Dominant Dutch duly through

The Netherlands will take part in the Elite round of the 2004/05 UEFA European Under-19 Championship after qualifying in emphatic fashion, winning all three Group 7 games to clinch the section by five points.

Scoring spree
Cor Pot's side notched up eleven goals in the process, conceding just once, to comfortably see off the challenge of Israel, who progressed in second place after managing four points. Belarus also finished on the same tally but were edged out of second position on goal difference and already know they will not be able to go through as the best third-place side, while hosts Estonia finished fourth after losing all their games and shipping 14 goals.

Scoreless start
Israel and Belarus met in the first round of qualifiers but both had to be satisfied with a single point after their encounter at the Kadriorg stadium in Tallinn ended goalless.

Janssen treble
Across the city, meanwhile, the Dutch laid down an early marker with a 6-0 success against Estonia at the A Le Coq Arena. Tim Janssen made it 3-0 five minutes past the hour, and scored his second and the Netherlands' fourth from the penalty spot six minutes later. Willem Janssen added a fifth with 15 minutes left, before Tim Janssen completed the rout, and his hat-trick, with another penalty in the 80th minute.

Two for Overtoom
The Netherlands continued their fine form at the Kadriorg stadium on Matchday 2, taking the lead against Belarus through Willie Overtoom nine minutes before half-time. Belarus's Mikalai Asipovich was dismissed for a second yellow card seven minutes later and the Dutch capitalised fully in the second period, with Overtoom scoring his second just past the hour and Willem Janssen adding a third.

Early advantage
Israel built on their opening point with a 4-0 dismantling of the hosts at the A Le Coq Arena, with Zeev Zeltzer's side opening up a three-goal lead by the 13th minute. Idan Srur opened the scoring in the ninth minute, with Eden Ben Basat and Lior Rafaelov then scoring in quick succession to effectively put the game beyond Estonia's reach. Ben Basat scored his second of the match nine minutes into the second half.

Third win
Israel went into their final match at the Kadriorg stadium knowing that victory against the Dutch would move them above their rivals at the top of the table. However, Overtoom put the Dutch ahead in the 57th minute and Israeli hopes looked bleak five minutes later when Rafaelov was sent off for a second yellow card. Ben Basat quickly levelled, however, but parity was short-lived as Robbert Schilder scored what proved to be the winner nine minutes from time.

Late goals
A high-scoring victory against Estonia would therefore have moved Belarus into second place above Israel, but in the event Andrei Zygmantovitch's side could only manage a 4-2 victory. Mihail Ištšuk gave Estonia a 26th-minute lead and Erki Kesküla's team preserved their slender lead until the final 20 minutes, before Aliaksandr Dzehtsiarou levelled with 18 minutes left. Anton Bardok put Belarus in front nine minutes later and, although Kaupo Margusonov equalised six minutes from time, Dzehtsiarou with a penalty and Sergei Koshal clinched the points for the Belarussians.