Saints keeper Artur Boruc did England a favour tonight, helping Poland to a 1-1 draw against group rivals Montenegro.

The result, coupled with the one at Wembley, saw Roy Hodgson’s men jump to the top of Group H.

Elsewhere, Steven Davis captained Northern Ireland, as they lost 4-2 to Portugal at Windsor Park.

The hosts had taken a surprise 2-1 lead in the game, but a late Cristian Ronaldo hat-trick ensured there would be no shock result.

Dejan Lovren played the full match for Croatia, as they earned a 1-1 draw away to Serbia, while Dani Osvaldo missed Italy’s 1-0 home win against Bulgaria due to a suspension.

Emmanuel Mayuka’s hopes of making the World Cup were dashed, as Zambia lost a must-win game in Ghana 2-1.

The striker, who has moved on loan to Sochaux for the rest of the season, played the full game, but was not on the scoresheet.

Maya Yoshida, who has much to prove after a poor summer for his country and then losing his place in the Saints team at the start of the season, played the full game in Japan’s 3-0 friendly win against Guatemala, in Osaka.

Helping his nation to a clean sheet, albeit against such weak opposition, is a welcome fillip for the centre half, who is due to face a much stronger Ghana in another exhibition match on Tuesday.

Gastón Ramírez was schedule to be in action overnight, as Uruguay travelled to Peru for a crucial World Cup qualifier.

Young forward Lloyd Isgrove played for the Wales Under-21 team, as they suffered a 1-0 defeat away to their San Marino counterparts in a Euro 2015 qualifier Scores from yesterday: