattoni said. "We performed well against Armenia and Andorra and we will build on these good results in our next games.

"These teams are the top seeds in the group and they will be looking to take three points from us to kick-start their EURO campaigns but we have prepared well and will not make it easy for them as we continue to lay the foundations to qualify for the European Championship finals." Centre-back Richard Dunne (knee) and midfield player Keith Andrews (groin) are the Italian's main injury concerns.

Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia coach Mirsad Jonuz has recalled three players in his 23-man squad for the UEFA EURO 2012 qualifiers against Ando

Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia coach Mirsad Jonuz has named a 23-man squad for the October qualifiers against Andorra and Russia.

Returning to the fold after missing the opening Group B games against Slovakia and Armenia – which produced a 1-0 defeat and 2-2 draw – are right-back Vlade Lazarevski, central defender Daniel Mojsov and midfielder Darko Tasevski. Korea Republic-based striker Blaze Ilijoski is omitted.

No1 goalkeeper Tome Pacovski remains on the sidelines after breaking his leg when playing for his Belgian club KFC Germinal Beerschot Antwerpen, meaning Edin Nuredinovski is again likely to deputise.

"I've named 23 players – the list is long and final," Jonuz said. "There will be no new players called up even if someone gets injured. It's important that everyone is psychologically prepared for these upcoming games and they should not be surprised by last-minute call-ups."

Elsad Zverotić's effort from distance stunned the home fans in Sofia as the tournament debutants won again.

Elsad Zverotić struck from distance to give Montenegro a 1-0 Group B win against Bulgaria in Sofia as UEFA's newest member nation secured a second UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying win.

The FC Luzern defender's low strike surged past Nikolay Mihaylov in the Bulgaria goal to leave Bulgaria with a mountain to climb in the section, following their opening 4-0 defeat in England; indeed coach Stanimir Stoilov resigned after the game. Zlatko Kranjčar's side, meanwhile, can still believe that anything is possible ahead of their next qualifier, at home against Switzerland on 8 October.

Captain Mirko Vučinić struck to give Montenegro a 1-0 win against Wales on Friday in their first UEFA European Championship game, but it did not initially seem that they would be able to repeat that feat against Bulgaria. However, after Mladen Božović saved from Ivelin Popov's header after 35 minutes, Montenegro broke, with Zverotić striking gold from 30 metres.

Bulgaria coach Stoilov brought on Stanislav Genchev for right-back Zhivko Milanov at the break with Valeri Bozhinov also replacing Dimitar Rangelov up front, but while the home side dominated, Montenegro held their own, with Božović doing his reputation no harm. A Martin Petrov free-kick crashed into the bar at the death but Bulgaria were defeated and Stoilov soon announced his resignation.

Armenia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia both opened their accounts in Group B of UEFA EURO 2012

Armenia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia both opened their accounts in Group B of UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying with a 2-2 draw in Skopje.

Beaten 1-0 by the Republic of Ireland and Slovakia respectively on Friday, neither side held sway for long in their second fixtures of the campaign. Yura Movsisyan gave Armenia the lead four minutes from half-time but Mario Gjurovski struck back barely 60 seconds later. It stayed level until the first minute of added time when Edgar Manucharyan seemed to have won it for the visitors, only for Ilčo Naumoski to score from the penalty spot to ensure the spoils were shared.

It could have been different for FYROM had Stevica Ristić's 25th-minute free-kick not struck the bar, but they found themselves behind when Movsisyan exploited confusion in Vlatko Kostov's defence and finished adroitly. Not for the last time, though, the home side swiftly bounced back, Gjurovski firing past Roman Berezovsky after a fine pass from captain Goran Pandev.

The equaliser galvanised FYROM but, having spurned a handful of openings, they found themselves on the back foot once more in the closing 15 minutes. Such profligacy looked to have cost them even a point when Manucharyan's counterattacking goal gave Armenia the lead but, six minutes into added time, Naumoski kept his cool.

Slovakia maintained their perfect start to UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying.

An unstoppable drive from Miroslav Stoch condemned Russia to defeat, ensuring Slovakia maintained their perfect start to UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying.

