Serbia sink Austria with second-half flurry

A decisive spell in the first 15 minutes of the second half earned Serbia an impressive Group 1 victory against Austria that took Aleksandar Stanojević's team top of their UEFA European Under-19 Championship Elite round section with only one fixture remaining.

Crucial period
Serbia had scored 12 goals in winning all three of their games in the qualifying round but were initially frustrated on home soil in the Elite round as Finland held firm for a 1-1 draw on Tuesday. It initially looked as if it would be a similar story at the Backa Stadium as Hermann Stadler's Austria – 3-2 winners against Hungary in their opening fixture – reached half-time with the scoresheet blank. However, Vujadin Savic finally broke the deadlock two minutes into the second period and, despite losing Aleksandar Ignjovski to a red card five minutes later, Serbia were in full control thereafter, Adem Ljajić (55) and Nemanja Milic (60) quickly adding further goals. Stanojević's side therefore have a one-point lead in the standings and know victory in their last game against Hungary on Sunday will secure a place in the finals in Ukraine, while Austria conclude their campaign against Finland the same day.