The Selecao took the lead after four minutes, Barcelona's Daniel Alves providing the assist for Real Madrid's Marcelo to net with a fine cross-shot.

Ronaldinho then went close from a free-kick, but Safet Susic's side equalised in the 12th minute through Vedad Ibisevic. Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko intercepted a poor pass from David Luiz that had been intended for Sandro, and fed Ibisevic. He tried his luck from long range and Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar was unable to keep it out.

The South Americans pushed forward looking to re-establish the lead and mustered the only clear chance in the remainder of the first half, but midfielder Hernanes was thwarted by a late tackle from defender Emir Spahic.

Brazil did not overly trouble the Bosnia-Herzegovina defence in the second half, although man of the match Neymar brought a decent save out of keeper Asmir Begovic and then in the final minute the winner arrived.

Paulo Henrique Ganso sent a cross into the heart of the box and defender Papac inadvertently directed it past his own keeper.

"I'm satisfied with this agreement which will allow us to continue working together," said Susic, who has coached the team since 2009.

"I know we have a good team. I know the players very well and I believe that this squad will have more chances with me then with someone else."

Susic said that Bosnia's 6-2 loss in the second leg of their Euro 2012 play-off against Portugal in November had only reinforced his determination.

Financial details of the contract were not revealed.

Bosnia has never participated in final phases of the European championships or the World Cup.

Susic, 56, spent a decade as a midfielder in France with Paris Saint-Germain - where he is considered one of their greatest ever players - and later coached a number of teams in Turkey from 1996 and 2008.

The 16 December match is scheduled to take place in the Mardan Stadium in the Turkish city of Antalya.

Both sides are to call up players from their domestic leagues only, the PZPN said.

Although Bosnia-Herzegovina failed to make it to Euro 2012, it was one of the surprises of the qualifying campaign, finishing second behind France in Group D with just one point difference.

It was then beaten in the play-offs by Portugal, which had done the same to it in the play-offs for the 2010 World Cup.

Poland, like fellow host Ukraine, has an automatic berth at the 16-nation European championship and so must rely on friendlies to hone its skills.

In its most recent encounters, at home last month, it lost 2-0 to Italy and then beat Hungary 2-1.

Poland coach Franciszek Smuda has faced repeated criticism from fans and dressing-room bust-ups with players unhappy with his tactics.

But supporters have been in a more upbeat mood since the Euro 2012 draw saw Poland avoid traditional continental heavyweights such as Germany or Italy.

With Poland's Group A adversaries surprise Euro 2004 champion Greece, Russia and the Czech Republic, home fans are hoping for at least a place in the quarter-finals.

Poles are desperate for a return to the long-lost glory days which saw their team notch up Olympic gold in 1972, silver in 1976, and third place the World Cup in 1974 and 1982.

Poland has failed to flourish over the past two decades, with solid qualifying campaigns for the 2002 and 2006 World Cups, and Euro 2008, ending in lacklustre tournament performances.

Ivica Olic gave Slaven Bilic's side the perfect start when he turned home Vedran Corluka's cross from close range with just two minutes on the clock.

Mario Mandzukic doubled the lead half-an-hour later when he nodded past the flailing Volkan Demirel at the far post, before Corluka completed the scoring in the 51st minute with only his second international goal.

A late header from Tomas Sivok saw the Czech Republic put one foot in the finals with a 2-0 victory over Montenegro.

The Czechs held a narrow lead after Vaclav Pilar's 63rd-minute goal but Sivok's goal in injury-time gives them a clear advantage going into the second leg in Montenegro.

Captain Robbie Keane claimed a double as the Republic of Ireland took a stranglehold on its play-off with a 4-0 win against nine-man Estonia.

Keith Andrews had got the visitor off to the perfect start with a 13th-minute header and Jonathan Walters repeated the feat from Keane's 67th-minute cross.

Keane made it 3-0 four minutes later and then converted a late penalty as Estonia, which had Andrei Stepanov sent off before the break and captain Raio Piiroja after it, capitulated on a miserable night for the host in Tallinn.

Bosnia-Herzegovina failed to make the most of home advantage as it played out a dire goalless draw with Portugal in Zenica.

Possession was dominated by the visitor but Helder Postiga missed the best of what chances it created, while Cristiano Ronaldo again struggled to recreate his club form in a Portugal shirt.

Despite that, Portugal will feel it is best placed to qualify ahead of the second leg in Lisbon.

The nation's football federation was only founded in 1992 and it has never made it to the finals of a major competition.

It is currently closer than it has ever been before, as after just missing out on automatic qualification after a 1-1 draw in its final match in France it faces a two-legged play-off against Portugal.

"It was a big disappointment against France because we were so close," said the Stoke City goalkeeper ahead of Friday evening's (Saturday morning AEDT) home leg.

"But we have to move on to the Portugal play-off.

