Nicolo Barella scored the lone goal of the game as Italy beat the Netherlands 1-0 to move top of their UEFA Nations League group.
They set aside the disappointment of drawing 1-1 with Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday behind them as Barella headed the winner on the stroke of half-time.
The Italian side showed greater urgency and quality throughout and thoroughly deserved the win from the lone goal scored by Barella just before half-time.
Interim Netherlands manager, Dwight Lodeweges, suffered his first loss since assuming the post in his second game after replacing Ronald Koeman and he will be concerned with the drab display from his side, who rarely threatened the visitors’ goal.
Gini Wijnaldum and new Manchester United signing Donny van de Beek were the only ones to come close for the hosts, but both were denied by Italy keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
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Italy head the League A Group 1 standings with four points from two games, followed by Netherlands and Poland, who have three points each, and Bosnia with one.
Poland also secured a 2-1 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina with goals from Kamil Glik and West Brom winger Kamil Grosicki.
Haris Hajradinovic had given the hosts the lead from the penalty spot in the 24th minute but Poland recovered to seal all three points and move to third in the standings.
Erling Haaland score twice at Windsor Park as Norway thumps Northern Ireland
Dortmund striker Erling Haaland and Alexander Sorloth scored twice for Norway as they thrashed Northern Ireland 5-1 in Nations League Group B1 at Windsor Park on Monday night.
Northern Ireland went ahead after just two minutes through Celtic’s Mohamed Elyounoussi but Paddy McNair drew the hosts level four minutes later with his fourth goal in eight games for his country.
And thereafter it was Norway all the way as both Haaland (7 and 58) and Sorloth (19 and 47) scored twice to inflict a wretched home debut on Northern Ireland manager Ian Baraclough, whose side drop to the bottom of the group after two games, while third-placed Norway are level with Austria.
Monday 7th September
Kazakhstan 1 – 2 Belarus
Albania 0 – 1 Lithuania
Austria 2 – 3 Romania
Bosnia and Herzegovina 1 – 2 Poland
Czech Republic 1 – 2 Scotland
Israel 1 – 1 Slovakia
Netherlands 0 – 1 Italy
Northern Ireland 1 – 5 Norway
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