Eurovision 2015: Semi-Final 2: Who Qualified?

The 10 Qualifiers From the Second Semi-Final

Some of Eurovision's more successful nations crashed out of the second semi-final last night, with the likes of Ireland, Iceland and Malta failing to qualify for Saturday's Grand Final. However, unlike Tuesday's first semi-final, this second one had very few notable moments and, in many ways, was far more predictable: there was plenty of smoke, the wind machine was in overdrive again and some of the costumes were...dubious.

Equally unsurprising is that live performance can be even more revealing than some of those outfits. With real-time vocals laid bare before millions, the men and the boys were truly separated and several of the songs suffered as a consequence.

Heading into the semi-final, it was anticipated that Malta's Warrior would join Georgia's in the final line-up. However, Amber's vocals were all over the place, prompting calls in this neck of the woods for her to desist from singing. It was sheer agony and a pity the song's running time was not similar to Finland's effort. It was interminably repetitive and incessantly ropy, so it was really no surprise when it failed to get the nod.

Meanwhile, Ireland's fate was in the hands of the young Lynsey de Paul lookalike, Molly Sterling. It was always a toss-up whether her Playing With Numbers would survive the night. Drawn in second spot, it appeared her nerves kicked in and her downbeat performance suffered as a result. There was not enough sparkle to make it memorable, instead resembling a piece performed at an amateur school concert.

Ahead of time, there didn't seem to be much to pick between Ireland's and Poland's efforts, but a plum draw and a much weightier emotional connection secured Monika Kuszyńska's place in the final. It was no surprise that Lithuania would join her - that kiss, assuredly - but both Cyprus and Montenegro were revelations. Sometimes great vocals combined with simple staging can speak volumes.

That's exactly how Latvia's Aminata achieved her place in the Final. Dressed in a revealing, figure-hugging red dress, she both looked and sounded tantalising: the vocals soaring; the staging perfect; the song even more quirky and memorable than ever. Surely, the performance of the night.

All of this is incidental, of course. Bookies-favourite Sweden was lurking in the shadows with its Heroes, ready to pounce. An assured Måns Zelmerlöw did not disappoint. He brought his stick men with him and proceeded to show the rest of the participants how it is done. Is this Stockholm calling?

[Images: Andres Putting (EBU)]

Here are the qualifiers (as announced):

Country	Song	Performer
Lithuania	This Time	Monika Linkytė & Vaidas Baumila
Poland	In the Name of Love	Monika Kuszyńska
Slovenia	Here For You	Maraaya
Sweden	Heroes	Måns Zelmerlöw
Norway	A Monster Like Me	Mørland & Debrah Scarlett
Montenegro	Adio (Goodbye)	Knez
Cyprus	One Thing I Should Have Done	John Karayiannis
Azerbaijan	Hour of the Wolf	Elnur Hüseynov
Latvia	Love Injected	Aminata
Israel	Golden Boy	Nadav Guedj

These are the seven nations/acts which failed to qualify:

Country	Song	Performer
Ireland	Playing With Numbers	Molly Sterling
San Marino	Chain of Lights	Michele Perniola & Anita Simoncini
Malta	Warrior	Amber
Portugal	Há um mar que nos separa	Leonor Andrade
Czech Republic	Hope Never Dies	Marta Jandová & Václav Noid Bárta
Iceland	Unbroken	María Ólafs
Switzerland	Time to Shine	Mélanie René