Mateo Retegui was on target once again as Italy triumphed 2-0 at Malta to record their first victory in Euro 2024 qualifying.

Argentina-born Retegui scored on his international debut in Thursday's 2-1 defeat to England and found the net once more with a simple 15th-minute opener three days later.

Matthew Guillaumier's own goal 12 minutes later offered Roberto Mancini's side complete control at Ta' Qali National Stadium, with Malta rarely threatening a response.

Victory leaves Italy three points behind embryonic Group C leaders England, who eased past Ukraine by the same scoreline earlier on Sunday.

Malta almost grabbed an unlikely fifth-minute lead but captain Gianluigi Donnarumma rescued Italy with a fine stop against Alexander Satariano when one-on-one.

That missed chance proved pivotal as an unmarked Retegui headed home from Sandro Tonali's corner soon after, before Wilfried Gnonto limped off injured.

Guillaumier turned into his own net from Emerson's inviting cross as Italy furthered their lead, though Henry Bonello denied substitute Vincenzo Grifo to keep the scoreline respectable at half-time.

A frantic scramble inside the Italy area offered Mancini's visitors a rare second-half scare before Bonello thwarted a fizzing Bryan Cristante attempt.

Gianluca Scamacca's inventive acrobatic effort forced another smart Bonello save as Italy cruised to their first win on the road to Germany 2024.

What does it mean? Italy back on track after England disappointment

Italy lost for a first time in 41 European Championship qualifiers after failing to deliver against England in Naples but responded with an assured performance at lowly Malta.

With fellow qualification hopefuls Ukraine brushed aside by England in the second round of matches, Italy may hope for a simple qualification path by finishing second in Group C.

It may not be all straightforward for Mancini's men, though, with Ukraine by no means pushovers and two clashes to follow with North Macedonia, who eliminated Italy in the World Cup play-offs last year.

Rampant Retegui

Mancini has repeatedly fielded questions over his selection decisions to call up Retegui, who qualified for the Azzurri because of his grandfather's Italian passport.

Retegui silenced the critics once again, joining Riccardo Orsolini (November 2020), Enrico Chiesa (June 1996) and Giorgio Chinaglia (September 1972) as the only players to score in their first two Italy appearances.

Sorry Satariano

In stark contrast to the in-form Retegui, Satariano struggled against the experienced Alessio Romagnoli and centre-back partner Giorgio Scalvini.

The Malta striker faltered from a gilt-edged first-half opportunity and managed just seven passes before being replaced in the 64th minute, while even Italy goalkeeper Donnarumma enjoyed more than Satariano's 24 touches.

What's next?

Italy are not in action until their Nations League semi-final against Spain on June 15, while Malta host England in Euro 2024 qualifying the day after.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Portugal eased to a 6-0 win away at Luxembourg in Euro 2024 qualifying.

Ronaldo got the ball rolling early on with a tap-in, before further goals from Joao Felix and Bernardo Silva made it 3-0 inside 18 minutes, while Ronaldo added another just after the half-hour mark.

Second-half goals from substitutes Otavio and Rafael Leao completed another routine victory for Portugal after their 4-0 win over Liechtenstein to kick off their qualifying campaign and the rein of new head coach Roberto Martinez.

They sit top of Group J after two games, two points ahead of Slovakia in second after their win against Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Portugal took the lead in the ninth minute when a ball to the far post from Bruno Fernandes was headed back across goal by Nuno Mendes, giving Ronaldo a simple tap-in from close range.

The advantage was doubled just six minutes later, as this time Silva's inswinging ball from the right was nodded across Luxembourg goalkeeper Anthony Moris and into the corner of the net by Joao Felix.

Silva got on the end of a long pass from Joao Palhinha to head in the third, while Ronaldo grabbed his second and Portugal's fourth in the 31st minute when Fernandes played him through on goal, with the Al Nassr striker placing his left-foot shot low to Moris' right.

Portugal had another in the 77th minute when Leao and Otavio combined, with the latter heading home the Milan attacker's cross from the left.

Leao saw a late penalty saved by Moris after winning it himself, but made up for it shortly after when his run inside from the left ended with a composed finish.

Gareth Southgate praised the ruthlessness of Bukayo Saka after his starring role in England's 2-0 win over Ukraine.

England made it six points from two Euro 2024 qualifiers with a routine win at Wembley on Sunday.

Saka, a leading light in Arsenal's challenge for the Premier League title, supplied the assist for Harry Kane's opener in the 37th minute.

