Soccer News and Scores

Slovakia continued their perfect start to UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying Group 9 with a comfortable win in Latvia.

Having already beaten Latvia 2-0 at home in June, Slovakia were ahead on two minutes through Marián Kolmokov. By the end had secured their third victory in the section and struck their ninth unanswered goal.

Taking on a side yet to get off the mark or score a goal in the section, Kolmokov turned in Juraj Vavrík's high cross in Slovakia's very first attack. Alans Sinelnikovs hit the bar with a free-kick soon after but the visitors resumed their dominance, and three minutes from the break Ján Greguš shot in from outside the box via the right post.

Four minutes into the second half Matúš Conka also scored from distance and it was 4-0 shortly afterwards as Milan Lalkovic's cross was turned in by Vavrík. Further goals came when Arnold Šimonek pounced on a rebound after the post was struck twice by Vavrík, who did have his second near the end when sent through by Samuel Štefánik. Slovakia have a crucial trip to France on 14 November, also Latvia's next destination on 2 June.

Atletico Madrid obliterated Udinese's unbeaten Europa League record with an emphatic Group I victory in Spain.

Udinese arrived at the Vincente Calderon in confident mood, knowing a win would have seen them reach the last 32.

Yet they found themselves 3-0 down by half-time as Adrian Lopez struck twice and Diego added a third, before Radamel Falcao Garcia rounded off a good night for the Spanish outfit after the break.

A 2-0 home victory over Atletico a fortnight ago saw Francesco Guidolin's side go three points clear of the Spanish outfit at the top of the standings.

Victory tonight would have assured the Italians of at least second place in the final standings but, instead, Atletico won to boost their hopes of edging Celtic and Rennes in the battle to progress.

Atletico were quickly out of the traps as Falcao forced Samir Handanovic to parry his 20-yard shot away.

Barely a minute later the hosts were in front, as Arda Turan played the ball in from the right and Adrian turned it home low into the right-hand corner.

Udinese were stunned again in the 12th minute as the same player made it 2-0.

This time full-back Antonio Lopez was the creator, crossing accurately from the right for Adrian to ghost in and nod home.

The Italians finally stirred as Diego Fabbrini's shot was saved by Thibaut Courtois before going off injured.

Udinese forward Antonio Floro Flores shot wide from the edge of the box

It was 3-0 by the break as playmaker Diego found a yard of space to slot home Adrian's slick pass from the left and delight the partisan Vicente Calderon crowd.

Turan sent a shot whizzing over as the second half creaked into life.

At the other end Almen Abdi had Udinese's best chance as his effort from distance crashed against the bar, before Falcao got in on the goalscoring action with the fourth, the Colombian smashing home as Udinese failed to clear in the box.

Koke had a chance for Atletico but shot wide before Falcao forced Handanovic into a decent save from his close-range stab at goal.

The 2010/11 UEFA European Under-19 Championship hosts Romania made a solid start to their bid for a finals return, going through alongside Italy from qualifying round Group 3.

Romania collected only one point in last summer's tournament but seized control of the section from the outset thanks to a 2-1 opening win against 2003 champions Italy. Striker Cristian Gavra got the decisive goal deep into added time to get Ovidiu Stânga's side off to a perfect start and the Romania No9 was also the match winner in the second round of fixtures, scoring all three goals as Azerbaijan were beaten 3-0 and qualification for the elite round was secured with a game to spare.

Azerbaijan nevertheless lay second heading into the third and final round of matches having opened with a 1-0 defeat of Sweden, who shared a 1-1 draw with Italy next time out. A point against the Azzurrini would therefore have taken Azerbaijan into the next stage, yet they were up against it from the moment goalkeeper Orkhan Sadigli was sent off in the 11th minute. Valerio Verre converted the resulting penalty and, though Rahman Hajiyev brought Azerbaijan level from the spot midway through the second period, Alberigo Evani's Italy snatched victory three minutes into added time thanks to Amato Ciciretti's goal.

That strike, coupled with the goalless draw between Romania and hosts Sweden in the other matchday three fixture, left Italy in second place on four points, one more than Azerbaijan and two above Sweden.

The Republic of Ireland are facing mounting selection problems ahead of their UEFA EURO 2012 play-off against Estonia, with West Bromwich Albion FC forward Shane Long becoming the latest player ruled out by injury.

Long suffered a knee injury during West Brom's 2-1 Premier League victory at Aston Villa FC on Saturday and the club issued a statement on Monday declaring the player likely to be out of action until December.

"Shane Long could face up to six weeks on the sidelines after a scan confirmed the extent of the knee injury he suffered at Villa," read the statement, which went on to describe "severe bone bruising and a small bone chip inside his right knee".

With Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni already without Wolverhampton Wanderers FC striker Kevin Doyle for the first leg in Tallinn through suspension, the Italian now looks certain to be deprived of in-form Long for both the 11 November fixture and the Dublin return leg four days later.

Meanwhile, captain and record goalscorer Robbie Keane remains a serious doubt because of an adductor muscle injury sustained while playing in the 2-0 Group B qualifying victory in Andorra on 7 October.

Frank de Boer, Ajax coach
We managed to put the pressure on them from the start and within recovered the ball within seconds every time. The match in Lyon is now very interesting but that's what you do it all for. This was just a prelude, the most important match is still to come. The way we played is how I like to see my team play. We were dominant and commanding and scored four goals. Besides that, we hardly gave away a chance.

This victory means we will still be in Europe after the winter break, because now we are guaranteed a place in the Europa League. If we draw against Lyon our chances of reaching the next stage of the Champions League are huge. That would be a fantastic achievement for Ajax.

Krunoslav Jurcic, Dinamo coach
We didn't expect to lose heavily like this. I have to give Ajax great credit for their performance. However, I am also very proud of my players who gave everything. The difference between the two clubs is probably not accurately reflected in a 4-0 scoreline, but then again, the result was definitely fair. We need some time to improve, but this is the Champions League and playing at this level can only help us learn.

Ajax play without a classic centre-forward, almost like a 4-6-0. Real Madrid are the same. This means players are constantly changing where they are playing on the pitch. To deal with this we need to be strong one-on-one, but it also means that individual mistakes will be punished. At the moment, the teams playing this style are causing us a lot of problems.

A positive for me is that our captain Milan Badelj played well. His form is improving and that's very important for us. Our next match is in Madrid. We played well against them in Zagreb. It was our first match, our stadium was full and we were keen to show what we could do. There's no reason why we can't go to Madrid and give another good performance. We will have to play at our very best though.

Sir Alex Ferguson, United manager 
Winning was important. The opposition were very aggressive. They defended well, pressed us everywhere and made things difficult for us. The win makes it more comfortable for us at the top of the group and if we beat Benfica we win the group, it's as simple as that. It should be a very good night.

[Wayne] Rooney was fantastic in central midfield. His awareness of people around him and choice of passing was really good. He did very well for us but I think it's a short-term thing at the moment. It's difficult to say.

Dorinel Munteanu, Otelul coach
Obviously, the better team won and we would be a little bit crazy to compare the two teams. I am totally unsatisfied because we lost and because we could have achieved something more in Bucharest, as well as in Manchester.

Contrary to what plenty of people thought and wished, we did not make fools of ourselves. We had several very good moments, we were not afraid and had some opportunities; but we lost so I cannot be happy.

SL Benfica started the day with hopes of wrapping up qualification on matchday four. Even closing on the club record of 12 group stage points, set by Artur Jorge's side in 1994/95, was in their sights. However, Heiko Vogel's FC Basel 1893 team had other ideas. While the hosts' Nicolás Gaitán and Artur were left to bemoan the Eagles' inability to take more of their chances, the Swiss side's young forward Jacques Zoua said the away dressing room is full of renewed confidence.

Nicolás Gaitán, Benfica midfielder
[Rodrigo's opener] was a beautiful goal. I managed to give him a good pass, and he hit it well. We played very well in the first half and we should have gone into the break with one goal more. We had a lot of chances, but that happens sometimes in football. In the second half we slowed down a bit and, well, here we are. Benfica always go into a game trying their best to win. Today we were very close to doing it, and to qualifying, but we'll keep going in the same way.

Artur, Benfica goalkeeper
We had a lot of the game and played with great intensity in the first 20 minutes, but we didn't manage to go on and win. We couldn't keep it up and, because of that, a draw was a fair result. We thought 1-0 was good enough, but football can often teach you a lesson.

What we learned today is that a point is a point, and at least takes us closer to qualification. We are looking at [the next game against Manchester United] like any other Champions League game. It's a big game, we're going there to compete as equals, to give our best and to win.

Jacques Zoua, Baselforward
We weren't worried. We understood that we were in Portugal, on their patch. We slowly made our way into the match and managed to do some good things, and get plenty of possession. By the end we were pretty strong - we had done what we had to do. We learned a lot in the first game at our place. We lost 2-0, and they showed us exactly what they were capable of. They have a lot of offensive quality, so we made sure we prepared for that.

We have two big matches now, firstly against the Romanian team [FC Otelul Galati], and we're going to prepare well because we have a really, really good chance of getting to the next round, and we're capable of doing it. If we continue to improve, work hard, remain focused and do our best in training and the domestic championship, we can get very good results in Romania and against Manchester United at our place.

Spain defender Sergi Gómez highlighted the family atmosphere within the squad as the driving force behind La Rojita's 5-0 victory against the Republic of Ireland in the UEFA European Under-19 Championship semi-final.

Ginés Meléndez's side set up a meeting with the Czech Republic on Monday with a comfortable triumph in Chiajna, Gerard Deulofeu, Pablo Sarabia and Juanmi giving them a three-goal lead before Álvaro Morata's late double. Yet despite taking their tournament tally to 13 goals at the Stadionul Concordia, Gómez admitted his side took time to find their rhythm.

"At the beginning it was quite difficult; Ireland play a type of football that can sometimes be tricky to break down," the FC Barcelona centre-back told UEFA.com. "They were in very good physical condition but after the opening 20 minutes we responded and began to control the game. We created a lot of chances up front and didn't concede, which was also important."

