Northern Irish pip Croatia

The final day of the UEFA European Under-17 Championship Group 2 mini-tournament saw Northern Ireland pip Croatia for the second and final qualification berth.

Point needed
With Finland having already wrapped up top spot, Croatia entered their final game against the Finns needing a point to advance to the second qualifying round. However, the hosts were determined to preserve their 100 per cent winning record and made all the early running thanks to the fresh legs of Samuel Woodward and Roma Eremenko and the continued excellence of Tim Sparv.

Eremenko opener
After 32 minutes Finland took the lead. Eero Korte's long pass reached Thursday's hat-trick hero, Jami Puustinen, who in turn crossed for Eremenko whose finish left goalkeeper Neven Vuljanko with no chance.

Liekoski delight
Seventeen minutes into the second half, Woodward rose well to flick the ball past Vuljanko and seal a 2-0 win. Coach Timo Liekoski was delighted with the outcome. "Honestly, I did not think we would win this game," he said. "I was expecting more from Croatia, although I know we can go to the final tournament with our team."

Dramatic victory
The result need not have been terminal to Croatia's hopes of joining the Finns in the hat for the second qualifying round, but Northern Ireland's 2-1 victory against Malta ensured it was they who progressed on goals scored.

Formidable team spirit
The Northern Irish took the lead in the 55th minute when Andrew Rosbotham netted a free-kick from 18 metres. Angus Buhagiar soon levelled, though, and Northern Ireland looked on the verge of elimination. However, their formidable team spirit showed yet again as they fought back to take the three points courtesy of Michael O'Connor's 77th-minute tap-in - which came after the ball had twice hit crossbar.

Outside chance
Croatia still have an outside chance of qualifying as the best third-placed side from the 12 first-round groups will reach the next round. However they will have to wait until the completion of all the groups to know whether they have done enough to eanr that place.