"We have put ourselves in a position where, if we do things the right way, we can qualify for the Euros.

"We've got the toughest task playing Portugal but it will be a fantastic experience playing against that type of quality player.

"Looking at the quality of their players, no one sticks out more than Cristiano Ronaldo.

"When you have a player like that it makes your team very good but we have nothing to lose and we will go in there fighting.

"We are going to need some luck and great performances all round to even have a chance of qualifying.

"It will be an extreme test but if we do things right we have a good chance of causing an upset.

"It would mean everything for the country - it is such a small country compared to Portugal."

Begovic and Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko are now household names in England as well as in their homeland, but the goalkeeper believes there is plenty more to come from the small nation.

"We have some good players and we can do something," he told BBC Radio Stoke.

"There are more and more players coming through, making bigger moves to bigger leagues.

"It is good to see and it makes our team better and hopefully we can have success in the future."

Susic named his squad for the two-legged play-off - the second leg is in Lisbon on 15 November - on Monday and said he faced a selection nightmare in selecting a defence for the first leg.

Mensur Mujdza is out injured while Boris Pandza and Sasa Papac are suspended for the first leg, though both will be back for the second clash.

Susic is likely to start the first match with Sanel Jahic of Cypriot side APOEL Nicosia and Hamburg's Muhamed Besic having been recalled while Susic said goalkeeper Asmir Begovic is first choice starter for both matches.

"We have shown in recent matches that we are a powerful team, but it is true that we will be handicapped in the first match," said Susic.

"It will be difficult to select a defence.

"But I hope that we will be at full strength for the second leg, because independent of the result in Zenica, the second leg will be decisive."

Bosnia-Herzegovina is hoping to reach its first major finals since gaining independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1992.

Having finished second to Russia in qualifying group B for the tournament, Giovanni Trapattoni's men must now amend a dreadful two-legged record to book their place in Poland and Ukraine.

Ireland has tasted success just once in the five play-offs they have featured in before now - getting the better of Iraq to qualify for the 2002 World Cup - and must make it two wins from six if it is to make what would be only a second appearance at the finals of the European Championships.

Its most recent flirtation with a play-off ended in acrimony, when Thierry Henry's handball helped France qualify for last year's World Cup at its expense, while it has also fallen foul of the Netherlands, Belgium and Turkey.

Ireland will start its latest attempt to qualify for a major tournament in Estonia on Friday, November 11, with the return leg at Dublin's Aviva Stadium on Tuesday, November 15.

"It is extremely positive for Ireland that we will play the first leg away," veteran coach Trapattoni said.

"We should not underestimate our opposition, or any team, including Estonia.

"To have made it through to the play-off, they must have quality and mental fortitude.

"Our build up to this stage of the competition has shown us the importance of organisation, attention to detail, and self-belief.

"That will be vitally important to us as we prepare for these games in November."

Tarmo Ruutli's Estonia emerged from a group containing Italy, Northern Ireland, Serbia, Slovenia and the Faroe Islands to take second place, and with it earn a first-ever play-off berth.

It has never made the finals of a major tournament, and history is not on its side either.

The two historical meetings between the pair have gone the way of the Irish, 2-0 on both occasions in qualifying for the 2002 World Cup, with Richard Dunne on target in each game.

Former Republic of Ireland striker John Aldridge has backed the team to beat Estonia and qualify for the finals.

Asked if he thought Trapattoni's side would go through, he told Sky Sports News: "Yes. We've got the greatest travelling fans and it would be great to see them on the road again.'"

The former Liverpool player believes the Republic was fortunate to draw Estonia.

He said: "It was probably the easiest of the four (unseeded teams to draw).

"We travel better than we play at home, we've had better results away than we have had at home.''

Aldridge admitted the suspension of striker Kevin Doyle, still waiting to hear the length of his punishment after being sent off in the qualifier against Armenia on Tuesday which the Republic won 2-1, would be a blow to the team's chances.

However, he backed Shane Long to fill the breach.

"Shane Long has done really well when he has deputised for either Robbie (Keane) or Kevin so it's a great opportunity for him," he said.

Ireland has only reached the European Championship finals once before - in West Germany in 1988 - but will be relatively pleased to have drawn Estonia.

There were tougher-looking assignments in the pot of unseeded teams it could have been put up against, with the other ties seeing Turkey taking on Croatia, the Czech Republic facing Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina going up against Portugal.

Portugal and Bosnia were both losers in winner-takes-all showdowns last week, with Portugal being defeated by Denmark and with it surrendering top spot in Group H, while Bosnia drew 1-1 with France when a win would have seen them pip Laurent Blanc`s men to the automatic spot in Group B.

The Czechs took second in Group I, winning a two-way tussle with Scotland to finish behind reigning champion Spain.

Nasri scored from the spot in the 78th minute to earn France a vital point, cancelling out a first-half goal from his Manchester City teammate Edin Dzeko.

