[Andor]

UEFA unveils U19 schedule

The schedule for the 7th UEFA European Under-19 Championship has been confirmed, with tournament hosts the Czech Republic opening the finals against England in Jablonec on 14 July.

Televised matches
That game will be shown live on Eurosport, as will holders Spain's first match, against Germany in Plzen. Eurosport, UEFA's television partner for youth competitions, will broadcast a total of nine matches live during the tournament, including the final and both semi-finals. Bulgaria and Hungary will compete alongside Spain and Germany in Group A, while Group B also comprises Greece and Italy in addition to England and the hosts.

2008 UEFA European Under-19 Championship final tournament schedule  
Date Group Match Location Kick-off 
[B]Mon 14 July B CZE v ENG Jablonec 17.30 [/B]
Mon 14 July A BUL v HUN Zizkov 17.30 
[B]Mon 14 July A GER v ESP Plzen 19.30 [/B]
Mon 14 July B GRE v ITA Mlada Boleslav 19.30 
[B]Thu 17 July A ESP v HUN Pribram 18.00[/B] 
Thu 17 July B CZE v GRE Liberec 18.00 
Thu 17 July B ENG v ITA Jablonec 20.00 
[B]Thu 17 July A GER v BUL Plzen 20.30 [/B]
Sun 20 July B ENG v GRE Liberec 18.00 
[B]Sun 20 July B ITA v CZE Mlada Boleslav 18.00 
Sun 20 July A HUN v GER Pribram 20.00 [/B]
Sun 20 July A ESP v BUL Zizkov 20.00 
[B]Wed 23 July Semi-final   Plzen 17.30 
Wed 23 July Semi-final   Mlada Boleslav 20.15 
Sat 26 July Final   Jablonec 19.00 [/B]

All kick-off times local.
Matches in bold shown on Eurosport.

 

[Andor]

Dovalil sets semi-final target

Czech Republic coach Jakub Dovalil believes his side should look to exploit home advantage to achieve their initial aim of a place in the UEFA European Under-19 Championship semi-finals.

Last-four target
The Czechs will host the 2008 final tournament, which kicks off on 14 July, having reached the last four at this level in 2003 and 2006, and their coach – who guided the U17 side to their European Championship final in 2006 – believes a repeat performance is the least the 2008 squad should be aiming for. "As the home team we should aim to reach the semi-finals," he told uefa.com after the draw had presented his side with England, Italy and Greece as their opponents in Group B. "That's always what you should hope for when you're the host association. I'm reasonably pleased with the draw; it's a difficult group for us, but there are no clear favourites. All the teams are well matched; the only advantage for us is that we don't have to play Spain in the group stage. It's always better to play them in the semi-finals or final."

'No strong opponents'
As hosts, Dovalil's side have been without a competitive fixture all season, although their coach is hoping that a series of impressive friendly displays have sufficiently sharpened his squad's cutting edge. "We'll see how the players deal with having played [no competitive games], I'm not sure if it's going to be easy or not," he said. "We've played nine games this season and won seven and drawn two – although we haven't played strong opponents like Spain or Italy. We played the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands but they didn't qualify, so we will see what happens."

Individual quality
Several of Dovalil's likely squad have gained experience overseas, including ACF Fiorentina pair Jan Hable and Ondřej Mazuch, and Dovalil is banking on a mixture of individual and collective quality to bring his side success. "The team is most important, but we have some good individual players too, particularly striker Tomáš Necid, midfielder Jan Morávek – neither of whom have played at European level before now – and central defender Ondřej Mazuch," he said. "I'm not sure if it's an advantage or not to play at home – we will see after the first match. We have plenty of players who play in the top division in the Czech Republic in front of lots of spectators, so they should be used to that, but it's 50-50."

©uefa.com 1998-2008. All rights reserved.

 

[Andor]

1st Round

:star: Group A :star:

Final tournament - Group stage - 14 July 2008 17:30 CET (17:30 local time) - FK Viktoria Žižkov - Prague

Bulgaria : Hungary

Venue:

Final tournament - Group stage - 14 July 2008 19:30 CET (19:30 local time) - Štruncovy sady - Plzen

Germany : Spain

Venue:

Shown on:

:star: Group B :star:

Final tournament - Group stage - 14 July 2008 17:30 CET (17:30 local time) - Strelnice - Jablonec nad Nisou

Czechrepublic : England

Venue:

Shown on:

Final tournament - Group stage - 14 July 2008 19:30 CET (19:30 local time) - Mestský - Mlada Boleslav

Greece : Italy

Venue:

​

 

[Andor]

10 minutes left before kickoff

Lineups

 

[Andor]

- Czechs didn't start really well in the first minutes, but are controlling the game so far in the firs quarter. English are relying (as always) on the long ball tactic :yawn:

- Hungary is leading 0:1 after a goal from Neméth. The Liverpool FC striker shows a good turn of pace to outstrip the defence and race on to a long ball before slotting a low left-foot shot beyond Ivan Karadjov and into the far corner.