A product of Barcelona's youth system, Gómez – who featured in the senior team's Spanish Super Cup success against Sevilla FC last season – said that developing friendships with the rest of his Spain team-mates had been one of the highlights of his time in the set-up. "I've always said that this group is very united; we've been together for years now," he explained. "We all originally got together playing for the U16s. We are more than just a group; we are a family. Outside the football scene we call each other and meet up. You can see that closeness out on the pitch and in the joyful nature with which we play."

Spain's senior side have swept all before them in the last few years while their Under-21 squad recently added their UEFA European Championship to the trophy cabinet, but rather than worrying about emulating those achievements, Gómez prefers to believe that hard work brings its own rewards. "We can't call this pressure; we see it more that if you do things well, you will get what you deserve," he said. "The senior team and the U21s did very well while the U19s got to the final of this tournament last year. From the beginning our ideas have been very clear and we're especially eager to play the final now."

Gómez now predicts a tricky encounter for the four-time winners against a Czech team with a 100% record in the competition to date. "We are all obviously very happy now but there is still one more game to come against the Czech Republic," he said. "It won't be easy as they have won all four of their games here. You don't get to a final with that sort of record for nothing. We're not that up to speed on them at the moment but we will be come game time; we know it won't be easy."

Andre Villas-Boas has given his under-fire captain John Terry a huge vote of confidence by declaring him "one of the best defenders in the world" and stated he will return to the starting XI for Chelsea's trip to Blackburn on Saturday.

Terry is embroiled in an alleged race row involving Anton Ferdinand, with the FA and Metropolitan Police currently conducting a formal investigation into claims the England captain racially abused his fellow defender during Chelsea's clash with Queens Park Rangers last month.

Chelsea's leader sat out their Champions League draw away to Genk on Tuesday, but Villas-Boas says he fully expects to call on the 30-year-old when they travel to Ewood Park at the weekend.

When asked whether he will return to the side, Villas-Boas said: "Yes I think so. I believe he is in the right frame of mind to play, yes. We always believe it to be like that. He does not look distracted to us.

"I think John has been involved on all Premier League games. He's our captain, one of the best defenders in the world, and his talent is unquestionable. So, with the talent he is, he's always up for selection."

Despite only winning one of their last four games in all competitions, Chelsea are not in crisis, according to Villas-Boas.

"Our responsibilities are to win every game," he said. "When things don't go our way, we can't be happy with what's passing. This week that has passed, and the results we have been getting, doesn't collide with our confidence.

"There's a good spirit in the group. There's a negative momentum we are passing through. If we can do it sooner it will be better for us. We created enough opportunities to win the game in Genk but didn't get the positive result.

"We want wins as soon as possible. We went past a bad period and bad momentum last year, and we want to avoid that again. But the memory of that is bad enough to want us not to repeat it. We're not questioning our quality or our talent."

Branko Boškovic is a surprise inclusion after coach Branko Brnovic announced Montenegro's squad for November's UEFA EURO 2012 play-off against Czech Republic.

DC United midfielder Boškovic has not played a competitive match since suffering a serious knee injury in April, but Brnovic is confident the 31-year-old is worth a calculated risk. "Branko is back in training and I believe he can help us," he said. "He was a regular in the team before his injury and deserves to be with us for these crucial matches."

Boškovic has replaced Olympiacos FC's Petar Grbic in the only change to the squad that booked a play-off place by drawing 2-2 with Group G winners England on 7 October. Defeated 2-0 by Switzerland in a dead rubber four days later, Brnovic is "absolutely certain" his side can now overcome the Czech Republic on 11 and 15 November to advance to next summer's finals. "When we are at full strength we can compete with everybody."

A shoulder injury to Marko Baša may spoil hopes of a clean bill of health but just as important, for Brnovic, is halting Tomáš Rosický. "We analysed them and noticed that Rosický is a real leader in midfield. If we neutralise him we have more chance. Generally speaking the Czech team are very well organised, getting players behind ball. They will be two tight games." The first leg is in Prague.

Goalkeepers: Mladen Božovic (Videoton FC), Srdan Blažic (Panetolikos GFS).

Defenders: Marko Baša (LOSC Lille Métropole), Milan Jovanovic (PFC Spartak Nalchik), Stefan Savic (Manchester City FC), Radoslav Batak (FK Mogren), Savo Pavicevic (Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC), Miodrag Džudovic (PFC Spartak Nalchik), Luka Pejovic (Jagiellonia Bialystok).

Midfielders: Elsad Zverotic (BSC Young Boys), Milorad Pekovic (SpVgg Greuther Fürth), Mitar Novakovic (FC Amkar Perm), Vladimir Božovic (FC Rapid Bucuresti), Mladen Kašcelan (LKS Lódz), Nikola Drincic (FC Krasnodar), Marko Cetkovic (Jagiellonia Bialystok), Simon Vukcevic (Blackburn Rovers FC), Branko Boškovic (DC United).

Forwards: Mirko Vucinic (Juventus), Radomir Djalovic (FC Amkar Perm), Andrija Delibašic (Rayo Vallecano de Madrid), Stevan Jovetic (ACF Fiorentina), Dejan Damjanovic (FC Seoul), Fatos Beqiraj (GNK Dinamo Zagreb).

Estonia coach Tarmo Rüütli has signed a new contract running to the end of 2013 as he prepares to lead the team in next month's UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying play-off against the Republic of Ireland.

Rüütli, 57, will now be at the helm until the conclusion of 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying. He was put in charge for a second spell in January 2008 following a brief stint between 1999 and 2000.

Rüütli has already overseen Estonia's most successful qualification campaign after coming second to Italy in UEFA EURO 2012 Group C – finishing above Serbia, Slovenia and Northern Ireland. It earned his nation's first play-off for a major tournament, with the first leg in Tallinn on 11 November and the return in Dublin four days later.

"It is very important that we have reached a new level under this coach," said Estonian Football Association (EJL) president Aivar Pohlak. "I would also underline that we are going to enter a third consecutive campaign under the same coach. You can feel Rüütli's influence in our play."

Former midfielder Rüütli has also coached JK Tulevik Viljandi, FC Flora Tallinn and FC Levadia Tallinn, a club he guided to three Estonian titles. "I want to thank all the players, the federation, our fans and everybody who supports the team," he said. "I am happy to continue my work with the national side."

Goals from FC Dinamo Moskva's Aleksandr Kokorin and Fedor Smolov helped Russia maintain their unblemished record in UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying Group 6.

Wilson Eduardo put Portugal in front after 30 minutes, beating Nikolai Zobolotni from André Martins' cross. Though Pavel Yakovlev then missed a decent chance at the other end, Portugal's lead was snuffed out within six minutes of the restart when Kokorin headed past Mika from Yakovlev's pass.

Having come on at half-time, Smolov pressed Russia's advantage, beating his man before darting a shot into the bottom corner on 54 minutes. Nikolai Pisarev's side are yet to drop a point in three qualifiers, and can extend their two-point lead over second-ranked Poland when they visit Albania on 10 November.

Last season's UEFA European Under-17 Championship runners-up Germany topped qualifying round Group 12 with three wins and behind them Albania have made progress for the first time in nine seasons.

Ahead of the concluding games in Tallinn, Germany led Albania and Slovakia by three points with Estonia yet to get off the mark. Germany defeated Slovakia 2-0 thanks to first-half goals from Leon Goretzka and Said Benkarit, allowing Albania to go through with a 1-1 draw against the hosts despite Amri Jonuzi's 52nd-minute penalty being equalised at the death by Kaspar Paur to ensure some consolation for Estonia.

Albania, who had fallen at the first hurdle every year since reaching the old second qualifying round in 2002/03, made the perfect start by beating Slovakia 2-1, Frans Ymeralilaj scoring either side of a Filip Duriš goal after the break in a tight encounter. Germany eased to a 5-0 win against an Estonia team that ended with nine men courtesy of Serge Gnabry, Niklas Süle, Marian Sarr, Said Benkarit and Jeremy Dudziak.

It was closer two days later as a 52nd-minute Sarr penalty ensured Germany defeated Albania 1-0. Slovakia overcame Estonia 5-0 with two goals from substitute Marek Zuziak, but the 2012/13 finals hosts' campaign was ended by Germany, who along with Albania await the 29 November draw for March's elite round.

Denmark 2-0 Germany
Jensen 18, Vilfort 78
Final, Gothenburg, 26 June 1992

Despite a strong start by Germany, goals in either half from John Jensen and Kim Vilfort, supplemented by the stoic goalkeeping of Peter Schmeichel, ensured that Denmark pulled off one of the greatest surprises in international football by winning the 1992 UEFA European Championship.

Germany began as they meant to go on, dominating Richard Møller Nielsen's team and forcing Schmeichel into early action, the Manchester United FC goalkeeper saving from Stefan Reuter and Guido Buchwald. Denmark had barely emerged from behind the barricades when they scored against the run of play.

Vilfort won a tussle with Andreas Brehme and passed to Flemming Poulsen who cut the ball back for Jensen. The midfielder's aim had been decidedly awry against the Netherlands in the semi-finals but here he made no mistake – smashing high into the net from the edge of the area, in spite of Stefan Effenberg's headlong effort to block. It was only the second goal Jensen had scored in 48 internationals – and later in his career it would take him 98 matches to notch his first for Arsenal FC.

Germany came straight back at the Danes, yet Schmeichel denied Jürgen Klinsmann with a superb stop at full stretch before saving from Effenberg as Berti Vogts's side turned the screw. There was no let-up after the interval either as Kent Nielsen cleared off the line with Karl-Heinz Riedle poised to bury Klinsmann's cross. The FC Internazionale Milano striker might have scored himself but for still more heroics from Schmeichel, who this time tipped the bullet header over.

It seemed only a matter of time before a goal would come, and it duly did, only it fell to Denmark again. Vilfort, who had fired Denmark's only other second-half chance wide, appeared to bring the ball under control with his hand, before turning inside to shoot low in off Bodo Illgner's left post to settle the contest. It was a touching end to the fairy tale, Vilfort having twice left the Danish training camp – and missed a group game – to visit his ailing seven-year-old daughter who was suffering from leukaemia.

What happened next?
Denmark went on to lift the FIFA Confederations Cup in 1995 but have not come close to repeating the miracle of Gothenburg, their best subsequent showing being last-eight finishes at the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA EURO 2004. Germany, on the hand, have cemented their reputation as a formidable tournament team. They would win the next European Championship in England, become UEFA EURO 2008 and 2002 World Cup finalists, and reach the World Cup semi-finals in 2006 and 2010.

