Bulgaria and Poland pip Spain

Poland and Bulgaria have taken the top two places in UEFA European Under-17 Championship qualifying round Group 4, meaning Spain are facing their first-ever elimination at this stage.

A last-day 1-0 victory for Spain against section winners Poland was not enough to lift them into the top two as they had previously lost by that score to Bulgaria. However, the two third-placed sides with the best record against the top two in their group also go into the elite round in March. Spain are currently first in that list with three mini-tournaments still to finish.

"Of course I am more than happy for the boys," said Bulgaria coach Metodi Deyanov. "This is a really great achievement for the team. We played very well in all three games and could have finished without defeat. All the boys gave their best and deserved to go through. This is a solid base for us, but we must now work even harder."

Spain were on top after the opening day, beating Azerbaijan 2-0 through José Ángel Pozo – who then missed a penalty – and Javier García. Paweł Stolarski's added-time goal ensured Poland overcame Bulgaria 2-1. Two days later, Bulgaria recovered to become the first team to inflict an U17 qualifying round defeat on Spain, courtesy of Chavdar Ivaylov's strike just before the break. Poland also won 1-0, against Azerbaijan, thanks to Stolarski's goal early in the second half.

Bulgaria made sure of progress on Wednesday as they eased to a 4-1 defeat of Azerbaijan, Kiril Despodov and Aleko Alekov each scoring twice. That meant Spain knew a 1-0 triumph against Poland would not be enough to secure a top-two finish.

Although Pedro Chirivella's 68th-minute penalty put them ahead, they had to settle for third place. That is because the tie was broken by the direct head-to-head records of the top three, leaving Poland at the summit and Bulgaria second.