France progress in perfect fashion

2004 winners France continued their imperious form in the UEFA European Under-17 Championship, reaching the Elite round of the 2004/05 event by winning all three Group 2 games.

Latvia edge through
With all three games that did not involve France ending level at 1-1, the remaining three teams in the section all finished with two points, with Latvia edging out hosts Bosnia-Herzegovina and Belgium to take second place and progress thanks to a superior goal difference overall.

Two-goal burst
Having won all five finals games in lifting the 2003/04 crown as hosts in Châteauroux in May, it was little surprise that French confidence was high as they took on the Bosnians at the Koševo stadium in Sarajevo in the first round of matches. Two goals in three first-half minutes proved decisive, with Frédéric Nimani Ngalou and Matthias Lepiller striking to earn the French victory.

Late equaliser
In the other opening fixture, Belgium and Latvia drew 1-1 at the Hakija Mrso stadium in Vogosca, with both goals coming with ten minutes remaining in each half. Aleksandrs Cauna gave Aleksandrs Danilov's Latvian side the lead on the half-hour mark, with Jelle De Bock equalising for Belgium late in the second period.

Narrow win
Guy Ferrier's French side continued their impressive form in Sarajevo in their second match, with Nimani Ngalou's second goal of the mini-tournament, five minutes before half-time, enough to defeat Latvia.

Second draw
Belgium drew 1-1 for the second successive match, falling behind against Bosnia-Herzegovina a minute into added time at the end of the first half with Ivica Banovic on target. However, Patrick Klinkenberg's side drew level with 12 minutes remaining, Giuseppe Gentile striking to earn the Belgians a point.

Perfect record
The results of the first four games left France with an unassailable advantage in first place, and Ferrier's side duly earned their third successive victory in their final game against Belgium, preserving their record of not having conceded a goal in the tournament in the process. Lynel Kitambala opened the scoring in the sixth minute before Nimani Ngalou wrapped up the win with his third goal in as many games, striking with three minutes left to play.

Decisive draw
Latvia squeezed into second place by the narrowest of margins, grinding out a draw against the Bosnians in Vogosca. Serif Hasic's 67th-minute strike seemingly put the hosts on course to qualify, but Aleksandrs Solovjovs struck back four minutes later and Latvia held on to take second place.