Group 7: Cyprus storm through

Cyprus stormed into the second qualifying round of the UEFA European Under-19 Championship after collecting maximum points from the Group 7 mini-tournament on their home island.

Cyprus catch the eye
Norway also qualified by finishing second, but it was the Cypriots who caught the eye, delighting their fans with a series of accomplished performances. Cyprus began their campaign with a 3-1 win against Bosnia-Herzegovina. With Georgios Demosthenous scoring twice. Norway began their challenge against Malta, winning 2-0 thanks to strikes from Branimir Poljac and central defender Kristian Onstad, who was part of the Norway side at last summer’s U19 finals.

Eagerly-awaited showdown
The showdown between the Cypriots and the Norwegians was eagerly awaited and in the event an extremely close game which was settled by just one goal – Kyriakos Chatziaros’s 18th-minute winner giving Cyprus the three points. Meanwhile, Malta and Bosnia-Herzegovina shared the points in a 2-2 draw, with the Maltese fighting back from two behind to secure a point thanks to second-half double from Jonathan Fenech.

Bertheussen double
In the final two games Cyprus beat Malta 2-0 to assure maximum points while Norway turned on the style to overcome Bosna-Herzegovina, with Eirik Bertheussen scoring twice and Onstad also getting on the scoresheet again.

Next round
In the next round, Cyprus will face Austria, F.Y.R. Macedonia and Yugoslavia in Group 5, while Norway will meet Netherlands, Greece and the eventual Group 11 winners in Group 6.