A home win always seemed the most likely result with top playing bottom and the gulf in class told in the 26th minute when man-of- the-match Maciej Zurawski scored the decisive goal to give the Poles a five-point lead after Portugal's draw with Serbia.

The striker looked lively from the off and tested Roman Berezovsky within three minutes with a right-footed effort from 12 yards.

Soon after Poland defender Dariusz Dudka was inches away from giving the home side the lead when he headed Lukasz Gargula's eighth-minute corner over the bar.

Armenia took 21 minutes to call Polish number one Artur Boruc into action, but the Celtic goalkeeper had little trouble taking Levon Pachajyan's inswinging corner from the left.

Boruc's Hoops team-mate Zurawski continued to look a danger and was again denied by Berezovsky with a vicious right-footer from the edge of the area.

But soon the Celtic striker got the goal his efforts deserved when he coolly steered Michal Zewlakow left-wing cross into the bottom-right corner from 12 yards.

It was Zurawski who continued to take the game to the Armenians and twice in the space of a minute he almost registered his second of the game.

First Berezovsky came to the rescue with a smart save to deny the striker from 20 yards before Armenian defender Karen Dokhoyan did well to get in the way of his effort from similar range.

Berezovsky continued to be the busiest player on the field and in the 40th minute he was again called into action to deny Jakub Blaszczykowski's shot from the left channel.

Pachajyan registered a shot for the home side in the 51st minute but his 30-yard strike was always rising and finished well above the crossbar.

But it was the Poles who always looked the more likely to double the advantage.

Przemyslaw Kazmierczak's well struck shot was just over Berezovsky's bar and a minute later Blaszczykowski's fierce drive from 20 yards fizzed just wide of the left post.