Group 2: Croatia edge three-way battle

Croatia topped qualifying Group 2 of the 2002/03 UEFA European Under-17 Championship first qualifying round despite losing their final game 2-1 against fellow qualifiers Yugoslavia.

Hotly-contested group
The hotly-contested group went right to the wire with the top three all finishing level on six points - Belarus were the unfortunate side to miss out as their goal difference in matches between rhe top three was inferior.

Croatia begin with a bang
The mini-tournament began with a bang in Minsk as Croatia beat the hosts Belarus 6-1 to immediately set out their stall while Yugoslavia beat Georgia 2-0 in Borisov.

Major surprise
The next round of games saw a major surprise as Belarus bounced back from their mauling in the first match to beat Yugoslavia 2-1, while Croatia virtually ensured their place in the second qualifying round with a 3-1 win against the Georgians.

Belarus win in vain
Yugoslavia beat Croatia 2-1 in the final round of games to ensure progression, though Croatia still topped the group. Meanwhile Belarus's 2-1 win against Georgia proved in vain as they were eliminated.

Next round
In the second qualifying round, Croatia will be in Group 2 alongside Russia, Norway and whichever side tops Group 9. Yugoslavia will be in Group 3 with Finland, Austria and the second-placed side from Group 9.