Rémi Garde, Lyon coach
Madrid were very strong and the match was tough for us, although we might have got a draw. They have a significant amount of individual talent as well as being a team who work very well together with a lot of combinations that pose problems for their opponents. This makes their organisation very difficult to cope with, even if we did at times.

Over the two matches the difference between the two teams has been apparent. That's not a surprise as our club has entered a new era in terms of economy. In the second game we had opportunities for a draw. If we had done it, we would not say now that beating Madrid is impossible. The objective now is to win the last two matches and hope Ajax don't defeat Madrid.

José Mourinho, Madrid coach
We played well tonight. We created a lot of chances in the first half. If we had taken some the game would have been safe a lot sooner. Having said that, we put in a great opening 45 minutes and settled it with the second goal. Winning here and reaching 12 points means we are through to the next round. We would now like to finish top of the group, which, you would think, gives you an advantage in the next round.

We are on the right track and looking to finish the group stage strongly as we did last season. This year we're putting in good performances and trying to win playing good football home and away. We're doing that at the moment; let's see what happens later. For me, it's not important that [Cristiano] Ronaldo reached 100 goals; I know players like these milestones but we are here to get results for the team.

Portugal were denied a third FIFA U-20 World Cup title in Colombia on Sunday after Oscar fired a hat-trick to earn Brazil a 3-2 comeback win in the final of the 2011 edition, the SC Internacional midfielder completing his treble with nine minutes remaining in extra time.

Oscar had originally put Brazil ahead after five minutes, but 1989 and 1991 winners Portugal responded soon after and went ahead through Nélson Oliveira just before the hour. It was not enough for victory, however, as Oscar made Brazilian pressure tell with 12 minutes remaining before delivering the final blow to win his side the trophy.

Having reached this rematch of the 1991 decider without conceding a goal, Portugal suffered an early setback in Bogota as Oscar's free-kick was deflected into his own net by Sérgio Oliveira. Ilídio Vale's side did not take long to respond, though, and it was Alex who levelled the scores from close range after SL Benfica forward Nélson Oliveira had escaped down the right.

Brazil threatened to regain the lead almost immediately as Danilo forced Mika into a splendid save, but Portugal held firm and went ahead after Nélson Oliveira broke free once again. With no team-mates joining him, he tried his luck from a tight angle and squeezed a shot beneath Gabriel for his fourth goal of the tournament.

The Brazil No1 did better to deny Nélson Oliveira a second from a solo effort, while at the other end the South Americans looked to their turn their territorial domination into a goal. They finally did just that when Mika parried a shot from substitute Duda and Oscar pounced from close range.

That took the match into extra time and, with tiredness playing a role for both teams, Portugal missed the chance to nudge back in front when substitute Caetano failed to beat Gabriel in a one-on-one situation. Ultimately it fell to Oscar to have the last word, his cross-shot from the right sailing over Mika to end Portuguese hopes.

"I have to congratulate my players as we've had an excellent World Cup," said Portugal coach Vale afterwards. "We weren't the favourites [in the final]. Physical condition was the key to the match in the end, as I had three players who were very tired. Brazil were good winners. We had chances to end the game but couldn't score. This World Cup has revealed the talents of Mika, Danilo and Nélson Oliveira, proving that there's talent in Portugal for the future."

Portugal captain Nuno Reis added: "We wanted to become champions. It was a unique day in our lives, a dream come true, but that's football. I want to congratulate Brazil but also my own team. I'm very proud." There was some consolation for the runners-up with Mika winning the Golden Glove as best goalkeeper, while Nélson Oliveira finished behind Brazil's Henrique in the Golden Ball vote for best player. In the match for third place, Mexico defeated France 3-1.

Turkey will stage the next finals in 2013, for which the 2011/12 European U19 Championship in Estonia will act as qualifier.

Forty-eight teams will start their 2011/12 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualifying round campaigns over the next few weeks with all aiming for a place in next summer's finals in Estonia.

Spain claimed the trophy for the fifth time with victory in Bucharest on 1 August and receive a bye to the elite round next spring, as do their predecessors as champions France – who triumphed on home soil in 2010 – and England. Belgium, who got to the group stage of the 2010/11 finals, begin their quest to reach another tournament on Wednesday as Group 8 – also including Scotland, Wales and hosts Slovenia – kicks off the qualifying round.

The Republic of Ireland were semi-finalists last season and are in Bulgaria for Group 2 from 6 October, with Russia and Bosnia and Herzegovina completing the lineup. There is a rapid reunion for the summer's other two semi-finalists as eventual runners-up the Czech Republic and Serbia meet in Group 5, which also features Lithuania and Israel.

The qualifying round concludes on 16 November when the 12th and last section – Group 9, involving hosts Turkey, Poland, Georgia and Luxembourg – comes to an end. The top two in each section, together with the third-placed team with the best record against the leading pair in their group, will join the top three seeds in the elite round in spring 2012, which will then produce seven finalists alongside Estonia.

2011/12 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualifying round
Group 1: Hungary, Portugal*, San Marino, Faroe Islands (4-9 November)
Group 2: Russia, Republic of Ireland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria* (6-11 October)
Group 3: Italy, Azerbaijan, Romania, Sweden* (6-11 October)
Group 4: Iceland, Norway, Latvia, Cyprus* (21-26 October)
Group 5: Serbia, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Israel* (8-13 November)
Group 6: Ukraine, Switzerland, Kazakhstan, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia* (10-15 November)
Group 7: Belarus, Germany, Montenegro, Northern Ireland* (6-11 October)
Group 8: Belgium, Scotland, Wales, Slovenia* (21-26 September)
Group 9: Poland, Turkey*, Georgia, Luxembourg (11-16 November)
Group 10: Slovakia, Greece, Armenia*, Andorra (21-26 October)
Group 11: Netherlands*, Croatia, Moldova, Finland (10-15 November)
Group 12: Austria*, Denmark, Malta, Albania (5-10 October)

England's Stuart Attwell has been chosen to referee the final of the 10th UEFA European Under-19 Championship between Spain and the Czech Republic.

The 28-year-old will be assisted by Dimitriy Mosyakin of Russia and Denmark's Lars Hummelgaard, with Artyom Kuchin of Kazakhstan acting as the fourth official for Monday night's game at the Stadionul Concordia in Chiajna. "It's a fantastic honour to be selected for the tournament in the first place, and it's nice for all the hard work we've put in as a team to be recognised in the final," Attwell told UEFA.com. "Our job is to make sure people talk about the football and hopefully we've done that."

The Englishman was fourth official for the Czech Republic-Serbia semi-final, a role he also held when the Czechs overcame Greece on Matchday 3, while he was referee for the group games between Romania and Greece and Spain and Belgium, the latter match initially having to be abandoned due to adverse weather conditions.

"That was an interesting situation to address but there was good co-operation from UEFA and the Romanian authorities, and we reached what I think was the right decision," he explained. "That teamwork has been reflected across the whole tournament, it's been a positive environment for us all."

The two finalists are fine-tuning their plans for Monday's game, and the officiating team are no different. "We'll carry on as normal, we prepare thoroughly and professionally for every game and we won't be doing anything different so we can make sure we're in the best possible frame of mind," Attwell explained. "We'll do our usual physical training over the next couple of days, and some technical training too to make sure we're coming from a position of consistency.

"It's the same attitude and approach for every game; the refereeing teams, both the officials themselves and the support staff, has been first class and that's what's made for a fantastic tournament," he added. "We'll continue our hard work and by doing that, hopefully we'll go unnoticed. That's what we want – we want people to go away from the final talking about the football."

Tottenham Hotspur failed to provide manager Harry Redknapp with anything to cheer on his release from hospital as they were beaten 1-0 by Rubin Kazan in the Europa League.

Redknapp was released from hospital having undergone a heart operation on Wednesday. But from the comfort of his own home, he saw - if he was allowed to watch - his side being well beaten in Russia. Rubin dominated the contest and the margin of their victory could have been far greater but for some excellent goalkeeping from Carlo Cudicini.

The Russian side looked slick throughout, with their forward three carrying a real threat - with Bebars Natcho pulling the strings in behind. It was Natcho who came close to opening the scoring with a fizzing, curling drive from 25 yards that Cudicini did well to tip over. The Italian keeper is one of the best understudies in the game and he proved the point with an even better save on 33 minutes, pushing a powerful drive from Alexander Ryazantsev over the bar.

For all the pressure, Rubin failed to make the early breakthrough and required a huge helping hand to beat Cudicini. Ten minutes after the break, Sebastien Bassong lost control of the ball under no pressure and committed a foul in attempting to atone. From 20 yards, Natcho needed no second invitation and curled the ball over the wall and into the corner.

Cudicini kept out Gokdeniz Karadeniz and Nelson Haedo with fine saves in the final ten minutes as Spurs failed to find the win that would have taken them through.

PAOK Salonika cruised to a comfortable 3-1 win over Shamrock Rovers in the other game in Group A. Dimitris Salpingidis' first-half double sandwiched Giorgos Fotakis' goal as the Greek side took a 3-0 lead at half-time. Billy Dennehy pulled one back for Shamrock in the 51st minute but it was scant consolation for the back-to-back Irish champions, who failed to secure their first points of the campaign.

Stoke City's unbeaten run in the completion continued, as Tony Pulis' men reinforced their position at the top of Group E with a 2-1 win at Maccabi Tel-Aviv.

Dean Whitehead opened the scoring on 51 minutes when Maccabi failed to clear their lines and he turned provider for substitute Peter Crouch to seal the three points just past the hour. Roberto Colautti nodded home in injury time to cause a few ripples in the Stoke camp, but they held on for the win. The win was a welcome one for Stoke, and the sight of Danny Higginbotham getting through 90 minutes will have cheered the Potters faithful.

Besiktas leapfrogged Dynamo Kiev into second place in Group E as Egeman Korkmaz's header midway through the second half gave them a 1-0 win. The Black Eagles, who have now won both their home games in the group phase to reach six points, were also indebted to some stunning late saves from Cenk Gonen to keep Dynamo at bay.

Atletico Madrid obliterated Udinese's unbeaten Europa League record with an emphatic 4-0 victory in Group I.