 

[Andor]

Halftime at the games:

-The Czechs had the upper hand against England but their goalkeeper saved a couple of good chances for the Czechs.

-Hungary is still leading 0:1 against Bulgaria. Bulgaria added more pressure but couldn't find the goal yet.

 

[Andor]

Fulltime at the games:

- Hungary wins 0:1 but was put under pressure the entire game by the Bulgarians.

- The Czech Republic deservedly wins 2:0 against England. Necid with two goals in the second half gave us the win. Shame about the two unneeded red cards on our side.

 

[Andor]

Németh raises Hungary hopes

An early goal from Krisztián Németh gave Hungary victory against fellow debutants Bulgaria in the opening round of matches in UEFA European Under-19 Championship Group A.

One goal decisive
Both teams were making their first U19 finals appearance in Zizkov and both had chances in an entertaining encounter, particularly in an open first half. In the event, however, the only goal arrived in the tenth minute as Németh sprinted clear to score for the sixth time in the competition this season – making him the leading scorer alongside Michalis Pavlis of Greece – and ensure it was Hungary who would open with a win.

Németh strikes
The players were greeted by a sizeable contingent of Hungarian supporters who offered their favourites vociferous support throughout, although it was the opposition who threatened first as Atanas Tzankov Zehirov had a shot parried by Péter Gulácsi. Seconds later Hungary were ahead, Németh outstripping the Bulgarian defence to race on to a long ball and slot a low left-foot shot beyond Ivan Karadjov and into the far corner of the net. The Liverpool FC striker had several other presentable openings in the first period, twice shooting straight at the Bulgaria No1 when well placed and also curling over from the edge of the area after good work from Vlagyimir Komán, a lively presence throughout.

Bulgaria openings
Bulgaria were by no means outplayed, however, and carved out plenty of openings of their own. Indeed they might have been level eight minutes after Németh's goal as Todor Georgiev caught out the defence with a fine long ball over the top but Momchil Tsvetanov elected to strike it first time and could only guide his volley wide. Gulácsi then produced a remarkable stop to deny Atanas Zehirov with his foot having been sent the wrong way by the striker, and fortune smiled on the Hungary goalkeeper again just past the half-hour as Todor Georgiev struck the crossbar with a thunderous effort from distance.

Missed opportunities
Bulgaria began the second half strongly, with Zehirov, Daniel Dimov and Alexandar Kirov all passing up chances in the first eight minutes after the interval, yet the equaliser would not come for Bulgaria. Hungary regrouped after that shaky period and began to create pressure of their own, although Gulácsi had to keep out Kostadin Gadzhalov's effort from a corner, and held on to take the points ahead of Thursday's meeting with holders Spain, when Bulgaria take on Germany.

©uefa.com 1998-2008. All rights reserved.

 

[Andor]

1:0 already for Germany, goalscorer Sukuta-Pasu. Timo Gebhart shrugged off the attentions of Mikel Sanjosé midway inside the Spanish half and slipped a pass into the channel for Richard Sukuta-Pasu, the striker finishing with aplomb across goalkeeper David de Gea.

 

[Andor]

Necid hoists hosts past poor England

The Czech Republic staked an early claim to Group B supremacy as the tournament hosts overcame England with two second-half goals from Tomáš Necid.

Home comforts
The 18-year-old SK Slavia Praha centre-forward looked at home at the Střelnice Stadion where he played on loan with FK Jablonec 97 last season – and his double made it a perfect start to the UEFA European Under-19 Championship for Jakub Dovalil's side. The sendings-off of Jakub Heidenreich and Roman Brunclík were the only black marks against the Czech display.

Early threat
Necid had served notice of his menace when hurrying England goalkeeper David Button to clear a back-pass, while England's first threat arrived with Daniel Sturridge's shot. Czech left-winger Martin Zeman might have done better than swing a right foot at a loose ball in England's box, but redeemed himself by delivering the corner from which Necid bulleted a header that was tipped over by David Button. The next corner heralded an almighty scramble too.

Hosts on top
As half-time approached, the hosts had gained the firmer foothold, largely through better use of the flanks. When England centre-back Krystian Pearce failed to deal with a bouncing ball, a shot seemed on for Jan Vošahlík but the striker slipped. The clever turns of forward Frederick Sears were rare sparks for England, though it took a brave defensive block to stop left-back Ryan Bertrand from scoring. That chance was less clear-cut that the one dragged wide by Vošahlík, however. Fair to say the opening period had quietly entertained the 6,153-strong crowd in Bohemia.

