Antonio Conte's Italy started their Euro 2016 qualification charge brightly with a 2-0 win over Norway in Oslo. In the sixteenth minute, Zaza opened the scoring for the Azzurri after a deflected shot ended in the back of the net, to give the Sassuolo striker his first goal for Italy. In the sixty-second minute, Bonucci made it 2-0 after a great out-swinger from Pasqual met the head of Bonucci who blasted it into the back of the net.
The match started off lively with both teams high up the field to stop each other from playing the ball from the back. Despite the high pressing from Norway, Italy found a way to build from the back in the third minute which ended in a great chance for Zaza after Darmian was picked out on the right-hand side by a great ball, before crossing it in for Zaza who tried his luck at the near post, but the ball was deflected into a corner. Three minutes later Italy had another chance, after De Sciglio tried his luck from the left-hand side, but only found the outside of the net.
In the thirteenth minute Immobile had a chance to put the Azzurri in the lead, after a Florenzi cross found Immobile in the box who tried to hit the back of the net, but his shot was well blocked by Nordtveit. Just three minutes later, Zaza managed to do what Immobile almost did moments before, put the Azzurri in the lead. Zaza dribbled into the box and fired a shot that took a slight deflection off the Norwegian defender and ended in the back of the net. That was Simone Zaza's first goal for Italy.
Norway were finding it hard to create chances against Italy's three-men defence, they were only threatening from long-range. In the thirtieth minute, Joshua King tried a dipping effort from just outside the box but went over the top corner. The match was starting to slow down a bit, expectedly after the high-tempo start, but just one minute from the end of the first half, Italy did extremely well to build up from the back despite Norway's high pressing, an across the field pass from De Rossi found De Sciglio who did well to lay it off to Giaccherini who tried his luck from outside the box but saw his shot well parried away by Nyland.
The second half started slow, especially compared to the first half. Italy looked happy to hold their 1-0 lead, and tried to constantly slow the tempo of the match. Italy prioritised keeping hold of the ball, even if that meant not creating many chances, they were just happy to see the time pass. They were very reminiscent of Conte's Juventus.
In the sixtieth minute, Fiorentina's Manuel Pasqual came on for Darmian, and his first action of the match resulted into the first chance of the second half, and the second goal of the game for Italy. Manuel Pasqual received the ball from a short corner, whipped in an out-swinger that Bonucci attacked magnificently with his head and blasted it into the back of the net with pure venom.
In the seventy-seventh minute Zaza and Florenzi had the chance to put the game to rest, after a flick on from Immobile resulted in a one on one situation for Zaza, who struck the ball straight into the cross-bar which fell to Florenzi who tried to head it past Nyland but the Norwegian did well to save it. Straight after that attack Zaza hobbled off the pitch to take some treatment. Seconds after Zaza returned on the pitch, still limping, he received the ball inside the box, dribbled past the Norwegian defender, and chipped it over the keeper but was brilliantly cleared off the line by Forren.
In the eighty-third minute Destro came on for the Amazing Zaza. Norway looked like they had already accepted that they won't get anything from the match, and Italy happily kept the ball and slowed the tempo of the game until the final whistle.