Finns gain consolation win

Finland's UEFA European Under-17 Championship second qualifying round campaign ended on a high with a 2-1 win against Group 6 hosts Romania.

Both teams out
Defeat by Austria in their second match had left Finland unable to claim a place in France in May, and they met a Romanian team themselves no longer able to progress.

Korte winner
Bogdan Stiubei put Romania ahead on five minutes with an angled shot, but Finland were the better side and after the break substitute Jami Puustinen and Eero Korte scored to ensure the three points.

Finland second
The victory leaves Timo Liekoski's Finland side second in the group with six points, and the coach said: "In the two qualifying rounds we won five of our six matches. We played badly only in the first ten minutes of the opening game of this mini-tournament, against Austria, we lost 3-2 and we did not qualify. I feel bad for the boys, because they really wanted to be in France."

Hosts slump
Romania's sole draw with Moldova means they finish fourth and last, and coach Gheorghe Cristoloveanu admitted: "What can I say? My team did not show anything, except maybe a lot of technical and tactical mistakes."