Euro qualifiers: Czechs stun Dutch; Italy tame toothless Norway

The Czech Republic snatched a last-gasp 2-1 win over the Netherlands thanks to Vaclav Pilar's added time goal after a dreadful mistake by Daryl Janmaat in their opening Euro 2016 qualifier on Tuesday.

Defender Janmaat attempted to cushion a header back to Jasper Cillessen inside the area but it beat the Dutch keeper and struck the post only for Pilar to tuck the rebound into the net to the delight of the home fans watching the Group A clash.

"Three to five minutes before the end of the game, I would have taken a draw," said Czech Coach Pavel Vrba. "All my players tackled well and gave good indvidual performances. I can't single anybody out because it wouldn't be fair to the others."

The Czechs had started brightly and were rewarded in the 22nd minute when David Lafata controlled a cross into the box before laying it off to Borek Dockal whose left-foot shot slammed off the post into the net to give the hosts the lead.

The Dutch, third-place finishers at the World Cup in Brazil, responded with a Stefan de Vrij driving a header into the back of the net after a cross from Daley Blind in the 55th minute.

The Czechs kept their shape at the start in an effort to blunt a Dutch attack missing several key players, including Arjen Robben who was out with an ankle injury.

Simple for Simone as Italy tame toothless Norway

Simone Zaza made the most of the suspended Mario Balotelli's absence up front by scoring the opening goal to pave the way for Italy's comfortable 2-0 win over Norway in a Euro 2016 Group H qualifier on Tuesday.

The Sassuolo striker, surprisingly brought into the squad by new coach Antonio Conte, struck with a deflected shot after 16 minutes and also hit the crossbar and had an another effort cleared off the line before being substituted.

The 23-year-old Zaza repaid Conte's faith immediately, winning a penalty on his debut in the 2-0 friendly victory over Netherlands in Bari on Thursday before scoring in Oslo.

Their best attacks came down Italy's left flank as livewire Mats Moeller Daehli displayed his full bag of tricks and dribbles but the winger faded in the second half, as did the home team's chances.

Missing Balotelli and playmaker Andrea Pirlo, Conte's first competitive game in charge saw him field a relatively young team that favoured industry over flair.