Free-scoring Germany into finals

Germany's goalscoring prowess has taken them to the UEFA European Under-17 Championship finals in Luxembourg this summer after another convincing win, 4-0 against Finland.

Goal difference decisive
A 4-0 victory against Northern Ireland on Matchday 1 had lifted Germany above Elite round Group 1 hosts the Netherlands on goal difference - and Bernd Stöber's team retained their leadership when the two frontrunners drew two days ago. However, they increased their advantage today as the Dutch could only beat Northern Ireland 3-1. This reverses the qualifying positions of Germany and the Netherlands at this stage last season.

Fischer treble
VfB Stuttgart striker Manuel Fischer was the Germany hero with a hat-trick against the Finns, starting in the 33rd minute. He added another a minute after half-time and completed his treble on 53 minutes. He was replaced by TSV 1860 München's Mathias Wittek on 70 minutes, and within five minutes, the substitute had hit the fourth.

'Easy victory'
Stöber, whose side enter the finals draw in Luxembourg on 6 April, said: "The 4-0 scoreline underlines the dominance of my team - if anything the result was kind to our opponents. Our goalkeeper was only kept busy by back-passes. It was an easy victory."