England dash Norwegian hopes

England secured a place at the 2005 UEFA European Women's Under-19 Championship after a 2-0 victory against Norway saw them scrape through a tight Group 2 by virtue of a superior goal difference.

Bird soars
Lying third in the section going into the match, England needed at least a two-goal win to edge out their opponents and secure a spot in the eight-team championship in a do-or-die affair in Vajont. And they got off to the best possible start at the Campo Sportivo as Fulham LFC midfield player Danielle Bird, who also scored a late consolation in the 2-1 against Italy on Thursday, broke the deadlock after just six minutes.

‘Bitter blow’
Striker Lianne Sandersen scored the crucial second on the cusp of half-time and although Norway pressed in the second period, with Jarl Torske introducing Lene Mykjaland, England held on. "This is a bitter blow,” Torske’s assistant Hege Riise reflected after the game, “but we can have no complaints. England were the better side, and deserved their victory, and to go through."

Capricious Italy
Italy had no chance of qualifying going into the final round of matches, but a 5-0 victory against Moldova at least saw Elisabetta Bavagnoli’s side end a capricious week in style. Despite a 2-1 win against England two days ago, the 3-1 loss to Norway in the opening round of matches meant the best the mini-tournament hosts could hope for was second.

Tight finish
As things panned out, however, Italy were forced to settle for third despite ending the campaign level on six points with both Norway and England. England finish first by virtue of a 3-2-goal difference between the three sides, with Norway (3-3) runners-up and Italy (3-4) third. Moldova, who conceded 16 goals over their three games, failed to earn a point.