Unbeaten pair progress untroubled

Denmark and Slovakia enjoyed a relatively untroubled passage to the Elite round of the 2005/06 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, the pair each remaining unbeaten in their three qualifying round games to take the top two places in Group 2 by a four-point margin.

Danish edge
Both teams ended with seven points, the Danes finishing top of the section on goal difference with both sides having scored three times but Slovakia conceding once while the Danish defence remained unbreached. Mini-tournament hosts Liechtenstein gave the home supporters something to celebrate by taking third place, leaving Kazakhstan at the bottom of the standings.

Opening victories
Both eventual qualifiers kicked off their campaigns with wins, Patrik Mraz's 25th-minute effort proving sufficient for the Slovakians to overcome Kazakhstan at the Sportpark Eschen-Mauren stadium in Eschen. Meanwhile, Denmark initially found the Liechtenstein defence difficult to break down, and it took two goals from Danilo Arrieta Cerda to make the difference at the Rheinpark stadium in Vaduz, the half-time substitute striking in the 52nd minute and again five minutes later, this time from the penalty spot.

Progress assured
The opening-day victors confirmed their places in the next stage with a match to spare as both recorded their second wins on Matchday 2. Again they had to work hard for their successes, however, with only Martin Christensen's effort three minutes before the hour separating Denmark and Kazakhstan, who ended the match with ten men following Alisher Tazhibaiuly's dismissal for a second bookable offence with eight minutes remaining.

Slovakian success
Slovakia, meanwhile, took a two-goal lead against Liechtenstein in Eschen thanks to strikes from Luboš Hanzel and Juraj Piroska either side of half-time, although Diego Haas quickly pulled a goal back for Paul Meier's team. The Slovakians held on, however, for a win that cemented a top-two berth.

Goalless draw
The leading pair met at the Sportpark Eschen-Mauren stadium in the final round of fixtures with first place at stake. The Danes held the upper hand before kick-off thanks to their superior goal difference and duly produced a determined defensive display to grind out a goalless draw that kept them at the top of the table. In the other Matchday 3 fixture, Liechtenstein finished their campaign on a winning note as Sven-John Beck's 33rd-minute goal earned a slender success against Kazakhstan.