Germany beat Romania, top group

Berlin: Serge Gnabry's first half goal ensured Germany won 1-0 in Romania and stayed top of World Cup qualifying Group J despite a string of missed chances in Bucharest.

Gnabry tapped in a 15th goal in 19 internationals in the 16th minute but coach Joachim Loew watched in growing frustration as Germany failed to make the game safe through a combination of poor finishing and inspired goalkeeping from Florin Nita on Sunday, DPA news reports.

But with Romania toothless in attack, Gnabry's solitary strike was enough to keep Germany perfect in the group with two wins out of two before they conclude their opening triple-header at home to North Macedonia on Wednesday.

"We have worked very well against the ball and won it well," Loew told broadcaster RTL. "We had some good combinations.

"If you can be critical, it is the chance conversion - we could have made the game easier if we'd score the second goal." But Loew, one game closer to leaving the German job after Euro 2020 in summer, added: "Overall you can be happy, we have something to build on."

Italy extend unbeaten run to 24 matches

Italy extended its unbeaten run to 24 matches as the Azzurri won 2-0 away to Bulgaria in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, claiming the second consecutive victory in this campaign.

Italy conquered Northern Ireland 2-0 in the opening match, and coach Roberto Mancini made several changes in the starting line-up, as Andrea Belotti, Stefano Sensi and Federico Chiesa stepped in on Sunday, Xinhua news reports.

The four-star took the domination from the very beginning but couldn't find the net until the 42nd minute as Belotti went down in the box, and the Torino hitman converted the penalty by himself.

Italy ranks first in Group C with six points, Switzerland who also beat Lithuania 1-0 on Sunday places second on goal difference.

Denmark exhibit ambition with 8-0 win over Moldova

An efficient Denmark used 90 minutes to ruthlessly dictate the course of their World Cup qualifier against Moldova, winning 8-0 at the MCH Arena in Herning.

Denmark, ranked 12th in the FIFA World rankings, employed a comprehensive attacking game around using combination play to dissect the weak defence of Moldova, ranked 177th.

A 20-minute barrage of shots upon the Moldova goal netted a bounty of five goals in the first half and effectively ended the game on Sunday, Xinhua news reports.

In the second half, Denmark, despite having an early goal from Kasper Dolberg in the 47th minute, the tempo of the game noticeably dropped.

The victory maintains Denmark's first place in 2022 World Cup qualification group F, with six points after two games.