Montenegro replace Kranjčar with Brnović

Montenegro have sacked coach Zlatko Kranjčar and appointed his assistant Branko Brnović with two UEFA EURO 2012 qualifiers to play.

Croatian Kranjčar replaced Zoran Filipović in February 2010 and oversaw a storming start to Montenegro's campaign to reach next summer's finals in Poland and Ukraine. They won their opening three qualifiers 1-0 and then held England, the draw at Wembley followed by another against Bulgaria and then last Friday's 2-1 defeat by previously-winless Wales.

The result left Montenegro second in Group G on 11 points from six games, six behind England who have played a game more and need a draw when they visit Podgorica on 7 October to seal a qualifying berth. Third-placed Switzerland are three points adrift of Montenegro and play them at home in a potentially-decisive final group match on 11 October.

Football Federation of Montenegro (FSCG) president Dejan Savićević said: "For a team that was in a great position to compete even for first place, we now have a difficult task in front of us [to finish in the top two]. It's obvious we are in free fall. Also, the last two matches have shown that the team have lost their spirit and we had to react."

Savićević added of Brnović, a former RCD Espanyol and Yugoslavia midfielder: "He had a big football career and has a lot of experience as an assistant to Kranjčar and Filipović. We believe he will get us back on track."