Udinese arrived at the Vincente Calderon in confident mood, knowing a win would have seen them reach the last 32. Yet they found themselves 3-0 down by half-time as Adrian Lopez struck twice and Diego added a third, before Radamel Falcao Garcia rounded off the scoring after the break.

In Group I's other game, Anthony Stokes' first-half double and a late strike from substitute Gary Hooper gave Celtic a 3-1 victory over Rennes at Parkhead to boost their hopes of progress.

Skipper Kader Mangane headed the French side into the lead from a Julien Feret corner with less than two minutes on the clock but on the half-hour mark James Forrest's drive was parried by Rennes goalkeeper Benoit Costil to the feet of Stokes, who knocked into the net from close range.

Two minutes before the break Stokes grabbed his second with a drive after racing onto a Georgios Samaras header and in the 81st minute the Greece striker set up Hooper, on for Forrest, to score number three as the visitors finished with ten men after star midfielder Yann M'Vila was sent off after picking up two yellow cards.

Andrew Johnson's brace helped Fulham beat Wisla Krakow 4-1 and edge closer to the knockout stages.

The Cottagers took an early lead through Damien Duff but were soon pegged back by Andraz Kirm, whose shot deflected in off John Arne Riise. Johnson helped Fulham regain their lead on the half-hour mark with a superb volley, before he extended the home side's advantage and substitute Steve Sidwell wrapped up the win.

Co Adriaanse's FC Twente guaranteed progression to the knockout stages from Group K after substitute Leroy Fer's 82nd-minute strike gave them a 3-2 win over Danish side Odense BK.

Baye Fall gave the visitors a shock lead after 11 minutes but Twente were ahead at half-time through two Denny Landzaat strikes. Fall hit his second after 62 minutes before Fer won it late on. Their win took Twente to 10 points after four games, three ahead of second-placed Fulham.

Braga displayed the sort of form that took them to last year's Europa Cup final as they put on a demonstration of attacking football to romp past Maribor 5-1.

The Portuguese enjoyed an ideal start as they went 2-0 up in the first seven minutes through Rodrigo Lima and Alan. Uwa Echiejile headed home a third before half-time with Paulo Vinicius and Fran Merida notching two late goals for the hosts.

Braga are one of three sides level on seven points at the top of Group H after Birmingham produced a stunning second-half comeback to rescue a 2-2 draw with Club Brugge.

Chris Hughton's side trailed 2-0 at the interval with Thomas Meunier and Joseph Akpala striking in a five-minute spell, but Jean Beausejour reduced the arrears and then won the penalty converted by substitute Marlon King which brought the Carling Cup holders level.

Kevin Strootman's late equaliser saw PSV Eindhoven claim a 3-3 draw that sent them into the Europa League knockout stages and denied ten-man Hapoel Tel-Aviv a famous Europa League upset.

Omer Damari gave Hapoel, bottom of Group C after three successive defeats, the lead and, though Georgino Wijnaldum quickly equalised for the unbeaten group leaders, Toto Tamuz restored the visitors' advantage before half-time. Tamuz struck again but Ola Toivonen pulled one back before Hapoel's Roei Gordana was sent off and Strootman struck in the 87th minute to break the Israelis' hearts.

Legia Warsaw joined PSV in the knockout stages thanks to a 3-1 win over Rapid Bucharest. Rapid were reduced to ten men after just 25 minutes, but it took the home side until the 53rd minute to open the scoring through Michal Zyro. The visitors refused to throw in the towel and were back on level terms 11 minutes later, but Legia quickly regained the lead and sealed the win in the final minute, despite having also been reduced to ten men.

A goal from Ander Herrera saw Athletic Bilbao edge past Salzburg 1-0 and strengthen their grip at the top of Group F. Herrera scored towards the end of the first half to move the Spanish club on to ten points, six ahead of Salzburg, and within touching distance of a place in the last 32 with just two group games remaining.

A solitary Javier Pastore goal saw Paris St Germain go three points clear in second place in Group F after an unconvincing 1-0 win over Slovan Bratislava. Pastore struck in the 63rd minute to settle a game where there was little creativity in front of goal, with the Slovakian visitors offering precious little in way of attack.

Sporting Lisbon's run of ten consecutive wins in all competitions came crashing to an end in Romania as Vaslui won 1-0 to stake their claim to second place in Group D. Having already qualified for the knockout stages after winning their first three group games, Sporting travelled without a number of key players and paid the price as Denis Zmeu's first-half strike gave Vaslui victory.

In Group D's other game, substitute Christian Brocchi scored in the 62nd minute as Lazio beat FC Zurich 1-0 to record their first win.

Group J leaders Schalke were brought back down to earth with a goalless stalemate at home to lowly AEK Larnaca, while ten-man Steaua Bucharest boosted their qualification hopes with a much-needed 4-2 win over Maccabi Haifa in an eventful clash.

Standard Liege strengthened their position at the top of Group B with a 3-1 win at Vorskla Poltava, a result which ended the Ukrainian side's chances of reaching the knockout stages.

Hannover, meanwhile, moved a step closer to a place in the last 32 with a 2-1 comeback victory over FC Copenhagen. Dame N'doye fired the home side in front but their lead lasted just five minutes before quick-fire goals from Jan Schlaudraff and Lars Stindl turned the match on its head.

Anderlecht progressed to the knockout stages after they maintained their 100% winning record in Group L by beating ten-man Sturm Graz 3-0 courtesy of goals from Guillaume Gillet, Matias Suarez and Tom De Sutter.

Lokomotiv Moscow also moved to the brink of qualification for the knockout stage with a 3-1 win over AEK Athens. Denis Glushakov's opener was cancelled out by Leonardo's penalty but Lokomotiv hit back, Maicon and Vladislav Ignatiev securing a deserved three points.

Metalist Kharkiv ran out 3-1 winners over Malmo to put themselves firmly in control of Group G. Taison scored two goals and set up a third for Fininho as the hosts opened up a four-point lead after Austria Vienna came from behind to salvage a 2-2 draw against AZ Alkmaar at the Franz Horr Stadium.

PAOK FC followed up their matchday three win against Shamrock Rovers FC with a resounding 3-1 victory in the Dublin return to move to the top of Group A.

Rovers went into the game knowing only maximum points would keep their faint Group A hopes alive, but the match was effectively over as a contest before half-time following two goals from Dimitris Salpingidis and another from Giorgos Fotakis. Billy Dennehy pulled one back after the restart, yet it was scant consolation.

The Greek club broke the deadlock on seven minutes when Vieirinha, who was instrumental throughout, sent Salpingidis through. The striker placed his shot delicately past the approaching Ryan Thompson and beyond the reach of a chasing defender.

PAOK started to dominate and doubled their lead on 35 minutes. Salpingidis turned provider, intercepting a misplaced pass and squaring to Fotakis, who calmly placed the ball to Thompson's right. Rovers' first-half woes were compounded three minutes later when Salpingidis latched on to a perfect cross from Giorgos Georgiadis and tapped in from five metres.

Shaken by that start, Rovers adopted a positive approach after the break and managed to claw a goal back, Dennehy curling a 51st-minute free-kick in off a post with expert precision to give the Dublin club a glimmer of hope.

It proved to be little more than a consolation, though, and László Bölöni's side saw out the rest of the game to claim a crucial win. They now lie a point ahead of Tottenham Hotspur FC, whom they visit on matchday five, and FC Rubin Kazan.

Serbia remain a point clear of Denmark after the top two in qualifying Group 4 played out a goalless draw in Kragujevac.

For the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship hosts this represented a third clean sheet in as many matches and leaves them in a position of strength behind Serbia, who have drawn their last two, with a game in hand. Both are next in action on 15 November, when Serbia visit Northern Ireland and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia host Denmark.

The best chance of the first half was fashioned by Darko Lazovic after two minutes, the FK Crvena zvezda attacker shaking off a defender but failing to outsmart Kristian Fæste with just the goalkeeper to beat.

Denmark threatened on the counterattack following the restart, with the impressive Rasmus Falk at the heart of the visitors' advances. After he had elicited a save from Branimir Aleksic, Serbia introduced 17-year-old FK Partizan midfielder Lazar Markovic.

The teenager's arrival brought the crowd to their feet and within minutes he swept play out to fellow replacement Djordje Despotovic, who cleared the crossbar from the right-hand side of the penalty area.

Peniel Mlapa helped himself to a first-half hat-trick as Germany strengthened their stranglehold on UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying Group 1 with an emphatic defeat of San Marino.

Rainer Adrion's side had already completed a comprehensive victory against the same opponents last month, but this time they went one better than that 7-0 rout, rattling five unanswered goals past Mattia Manzaroli in the first half alone.

Mlapa took just half an hour to net his treble, scoring twice inside the opening five minutes and pausing momentarily to allow Moritz Leitner to make it 3-0 before completing his night's work. An added-time effort by Maximilian Beister at the end of the first half exacerbated the hosts' problems, although they restricted Germany to three goals after the break, two of which came from Alexander Esswein, either side of Daniel Ginczek's strike.

After five wins on the spin Germany are eight points clear of second-placed Belarus, who have a game in hand, and nine ahead of their next opponents, Greece, who have played too matches fewer and host the section leaders on 11 November.

Before the 2011 UEFA European Under-17 Championship final in Serbia, talk had focused on the Netherlands' feat of not conceding a goal. By half-time in the Novi Sad decider against Germany each side had struck twice and when the Netherlands completed a 5-2 win on Sunday, it was the highest-scoring UEFA men's youth final on record.

Playmaker Tonny Trindade de Vilhena twice had to equalise in the first 40 minutes, cancelling out goals by Samed Yesil and Okan Aydin. After the break, though, Memphis Depay's stunning solo effort edged the Netherlands in front before Terence Kongolo – a brilliant centre-back – turned in a corner and Kyle Ebecilio added another to seal his nation's first U17 title.

Albert Stuivenberg, in his fourth final tournament in five seasons as Netherlands coach, set up a team that were hard to beat without being defensive. Having only conceded four in 11 games over the season prior to the finals, they topped their section by beating Germany 2-0 and debutants Romania 1-0, allowing them to rest seven players in drawing 0-0 with the Czech Republic.

