France make final four

By Kevin Ashby at Perutz stadium

France progressed to the UEFA European Women's Under-19 Championship semi-finals as the winners of Group B after drawing 1-1 against an England side who will now contest a play-off for the 2006 FIFA U-20 Women's World Championship.

Thomis leveller
England went into this fixture knowing they had to match Russia's result against Scotland in order to finish ahead of them in the pool, and were doing just that at half-time thanks to Eniola Aluko's fourth goal of the tournament in the sixth minute. However, Elodie Thomis's 67th-minute equaliser coupled with a 5-0 success for Russia left England in third spot but with one game to play against on Wednesday, 24 hours before the French tackle Group A runners-up Finland.

Speedy forwards
Although the principal focus was on sealing top spot in the group, the sub-plot was fascinating as the fleet-footed France forward Thomis and the equally speedy Aluko lined up at either end of the pitch. The player in blue took a shade over 30 seconds to show off her pace and skill, while Aluko wriggled free of Morgane Courteille and touched the ball to Karen Carney who flashed a shot across the bar from the next attack.

Opening goal
Carney had another chance from a similar position on the right-hand side of the area on five minutes but her shot lacked the ferocity of her previous effort. England were rewarded for their positive start almost straight away, however, as the France defence failed to deal with a long ball from Stephanie Houghton and Aluko nipped in to break into space and beat Sarah Bouhaddi with an angled drive.

France chances
France responded well, with Thomis tricking her away along the England penalty box before poking the ball to Julie Peruzzetto who turned her shot against the base of Dani Hill's right-hand post. Jennifer Moresco's low shot from the opposite side then met with an identical result before Hill picked her moment to smother a Thomis effort after the France No9 had escaped the offside trap.

Substitutions
As the half wore on, France struggled with England's direct approach and it was no surprise to see Stéphane Pilard bring on Jessica Houra and Marie-Laure Delie within ten minutes of the restart. The second substitute played a key role in the equaliser, laying off a low pass which enabled Thomis to race into space, deceive Hill with a side-step and slot the ball into the empty net.

Delie drive
England rarely looked like scoring the goal they needed to join France in the last four, with Delie's 86th-minute dipping drive against the underside of the bar the closest either team came to winning the game.