Hart saves England from defeat
Gareth Southgate's decision to drop much-maligned captain Wayne Rooney did little to improve England as an attacking force as they relied on Joe Hart to secure a 0-0 World Cup qualifying draw in Slovenia.
Rooney's ineffective display in Saturday's 2-0 win over Malta was the latest in a long string of underwhelming showings and ultimately brought about his omission from the starting XI, but England were not much better in his absence, with Hart rescuing them on several occasions.
Eric Dier, Rooney's replacement on the day, almost single-handedly inspired an opening goal for Slovenia early on, as his poor back pass resulted in Jasmin Kurtic striking the post after a good save by Hart.
Hart also had to spare the blushes of Jordan Henderson - captain in Rooney's absence - deep into the second half as he ensured the Three Lions held on for a point, taking their Group F tally to seven from three matches.
Southgate justified his decision to drop Rooney by highlighting the need to add extra bite into the England midfield and that increased intensity brought about their first chance.
Rooney was introduced from the bench shortly after and saw a controlled 25-yard effort go just wide in the 79th minute, before his Manchester United team-mate Jsse Lingard drew a strong save from Oblak.
But ultimately both goalkeepers were too good to be beaten in a game that Slovenia will likely see as a missed opportunity to claim a surprise victory.
A Robert Mak double secured Slovakia their first win of 2018 World Cup qualifying with a 3-0 victory over Scotland in Trnava.
Mak struck once either side of half-time, with Adam Nemec's second-half header giving Slovakia all three points against the insipid visitors.
The winger's first came in controversial circumstances as he fired home the rebound from a David Marshall save, after the recalled Steven Fletcher appeared to have been fouled at other end of the field in the lead-up.
An emphatic finish from Mak and a towering Nemec header in the second period intensifies pressure on Scotland manager Strachan following their 1-1 stalemate with Lithuania at the weekend.
Strachan was incensed with the nature of the hosts' first goal, but it was a deserved defeat to a side who had not scored in four previous internationals.
Germany maintained their 100 per cent record in Group C after strolling to a 2-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Northern Ireland in Hannover.
Joachim Low's men were high on confidence following their impressive 3-0 win over Czech Republic on Saturday and their superior quality proved too much for Northern Ireland as well.
aThe world champions beat their opponents 1-0 at Euro 2016 courtesy of a single Mario Gomez strike, but the Wolfsburg striker was absent due to injury this time around.
Gomez's place in the starting XI was taken by Julian Draxler - the Germans' only change from the encounter in June - and the 23year-old led the way when he fired them into the lead in the 13th minute.
Germany immediately pushed for a second and they got it just four minutes later when Sami Khedira headed home from close range to effectively put the match to bed with Northern Ireland never seriously threatening a comeback.