Norway surge to the summit

Norway moved into pole position to progress from Elite round Group 6 to the finals of the 2004/05 UEFA European Under-19 Championship after maintaining their perfect record in the section with a 5-1 win against Ukraine.

Top-two meet
Having defeated Lithuania 2-0 two days ago while the Ukrainians were overcoming mini-tournament hosts Russia 1-0, the two sides met at Schiolkovo's Universal Sports Complex Podm stadium knowing that the victors would take a huge step towards a place in the finals in Northern Ireland. The first 45 minutes were an even affair, before Norwegian defender Magnus Ueland put his side in front in the 27th minute.

Devastating attacking
Tor Ole Skullerund's team doubled their lead seven minutes after half-time, Vidar Nisja scoring his second goal in as many games. Although Ruslan Fomin halved the deficit within four minutes, Kevin Larsen restored Norway's two-goal cushion in the 65th minute and Arnar Førsund effectively sealed the win with a fourth goal four minutes later. Petter Hansen rounded off an impressive Norwegian display seconds before the final whistle.

Point required
Norway therefore lead the standings on six points, three ahead of both Russia and Ukraine. Skullerund's side will secure a place in Northern Ireland if they avoid defeat in their last fixture against the Russians on Sunday while Ukraine now cannot qualify for the finals.