Group F round-up

Greece started the night knowing a win was almost essential in their penultimate match in the group, with Croatia enjoying a one-point lead.

But a 2-0 win in Piraeus leaves the Greeks knowing a point in their final group game in Georgia next Tuesday will be enough for the 2004 winners.

Croatia had come into the game in first place, but must now beat Latvia and hope that the Greeks lose in their last match to qualify automatically for the finals.

The game at the Karaiskakis stadium - home of Greek champions Olympiakos - had been disrupted by trouble in the stands early on, with English referee Howard Webb opting to take the players off the pitch with less than three minutes played as riot police confronted supporters in the away section of the ground.

Flares and seats were thrown from the section containing Croatia fans, and reinforcements of riot police were sent in before the game restarted six minutes later.

Greece eventually found a way through inside the final 20 minutes when Celtic striker Georgios Samaras volleyed home from 12 yards and Eintracht Frankfurt's Theofanis Gekas then made sure of the win as he rose unmarked to head a corner past keeper Stipe Pletikosa.

Latvia beat Malta 2-0 in the other game thanks to Aleksejs Visnakovs' first-half effort and Artiom Rudoev sealed the win six minutes from time.