Goalkeeper icon Gianluigi Buffon kept a clean sheet in his 1,000th match as Italy beat Albania 2-0 on Friday and remained joint leaders with Spain in their World Cup qualifying group.

Daniele di Rossi and Ciro Immobile were on target in Palermo where the 39-year-old veteran Buffon also won a European record 168th cap, moving one ahead of Spain keeper Iker Casillas and Latvia's Vitalijs Astafjevs.

Italy improved to to 13 points from four wins and a draw in Group G, level with Spain who won 4-1 over Israel in Gijon from David Silva, Vitolo Machin, Diego Costa and Isco.

Elsewhere, Ireland drew 0-0 in Dublin with in a duel of unbeaten teams, with captain Seamus Coleman breaking his leg in a tackle from Wales' Neil Taylor who was sent off for the offence.

Ireland now share the Group D lead with Serbia, who are also yet to lose and prevailed 3-1 in Georgia.

Croatia beat Ukraine 1-0 in a Group I topper to lead by three points.

In Gijon, Silva made it 1-0 on 13 minutes from Jordi Alba's pass for his 29th international goal - only David Villa, Raul and Fernando Torres have scored more.

Vitolo got the second in injury time of the first half from Thiago Alcantara's pass. Costa missed an easy header two minutes into the second period but he made amends heading in Thiago's corner on 49 minutes.

Israel scored a late consolation through Lior Refaelov but Spain extended their lead through substitute Isco with two minutes left.

"We are top but we know it's a long-distance race. Let's see if Italy can drop a point or too. And if not then we play them at home with our supporters behind us," Spain full-back Dani Carvajal said.

Italy made no mistakes on the day and took a 12th-minute lead from the 2006 world champion De Rossi, who converted from the spot after Sokol Cikalleshi had earlier threatened for Albania.

Immobile wrapped up matters by nodding in a cross from the right in the 71st after the game was interrupted when visiting fans hurled smoke bombs at the Renzo Barbera.

"We risked little and had good chances. We took a good step forward toward the creation of a strong team," Italy coach Gian Piero Ventura said.

In the other game Macedonia earned their first points of the campaign from a 3-0 victory at minnows Liechtenstein.

In Dublin, visiting Wales dominated possession but the Euro 2016 semi-finalists failed to break through.

But they were one man down when Aston Villa defender Taylor was sent off in the 69th for the tackle against Everton's Seamus Coleman who was stretchered off and taken to hospital with the fracture.

"It's a bad break. He's a fantastic player and character. It's a major blow for the lad, his club and us," Ireland manager Martin O'Neill told Sky TV.

Taylor will miss the next game in Serbia and so will superstar Gareth Bale, who almost stole a late winner from long range, over a yellow-card suspension.

In Tbilisi, Serbia reversed Georgia's early lead from Nika Katcharava thanks to Dusan Tadic's penalty on the stroke of half-time, a curling shot from Aleksandar Mitrovic in the 64th and a late strike from substitute Mijat Gacinovic.

They are level at the top with Ireland on 11 points, with Wales and Austria - 2-0 winners over Moldova - four points behind.

In Group I, Fiorentina's Nikola Kalinic got Croatia's winner in the 38th minute, off Barcelona ace Ivan Rakitic.

The victory in Zagreb gave Croatia a three-point cushion, with Iceland now second thanks to a 2-1 victory at Kosovo from first-half goals from Bjoern Sigurdarson and Gylfi Sigurdsson.

Ukraine remained on eight points, a mark Turkey also reached from a first ever home win against Finland, 2-0 in Antalya from Cenk Tosun's early double.

European World Cup qualifiers continue with nine matches Saturday, including title holders Portugal v Hungary.

World Cup 2018 hosts Russia meanwhile lost a home friendly 2-0 against Ivory Coast, with Jonathan Kodjia and Wilfried Zaha on target in Krasnodar.