The goal made Nasri the hero of the hour only a month after his international role was being questioned as he was left on the bench by coach Laurent Blanc.

"I have come back from afar," Nasri told L'Equipe. "I came back to the team with a new state of mind. I am at one with the coach and it shows on the pitch."

The penalty was only Nasri's third goal for his country, one of the reasons he found himself on the receiving end of criticism in recent weeks.

"This was the most important of my career," he said. "I would prefer to score less often if I can score goals like this one."

Nasri had earlier hit the crossbar in the match and admitted the pressure was on by the time the spot-kick came with 12 minutes to go.

"We had to keep persevering, to keep fighting and not give up," he said. "That is what I did to get the penalty. There was big pressure, but I took the ball and I did not ask. I had to take my responsibilities."

Edin Dzeko's stunning 40th-minute strike looked set to be enough to send Bosnia to the finals before his Manchester City team-mate Nasri was tripped in the box 12 minutes from time and got up to coolly convert the spot-kick.

Nasri's goal guaranteed France its place in Poland and Ukraine next northern summer while disappointed Bosnia must settle for a place in the play-offs. Also in Group D, Romania was held to a 1-1 draw in Albania.

Denmark got the win it required over Group H rival Portugal in Copenhagen, sending the Danes through to the finals with a 2-1 win and leaving their opponents to settle for the play-offs.

The Portuguese started the night on top of the pool on goal difference but a 13th-minute goal from Michael Krohn-Dehli put the initiative in the hands of the classy home side.

Nicklas Bendtner added a second in the 63rd minute to send them into the finals, despite Cristiano Ronaldo's 90th-minute consolation. Also in Group H, Norway beat Cyprus 3-1.

Greece edged through from a fiery Group F but the 2004 winner left it late before coming from behind to beat Georgia 2-1 in Tbilisi and qualify at the expense of runner-up Croatia.

David Targamadze put the Georgians ahead in the 18th minute and Greece had to wait until the 78th minute for Georgios Fotakis to strike the equaliser. Angelos Charisteas made sure five minutes from time.

Greece's win left Croatia to settle for a play-off place despite goals from Eduardo and Mario Mandzukic giving it a 2-0 win over Latvia in Rijeka. Also in the group, Israel won 2-0 in Malta.

Sweden shattered already-qualified Netherlands' hopes of finishing Group E with a 100% record, with its 3-2 win ensuring it also qualified directly as the best runner-up.

Kim Kallstrom opened the scoring for the Swedes and although Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Dirk Kuyt replied for the Netherlands, Sebastian Larsson and Ola Toivonen won it in the second half. Hungary drew 0-0 with Finland and Moldova beat San Marino 4-0.

Dick Advocaat's Russia confirmed qualification from Group B with a 6-0 rout of Andorra. The result was never in doubt from the moment Alan Dzagoev fired the host side ahead inside five minutes. A second for Dzagoev and strikes by Sergei Ignashevich and Roman Pavlyuchenko had Russia out of sight at the break, while second-half efforts by Dennis Glushakov and substitute Diniyar Bilyaletdinov added gloss to the scoreline.

The Republic of Ireland earned a play-off place but only after a fortunate 2-1 win over Armenia in Dublin. Armenia keeper Roman Berezovskiy was sent off in the 26th minute and Ireland needed a Valeri Aleksanyan own goal to set it on its way. Kevin Doyle was sent off late and will miss the play-off first leg. In the same pool, Macedonia drew 1-1 with Slovakia.

Antonio Cassano scored twice as already-qualified Italy eased to a 3-0 win over Northern Ireland in Group C. Estonia, which was not in qualifying action, took the play-off spot after Serbia failed to earn the point it required, falling to a Dare Vrsic goal in Slovenia.

Turkey made hard work of overhauling Belgium to take the play-off spot in Group A, scraping a 1-0 win over Azerbaijan in Istanbul thanks to Burak Yilmaz's 60th-minute strike.

Belgium started the night in the play-off berth but was always up against it in Germany, who wrapped up a 100% qualifying campaign with a 3-1 win in Dusseldorf.

Two goals in the space of three first-half minutes from Mesut Ozil and Andre Schurrle put the host on course for yet another victory, with Mario Gomez adding a third just after the interval. Marouane Fellaini grabbed a consolation in the 86th minute but it was not enough for Belgium.

Earlier, Austria was held 0-0 in Kazakhstan.

Spain also finished with a 100% record in Group I, two David Silva goals helping it to a 3-1 win over Scotland, while the Czech Republic took second with a brace each for Jan Rezek and Michal Kadlec in a 4-1 win in Lithuania.

With both qualifying and play-off places already decided in Group G, Switzerland took third with a 2-0 win over Montenegro while Wales finished on a high with Gareth Bale giving it a 1-0 win in Bulgaria.