The visitors – who defeated the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia on Friday − were encamped in their half for long periods of the game in Moscow. However, an excellent defensive display, allied to Stoch's 27th-minute strike, prevented Russia from taking anything from the Group B encounter to add to their opening-day win in Andorra.

Slovakia goalkeeper Ján Mucha was called on several times in a bright opening for the hosts, whose forward triumvirate of of Andrey Arshavin, Pavel Pogrebnyak and Alan Dzagoev were causing the Slovakia defence all manner of problems. The visitors had hardly ventured into Russia's half yet against the run of play Vladimír Weiss's side shocked the home crowd when Stoch punished Igor Akinfeev for a poor clearance with a shot which left the PFC CSKA Moskva No1 with no chance whatsoever.

Russia continued to dominate possession despite the setback and Pogrebnyak squandered a chance to equalise shortly before half-time by shooting into the side netting. Despite an enterprising start, Arshavin had been quiet but the captain, roared on by a near-capacity crowd, raised his game after the break. Konstantin Zyryanov had a far-post effort disallowed for offside in the 50th minute as Russia resumed control yet though they pushed men forward in the closing stages, a combination of their own poor finishing and a stubborn Slovakia rearguard action kept them at bay.

The Republic of Ireland ended the night as early Group B leaders ahead of Slovakia on goal difference after a 3-1 victory over Andorra.

The Republic of Ireland ended the night as early Group B leaders ahead of Slovakia on goal difference after a 3-1 victory over Andorra.

It was a comfortable night for the Irish who struck twice in the first half through Kevin Kilbane and Kevin Doyle. Although Cristian Martínez pulled a goal back moments before the break, Robbie Keane restored Ireland's advantage soon after as they warmed up nicely for what should be a considerably tougher home test against Russia next month.

Giovanni Trapattoni kept faith with the team that earned a 1-0 win in Armenia on Friday and they started well, taking a 15th-minute lead through Kilbane's near-post header from Liam Lawrence's corner. It was veteran's third goal in as many games against the Andorrans and the first by an Irish player at the new Dublin Arena.

Jesús Álvarez's visitors, without a single EURO qualifying point in their history, had set their stall out to frustrate the Irish and there were one or two rumblings of anxiety from the crowd as the hosts struggled to build on their early advantage. Yet four minutes before the break they had a second goal to cheer. Lawrence closed down Sergio Moreno outside the Andorra area and Doyle picked up the loose ball and arrowed a left-footed effort into the far corner.

Before half-time arrived, Andorra were back in it as Martínez latched on to Richard Dunne's unwitting knockdown and found the top corner 25 yards from goal. It was Andorra's first goal since September last year and some way for the 20-year-old to open his account. Nine minutes after the restart, however, Keane restored the two-goal cushion, producing a simple chip over José Antonio Gómes after some excellent work by Aiden McGeady, who exchanged passes with a couple of team-mates before releasing his skipper.

Resolute Slovakia snatch victory in Russia

An unstoppable drive from Miroslav Stoch condemned Russia to defeat, ensuring Slovakia maintained their perfect start to UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying.

The visitors – who defeated the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia on Friday − were encamped in their half for long periods of the game in Moscow. However, an excellent defensive display, allied to Stoch's 27th-minute strike, prevented Russia from taking anything from the Group B encounter to add to their opening-day win in Andorra.

Slovakia goalkeeper Ján Mucha was called on several times in a bright opening for the hosts, whose forward triumvirate of of Andrey Arshavin, Pavel Pogrebnyak and Alan Dzagoev were causing the Slovakia defence all manner of problems. The visitors had hardly ventured into Russia's half yet against the run of play Vladimír Weiss's side shocked the home crowd when Stoch punished Igor Akinfeev for a poor clearance with a shot which left the PFC CSKA Moskva No1 with no chance whatsoever.

Russia continued to dominate possession despite the setback and Pogrebnyak squandered a chance to equalise shortly before half-time by shooting into the side netting. Despite an enterprising start, Arshavin had been quiet but the captain, roared on by a near-capacity crowd, raised his game after the break. Konstantin Zyryanov had a far-post effort disallowed for offside in the 50th minute as Russia resumed control yet though they pushed men forward in the closing stages, a combination of their own poor finishing and a stubborn Slovakia rearguard action kept them at bay.