He then made it 2-0 three minutes later by bending a magnificent long-range strike into the top-right corner, his eighth goal for the Three Lions.

"It is a top-level finish [from Saka]," Southgate told Channel 4. 

"That is the ruthless part he has added to his game in the last 18 months or so. There were times you weren't sure he was going to finish, but now he has that confidence in front of goal."

England were in control throughout, with Ukraine never looking likely to produce a comeback in a game where they did not manage a shot on target.

The command England enjoyed naturally delighted Southgate, who also had plaudits for James Maddison, the Leicester City playmaker creating five chances in an impressive showing.

"The risk is that when you have control of the game you have the odd sloppy pass, but the application throughout was excellent," added Southgate.

"We have broken down a lot of barriers over a period of time. We still had that question mark over some of the bigger teams. 

"We are starting to win those games now but there is still lots of room for improvement. 

"To back up the Italy result was important, but there is still room to grow."

"We are always trying to think about now and what is next. We did that with James Maddison today. We thought it was a good game to see him.

"He was defensively very solid. It was nice to get Ivan Toney on the pitch as well. We will always look at people, but we have to qualify and we can't take that for granted."

Juventus midfielder Filip Kostic has been ruled out of Serbia's Euro 2024 qualifier against Montenegro with an Achilles injury.

The 30-year-old played a full part in Friday's 2-0 win over Lithuania and set up Dusan Tadic's early opener.

But Kostic will not be available against Montenegro at Podgorica City Stadium on Monday, having returned to his club side for treatment.

"It's bad news for us," Serbia head coach Dragan Stojkovic said at Sunday's pre-match press conference. "He left the team because he has Achilles tendinitis.

"There is no need to take any risks with him. The decision was to return to the club. I'm always sorry when a player gets injured – there's nothing worse for a coach."

Juventus will hope to have Kostic available for a busy run of fixtures when they return to action later this week.

Massimiliano Allegri's side have nine games in April across three competitions, starting with Saturday's Serie A meeting with Hellas Verona at the Allianz Stadium.

Kostic has played in 38 of Juve's 39 matches this season – only Danilo has featured as regularly – and has a team-high 11 assists to go with his three goals.

Bukayo Saka was instrumental and Harry Kane was again on target as England strolled to a 2-0 win over Ukraine in Euro 2024 qualifying.

Having become England's all-time leading scorer in the 2-1 win over Italy in Naples, Kane broke the deadlock in the 37th minute at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.

England's captain converted a superb cross from Saka, who then put the hosts in complete command three minutes later.

A comeback was never on the cards after the Arsenal star's long-range effort, with England firmly in control of Group C with six points from two games. 

England had struggled to break down Ukraine before Saka produced a whipped delivery to the far post, where Kane was waiting to fire into the bottom-left corner with aplomb.

After teeing up the first, Saka then produced a second out of nothing, bending magnificently into the top-right corner.

Ukraine were improved in the second half, but did not even manage a corner until the 73rd minute, illustrating England's comfort in seeing out the victory.

England withdrew Kane late on to hand Ivan Toney his England debut, and Gareth Southgate will surely have several opportunities to introduce new faces if his side's qualifying campaign continues in this serene fashion.

Toney's fellow substitute Conor Gallagher forced a smart stop out of Anatolii Trubin before Harry Maguire headed over and Jack Grealish went close, with the only frustration for England being a failure to add further gloss with a third.

Didier Deschamps expects Kylian Mbappe to continue breaking France records but knows a Republic of Ireland generation inspired by teenage talisman Evan Ferguson pose a threat.

Les Bleus thrashed the Netherlands 4-0 in their opening Euro 2024 qualifier and will be confident of claiming another three points in Dublin on Monday.

New captain Mbappe hit a double against the Dutch, taking him to 38 international goals and fifth on France's all-time scoring charts – just three shy of the great Michel Platini (41).

Mbappe has scored half of those in his last 16 outings, as many as in his first 51 games, Deschamps suggests there is no limit for the 24-year-old.

"It's Kylian, he's full of ambitions. When he reaches one, he has another to reach," Deschamps said at a press conference.

"He reached and exceeded quite a few very early on. He has that in him. He has a driving role compared to the whole group.

"He will do everything to get there, he will need the others, but it's Kylian."

France have won their last four qualifying matches, for both the World Cup and Euros, by an aggregate score of 16-0.

