Group 10: Albania give Dutch a run for their money

Albania sprung a surprise by matching pre-tournament favourites Netherlands blow for blow in the Group 10 mini-tournament in the first qualifying round of the UEFA European Under-17 Championship.

Albania steal headlines
Both countries qualified for the second qualifying round with seven points, with Netherlands topping the group on goals scored, but it was the Albanians, who have not enjoyed much international success on the football stage recently, that stole the headlines in the Lithuanian-hosted event.

Shock lead
Mile gave Albania a shock lead in their opening game against the Dutch, who needed an equaliser from Janssen to rescue a point. Albania took their fine form into their second game against Lithuania, who won their opener 1-0 against San Marino, by beating the hosts 3-1 with all the Albanian goals coming in the first 28 minutes. Arapi got on the scoresheet twice while Mile was on target again before Lithuania managed a second-half consolation.

Dutch top group
Meanwhile the Netherlands beat San Marino 3-0 to move top of the group, a position they maintained with their final-day 4-1 success against Lithuania, while Albania need a 66th-minute goal to beat the Sanmarinese 1-0.

Second-round matches
In the second qualifying round, Netherlands will be matched with Poland, Israel and Romania in Group 4, while Albania will face Hungary, Switzerland and Greece in Group 5.