France hosts Bosnia-Herzegovina with the French just requiring a draw to seal top spot in Group D and an automatic place in Euro 2012 - a Bosnia-Herzegovina win would see it top the group and France consigned to the play-offs.

Rami, 25, is now at Spanish side Valencia but had crossed swords with Roma star Pjanic when they were at Lille and Lyons respectively.

"Pjanic is a cry baby, all he does is fall over," said Rami.

Just in case the assembled media had not got the message Rami, an integral part of the Lille side that won the title last season, repeated his criticism.

"He is a cry baby, all he does is fall over and it is extremely irritating."

Goals from Florent Malouda, Loic Remy and Anthony Reveillere mean France goes into the final Group D fixture in Paris with a one-point advantage over Bosnia who trounced Luxembourg 5-0.

Thus, a point would be sufficient for the French but the Manchester City player is adamant they will go all out for victory.

He said: "It would be a trap to try to play a draw. We do not have that experience, we are not the Italians in order to close the game and wait for the opponent.

"We will play our football and try to put them in difficulty.

"What is nice is that it's a team that plays, we will have more space. We will not calculate and do everything to win."

In the other Group D fixture, Romania drew 2-2 with Belarus.

The 2000 European champion is top of Group D with 13 points from six games before it visits Albania on Friday evening (Saturday morning AEST) and Romania on Tuesday evening (Wednesday morning AEST). Belarus is one point behind, having played a game more.

"We are aware of the stakes," France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris said.

"Those are two important matches that will perhaps help us get closer to qualifying.

"We will play those two matches to take six points, even though we realise it will be difficult."

Albania and Romania have eight points each and still have a chance to qualify, but they are up against a France side high on confidence after an unbeaten run of 11 matches.

"France is the favourite in this group," Albania defender Lorik Cana told the French federation website.

"They should logically finish in first place even though I didn't think they would lose so many points against Belarus. That doesn't help us since Belarus is our direct rival."

Albania is still undefeated at home where it beat Belarus and Luxembourg and drew with Bosnia-Herzegovina.

"Albania always wants to beat France because that would be a feat for them," France coach Laurent Blanc said.

"It's up to us to be careful."

Blanc has mostly relied on the pair of centre-backs formed by Philippe Mexes and Adil Rami to anchor the defence in this qualifying campaign.

But AC Milan defender Mexes is recovering from a knee injury and is therefore not available while Valencia defender Rami is suspended for the Albania match.

France is also missing Paris St Germain defender Mamadou Sakho, who picked up a hamstring injury.

That gives Blanc very little choice at centre-back. Tottenham Hotspur defender Younes Kaboul and Barcelona defender Eric Abidal are most likely to lead the defence in Albania as both started in the friendlies against Chile three weeks ago and against Poland in June.

"We mustn't let them play and get more confident," France midfielder Yohan Cabaye said.

"It will be important to hold the ball and quickly show them that they have no chance."

Also on Friday, Belarus hosts Bosnia-Herzegovina while Romania visits Luxembourg.

Belarus will miss through injury Aleksandr Yurevich, Vitali Rodionov, Alexander Hleb, Yan Tigorev, Anton Amelchenko, Dmitri Molosh and Vitali Kutuzov.

Yet that hasn't stopped Belarus coach Bernd Stange backing his team to emerge with a positive result.

"It is very easy to motivate the players as they know this could be their last chance to qualify for a major finals tournament and they have to get it right, here and now," Stange told the UEFA website.

Bosnia-Herzegovina is in third place with 10 points and will rely on Manchester City forward Edin Dzeko and Lyon playmaker Miralem Pjanic to make the difference.

Last weekend, Pjanic netted a goal and had an assist in Lyon's 2-1 win over Montpellier in the French league while Dzeko scored four goals in Manchester City's 5-1 rout of Tottenham in the Premier League.

"Our rivals have shown quality but we have players who are capable of winning both matches," Bosnia-Herzegovina coach Safet Susic told the UEFA website.

Bosnia-Herzegovina plays Belarus twice in five days.

Romania fans displayed the slogan, Free Mladic, supporting the former Bosnian Serb military commander at the 3 June match in Bucharest.

Earlier that day, Mladic had appeared at a war-crimes court in The Hague for the first time.

UEFA rules prohibit political demonstrations at its matches.

UEFA says it also fined Bosnia's football federation 15,000 euros because its fans ripped out seats at the Giulesti Stadium.

Romania won the match 3-0.

UEFA says it has opened a disciplinary case after Romanian fans displayed the slogan 'Free Mladic' at a 2012 European championship qualifier in Bucharest last week.

Earlier that day, the Bosnian Serb military commander appeared before war-crimes judges in The Hague for the first time ahead of his trial.

UEFA rules prohibit 'using sporting events for manifestations of a non sporting nature'.

