BASEL, Switzerland -- Danny Welbeck scored twice to give England respite from criticism and a deserved 2-0 win at Switzerland in their European Championship qualifying opener on Monday. Welbeck finished off Raheem Sterlings pass on a fast counter-attack in the 58th minute and slotted in a right-footed shot deep into stoppage time. Englands lead was preserved in the 70th by defender Gary Cahill sliding to block Josip Drmics shot after the Swiss substitute dribbled around goalkeeper Joe Hart. Widely criticized for failure to win a game at the World Cup, England responded by winning its most difficult fixture in Euro 2016 qualifying against the No. 9 team in FIFAs rankings. England is No. 20. "Ive never really lost faith," England coach Roy Hodgson said. "I thought that the way we approached the game from the first minute was exactly what we wanted and we got our reward for once." Switzerland was praised for reaching the last 16 in Brazil, but new coach Vladimir Petkovic begins his tenure with the teams first competitive home loss in four years. Then, England won 3-1 at the same St. Jakob-Park early in Euro 2012 qualifying. "They lacked a bit of calm in their game," Petkovic said of his players. "The first goal is a gift but we reacted well after that". Also in Group E on Monday, Lithuania won 2-0 at San Marino, and Estonia beat Slovenia 1-0. The top two in each group qualify for Euro 2016 in France. The third-place team can qualify directly or advance to a playoff. Hodgson was rewarded for selecting youth in a starting lineup with an average age under 25. The 19-year-old Sterling took Rooneys weighted pass in his speedy stride, advanced into the left side of the Swiss penalty area and slid the ball across goal for 23-year-old Welbeck to score. Though it was Welbecks shin connecting with the ball, Arsenals new 16 million-pound ($25.8-million) signing from Manchester United was perfectly positioned to strike. Rooneys astute play launched the move when the captain seized on his Swiss counterpart Gokhan Inlers misplaced pass deep in Englands half. England merited its lead, though the flip side of the youthful verve which created several chances was a lack of composure in dangerous situations. "I think we created a number of chances which maybe we could have done better with the final pass," Welbeck said. A three-on-one break was wasted in the 29th when Welbeck passed the ball beyond Sterlings reach in front of goal. Earlier, Sterling delivered a slow pass into the path of Rooney whose weak shot was easily gathered by goalkeeper Yann Sommer. Sommer excelled diving low to his left in the 43rd to push away a powerful header from Phil Jones at a corner. England goalkeeper Joe Hart stood out saving twice from centre forward Haris Seferovic. Hart stretched his right leg to block Seferovics shot in the 33rd minute after the forward collected a clever Admir Mehmedi pass. Two minutes before England took the lead, Hart stood tall to push away a rising Seferovic shot with his left hand. Elsewhere, Lithuania extended San Marinos 24-year run of never winning a competitive match with two first-half goals. Deivydas Matulevicius scored in the fifth and Arvydas Novikovas in the 36th. Estonia got an 86th-minute winner from Ats Purje to beat a visiting Slovenia team it trails by 54 places in the FIFA rankings. Slovenia was reduced to 10 men in the 78th when Dalibor Stevanovic was shown a second yellow card. Estonia took advantage when Purje pounced on a fourth shot in a goalmouth scramble, after goalkeeper Samir Handanovic twice blocked shots. Estonia hosts England in Tallinn on Oct. 12, three days after Hodgsons team plays San Marino at Wembley Stadium. "They are areas we can work (on) and weve got a couple of years to do so," said Hodgson, who can expect less stress at work after this victory. Wholesale MLB Jerseys . TSN2 December 18 Knicks at Bulls 8pm et/5pm pt TSN2 December 18 Thunder at Warriors 10:30pm et/7:30pt TSN2 December 21 Pacers at Timberwolves 7pm et/4pm pt. 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Kevin Martin and Kevin Love paced the Timberwolves like they do so often. Martin had 27 points with some key baskets down the stretch, Love had his usual double-double, and the Timberwolves snapped a three-game losing streak with a 112-106 victory Saturday night over the suddenly slipping Dallas Mavericks. MLB Jerseys For Sale . Nowitzki scored 28 points, Harris had a season-high 14 for the second straight game and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Detroit Pistons 116-106 Sunday night. Cheap Baseball Jerseys Online . The team sent out a press release on Friday stating Poile was resting and recovering and that he will remain in hospital for further observation. The Predators were preparing for the game against the Wild when Poile was hit by a puck that flew off the ice at him where he was standing in a tunnel behind the bench.With only hours until the 2014 NFL Draft, check out the latest trade-related reports and speculation from around the league as the rumour mill hits a fever pitch. And follow TSN.ca right throughout today for updates. Adding an Arm? Tom Curran of Comcast Sportsnet reports that a trade sending New England Patriots quaterback Ryan Mallett to the Houston Texans may soon be a done deal. The Texans are in need of a quarterback and head coach Bill OBrien was the Patriots offensive coordinator when the team selected Mallett in the third round of the 2011 NFL draft. Mallett has never started an NFL game. Price Drop? On Wednesday, FOX Sports Jay Glazer reported that the Houston Texans were asking for a major package to part with the first-overall pick. “The Houston Texans said, ‘If you want our pick, its three number ones and a two,” said Glazer. “When RG3 was traded, thats what they got. . . . But, no. No ones giving up three number ones and a two.” Today comes word that the Texans may be lowering their asking price. The Houston Chronicles John McClain reports that a third first-rounder is no longer part of the package the Texans want. McClain says that the Texans will accept a swap of 2014 firsts, a second and third-round pick in 2014, as well as a first in 2015 for this years top pick. Update: 2:45 - ESPNs Adam Schefter says the Texans will stand pat and keep the first overall selection. Footing the Bill? Pro Football Talks Mike Florio believes that the Buffalo Bills could be looking to make a big splash and grab one of the top two picks. Currently sitting with the ninth pick, the Bills could be dreaming of slotting South Carolinas Jadeveon Clowney into their already impressive 4-3 defence, alongside Mario Williams, Kyle Williams and Marcell Dareus.dddddddddddd Florio reports that Auburn OT Greg Robinson could also be of interest to the Bills. Wide receiver Stevie Johnson could also be on the move. The NFL Networks Albert Breer says that the veteran wide receiver could be dealt at some point this weekend. Johnson, who has three years remaining on a five-year deal, is the teams top receiver and wont likely be moved unless the Bills were to draft a receiver like Clemsons Sammy Watkins or Texas A&Ms Mike Evans. Neither is expected to be available at the nine-slot. Dear John The player with the biggest buzz surrounding him in New York City is 2012 Heisman Trophy-winning Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, but the question seems to be about where Manziel wont go rather than where he will. Sports Illustrateds Don Banks reports that Manziels family isnt keen on the quarterback being drafted by the Texans. The Manziels reportedly dont want their son in Houston to propogate his "Johnny Football" persona from his university days, one of putting partying ahead of training. Banks is unsure if the Manziels preference extends out of Houston to Texas as a whole because the Dallas Cowboys, owners of the 16th pick, are interested in the quarterback according to ESPNs Todd McShay. Manziels agent, Erik Burkhardt, denied a report that his client didnt want to play for the Jacksonville Jaguars, who hold the third-overall pick, telling Florio that its simply not true. ' ' '