Russia advance in dramatic style

Victory needed
Having lost their opener 5-1 to Italy then drawn with holders France, Russia knew they needed victory today to have any chance of progress. And they went ahead on 16 seconds, before building a 3-0 lead by half-time. They held that advantage until the final whistle, when it transpired that they had won by the minimum margin needed due to the result of the other Group B game in Hyvinkää.

Goals scored decisive
Had France not beaten Italy, any win would have been good enough for Russia to pip Norway on their head-to-head record. But the defending champions came back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 and leave all four teams level on points. Italy were top on goal difference, but their three-goal success meant that Russia overtook Norway on goals scored and finished ahead of France on the same criteria.

Dramatic start
Russia, who had lost 2-0 to Norway in the second qualifying round, were hoping for an early goal and breaking forward straight from the kick-off, Elena Terekhova received the ball in the box and sent a strong shot inside the left-hand corner of the goal. On 21 minutes the lead doubled when Olga Petrova was put through on goal and chipped over Norwegian goalkeeper Erika Skarbø. Nora Holstad Berge did get to the ball, but only succeeded in putting it into her own net.

Tsydikova strike
Seven minutes later, Svetlana Tsydikova scored what proved to be the decisive goal, as her powerful strike from 20 metres beat Skarbø. Norway rarely looked like recovering as Russia controlled the game and Tsydikova even hit the post just before the hour, as her side claimed victory and a last-four berth.

Global berth
Russia go through to meet Group A winners Germany on Thursday, and will also compete in Thailand at the FIFA Under-19 Women's World Championship in November.

Most Valuable Player: Svetlana Tsydikova (Russia)
Attendance: 390