Italy may not have been spectacular but they delivered their first win in Norway in 77 years and continued their progress under Antonio Conte.
Simone Zaza was the hero for Italy as they beat Norway 2-0 to open their Euro 2016 qualification campaign on a high note.
Italy are trying to rebuild after a disappointing World Cup and new boss Antonio Conte, who replaced Cesare Prandelli, has already made his mark.
Conte surprised many with the inclusion of Zaza for his teams against Holland and Norway. The Sassuolo striker was often the unsung hero last term while strike partner Domenico Berardi stole the headlines.
But Zaza found the net with a deflected strike after 16 minutes, hit the bar and had one cleared off the line.
Norway looked tame and posed little threat to Gigi Buffon’s goal and captain Leonardo Bonucci made it 2-0 with a powerful header in the 62nd minute.
It will be interesting to see if Mario Balotelli can regain a place in Conte’s starting line-up after his suspension ends or whether the ex-Juventus boss sticks with Zaza and Ciro Immobile.
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