Les Bleus have not managed five qualifying victories without conceding since doing so between November 1981 and December 1984, but they face an Ireland side buoyed by a young prospect of their own.

Ferguson scored on his first international start in a 3-2 win over Latvia and could become the first Ireland player to net in consecutive appearances before turning 19.

The Brighton and Hove Albion striker has been a hot topic of discussion, with Deschamps acknowledging the danger the 18-year-old might offer.

"It goes back to [Euro] 2016. I remember that we were trailing 1-0 [in the round of 16 before winning 2-1] and that it was complicated," Deschamps said.

"But there is a new generation with Ferguson. It is always very difficult to compare."

Ireland have lost just three of their last 30 Euros qualifying games (W14 D13) and are unbeaten in their last 14 on home soil (W8 D6), including play-off fixtures.

That strong home form is a factor Deschamps knows France must deal with.

He continued: "They are a technical team. From what I have seen, they use less direct play and long balls. It will be a different game, with the crowd pushing as well.

"It's a high level and it's up to us to do no less."

Kylian Mbappe hailed the "carefree" mindset of the new France generation as the forward eyes surpassing Michel Platini on Les Bleus' all-time scoring charts.

The Paris Saint-German superstar scored twice in his first game as France captain as Didier Deschamps' side hammered the Netherlands 4-0 to kickstart their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign on Friday.

That double took the 24-year-old striker to 38 goals in 67 appearances for his country, just three international strikes short of Platini, who sits fourth in France's leading scorers chart.

Antoine Griezmann (43), Thierry Henry (51) and Olivier Giroud (53) are the only three to manage more and Mbappe is out to catch Platini when Deschamps' men visit the Republic of Ireland on Monday.

He said at Sunday's pre-match press conference: "It's an honour but it's also the next target to beat.

"Platini remains a legend of French football but I want to continue my journey and it goes through Michel Platini."

France fell agonisingly short at the World Cup in Qatar, losing on penalties to Argentina in the final, but the future appears incredibly bright for Les Bleus.

Deschamps has the likes of Aurelien Tchouameni and Edouard Camavinga in midfield, while Randal Kolo Muani provides support for Mbappe up top.

Centre-back pairing Ibrahima Konate and Dayot Upamecano are yet to reach their 25th birthdays and Mbappe says he is relishing leading a youthful France.

"I don't know all the generations. This one is carefree," he added. "We always have this desire to show that we can do good things.

"This team can aim for the heights. In adversity, we will see other things. We had a first match that we made easy. We will see in due time.

"Maybe there will be more difficult moments and I hope that we can overcome them."

As for the captaincy, Mbappe suggested little has changed despite taking the armband from the retired Hugo Lloris.

He continued: "I was the same, I naturally played my new role. There was not much to say in relation to the team's performance. I'm not going to talk just to talk.

"I was the link between the two generations but there were no differences during the week. The group is doing very well, I did not have to intervene. The less work I have, the better for everyone.

"We must not get carried away and we have started qualifying well. Tomorrow's match will be more complicated than what people may think."

Ronald Koeman is targeting "as many goals as possible" in Monday's Euro 2024 qualifier against minnows Gibraltar to get his side's heavy loss to France out of their system.

The Netherlands were thumped 4-0 by Les Bleus on Friday in their opening Group B match and the first game of Koeman's second spell in charge of the national side.

Oranje have a quick turnaround in games as they welcome Gibraltar – ranked 200th in the world – to De Kuip three days after such a crushing loss, and Koeman is hoping for a big victory.

"From the first minute until the 97th we must do everything to score as many goals as possible," he said at Sunday's pre-match press conference. "We have to keep going.

"We know Gibraltar will defend with a lot of men, but hopefully we can get a quick goal. Our attacking line-up will be very important."

Koeman opted for a 4-3-3 formation against France and, while not ruling out a switch to 5-3-2 against certain sides, he has faith in the current system.

"The France game was a one-off," he said. "I have no doubt for a second that we should have done things differently in the last game. It will get better; I am convinced of that.

"It will take time before we see what we want. This is what we have training sessions for."

The Netherlands' loss to France was only their second by a four-goal margin against any opponent in the past 60 years, the other also coming against Les Bleus in August 2017.

Defender Nathan Ake, who played a full part at the Stade de France, revealed he and his team-mates spoke openly about the defeat after the match.

"We discussed what needs to be improved," he said. "We had to reflect and you also have to speak plain language and just tell each other the truth.”

