Netherlands snapped their losing streak with a 2-0 victory over Turkey, while England got their Brazil 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign up and running courtesy a comfortable 5-0 win over Moldova.
Bulgaria held Euro 2012 finalists Italy 2-2 as France edged past Finland 1-0, thanks to a goal from Arsenal midfielder Abou Diaby. There were also wins for Germany, Belgium and the Republic of Ireland as Cristiano Ronaldo struck to hand Portugal a 2-1 victory over Luxembourg.
In the South American qualifying, Argentina put in an assured performance against Paraguay, scoring a 3-1 win with Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain and Angel Di Maria getting on the scoresheet.
After four successive losses, Holland began the qualifying phase on a positive note - Robin Van Persie and Lucian Narsingh scoring in each half against a resilient Turkish side, which just failed to find the end product.
Two goals from Frank Lampard, and one each via Jermain Defoe, James Milner and Leighton Baines ensured a confident start for Roy Hodgson's side, away from home.
Italy survived a scare against the Bulgarians, with the underdogs snatching the lead in the 30th minutes through Stanislav Manolev. However, two goals from Pablo Osvaldo, in the space of just three minutes, soon gave the Azzurri the lead heading into second half. Manolev was Italy's undoing, however, yet again with the Bulgarian striking in the 70th minute to ensure a share of the spoils.
For Germany, Mario Gotze and a second-half brace from Real Madrid playmaker Mesut Ozil gave them a 3-0 win over the Faroe Islands. Ireland saved themselves from an embarrassing defeat as late goals from Robbie Keane and Kevin Doyle saw a 2-1 result in the favor of the Irish after Kazakhstan had taken a shock lead.
The English Premier League duo of Vincent Kompany and Jan Vertonghen gave Belgium a 2-0 win over 10-man Wales, who saw James Collins sent off in the 25th minute after a bright opening for the home side.
Ronaldo was the player of the match, but still the Portuguese were made to work against Luxembourg. Daniel Da Mota Alves handed Luxembourg the lead before Ronaldo equalised in the 29th minute. Ronaldo then again tormented the Luxembourg defense, allowing Helder Postiga to take advantage and slot in the winner.
Russia beat Northern Ireland 2-0, while Switzerland, Iceland and Albania also picked up victories. Israel drew 1-1 with Azerbaijan with Greece showing their typical fighting qualities in a come-from-behind win over Latvia. The biggest score of the day saw Bosnia-Herzegovina thrash Liechtenstein 8-1, with Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko helping himself to a hat-trick.