Dynamic Arsenal FC midfielder Ebecilio struck the goal that saw off holders England in the last four, and was part of a strong spine that included Feyenoord centre-backs Kongolo and Karim Rekik, as well as fellow club-mates Trindade de Vilhena and Anass Achahbar, the lone striker who proved adept at setting up goals. That meant Stuivenberg could overturn the loss he suffered to Germany in the 2009 final.

Steffen Freund's team had won a perfect six qualifiers. However, after their opening loss to the Netherlands, they stared elimination in the face when one down to the Czech Republic, having had two penalties saved by the superb Lukáš Zima. However, Yesil equalised in the last minute and he also scored to beat Romania 1-0.

For the semi-final against Denmark, Yesil was among four players suspended with the creative Levent Aycicek out through injury and substitute goalkeeper Cedric Wilmes reclassified as an outfield player. Germany, however, won 2-0 and in the final Yesil registered in his eighth straight game to end as joint finals top scorer. Ebecilio, Trindade de Vilhena and England's Hallam Hope also scored three, though Yesil was top of the charts including qualifying with 11 goals.

The highest crowd of the tournament, 6,000 in Novi Sad, saw the hosts lose 3-2 to Denmark, who in fact were the team of the group stage under young coach Thomas Frank with some brilliant attacking football inspired by Viktor Fischer and Kenneth Zohore. In the semi-final against Germany luck was not on their side, though, just as it proved for England – brilliant in ousting Serbia 3-0 but dethroned deservedly by the Netherlands.

Both finalists, and indeed all eight contenders, had benfited from the support of a local school as part of the Football Association of Serbia (FSS)'s Stronger Together anti-racism campaign, with the 'German' and 'Dutch' fans especially vocal. "I am very grateful to them," Trindade de Vilhena told UEFA.com. "It was fantastic to have so many supporters celebrating with us, a wonderful experience."

Quick-fire doubles in the opening and closing stages helped give SC Braga a convincing 5-1 victory against NK Maribor, with defeat leaving the Slovenian champions six points adrift at the foot of UEFA Europa League Group H.

Lima and Alan put the hosts into a commanding early lead inside seven minutes at the Estádio Municipal de Braga, and Elderson made it 3-0 before the break. Dalibor Volaš pulled one back just after the hour, but it proved to be little more than a consolation goal for the visitors as late strikes from from Paulo Vinícius and Fran Mérida sealed a comfortable victory for Braga.

Aided by some costly individual errors, Braga got off to the perfect start as they caught their guests cold. Jasmin Handanovic spilled Alan's fourth-minute corner and Lima was left with a simple tap in from centimetres out. Maribor's miserable start worsened three minutes later when Alan skipped away from Dejan Trajkovski's challenge and curled the ball into the top corner from the edge of the box to make it 2-0.

The 2010/11 UEFA Europa League runners-up effectively killed the game with a third goal seven minutes before the interval when Maribor failed to deal with another Alan corner, and Elderson was on hand to head in from close range.

When Volaš neatly volleyed in Martin Milec's cross in the 62nd minute, the visitors momentarily saw a way back into the game, but Paulo Vinícius (85) and Mérida (90+1) struck in the closing stages to confirm a comfortable victory for the hosts, who are now level on seven points with Club Brugge KV and Birmingham City FC, who come to Portugal on matchday five.

Spain forward Paco Alcácer revealed he was simply following orders when coming off the bench to score twice in his team's 3-2 UEFA European Under-19 Championship final triumph over the Czech Republic.

Trailing to Ladislav Krejcí's 52nd-minute goal in Chiajna, Ginés Meléndez's charges forced extra time when Jon Aurtenetxe diverted into the net five minutes from time. Patrik Lácha put the Czechs back in front in the 97th minute but La Rojita came again, second-half substitute Alcácer producing a pair of assured finishes, the second in the 115th minute, to take the trophy to Spain.

"The  coach showed he had faith in me by making the change when he did," Alcácer told UEFA.com. "Before going on he said, 'Get out there and score'. After that I just did what I know how to do. Ginés is a great coach and I tried to give my all for him. In the end, thanks to my team-mates, I was able to find the net twice."

Describing the Czechs as "a really good side," the No11 believed Spain had had to show immense character to peg back Jaroslav Hrebík's team. "They were well clued up on how we play," he said. "We began by going behind tonight but with our spirit and our pride we managed to reverse our fortunes a couple of times before going on to win the final. A comfortable victory is always welcome but it's not such a bad thing to win the way we did either; to fight from 1-0 and then 2-1 down was something really special."

Top scorer with six goals at last year's UEFA European Under-17 Championship, where Spain finished runners-up, Alcácer brought his tally in this year's U19 finals to three having previously netted in the Group B opener against Belgium. "I feel I am a born goalscorer but the hero tonight was the entire Spanish set-up, not me," the Valencia CF forward said. "From the goalkeeper all the way up to the attackers and from there to the training and coaching staff, everyone has helped out in this championship."

The fact that Spain will now keep the trophy after their fifth win at this level prompted Alcácer to explain the pride among his team-mates at a "huge achievement". "We have done really well in this championship and our victory was well deserved," he said. "It was a very tough tournament and so to win it has made us all very happy. It's a source of real pleasure to know that this trophy is now staying in the [Royal Spanish] Football Federation's trophy cabinet. All that's left to do now is to celebrate."

Lithuania ended a run of four successive defeats in UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying Group 2 with victory against Malta in Gozo.

Malta began on the front foot, with Terence Vella forcing Emilijus Zubas into a fine save after six minutes, but it was the visitors who looked more likely to open the scoring. Vytautas Andriuškevicius came close with a long-range free-kick before Martynas Dapkus gave Lithuania the lead, tapping in after an Andriuškevicius corner caused havoc in the penalty area.

Malta threatened an equaliser after the break through Tristan Caruana and Vella, but it was Mindaugas Neoras's side who scored a decisive second when Arturas Žulpa's strike from the edge of the box beat Steve Sultana just shy of the hour.

The hosts' search for the result which will mean they become the first Maltese national team at any level to surpass five qualifying points continues on 15 November against Sweden.

FK Austria Wien fought back for a share of the points in UEFA Europa League Group G after AZ Alkmaar let a two-goal lead slip.

AZ recovered from 2-0 down at half-time to secure a 2-2 draw when these sides met on matchday three, and this game proved an eerie mirror image of that fixture. Goals from Swedish pair Rasmus Elm and Pontus Wernbloom put the visitors firmly on top at the break, but Manuel Ortlechner and Nacer Barazite struck in quick succession to set up a frenzied finale.

The Dutch league leaders went ahead on 19 minutes after Georg Margreitter was penalised for a handball; Elm sent Heinz Lindner the wrong way with a calm finish to the left. Dutch striker Barazite looked to spearhead a comeback, but Austria remained vulnerable. Roy Beerens will wonder how he failed to score after Adam Maher pulled the ball back to him in the box.

That miss was forgotten when Wernbloom got his head to an Elm corner a minute before the break, but Karl Daxbacher's decision to bring on Michael Liendl and Roland Linz proved inspired. Both played a part in Ortlechner's goal, with the Austria captain finishing on 58 minutes after Esteban Alvarado spilled Linz's point-blank shot. Three minutes later, the goalkeeper fumbled Tomáš Jun's powerful strike and Barazite thumped his side level.

It could have gone either way thereafter. Barazite fired across goal from the left, and Jozy Altidore shot straight at Lindner at the other end before Alvarado's nerves received another jolt, the Costa Rican producing a crucial save when Liendl's free-kick curled menacingly inside his right-hand post. Beerens had a shot charged down by Markus Suttner and another saved as AZ finished strongly.

Celtic FC moved into contention in UEFA Europa League Group I with an impressive 3-1 comeback victory against Stade Rennais FC.

Anthony Stokes was the hero for the Hoops, registering a first-half double after Rennes captain Kader Mangane had opened the scoring in the second minute. Substitute Gary Hooper scored a crucial third for the home side eight minutes from time.

Both sides needed a win to maintain realistic hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages and Rennes demonstrated their intent with a goal from their first attack. Julien Feret swung a corner in from the right and Mangane climbed highest to nod past Fraser Forster within two minutes.

The visitors' high-tempo pressing game meant Celtic were on the back foot for most of the first half-hour, but against the run of play they drew level on 30 minutes, Stokes tapping in from close range after Benoît Costil could only parry James Forrest's fierce shot.

The Republic of Ireland striker had the home crowd on their feet again two minutes before the break, latching onto Giorgos Samaras's headed flick-on before coolly slotting past Costil.

Already depleted by injury, Neil Lennon was forced to make a change at half-time with 17-year-old Marcus Fraser making his first-team debut for ailing captain Glenn Loovens. A couple of early interventions helped the youngster settle in at centre-back as Rennes resumed their territorial advantage.

However, Frédéric Antonetti's side were struggling to create clear-cut openings and Celtic's threat on the counter almost brought further reward on 65 minutes when Victor Wanyama flashed a shot wide of the post.

Substitute Youssouf Hadji went close as Rennes pressed for an equaliser, but all hope evaporated for the visitors in the 82nd minute when the impressive Samaras crossed for Hooper to put the result beyond doubt. Yann M'Vila then picked up a second yellow card for Rennes late on.

Jupp Heynckes, Bayern coach
There is no way we were careless after we were 3-0 up. I told the team before the game that it would be very difficult today. Napoli never give up, have super morale and are top when it comes to fighting and running. At this level you get nothing for free and until today they had not lost a match [in the UEFA Champions League]. We have to be pleased that we won.

I rated Mario Gomez's goals and his contribution to his team's defence; he's shown great commitment. We know he is capable of scoring but it was positive to see him fight for his team.

[Bastian Schweinsteiger's] injury hit us hard – you could see by the players' reactions that they were affected. Our game was disrupted after he'd been substituted. I said before the match that he's not only a very important player but he dictates the flow of our game in midfield. He's in outstanding form. So far we've been able to compensate for injured players; I hope this will continue in the coming weeks.

Walter Mazzarri, Napoli coach
I don't think my team deserved to lose – especially for what we did in the second half. We played well against one of the strongest teams in Europe and we're really disappointed to lose. My players were great in the second half, and did all they could to try to level even if it seemed impossible.