Koeman added: "This group is self-critical and a number of things were said. What we discussed mainly was our build-up play and the intensity of our play – it was too slow.

"That was the biggest disappointment, particularly as we worked on it in training."

Denmark threw away a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2 at Kazakhstan and suffer an early blow in Euro 2024 qualifying.

Kasper Hjulmand's side were semi-finalists at the last Euros and were handed a relatively kind draw for this qualifying campaign, beating Finland 3-1 in Thursday's opener.

Atalanta sensation Rasmus Hojlund scored a hat-trick in that game and then grabbed another two goals in the first half on Sunday, seemingly setting up another routine win.

But Baktiyor Zainutdinov pulled one back from the penalty spot with 17 minutes to play, and Kazakhstan were back level through captain Askhat Tagybergen's spectacular long-range strike four minutes from time.

That was not the end of the scoring as substitute Abat Aimbetov nodded the winner, although he was sent off in stoppage time.

Denmark will surely still back themselves to come through the group – particularly if Hojlund maintains his remarkable form – but this was an unexpected setback.

"I have to be careful what I say right now," captain Simon Kjaer told TV2.

"We run after instead of acting. We run after and not ahead with the ball. That's the difference in the second half, I think."

Asked why he needed to be careful, Kjaer said: "It is embarrassing. We win and lose together. Today we lose together. You cannot be 2-0 up and losing 2-3. You cannot. I don't know what it was. 

"It was many things. It wasn't good enough. What exactly happened in the situations I'm a little unsure about, and I don't want to say things I'm not sure of. 

"We must take responsibility for the criticism that will come. And then we must move on."

Manchester City attacker Phil Foden has undergone surgery to remove his appendix.

England confirmed the news on Sunday, ruling Foden out of the Euro 2024 qualifier against Ukraine.

City subsequently announced that Foden would definitely miss next Saturday's crucial Premier League clash with Liverpool.

Foden, who came on as a substitute in England's win over Italy on Thursday but lasted only 12 minutes, had been suffering from acute appendicitis.

No firm timescale has been given for the 22-year-old's return, though the UK National Health Service (NHS) guidance recommends at least a two-week recovery period.

Foden has scored 13 goals and provided five assists in 36 appearances for City this season.

Thibaut Courtois will miss Belgium's friendly against Germany on Tuesday due to an adductor injury.

The Real Madrid goalkeeper withdrew from the Red Devils squad on Sunday after sustaining a minor strain.

Courtois played in the Red Devils' 3-0 victory over Sweden in their opening Euro 2024 Group F qualifying match at Friends Arena on Friday.

The former Chelsea keeper will not face Germany in Cologne, though, after returning to Madrid.

Carlo Ancelotti will be hoping Courtois is fit when Los Blancos return to action against Real Valladolid in LaLiga next Sunday.

Romelu Lukaku's hat-trick ensured Belgium started Domenico Tedesco's reign as head coach with a resounding victory over Sweden in Solna.

Martin Odegaard is "pretty sure" he should have won a penalty for Norway against Spain after a fierce challenge from Rodri.

The Norway captain was wiped out inside the area by the Spain midfielder in an incident that sparked debate regarding the ongoing battle for the Premier League title.

There would have undoubtedly been winces at Arsenal having seen the Manchester City man clatter into their skipper, with the two sides going toe-to-toe to finish top of the league this season.

Despite the heavy challenge, no foul was awarded and that left Odegaard confused, though he stopped short of questioning the officials due to concern he would be issued with sanctions.

"I'm pretty sure I should have had a penalty. He's coming with his studs right on my ankle. But I'm sure I'll get punished [if I say any more]," he told TV2.

"I don't bother saying anything else about the referee. It's better not to say anything."

While Odegaard held back in his assessment, Norway head coach Stale Solbakken did not hold back on an incident he felt could have changed the course of the game.

"It is a clear penalty. He finishes the shot and you can't [foul him after]," he said.

"If I knock someone down after the ball is gone, then it's a penalty. I get a little bored of this.

"What I see here now [on the replay] is exactly what I saw from the bench. There was a bit of arrogance going on. That’s the way it is, but it's unbelievable."

Gareth Southgate urged Folarin Balogun to be patient for an England call-up.

The 21-year-old striker has excelled on loan with Reims this season from Arsenal, scoring 17 Ligue 1 goals – only Kylian Mbappe and Jonathan David (both 19) having netted more.

