Round-up: Ukraine keep Euro 2016 hopes alive with win in Macedonia

Yevhen Seleznyov broke the deadlock from the penalty spot in the second half and substitute Artem Kravets secured a crucial victory when he doubled the lead in the 87th minute to move Ukraine up to 19 points from nine games.

The odds on them finishing above Slovakia and claiming one of the two automatic qualification spots, however, will be stacked against them.

Ukraine host group winners and European champions Spain in their final encounter on Monday, needing to better Slovakia's result away in Luxembourg to finish in the top two.

Ukraine dominated possession but created little going forward before Romanian referee Ovidiu Hategan awarded the visitors a penalty for a handball when Macedonia defender Leonard Zhuta tried to block Andriy Yarmolenko's header at the far post.

Seleznyov fired home from the spot to open the scoring, before Sevilla winger Yevhen Konoplyanka failed to beat the keeper with a clear-cut chance in the 80th minute.

Kravets came off the bench in the second half to wrap up victory, bursting into the penalty area from the left and slotting the ball into the net between the keeper's legs.

"I am sure we would have broken the deadlock later in the second half even if I had missed the penalty," Seleznyov told broadcasters.

"I hope we can achieve a praiseworthy result with Spain."

Ukraine will have to do without centre back Yevhen Khacheridi and defensive midfielder Serhiy Sydorchuk for the game against Spain as both players were booked in the first half and will now serve a one-game suspension.

"These are very serious and unwanted losses," Ukraine coach Mykhaylo Fomenko told a news conference.

"We tried to explain that emotions should help, not destroy but failed put this idea into their mind.

"Both of them knew about a possible suspension before the match so now the players who step in against Spain have an opportunity to prove their worthiness."

Slovenia edged closer to a Euro 2016 play-off berth after a 1-1 home draw with Lithuania after two penalties in a Group E match held up for several minutes in the second-half by partial floodlight failure on Friday.

The result, with Slovenia captain Valter Birsa and Lithuania's Arvydas Novikovas each scoring from the spot, left the Slovenians third in the section on 13 points from nine games, three ahead of Estonia and Lithuania.

If all three sides are level on points after Monday's final round of games, Slovenia will finish highest with the best head-to-head record. If Slovenia and Estonia finish tied on 13 points, the race will go down to overall goal difference in the group as both sides have beaten each other 1-0 at home.

Apart from being strong favourites to get a result away to San Marino, the Slovenians also have a vastly superior goal difference of plus five to Estonia's minus four in the groupe Slovenian onslaught in a frantic finish to claim a point.

Sergei Ignashevich celebrated becoming Russia's most capped player scoring in a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Moldova in Chisinau, which leaves Russia on course to qualify for Euro 2016.

The 36 year-old, who broke Viktor Onopko's appearance record by winning his 110th cap, opened the scoring from close range after 58 minutes, before Artem Dzyuba sealed victory with 12 minutes to go.

Eugeniu Cebotaru scored for Moldova after 85 minutes but Russia held on for the vital win.

Russia went ahead when Dmitry Kombarov floated in a free kick from the right, which was chested down by Dzyuba straight into the path of Ignashevich and the CSKA Moscow defender lashed the ball past Alexei Koshelev.

Dzyuba doubled the lead in the 78th minute as he scored from close range following a corner to notch up his eighth goal in seven qualifying games.

Cebotaru made it a nervous finish for the visitors but they held on as head coach Leonid Slutskiy recorded his third straight victory since taking over from Fabio Capello.

Russia remain second in Group G on 17 points behind already qualified Austria and will qualify for next summer's European championships if they beat Montenegro in Moscow on Monday. Moldova stay bottom with two points.