We didn't start well – we made some mistakes and they took advantage of them. They're really good and have more experience than us. Then we all talked together during the break and things changed in the second half.
We got a draw two weeks ago [against Bayern] but I think we played better tonight than we did at home. We deserved more, yet it was still a great night for us because of what we did.

Norway and Cyprus came through a series of tough tests to emerge from UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualifying Group 4, holding off the challenges of Iceland and Latvia.

It was Latvia who took the early initiative in the section with a 2-0 defeat of Iceland on matchday one, while Norway came from 2-0 and 3-2 down to draw 3-3 with Cyprus thanks to Henrik Kjelsrud Johansen's 90th-minute equaliser. There was more frustration for the hosts in the second round of games, when they were held 1-1 by Iceland, Norway taking advantage to climb top of the table courtesy of a 2-0 victory against Latvia.

The roles were reversed on the section's final day, however, as Norway drew 2-2 with Iceland in Larnaca. Cyprus had no such problems, with second-half goals from Nikos Englezou and Zacharias Theodorou securing the points against Latvia, although Apostolos Makrides' team lost out to Norway for first place on goals scored.

"We are deservedly in the next round," said Makrides. "A big congratulations is in order for the entire team. We worked hard ahead of this tournament and it's a great accomplishment to go through. We now look ahead to the next round of games, although we know things will be tough there."

Norway's Knut Thorbjørn Eggen added: "We're very satisfied to have moved into the next round. We have a lot of good, skilful players that can be influential in this team. We have a good record and we have a good chance to reach the finals of the competition."

Daniel Sturridge and Jack Rodwell are in contention to face world champions Spain with England boss Fabio Capello set to name both players in his provisional squad for the upcoming internationals.

They will be joined in the squad once again by Manchester United's Danny Welbeck, who made his first competitive appearance for England as a substitute in the 2-2 Euro 2012 qualifying draw in Montenegro last month.

All three are in Capello's provisional squad and Everton's Rodwell has a big chance of playing due to the plague of midfield injuries.

An ankle injury to Manchester United's Tom Cleverley, ongoing fitness problems for Steven Gerrard of Liverpool and with Arsenal's Jack Wilshere also absent through injury, Capello is ready to turn to Rodwell now that he is finally first-choice at Everton.

Chelsea striker Sturridge was a leading contender but a failure to gain a regular starting place at Chelsea is holding him back. He has started three of Chelsea's six games since the last international break.

Welbeck seems certain to play after breaking into the United starting line-up as well as Capello's squad.

England take on Spain at Wembley on Saturday week before tackling Sweden three days later.

An ESPNsoccernet source said: "Sturridge is a proven striker but it is not sure that he will make the final squad because he is not playing regularly with his club, but his chance is sure to come sooner rather than later.

"Welbeck will be included and Rodwell has every chance of actually playing a part in the game because there are not many midfielders left. There is no Wilshere, Gerrard is again injured and so too is Cleverley."

• Harry Harris' new book: 19: The Remarkable Story of United's League Championship Record is available now.

Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny believes prolific captain Robin van Persie is currently the best striker in the world.

Van Persie has scored ten goals in nine Premier League starts this season, including a hat-trick in the 5-3 win at Chelsea, to help Arsenal reverse their dismal start.

The Gunners' reliance on their captain, who is out of contract in summer 2013, has led to accusations they are a one-man team. However, despite Van Persie's goalscoring heroics this season, he was surprisingly not named on the FIFA Ballon d'Or shortlist, which purports to list the top 23 players in the world.

When he learnt the news of Van Persie's omission, Szczesny was stunned.

"I think it's ridiculous [he's not on the Ballon d'Or shortlist] - he's probably got the best goalscoring record at the moment," Szczesny told Sky Sports News.

"We know how good he is - even at Chelsea when they equalised late on, we still felt like we were going to go on and win. He just came up with two goals right at the end, and I believe he is at the moment the best striker in the world."

Meanwhile, Arsenal's vice-captain Thomas Vermaelen insists the club will still compete for a top-four place even if Van Persie, who is notoriously injury-prone, is forced to miss a few games.

"Robin is a world-class player, an amazing striker," Vermaelen said. "But I think we have a big squad and he can't play every game. We have enough strikers to fit in in his place who can decide a game, like Gervinho."

Lukáš Zima (goalkeeper, Czech Republic)
An imposing presence in the Czech goal, SK Slavia Praha's Zima saved two penalties against Germany and subsequently pulled off a string of tremendous stops to help hold the Netherlands to a 0-0 draw.

Mitchell Weiser (defender, Germany)
The lightning-quick 1. FC Köln full-back is comfortable on both the right and left of defence, and showed himself to be physically strong on the ball and nigh-on impossible to dispossess when in full flow.

Terence Kongolo/ Karim Rekik (defenders, Netherlands)
Feyenoord team-mates and central defensive partners, Kongolo and Rekik did not concede until the final and showed splendid composure throughout.

Kyle Ebecilio (midfielder, Netherlands)
Though Arsenal FC midfielder Ebicilio takes the spotlight for his livewire performances and three goals, he was just one cog in a delightful Netherlands attack. Winger Memphis Depay's solo final goal summed up his qualities and three-goal playmaker Tonny Trindade de Vilhena also shone, as did lone striker Anass Achahbar, so often the creator of the Dutch goals.

Patrick Olsen (midfielder, Denmark)
Viktor Fischer, soon to be an AFC Ajax player, may often have stolen the headlines, but Brøndby IF prospect Olsen played an understated yet pivotal role for Denmark, always showing great calmness on the ball alongside Christian Nørgaard.

Abdallah Yaisien (midfielder, France)
Scorer of eight goals in qualifying, Paris Saint-Germain FC's Yaisien was never shy in demanding the ball and proved consistently tricky for defenders to pick up as he drifted into the gap between defence and midfield.

John Lundstram (midfielder, England)
With a whiff of the Steven Gerrard about him, the Everton FC midfielder possesses a biting tackle and was always keen to take the ball off his defence, displaying a fine range of passing to instigate attacks, usually finshed off by finals top scorer, fellow Toffee Hallam Hope.

Nikola Ninkovic (midfielder, Serbia)
It proved a tough campaign for Serbia but they operated well as a team and in their best spell of the tournament, the second half against England, FK Partizan attacker Ninkovic stood out with surging runs.

Fabian Himcinschi (forward, Romania)
Prolific in qualifying, FC Unirea Alba Iulia striker Himcinschi made a flying start to the finals with his brilliant solo goal against the Czech Republic. Even when isolated up front, Himcinschi was always a danger.

Samed Yesil (forward, Germany)
Goals against the Czech Republic and Romania left Bayer 04 Leverkusen striker Yesil on a run of scoring in seven straight U17 Championship games going into the final. He added one more in the showpiece and further demonstrated his ability to hold up the ball, beat opponents and finish with aplomb. His tally of three finals goals was joint top with Hope, Trindade de Vilhena and Ebecilio; Yesil's 11 for the tournament unmatched this season.

This list has been determined by UEFA.com reporters Tom Kell, Paul Saffer, Andy Lockwood, Sébastien Billington and Tim Vollmer working at the tournament. The UEFA Technical Team will produce an official squad of the tournament as part of their technical report on the finals.

Real Madrid CF maintained their perfect record in Group D and strolled into the round of 16, while FC Internazionale Milano and FC Bayern München all neared the knockout stages on matchday four.

Cristiano Ronaldo struck a goal in each half at Olympique Lyonnais – a trademark free-kick and a penalty – as Madrid won 2-0 to make it four out of four and join FC Barcelona and AC Milan in booking progress with two games to spare. Madrid are the only side with a 100% record in this season's group stage and lead their section by five points from AFC Ajax, who turned on the style in a 4-0 win against GNK Dinamo Zagreb, who cannot finish in the top two. The Dutch champions meet Lyon in France on matchday five in a game that could decide the pool's other qualification spot.

A Mario Gomez hat-trick helped Bayern race into a 3-0 lead against SSC Napoli, but the visitors fought back with two goals from Federico Fernández to leave the home side hanging on. That they did, though, and with their stadium hosting this season's final, Bayern just need a point to make the last 16. Manchester City FC are now second in Group A, two points ahead of their matchday five hosts Napoli, after a 3-0 win at Villarreal CF. Yaya Touré scored twice for Roberto Mancini's men and after a fourth loss Villarreal are playing for a UEFA Europa League berth.

Despite losing the first game at home to Trabzonspor AS, Inter are now four points clear in Group B after a 2-1 home win against LOSC Lille Métropole. A towering header from Walter Samuel opened the scoring, and Diego Milito struck a second which proved vital after Túlio de Melo's late effort. Trabzonspor and PFC CSKA Moskva both sit on five points with the Russian side having the head-to-head edge after tonight's goalless draw.

In Group C, SL Benfica looked on course to join Madrid as matchday four qualifiers when Rodrigo gave them the lead against FC Basel 1893. Benjamin Huggel hit back, though, keeping the Swiss side in the hunt. That draw allowed Manchester United FC to pull level with Benfica at the top of the section, three points ahead of Basel, after Sir Alex Ferguson's side notched up a second 2-0 win against FC Otelul Galati, who are now out.

Group A
FC Bayern München 3-2 SSC Napoli
Villarreal CF 0-3 Manchester City FC

Group B
Trabzonspor AS 0-0 PFC CSKA Moskva
FC Internazionale Milano 2-1 LOSC Lille Métropole

Group C
Manchester United FC 2-0 FC Otelul Galati
SL Benfica 1-1 FC Basel 1893

Group D
Olympique Lyonnais 0-2 Real Madrid CF
AFC Ajax 4-0 GNK Dinamo Zagreb

Javier Pastore's sumptuous volley ensured Paris Saint-Germain FC consolidated second place in Group F, condemning ŠK Slovan Bratislava to a third defeat in four UEFA Europa League games and elimination.

PSG record signing Pastore was unmarked at the far post in the 63rd minute to turn Nenê's cross from the left through the legs of goalkeeper Lukáš Hroššo. The Argentinian international's first UEFA Europa League goal means a draw for the French side at FC Salzburg on matchday five would be enough to guarantee a place in the next round.

Having drawn 0-0 at home to nine-man PSG last time out, Slovan started on the front foot and had the first meaningful attempt of the match when Juraj Halenár forced a fine save from Nicolas Douchez in the ninth minute.

