Quagliarella subbed on as Italy beat Finland; Ekdal’s Sweden also victorious

Saturday’s selection of international games saw a pair wins for the two Blucerchiati players in action.

Italy got off to the perfect start in Group J of the UEFA EURO 2020 qualifying tournament, beating Finland 2-0 at the Dacia Arena in Udine. Fabio Quagliarella was not included in Roberto Mancini’s starting XI but replaced Ciro Immobile in the 80th minute and almost immediately made an impact: only a miracle from the Finnish keeper and the meeting point of the post and the bar prevented Quaglia from becoming the oldest goalscorer in Italy’s history.

Albin Ekdal watched on from the stands as Sweden beat Romania 2-1 in Stockholm’s Friends Arena in their opening match of Group F in the EURO qualifiers.