Euro 2016 Qualifier Results & Schedule: Spain, England Wins; Italy, Netherlands to Kick Off Campaign
Spain and England started their Euro 2016 Qualifier campaign on a bright note after scoring impressive victories on Monday.
Spain, who are coming off a disappointing campaign in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, proved that they are still a force to reckon with after scoring a 5-1 win against Macedonia at the Bernabeu in Madrid, Spain.
Sergio Ramos and Paco Alcacer gave Spain an early 2-0 lead with goals in the 16th and 17th minute respectively, before Agim Ibraimi trimmed the lead after scoring on a penalty in the 28th minute.
Sergio Busquets then gave Spain a 3-1 lead heading into the break. The former world champions sustained the momentum in the second half as David Silva netted another goal in the 50th minute and Pedro sealed the blowout win with another goal in extra time.
"We knew we had lost credit at the World Cup, and that we had to recover that," Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque said after the match. "You do that out on the pitch, trying to play good football. We began the competition with three points and the performance of the team has been good."
England, on the other hand, also bounced back from their early exit in the FIFA World Cup as they rolled on to a 2-0 win against Switzerland in Basel. Danny Welbeck was the man of the match for the Three Lions, scoring goals in the 59th minute and extra time.
England coach Roy Hodgson praised his squad after the match, saying that he "never lost faith" in the Three Lions despite all the criticism following their disappointing performance in Brazil where they failed to advance to the knockout stages.
"I've never lost faith and I was just pleased to see the boys play well," Hodgson said. "The way we approached the game was exactly what we wanted and we got our reward for once."
Complete results of Monday's matches are available on this link.
Meanwhile, Italy will kick off their Euro 2016 Qualifier campaign against Norway on Tuesday at the Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo, Norway.
Italy will be a heavy favorite to win against Norway, but they will be missing the services of Giorgio Chiellini, Andrea Barzagli, Andrea Pirlo, Giuseppe Rossi, Daniel Osvaldo and Claudio Marchisio to injuries, while striker Mario Balotelli will serve his suspension.
The Netherlands, who finished third in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, will also see action against Czech Republic at the Sparta Stadium in Prague.
Arjen Robben will miss the match, but new coach Guus Hiddink, who succeeded Louis van Gaal, is confident that Robin van Persie and Wesley Sneijder will provide the much-needed lift on Tuesday.
Complete schedule for Tuesday's Euro 2016 Qualifier are available here.
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