Achahbar downs Austria for the Netherlands

Group 2 hosts the Netherlands started their UEFA European Under-17 Championship elite round bid with victory after two second-half Anass Achahbar goals earned them a 2-1 success against Austria.

The game looked to be heading for a goalless draw until Achahbar gave his side the lead with 13 minutes remaining. He struck again almost immediately, and although Christian Derflinger halved the deficit soon after, Daniel Geissler's dismissal snuffed out Austria's hopes of salvaging a point.

The Netherland's first came when Tonny Trindade de Vilhena's free-kick was flicked on by Nathan Ake and, although Maximilian Penz saved that attempt, Achahbar was on hand to head in the rebound. Two minutes later the Feyenoord striker pounced on a defensive mix-up from a long ball to double the lead.

However, FC Bayern München midfielder Derflinger gave Austria hope when he scored direct from a free-kick on 71 minutes, before Geissler's second yellow card completed a frantic eight-minute period. The Netherlands held on, and lead the section by two points ahead of their meeting with Croatia on Saturday, when Austria play Portugal.