Yet it was PSG who dominated possession as well as the shot count, and midway through the opening period Hroššo had to be alert to keep out Mathieu Bodmer's effort at the second attempt. The hosts were mainly restricted to shots from distance, however, as their gifted attacking players often tried to force the issue by going it alone.

Early in the second half Hroššo beat away a swerving Jérémy Menez strike, while at the other end Halenár skied a glorious opportunity. Pastore gave Antoine Kombouaré's side the lead, meeting Nenê’s excellent cross on the volley and giving Hroššo no chance. Buoyed, PSG pushed forward and were unfortunate not to extend the winning margin late on through substitute Jean-Christophe Bahebeck.

Germany will aim to keep the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Europe after winning through to join hosts Mexico, Brazil and Uruguay in the semi-finals.

Steffen Freund's UEFA European Under-17 Championship runners-up had been in prime goalscoring form even before their 3-2 quarter-final victory over England on Monday, having beaten Ecuador 6-1, Burkina Faso 3-0 and Panama 2-0 in the group stage before a 4-0 round of 16 defeat of the United States.

If England seemed to have the better of the early quarter-final exchanges in Morelia, Samed Yesil – this summer's European finals joint top scorer – struck on seven minutes, before Kaan Ayhan's low finish midway through the half doubled the lead. Moments after Odisseas Vlachodimos had made a superb save from England captain Nathaniel Chalobah, Yesil swept in Mitchell Weiser's pass for his fifth World Cup goal.

Germany's advantage was reduced when Samuel Magri converted a second-half penalty and Hallam Hope netted with seven minutes to go but Freund's men held on. It was the end of a creditable campaign for England, who had topped their group before beating Argentina on penalties in the round of 16.

Freund, several of whose players were struck by a stomach bug on the eve of the game, said: "I'm very pleased to have won and very proud of my players, but I must also congratulate an English side that never gave in, barely gave us any respite and really put us under the cosh at the end."

Mexico await Germany in the semi-finals (midnight CET on Friday) after overcoming France 2-1. Jordan Ikoko had cancelled out Kevin Escamilla's early effort for the hosts yet Carlos Fierro's 50th-minute solo effort decided matters.

France had seen off Argentina 3-0 and drawn 1-1 with Japan and Jamaica in the group stage before recovering from two down in the last 16 to beat Ivory Coast 3-2 with a superb display from two-goal Yassine Benzia. The Ivorians also impressed and their AC Siena striker Souleymane Coulibaly equalled Florent Sinama-Pongolle's tournament record of nine goals.

The other three European contenders – continental champions the Netherlands, Denmark and the Czech Republic – fell in the group stage. Germany are hoping to emulate 2009 winners Switzerland, only the third European winners after France eight years earlier and the Soviet Union in 1987. The tournament concludes at Mexico City's Azteca Stadium on Sunday.

Full tournament details can be found on FIFA's official website.

Wales and Bulgaria have completed the 28-team lineup for the UEFA European Under-17 Championship elite round which includes all nine past winners.

The top two sides from each of the 13 qualifying round groups played over the last six weeks will go into the draw at 11.00CET on 29 November in Nyon. That number includes holders the Netherlands and previous champions England, Germany, Spain, Russia, Turkey, France, Portugal and Switzerland as well as Lithuania, making progress for the first time at this level.

Two spots remained in March's second stage and Wales and Bulgaria took them as the two third-placed sides with the best record against the leading pair in their groups. In the elite round draw, teams will be split into seven one-venue mini-tournaments, with seedings and hosts to be confirmed. The seven group winners will join hosts Slovenia in the final tournament from 4 to 16 May.

Progressing from qualifying round
Group 1: Hungary, Belarus
Group 2: Russia, Portugal
Group 3: Scotland, Turkey
Group 4: Czech Republic, Republic of Ireland
Group 5: Denmark, Italy
Group 6: England, Netherlands (holders)
Group 7: Belgium, Ukraine
Group 8: Sweden, Georgia, Bulgaria*
Group 9: Serbia, Lithuania, Wales*
Group 10: France, Luxembourg
Group 11: Spain, Poland
Group 12: Germany, Albania
Group 13: Iceland, Switzerland

*Best third-place teams as per competition regulation 6.06

Portugal will face Brazil for the FIFA U-20 World Cup this weekend two decades on from their famous win against the same opponents in Lisbon as they aim to become the first European country to lift the trophy three times.

Having gained victory in 1989, Portugal successfully defended the trophy on home soil two years later with a penalty shoot-out triumph against Brazil, as Luís Figo, Rui Costa and company beat a team starring Roberto Carlos in front of 127,000 fans at the Estádio da Luz. This time around in Colombia, Portugal's defence has been the key, not conceding a goal in their six matches, though at 03.00CET on Sunday they take on a Brazil side in Bogota who have scored 17 with only three against.

Ilídio Vale, whose charges qualified a year ago with a third-place group finish at the UEFA European Under-19 Championship in France, saw his players beat that same nation – who took the continental title – 2-0 in the semi-finals. Before that they saw off Argentina on penalties after a scoreless quarter-final, having defeated Guatemala 1-0 in the last 16 and in the group stage drawn 0-0 with Uruguay before single-goal wins against Cameroon and New Zealand.

Unsurprisingly goalkeeper Mika, signed this summer by SL Benfica from UD Leiria, and his defence have stolen the headlines, yet the scorers against France, Danilo and Nelson Oliveira, have also impressed. "I don't know of any team that has gone into a final without giving up a goal," Vale said. "In the final we'll try to keep doing what we've done best so far, which is to play effective football."

France, who tackle Mexico for third place prior to the final, lost their opener 4-1 to hosts Colombia before finding the form that gave them the 2010 European crown. Korea Republic were beaten 3-1 and Mali 2-0 to ensure French progress to the knockouts, where they edged past Ecuador 1-0 and then Nigeria 3-2 after extra time in a thrilling quarter-final. Captain Gueïda Fofana scored a stunner in that additional half-hour, capping his marvellous tournament, while substitute Alexandre Lacazette, who struck the other two, showed an uncanny ability to get goals from the bench.

Spain, runners-up to France 12 months ago, lifted the continental title earlier this month in Romania but their World Cup campaign was ended on penalties by Brazil after an epic last-eight encounter. England had fallen the round before 1-0 to Nigeria, having advanced through their group with three 0-0 draws; Croatia and Austria did not make the last 16. Turkey will stage the next finals in 2013, for which the 2011/12 European U19 Championship in Estonia will act as qualifier.

Past U-20 World Cup finals
(UEFA nations in bold)
Egypt 2009: Ghana 0-0 (4-3p) Brazil
Canada 2007: Argentina 2-1 Czech Republic
Netherlands 2005: Argentina 2-1 Nigeria
UAE 2003: Brazil 1-0 Spain
Argentina 2001: Argentina 3-0 Ghana
Nigeria 1999: Spain 4-0 Japan
Malaysia 1997: Argentina 2-1 Uruguay
Qatar 1995: Argentina 2-0 Brazil
Australia 1993: Brazil 2-1 Ghana
Portugal 1991: Portugal 0-0 (4-2p) Brazil
Saudi Arabia 1989: Portugal 2-0 Nigeria
Chile 1987: Yugoslavia 1-1 (5-4p) West Germany
Soviet Union 1985: Brazil 1-0 Spain (aet)
Mexico 1983: Brazil 1-0 Argentina
Australia 1981: West Germany 4-0 Qatar
Japan 1979: Argentina 3-1 Soviet Union
Tuinisia 1977: Soviet Union 2-2 (9-8p) Mexico

A composed counterattacking display from FC Vaslui saw off Group D leaders Sporting Clube de Portugal as the Romanian side picked up their first UEFA Europa League group stage victory.

Sporting's 2-0 home win against Vaslui a fortnight ago earned them qualification from the group stage after just three games, but their seven-match unbeaten run in Europe came to an end in Romania at the hands of Denis Zmeu, who squeezed the ball over the line from a corner after half an hour.

Vaslui excelled in preventing Sporting from building up any kind of rhythm, and countered incisively and at speed. Captain Adailton headed over at the back post from one break before Viorel Hizo's men went in front in the 30th minute. Zmeu was first to react in a goalmouth scramble from Lucian Sânmartean's corner, the midfielder's prodded effort ricocheting off Bruno Pereirinha to wrong-foot Marcelo.

Sporting tried to respond, and a rare moment of confusion in the Vaslui defence allowed Valeri Bozhinov to latch on to a long Matías Fernández ball, but the Bulgarian's delicate lob dropped wide.

Vaslui were soon back on the front foot. A dangerous pass across goal by the impressive Sânmartean presented them with a golden chance for a second moments before the interval, but a sliding Yero Bello could not make contact.

After the break, Bello raced onto Petar Jovanovic’s through ball and forced Marcelo into a strong save, with Adailton sending the loose ball flying over, but while Sporting began to exert pressure thereafter, the introduction of in-form striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel could not deny Vaslui a famous victory.

Despite scoring a first-half hat-trick to put FC Bayern München on course for a 3-2 UEFA Champions League victory against SSC Napoli, striker Mario Gomez cut a subdued post-match figure in light of the injury sustained by team-mate Bastian Schweinsteiger.

The influential midfielder had to be substituted early in the second half following an awkward collision with Napoli's Gökhan Inler which left him with a suspected broken collarbone. "No matter how bad the injury is, we were obviously all affected by it," said Gomez, clearly more interested in his colleague's wellbeing than his own prolific display.

The 26-year-old's 25-minute treble had given Bayern what looked like a comfortable advantage on home turf, but the first of two headed goals by Federico Fernández provided the visitors with a glimmer of hope shortly before the interval. The subsequent loss of Schweinsteiger upset Bayern's momentum and, after both sides had been reduced to ten men, Fernández's second made for a nervy final ten minutes.

"The team was shocked," Gomez told UEFA.com. "It took us a while to find our feet again and clear our heads. 'Basti' is our midfield motor. He dictates the tempo of the game and you could see that we lost our rhythm without him. It's a bitter one, but we're a top team and if we want to stay that way we'll have to compensate for his absence."

Eventually, Jupp Heynckes' side did regain their composure and defended well to see out what midfielder Toni Kroos considered a well-earned win: "I think it was highly deserved if you look at the game as a whole," he said. "We pressed them high up the pitch in the first half and knocked the ball around well. We can't be expected to beat everyone 5-0 all the time."