Romania, which won 3-0, and Bosnia both face UEFA charges for fans throwing objects in the stadium.

UEFA's disciplinary panel will hear the case on 16 June.

Joachim Low's side enjoys a 100 percent record in Group A and took the lead through Mesut Ozil.

Mario Gomez gave Germany a clear lead before Murad Huseynov pulled one back with a minute to go, but Andre Schurrle restored the two-goal advantage in injury-time.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored a quickfire hat-trick as Sweden moved to within three points of the Netherlands at the top of Group E with an emphatic 5-0 victory over Finland in Solna.

Ibrahimovic scored two goals in three minutes after coming on as a substitute midway through the first half before adding a third eight minutes after half-time after Kim Kallstrom had opened the scoring in spectacular style.

Ibrahimovic then picked out Emir Bajrami with a curling pass to score a fifth as Sweden made it nine goals in two games after its 4-1 victory over Moldova last time out.

"It sounds easy, it looks easy - but it wasn't easy," Ibrahimovic told AP afterwards. "I think we're getting better every time we meet and with every match we play."

Elsewhere in Group E, Hungary kept up its push for a place in the play-offs with a workmanlike 3-0 victory in San Marino.

Goals by Zoltan Liptak, Imre Szabics and Vladimir Koman were sufficient for Sandor Egervari's side to maintain the pressure on second-placed Sweden, which nevertheless remains three points better off and with a game in hand.

Belarus strengthened its grip on second place in Group D with a routine 2-0 win at home to minnow Luxembourg.

Sergey Kornilenko fired the host ahead from the penalty spot after 48 minutes and Anton Putsila secured the three points with his side's second inside the final 20 minutes.

The result lifts Belarus onto 12 points after seven games, just one point behind group leader France which has a game in hand.

In the other Group D game, Bosnia-Herzegovina boosted its hopes of qualifying with a comfortable 2-0 win over Albania in Zenica.

Second-half goals from Haris Medunjanin and Darko Maletic saw off Albania, which was reduced to 10 men five minutes from time when Andi Lila was dismissed.

Faroe Islands claimed a rare competitive victory as it ended Estonia's hopes of qualifying with a 2-0 win in Group C.

Frodi Benjaminsen and Arnbjorn Hansen bagged the goals for the victor in a game that saw both teams finish with 10 men.

Bosnia-Herzegovina was suspended on 1 April after failing to adopt FIFA and UEFA regulations.

Brunei has likewise been suspended since April but has now brought its statutes into line with FIFA requirements.

However, the governing body in Indonesia, the PSSI, has been given a deadline of 30 June to organise new elections for its leadership positions or it will face suspension.

A breakaway league has been formed in the country, and FIFA wants it brought back under the control of the PSSI.

The six-strong normalisation committee will immediately cut off the old tripatrite leadership by 26 May and reform the country's football federation by the end of November, world football's governing body said in a statement.

FIFA and European governing body UEFA suspended Bosnia-Herzegovina from international and European football on 1 April after the country's federation (NSBIH) failed to adopt statutes that would lead to a single-member presidency.

"The FIFA Emergency Committee has decided today 12 April 2011 to appoint a normalisation committee in order to solve the problems faced by the Football Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FFBH)," FIFA said.

"After discussions with various stakeholders and following consultation with UEFA, a six person normalisation committee with football personalities from Bosnia-Hercegovina has been established and put in place with immediate effect."

"The normalisation committee acts immediately as football federation of Bosnia Hercegovina executive committee as well as FFBH emergency committee," it added.

European and world footballing chiefs have demanded that NSBIH's ethnic-based tripartite presidency - consisting of a Croat, a Muslim and a Serb member - be replaced by a single president, to overcome divisions that blocked decision making.

Bosnia-Herzegovina is currently involved in qualifying for the 2012 European championship to be held in Poland and Ukraine, playing in Group D. Its next game is against Romania on 3 June.

Since the 1991-1995 war, Bosnia consists of two entities - the Muslim-Croat Federation and the Serbs' Republika Srpska.

Apart from the joint football federation, founded in 2002, each semi-autonomous half also has a federation of its own.

In a first phase the normalisation committee will hold a general assembly by 26 May to adopt new statutes for the federation and cut off the old leadership that had opposed them.

FIFA said it will 'ensure that all connections/relationships with any members of the 'former' FFBH leadership are cut immediately with regard to the decision-making in financial, administrative, sporting and other matters'.

The committee would also map out improvements and take steps to 'further improve' the Bosnian federation's finances, including the risk of bankruptcy according to football's governing body.

In a second phase, it will hold new elections to appoint federation officials and bodies by 30 November, who would then resume control of Bosnian football.

FIFA and UEFA previously ordered the NSBiH to cut its three-member presidency to one or face sanctions.

But a general assembly meeting in Sarajevo earlier this week failed to find a resolution with the NSBiH opting to continue with its current structure of three leaders to satisfy the country's political make-up.

