Montenegro start bid to qualify for Euro 2016 with win against Moldova

Montenegro started their bid to qualify for Euro 2016 with a comfortable 2-0 win at home to Moldova on Monday night.

Goals from Mirko Vucinic and Zarko Tomasevic either side of half-time, both set up by Nemanja Nikolic corners, decided the Group G contest.

The hosts, who missed out on a place at the last European Championships by losing in the play-offs, had seen pool rivals Russia thrash Liechtenstein 4-0 earlier in the evening and were looking to lay down a marker of their own.

They started brightly and Fatos Beqiraj and Vucinic both headed over before Dejan Damjanovic fired a shot against a post from the centre of the area after 17 minutes.

Montenegro finally made their pressure pay in first-half stoppage-time as Vucinic powered home a header from Nikolic's inswinging corner from the left.

The visitors threatened soon after the break when Eugen Sidorenco headed over from close range, but their hopes of a comeback were dashed by a second Montenegro goal in the 72nd minute.

Nikolic was again the architect with another corner, this time an outswinger from the right which Tomasevic time poked home at the far post.

With the points secure, Montenegro were content to see out the game and did so with ease.