Bayern are now three points clear at the Group A summit and can secure a place in the last 16 with a draw in their next home game against eliminated Villarreal CF in three weeks' time. "It's in our hands," said captain Philipp Lahm. "We want to finish top of the group and to do that we need to win our next match."

Meanwhile, Napoli's players were understandably disappointed not to have been rewarded for a brave riposte and are now two points behind next visitors City. "To score two goals against Bayern and not win is hard to take," said midfielder Blerim Dzemaili, before acknowledging the quality of the opposition: "I think Bayern can reach the final. In my view they're one of the strongest teams and if they play as they have been, they're potentially unbeatable."

Iceland and Switzerland made progress from UEFA European Under-17 Championship qualifying round Group 13 after a dramatic final day when all four teams began on three points.

First place went to Iceland, who defeated hosts Israel 1-0, Stefán Thór Pálsson scoring with three minutes left to take his side from provisional fourth position in one swoop, their opponents having had Ramzi Safuri sent off. Switzerland followed on goal difference following their 0-0 draw with Greece, who would have joined them in the elite round but for Iceland's late winner.

It seemed after matchday one that Switzerland and Greece were destined to go through. Switzerland beat Iceland 5-1, having been three up in 22 minutes thanks to Shani Tarashaj, Gent Mazreku and Daniel Garetto, while Greece overcame Israel 4-1 with Vassilis Papadopoulos striking twice.

However, two days later Iceland defeated Greece 1-0 when Páll Thorsteinsson turned in a Pálsson cross. Israel, having been two down at the break, came back in a 17-minute burst with goals from Safuri, substitute Michael Ohana and Eli Harush to defeat Switzerland 3-2 despite Amer Masarwa's subsequent red card.

Last season's UEFA European Under-17 Championship winners the Netherlands and the side they deposed as holders in May's semi-finals, England, both cruised through from qualifying round Group 6 in Sarajevo.

Both teams defeated Latvia and hosts Bosnia and Herzegovina in their opening two games to ensure today's meeting was merely to decide first place. England gained a measure of revenge for their loss to the Netherlands in Serbia after Devante Cole's goal gave them a 1-0 win in today's group decider but both sides are in the 29 November elite round draw.

In the fourth competition meeting between Netherlands coach Albert Stuivenberg and England manager John Peacock in six editions – but the first outside a final tournament – it was the latter who got the win his team needed to overtake the holders, a result that could prove valuable for elite round seeding. The winner came on 21 minutes when Cole – whose father Andy was capped 15 times – met Chuba Akpom's pass with a precise shot.

"I really enjoyed these last few days in Sarajevo," Peacock told UEFA.com. "I have nice memories of this city. I was here in 2007, when we also qualified for the next round and reached the European Championship final. We had a difficult group, but we did a perfect job. We won three times, without conceding a goal, so I must be very happy."

Stuivenberg, whose side came closest when Branco van den Boomen headed straight at England goalkeeper Luke Coddington from close range with 15 minutes left, said: "Our aim was to qualify after two matches and we did it. We wanted to win or draw against England. I think we deserved at least a point, but that's football. The match against England was a very good preparation for the elite round. Now we await the draw, we could be in a very strong group, even with Spain and France."

The Netherlands, who took the title with a 5-2 defeat of Germany five months ago, still boast three of that winning squad and two of them, Nathan Ake and Thom Haye, struck in the opening 3-0 defeat of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Van den Boomen coming off the bench to get the third.

England went one better against Latvia, Callum Robinson, Luke Shaw, Akpom and Cole ensuring a 4-0 win. Substitute Jordan Graham had a penalty saved by Toms Viksna with six minutes left. Arsenal FC pair Isaac Hayden and Akpom ensured a second England win, scoring without reply against Bosnia and Herzegovina two days later.

That day the Netherlands beat Latvia 4-1, their first goal coming from Tonny Trindade de Vilhena, a regular in the victorious side last season who scored twice in the final. Van den Boomen also justified a start by striking again as the Netherlands went top on goals scored, though they were to be pipped. Also on Monday, Bosnia and Herzegovina defeated ten-man Latvia 1-0 for the consolation of third place thanks to Mijat Gacinovic.

Manchester United FC moved level on points with SL Benfica at the Group C summit with a 2-0 home victory against FC Otelul Galati.

Antonio Valencia's early strike and a late Cristian Sârghi own goal ensured that United completed back-to-back wins against the Romanian UEFA Champions League newcomers and edged closer to reaching the knockout stage for the sixth year running. Otelul's already faint last-16 hopes vanished altogether with this result.

It was an industrious performance by a United side looking to "redeem ourselves", in Sir Alex Ferguson's words, for their 6-1 loss to Manchester City FC on their last Old Trafford outing. One intriguing feature from the outset was the manager's selection of Wayne Rooney in a deep midfield role. Sitting alongside Anderson in a 4-4-2, he sought to spray passes around like a quarter-back and one such ball to Dimitar Berbatov sparked the move for the opening goal.

Phil Jones, on a surge upfield from his right-back berth, collected the Bulgarian's lay-off and fired over a deflected low cross that flicked off Michael Owen at the near post and provided an easy tap-in for Valencia. Sadly that was the last involvement for Owen, making his first UEFA Champions League start in 23 months, who limped off three minutes later with a thigh injury.

Otelul might have had an immediate equaliser but Marius Pena was off target with a glancing header from Cornel Râpa's cross. That was about it in terms of goalmouth incident for much of the half, despite the best efforts of United's full-backs. Fabio excited the crowd with one dash from his own half and then it was Jones's turn, the teenager cutting in from the right, exchanging passes with Valencia and firing in a shot that flew behind off the head of Sârghi.

Otelul skipper Sergiu Costin caught the eye with some well-timed challenges and Dorinel Munteanu's charges might have equalised when Ionut Neagu capitalised on a moment of uncertainty in the United defence, only for his shot to deflect off Rio Ferdinand and force a save out of David de Gea.

United managed only one shot on target despite 70% of first-half possession but stepped up a gear after the restart with Berbatov foiled by Branko Grahovac within minutes. Anderson then poked a shot past Grahovac but Costin got back to clear, while Berbatov hit the side netting when clean through.

Otelul's small band of supporters kept singing even after Rooney's shot from distance deflected off Sârghi and left Grahovac completely wrong-footed.

The 2011/12 UEFA European Under-17 Championship begins on 21 September with the first of 13 qualifying round groups.

Hosts Slovenia will play in the finals next May and seven of the 52 contenders are to join them after two sets of mini-tournaments. The qualifying round will run from 21 September to 2 November, with the first games in Group 8 as hosts Moldova play Sweden and Georgia face Bulgaria.

Following their maiden U17 title win in Serbia last May, the Netherlands kick off their defence in Group 6, hosted by Bosnia and Herzegovina, and also containing Latvia and the nation the Dutch beat in the 2011 semi-finals to depose as champions, England.

The top two in each group plus the two third-placed teams with the best record against the leading pair in their pool progress to the elite round draw on 29 November, with the seven groups in spring 2012 to produce the finalists to join Slovenia.

Qualifying round groups (*hosts)
Group 1 (23-28 September): Norway, Hungary*, Andorra, Belarus

Group 2 (24-29 October): Portugal*, Romania, Russia, Finland

Group 3 (24-29 October): Scotland, Turkey, San Marino, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*

Group 4 (19-24 October): Czech Republic, Republic of Ireland, Kazakhstan*, Liechtenstein

Group 5 (12-17 October): Italy, Austria, Denmark*, Cyprus

Group 6 (28-31 October): England, Netherlands (holders), Latvia, Bosnia and Herzegovina*

Group 7 (25-30 October): Belgium, Croatia*, Ukraine, Azerbaijan

Group 8 (21-26 September): Georgia, Sweden, Bulgaria, Moldova*

Group 9 (17-22 October): Wales, Serbia*, Armenia, Lithuania

Group 10 (28 October-2 November): Northern Ireland, France, Luxembourg*, Faroe Islands

Group 11 (19-24 October): Spain, Poland, Montenegro*, Malta

Group 12 (13-18 October): Slovakia, Germany, Albania, Estonia*

Group 13 (12-17 October): Greece, Switzerland, Israel*, Iceland

There were mixed emotions for Djordje Despotovic as Serbia bowed out of the UEFA European Under-19 Championship at the semi-final stage despite the striker's quickfire double against the Czech Republic.

By the time the FK Crvena Zvezda forward scored his first goal in Mogosaia, in the 23rd minute, his side already trailed the impressive Czechs 3-0, although twice in five minutes Despotovic fired powerfully past goalkeeper Tomáš Koubek to revive the contest. Serbia were unable to find a third goal, however, instead conceding a fourth in added time to leave their No9 wondering what might have been.

"I'm glad to have scored twice in such an important game but the joy cannot be complete, no matter how many goals you score, when your team loses," Despotovic told UEFA.com. "After we got the two goals we had chances to equalise, but it felt like we were too tired to put more pressure on the Czechs."

Dejan Govedarica's side also conceded three goals in the opening quarter of their second Group B match against Spain, although Despotovic insisted Serbia had not been caught out by the Czechs' positive start. "They didn't surprise us because, like always, we watched and studied their previous games," he said. "The Czechs were the better but also probably the more fortunate team today. They showed more strength than we did in the important one-on-one duels."

Serbia's inability to deal with that means for the second time in three seasons their U19 campaign has come to an end in the semi-finals, although their centre-forward is keen to accentuate the positives over the campaign as a whole. "At the start of this season we were hoping to be in the first eight teams in Europe and qualify for these finals; we did that but then we were short of a little bit of luck. This is the end of this tournament but the beginning of the rest of our careers."

Next for Despotovic is a domestic engagement with Crvena zvezda, the striker explaining: "I'll now go back to my club and in September I'll start a regional competition for U20 players. My long-term goal is to become a well-known footballer and to score for my senior national team but I'm aware of the need to take it step by step."

Although his focus has now switched to the future, the last two weeks in Romania have made an important contribution to the forward's development. "This has been the first big tournament of my career and everything was unbelievable for me," he explained. "The whole organisation, especially the hotel and the stadiums, was perfect. I leave Bucharest having had an invaluable experience."