Balogun's international allegiances are up for grabs, with the New York-born striker eligible for the United States, as well as Nigeria, and visiting the US during the international break.

Southgate is not prepared to issue him a call-up in order to seal his international future, however, citing his lack of Premier League experience as a reason for him being overlooked.

"It is up to the player to weigh up where his heart feels. Is he prepared to wait a little bit for an opportunity if he backs himself and feels he can push his way into our squad?" he said.

"Because anybody who has followed us will know that we will give young players a chance. So, we cannot go and give first-team call-ups to someone just because we don't want them to go somewhere else.

"We like Flo. He has obviously not had an opportunity in the Premier League yet, so we have to weigh up those goals to Ivan [Toney], for example, or Ollie Watkins. Or Eddie Nketiah, who has done really well with the opportunity he has had at Arsenal.

"I know there are going to be offers as 80 per cent of our players can play for more than one country now, and we are not arrogant expecting everybody to want to come to play for England. We have to make them feel wanted and feel part of that.

"Ultimately, it does not matter what you say. If you cannot give them the opportunity now, then some people are patient and want to see it through and are prepared to wait a bit and others want it now and I can totally understand that."

Joselu was in dreamland after scoring twice on his Spain debut to help La Roja beat Norway 3-0 in Malaga on Saturday.

New head coach Luis de la Fuente named a somewhat unfamiliar squad ahead of their two opening Euro 2024 qualifiers as he began his tenure after replacing Luis Enrique.

Joselu's call-up was long overdue in the eyes of many, given he had reached double figures for LaLiga goals in each of the previous three seasons.

He was introduced at La Rosaleda in the second half with Spain stuttering unconvincingly towards a 1-0 win, but he scored twice to put the game to bed.

As such, he became the oldest debutant to score for Spain since September 2006, two days before his 33rd birthday, and he was left in disbelief.

"The truth is that I still don't believe it," he told TVE. "This is everything a player can have and in the end, the daily work has had its reward.

"I think I would especially like to thank my wife and my children, and my mother, who have come here today.

"The truth is that I am not believing it."

Joselu was also Spain's oldest debutant since 2006, with De la Fuente opting to pick a few somewhat unfashionable options who were largely neglected by his predecessor.

The striker subsequently paid tribute to De la Fuente for giving him the opportunity.

"I thank him for everything, being here, trusting me, being on the first list," he said.

"I think I have responded more than enough.

"Age doesn't matter to me because I feel like a kid, I feel like an 18-year-old kid. I want to enjoy this; I want to hug my family because today is an incredible day."

Joselu may feel he has done enough to earn a maiden start next time out, when Spain are set to face Scotland at Hampden Park on Tuesday.

"Knowing the players and giving them confidence is our job, but all the credit belongs to him," De la Fuente said of Joselu. 

"We have recognised the great work he does every day at his club and I am happy for him and for everyone else."

Joselu scored two late goals on his international debut as Spain opened Euro 2024 qualification with a 3-0 win over Norway at La Rosaleda in Luis de la Fuente's first game in charge.

Spain were by no means impressive, with the Erling Haaland-less visitors wasting several fine opportunities, but Joselu repaid De la Fuente's faith towards the end.

De la Fuente – appointed Luis Enrique's successor after World Cup elimination – named an unfamiliar-looking starting XI yet saw his side take an early lead through Dani Olmo.

They held Norway at bay through some excellent Kepa Arrizabalaga saves and a big miss from Alexander Sorloth, and substitute Joselu punished them with two goals in as many minutes.

It took Spain just 13 minutes to get the first goal of their new era, Alejandro Balde's cross-cum-shot flicked home by Olmo.

They needed a brilliant save from Kepa just before the half-hour to remain ahead, however, the goalkeeper turning Fredrik Aursnes' blistering close-range volley over.

Mikel Merino went close in similar circumstances a minute later, only for Orjan Nyland to tip the ball around the post.

Chances aside, Spain were second best for significant periods and had another fortunate escape early in the second half.

Marcus Pedersen's goal-bound effort was crucially deflected by Nacho Fernandez, and Kepa got back to hook the careering ball off the line.

Sorloth then volleyed off target in the 80th minute and Spain duly capitalised.

Joselu nodded in Fabian Ruiz's cross from deep, before smashing home from close range when Mikel Oyarzabal's shot was deflected into his path, capping a memorable night for the Espanyol striker.