Czech collapse sends Dutch through

The Netherlands sealed their progress to the UEFA European Under-21 Championship play-offs after a stunning second-half comeback saw them win 4-2 against the Czech Republic in Mlada Boleslav.

Early penalty
The Czechs started the day at the top of Group 1 and looked set to stay there after they went in at half-time with a 2-0 lead. Vaclav Sverkos converted a penalty for the home side after just eight minutes and Emil Rilke doubled their advantage with a second goal on the stroke of half-time.

Red card
However, the dismissal of striker Michal Papadopulos for a foul in the 50th minute turned the course of the game, as the Czechs fell to pieces under pressure. Within three minutes, goals from Romeo Castelen and Julian Jenner had brought the visitors back to level terms.

Czech slump
Matters were to get worse as Gijs Luirink scored a third goal from a corner after 74 minutes and to add insult to injury, Klaas Jan Huntelaar scored a fourth goal in added time to leave the Czechs facing an uncertain future after their first defeat in the qualifying campaign.

Final permutations
They travel to Finland for their final qualifying game next Tuesday, and after Romania's 1-0 win against the Finns tonight, need to earn a point in Vantaa to be sure of a place in the play-offs.