The federation currently consists of two associations: one a Bosnian Serb and another shared by Bosniaks and Bosnian Croats, headed by a Bosniak, a Croat and a Serb to reflect the country's ethnic division after the 1992-1995 war.

The ruling by FIFA and UEFA means NSBiH representative and club teams are no longer entitled to take part in international competitions until the matter is resolved.

A joint statement by FIFA and UEFA added: "FIFA and UEFA deeply regret that this decision had to be taken and will meet shortly to discuss the next steps required to try to bring the NSBiH back into the football family as soon as possible."

Bosnia-Herzegovina is currently fourth in Group D of Euro 2012 qualifying but, as it stands, will not be able to fulfil its next fixture against Romania on 3 June.

The NSBiH's structure includes a tripartite presidency split between representatives from the country's Croatian, Serbian and Muslim communities, in contravention of the international governing bodies' statutes.

They face a ban from international action if the structure is not changed this week, but a vote on a new system saw the motion defeated by 28 votes to 22.

And Lyon midfielder Pjanic told L'Equipe: "It's very serious. It's a huge shock for the players and those that love Bosnian football.

"The people to blame are the federation. We are simply hostage to incompetent people, who think only of making profit on the back of our efforts rather than about the team.

"I hope UEFA and FIFA now take the right decisions. We love our country and we always want to wear its colours. It's not us who should pay. The country is already poor - they cannot take football away from us.

"Today, lots of people demonstrated outside the hotel where the meeting took place. We will discuss it among (the team) but if there is anything that can be done to help our cause, it must be done."

Bayern Munich pair Miroslav Klose and Thomas Muller both grabbed a brace in an easy win for Joachim Low's side in Kaiserslautern.

The win gives Germany an eight-point cushion at the top of the group ahead of its clash with Austria in June, while Kazakhstan is still waiting for its first goal, let alone its first point in qualifying.

In Group B, leader Russia was again left frustrated in front of goal as it was held to a goalless draw in Armenia.

Russia has now failed to find the net in its last three matches after friendly defeats to Belgium and Iran, but, in light of Armenia's strong start to the campaign, it will be happy to return home with a point.

Slovakia laboured to a narrow 1-0 win over basement-dweller Andorra to join Russia at the top of Group B.

Filip Sebo got the only goal in the 21st minute to send Slovakia on to 10 points from five games.

But a series of chances to add a second came to nought, setting up a nervous finish for the visitor.

The Republic of Ireland is also part of the three-way tie at the top of the group thanks to a 2-1 win over FYR Macedonia.

Aiden McGeady's early goal gave it a dream start, before Robbie Keane pounced on a goalkeeping error to double the lead.

Ivan Trickovski pulled one back on the stroke of half-time and it took a brilliant second-half save from Keiren Westwood to earn Ireland the win.

Bosnia-Herzegovina went into its Group D clash with Romania knowing it needed a win after France's victory the previous day and it did not let itself down, although it had to come from behind to win 2-1.

France's win took it on to 12 points and Bosnia-Herzegovina, starting the day on four points from three games, was behind to Ciprian Marica's first-half goal.

But Vedad Ibisevic headed an equaliser just after the hour and Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko grabbed a vital winner with seven minutes left.

In the final game in Group D, Belarus' hopes of qualification for Euro 2012 were dealt a blow as it suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Albania in Tirana.

Hamdi Salihi grabbed the only goal of the game for Albania just after the hour mark as it moved level on points with its opponent, although it remains below it on goal difference.

In Group F, morning leaders Croatia suffered its first qualifying defeat as Levan Kobiashvili's late goal gave Georgia a 1-0 win.

The strike extended Georgia's great start to life under coach Temuri Ketsbaia, with it now 10 games unbeaten under his charge.

The win put it on to nine points, just one behind Croatia.

A header from Vassilis Torosidis with the last touch of the game helped 10-man Greece beat Malta 1-0 and move to the top of Group F.

With Croatia having lost earlier in the day, Greece knew a win would put it at the summit but, for 93 minutes it, and striker Kostas Katsouranis in particular, was denied by the brilliance of goalkeeper Justin Haber.

The 2004 winner looked stumped, especially when Socratis Papastathopoulos was sent off with six minutes left but, in the 94th minute, Torosidis denied Malta its first point of qualifying.

Elsewhere in the group, Beram Kayal hit a late winner as Israel survived a rocky second-half period to beat Latvia 2-1.

Elyaniv Barda gave it the lead in a first half it dominated, and Latvia was fortunate not to be out of sight by the time the half-time whistle went.

But it hung in and Kaspars Gorkss looked to have given it a point with an equaliser just after the hour until Kayal struck with nine minutes left.

England won the battle of Britain in Group G, coming away from Cardiff's Millennium Stadium with a 2-0 win over Wales.

