Sergio Ramos scored a second-half penalty to help Spain beat a spirited Norway 2-1 in their opening Euro 2020 qualifier, while teenage striker Moise Kean netted in Italy’s win over Finland.
Spain was not at its clinical best in Valencia, but got its Group F campaign off to a solid start despite Norway threatening an upset.
Flying start
Italy got off to a flying start in Udine, as Nicolo Barella gave it a seventh-minute lead with his maiden international goal.
The 22-year-old Cagliari midfielder hammered home a low volley after a free-kick was only half-cleared by the Finnish defence.
The day belonged to Kean, though, as he slotted in the second with 16 minutes to play to mark his full debut in style.
The results:
Group D: Georgia 0 lost to Switzerland 2 (Zuber 57, Zakaria 80); Gibraltar 0 lost to Republic of Ireland 1 (Hendrick 49).
Group F: Malta 2 (Nwoko 13, Borg 77-pen) bt Faroe Islands 1 (Thomsen 90+8); Sweden 2 (Quaison 33, Claesson 40) bt Romania 1 (Keseru 58); Spain 2 (Rodrigo 16, Ramos 71-pen) bt Norway 1 (King 65-pen).
Group J: Bosnia and Herzegovina 2 (Krunic 33, Milosevic 80) bt Armenia 1 (Mkhitaryan 90+3-pen); Italy 2 (Barella 7, Kean 74) bt Finland 0; Liechtenstein 0 lost to Greece 2 (Fortounis 45+1, Donis 80).