UEFA are set to launch an investigation into the abandonment of Serbia’s game against Albania which sparked violent scenes in Belgrade.

Saints midfielder Dusan Tadic had started the game for Serbia which was goalless when the trouble started shortly before half time.

It was sparked when a drone flown over the Partizan Stadium pitch carrying a pro-Albanian banner which led to a clash between the two sets of players.

The drone was apparently flown in by remote control from fans outside the stadium, and was brought down by a couple of Serbia players.

That seemed to upset a number of Albania players, several of whom attempted to intercept the black banner, which contained the Albanian flag in the centre.

It prompted a melee involving numerous players and forced English referee Martin Atkinson to lead the players off the field, after plenty of disruption off the pitch as well.

There were no signs of play being restarted more than half an hour after the suspension, with UEFA then confirming the match had been abandoned.

There is now set to be a UEFA investigation into the trouble which could have serious consequences for either side’s chances of qualifying for Euro 2016 if they found guilty of any wrong doing.

There was better news elsewhere as Steven Davis captained Northern Ireland to a historic win as they made it three wins from three in Group F.

The Saints midfielder’s dreams of a first ever European Championship appearance for him and his country are one step closer to reality after goals in either half from Jamie Ward and Kyle Lafferty gave them victory at the expense of Greece.

That is Northern Ireland’s best ever start to any World Cup or European qualifying series and a table-topping nine points would surely have been beyond the most fanciful expectations of manager Michael O'Neill following a fifth-placed finish in his maiden campaign.

Davis said: “It’s been unbelievable.

“The performances as a whole in the last campaign weren't too bad, (but) we weren't picking up results - just errors were getting punished. This campaign we seem to have nipped that in the bud.”

There was also good news last night for fellow Saints midfield man Morgan Schneiderlin who played the whole 90 minutes for France as they defeated Armenia 3-0 in a friendly.

There were three Saints players who had to sit patiently and watch as their teams secured good results.

Jose Fonte’s long wait for a first international cap goes on after he was again an unused sub as a late Cristiano Ronaldo goal earned Portugal a narrow 1-0 win in Denmark.

Florin Gardos sat on the bench to see Romania pick up a 2-0 victory in Finland while £12m striker Shane Long was an unused sub as the Republic of Ireland secured a dramatic late point away to World Cup holders Germany, with John O’Shea scoring the injury time equaliser.

There are two further Saints hoping for international action on Wednesday night before returning to the club.

Both Sadio Mane and Emmanuel Mayuka hope to feature in Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Mane could book a spot in the finals tonight when Senegal take on Tunisia, while Mayuka is with Zambia who host Niger.