The game was over inside the opening 15 minutes, with Frank Lampard scoring from the spot after James Collins brought down Ashley Young, and Darren Bent netted from close range shortly after.

Jack Wilshere excelled on his competitive debut for England, which returned to the top of the group with the win.

It and joint leader Montenegro received a huge boost later in the day as Bulgaria and Switzerland got the result they both did not want in Sofia - a 0-0 draw.

A draw leaves the pair six points adrift at the halfway stage in Group G with Wales anchored at the foot of the table.

Cyprus blew its chance at a first win in Euro 2012 qualifying Group H as it missed a penalty and struck the post against fellow struggler Iceland.

Chryssis Michael saw his penalty saved in the 21st minute and Konstantinos Makridis struck the post 12 minutes from time as it failed to make the breakthrough against Iceland, which earned its first point of the campaign with the draw.

Erik Huseklepp's goal nine minutes from time maintained Norway's unbeaten record in qualifying as Denmark missed the chance to pull level with its Scandinavian rival at the summit of Group H in a 1-1 draw.

A cagey encounter produced little in the way of goalmouth action before Dennis Rommedahl fired the Danes ahead just before the half-hour, and the veteran winger was unlucky not to wrap up the points after the break when he fired against the crossbar.

Norway's toothless performance made a mockery of its 100 percent record coming into the match but the host got out of jail late on when Huseklepp got in behind the Denmark defence to snatch a barely-deserved equaliser.

Bosnia was rewarded for playing attacking football against Slovakia, which reached the second stage of the World Cup in South Africa, in the first match between the two teams.

Filip Sebo put Slovakia ahead after just three minutes with a close-range shot after collecting a pass from Peter Pekarik.

Haris Medunjanin equalised from the edge of the area in the 28th minute, after the Slovak defense failed to clear a corner, with his first international goal.

Pjanic added the second with a header from a corner five minutes after the break and Dzeko extended the lead 10 minutes later with his 17th international goal.

Substitute Peter Grajciar pulled one back for Slovakia with a low shot from outside the area in the 64th.

"We had a good start but we didn't play how we wanted to," Slovak coach Vladimir Weiss said. "We made big mistakes in defense."

Slovakia was without its key central defender Martin Skrtel due to a knee injury.

Bosnia's federation reflects the political setup of the country and its ethnic division after the 1992-1995 war. It consists of two associations: A Bosnian Serb and another shared by Bosniaks and Croats. Together they are headed by a three-member presidency, made up of a Bosniak, a Croat and a Serb.

FIFA and UEFA vice-president Geoffrey Thompson said that Bosnia has until 31 March to change its rules.

Just like in real politics, the Bosnian Serbs do not agree with the concept of one president as they fear this might jeopardise their autonomy. They also base their refusal on the country's constitution written in 1995 during peace negotiations in Dayton, Ohio. The peace agreement ended the Bosnian war but divided it along ethnic lines and prescribed a three-member presidency for the country - a set-up that has proven ineffective as all three have to agree in order to pass a decision.

"We understand the difficulties that have occurred in this country particularly in relation to the Dayton agreement," Thompson said in Sarajevo. "You are not compelled to join FIFA and UEFA, but if you do you must follow their statutes."

The three-member presidency and other provisions of the Bosnian statute that did not conform to FIFA's standards were tolerated for years because both FIFA and UEFA were aware of Bosnia's political problems. But '15 years after Dayton the transition period is over', Thompson said.

Previously, the vice-president of the Bosnian Serb association, Stasa Kosarac, told media his association will continue to insist on three presidents who could rotate as chairman every 16 months.

"That is our position and our minimum we can not go below," he said.

An additional dilemma is that the Serb half of the country doesn't even support Bosnia's national team. People there view the national team of neighbouring Serbia as their own, and would not be unhappy to see the Bosnian team suspended.

Muhamed Bikic, a sports reporter from Sarajevo said the situation has become 'absurd' as 'FIFA's suspension would effectively punish those in Bosnia who voted for FIFA's rules and will reward those who voted against it'.

FIFA and UEFA have threatened to exclude Bosnia from international competition unless it accepted changes aimed at replacing the NSBIH's ethnic-based tripartite presidency by a single president.

"Imposing a single president will never get support of any structure in Republika Srpska," Rajko Vasic, executive secretary of the ruling Union of Independent Social-Democrats (SNSD) told SRNA news agency.

Post-war Bosnia consists of two semi independent entities - the Serb-run Republika Srpska and the Muslim-Croat Federation.

Vasic added that there were 'incredible pressures from Sarajevo and some international associations that demand centralisation of football organisations in Bosnia'.

The NSBIH rejected the demanded changes in July but FIFA and UEFA have given it until 31 March next year to change its mind.

Republika Srpska 'needs to secure the right to its own football representation', Vasic insisted.

The NSBIH, often criticised by football fans and players, reflects the country's ethnic divisions.

France began the game under intense pressure to secure a result after it followed its disastrous World Cup with a 1-0 home defeat against Belarus to begin its European qualification campaign.

New coach Laurent Blanc looked like he would have to wait longer for his first competitive win as time ticked down before Benzema latched onto a Gael Clichy assist to score a much-anticipated opener after 72 minutes.

Malouda then sealed the victory six minutes later when he stroked home a second.

Elsewhere in Group D, Belarus and Romania played out a scoreless draw, while Albania defeated visiting Luxembourg 1-0.

Ceko was attacked in front of the team's hotel, the report said.

"They asked me if I were a chairman of the federation, I said 'No.' Then they asked me if I were his deputy. Four of five men came close and started beating me," Ceko said upon returning to Bosnia.

Ceko was hospitalised for slight head injuries, a federation statement said.

The attackers have yet to be identified, but the TV said they were Bosnian fans 'dissatisfied with activities of the Bosnian Federation'.

Bosnia's football federation was threatened with expulsion from international competition after it failed to adopt statute changes requested by FIFA and UEFA, aimed at replacing an ethnic-based tripartite presidency by a single president.

The federation has another chance to change its statute before the coming session of UEFA executive committee.

The presidency's members represent the country's three ethnic communities - Croats, Muslims and Serbs.

Post-war Bosnia consists of two semi independent entities - the Serb-run Republika Srpska and the Muslim-Croat Federation.

The federation's organisation, often criticised by football fans and players, reflects the country's ethnic divisions.

The Bosnia-Herzegovina federation (NSBIH) on Friday voted against replacing the tripartite inter-ethnic presidency with a single president as it has been ordered to do by UEFA and FIFA.

Only 27 of the 56 delegates voted in favour of amending their statute of having a presidency which reflects the country's three ethnic communities - Croats, Muslims and Serbs - and 45 votes are needed to pass the motion.

UEFA and FIFA have yet to make any decision on what sanctions to impose, but have previously said they could ban the national team and clubs from taking part in international competition.

"If they take this decision, the people of FIFA and UEFA could kill us," Spahic told L'Equipe. "It's an internal political story in the Bosnian Federation.

"I would like the international bodies to take that into account. We need their help because what is happening is not our fault."

One of the first games that could be affected is Bosnia-Herzegovina's Euro 2012 Group D qualifier against France on September 7, four days after it opens its campaign against Luxembourg.

And Spahic, who plies his trade at Ligue 1 side Montpellier, knows how much that game means to the side.

He added: "We're all waiting for this match. We're living in the hope of being able to play, especially the young players who play in Bosnia and dream of shining against this opposition in order to benefit from a possible transfer."

UEFA has confirmed it is set to hold a meeting with FIFA to decide on the severity of sanctions it will impose on Bosnia-Herzegovina.

In a statement released to the Press Association, it said: "At the ordinary General Assembly of 16 July 2010, the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina rejected the adoption of the amendments to their statutes as proposed by UEFA and FIFA in order to fully comply with UEFA and FIFA minimum statutory requirements.

"The decision regarding possible sanctions against the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina will be taken by UEFA and FIFA, through their respective Executive Committees. The date for the decision has not yet been set."

Ola Toivonen's first international goal put Sweden ahead a minute before the break and Blackburn midfielder Olsson struck twice after the break to restore and extend the advantage after Sejad Salihovic's 47th-minute equaliser.

Ermin Zec pulled one back in the 90th minute, only for Marcus Berg to restore his side's two-goal cushion in stoppage time.

Sweden's Scandinavian rivals Norway, who also failed to qualify for the World Cup, also enjoyed a victory - a last-gasp own goal by Montenegro defender Zarko Tomasevic ensuring a 2-1 home win in Oslo.

Roma striker Mirko Vucinic looked to have secured a draw for the visitors when he netted nine minutes from time to cancel out Christian Grindheim's opener, but Tomasevic headed past his own goalkeeper in the 89th minute from Morten Gamst Pedersen's free-kick to condemn his side to defeat.

West Brom defender Gabriel Tamas scored at each end - the latter proving decisive - as his Romania side went down 3-2 to Ukraine at Kiev's Olympic Stadium.

Goals early in the second half from Tamas and Daniel Niculae looked to have put the visitors on course for victory, overturning Oleksandr Aliev 15th-minute opener.

But Evgeni Konoplienka levelled 16 minutes from time and then Tamas put through his own net in the 89th minute to hand Ukraine the win.

Elsewhere, Heidar Helguson was on target twice as Iceland thumped Andorra 4-0, Faisal Khalil's goal a minute from time secured a 3-0 win for United Arab Emirates over Moldova in Austria, Poland and Finland played out a goalless draw in Warsaw and FYR Macedonia were 3-1 winners in Azerbaijan.