Goals
The second half began brightly, with England midfielders Daniel Gosling and Kieran Gibbs surging forward. A more menacing break by Necid, on to Zeman's raking pass, brought confusion as Pearce and Button left the job of clearing the ball to one another – Necid profited by nodding it past the goalkeeper, stranded on the edge of his area, and rolling it into an unguarded net. One became two after 58 minutes. Zeman whipped over a right-wing corner which the unmarked Necid volleyed in from close range. When yet another Zeman set-piece went uncleared, Heidenreich smashed a volley against the scoreboard – obliterating the 'nil' against England's name. It summed up the way the game had drifted away from Brian Eastick's team.

No way back
Sturridge nearly reduced arrears with a shot that Petr Reinberk kicked off his goalline. The No9 then sent a free-kick into keeper Tomáš Vaclík's midriff after Heidenreich had pulled down the marauding Gibbs, earning a second yellow card. Sears was also denied late on as England kept their heads up. But not even Brunclík's late dismissal could deny the Czechs.

©uefa.com 1998-2008. All rights reserved.

 

[Andor]

Greece : Italy 1:0, goalscorer Michail Pavlis.

 

[Andor]

:howler: I agree with that

 

[Andor]

Holders humbled by gritty Germany

Spain suffered their first competitive defeat for more than three years as their bid for a third consecutive UEFA European Under-19 Championship title started with a loss against an impressive Germany side in Plzen.

Unbeaten streak
Horst Hrubesch's side claimed a deserved three Group A points at the Struncovy Sady Stadion thanks to goals early in each half from Richard Sukuta-Pasu and Ömer Toprak. Jordi Alba pulled one back midway through the second period but Spain were unable to prevent a first U19 level setback in 23 matches, an unbeaten run stretching back to April 2005.

Early opener
Germany took the lead with their first meaningful attack in the seventh minute. Gebhart shrugged off the attentions of Mikel Sanjosé and slipped a pass through for Sukuta-Pasu to finish with aplomb across goalkeeper David de Gea. A second goal nearly followed as a free-kick found Sven Bender ten metres out but he failed to make sufficient contact with his head and Spain were able to scramble clear.

German solidity
Hrubesch has said his team's formation needed to be flexible before the tournament but its rigidity was its strength while, in contrast, Emilio Nsue cut a lonely figure up front as Spain found little space to exploit with Germany's counterattacking style the more productive. Ginés Meléndez's side worked positions for a number of crosses but the deliveries amounted to little until moments before the interval when Daniel Parejo – scorer of the only goal in last year's final – headed down for another 2007 survivor, Aarón Ñíguez, to volley over. Daniel Aquino's low cross then found Jordi Alba, only for the midfielder to scuff his effort at Ron-Robert Zieler from close range.

Toprak header
Sukuta-Pasu spurned a chance shortly after the break as he pounced on hesitancy in the Spain defence only to poke the ball too far past Zieler with an empty net awaiting for greater composure. Germany did not have time to rue that profligacy, however, as Gebhart's outswinging corner was met by Toprak and his header flew into the corner with De Gea caught out of position. Spain's response was instant with Ñíguez firing over while De Gea thrust out a foot to thwart Marcel Risse. Alba did reduce the arrears as he burst down the left and drilled across Zieler but Germany weathered the late pressure to earn a welcome win and leave Spain in the unfamiliar position of playing catch-up in their second game, against Hungary on Thursday. Germany next face Bulgaria.

©uefa.com 1998-2008. All rights reserved.

 

[Andor]

Paloschi penalty rescues Italy

A 90th-minute equaliser from Italy's Alberto Paloschi denied Greece a place at the top of Group B alongside the Czech Republic as a gripping contest in Mlada Boleslav ended 1-1.

Late twist
In a match of slight margins, Michail Pavlis's first-half strike – his seventh of thie UEFA European Under-19 Championship season, making him the competition's top score – appeared to have been enough for Greece, but that was discounting the cool head of Paloschi who converted Italy's late penalty. Alexis Alexiou's side seemed to have resisted all that Italy could muster until Andrea Poli won the crucial penalty decision in the final minute of normal time, going down under a challenge from Kyriakos Papadopoulos. Paloschi, the Azzurri's attacking No7, did the rest by smashing the ball down the middle of the goal, giving keeper Nikos Babaniotis no chance.

Advantage Greece
Another No7, Greece's right-sided playmaker Sotiris Ninis, had been the inspiration for his team's 23rd-minute breakthrough. Already a full international, Ninis played a perfect through-pass along the floor to which Pavlis applied an equally stylish finish with a low shot past goalkeeper Vincenzo Fiorillo. On the balance of the first-half play it was deserved lead.

Midfield battle
Paloschi and Greece captain Ioannis Papadopoulos had traded early chances in a match that always hinged on an intense battle for midfield supremacy. Francesco Rocca's Italy side might even have equalised on the stroke of half-time however when, after a near miss by Andrea Mazzarani, a scramble in the Greece area resulted in the ball being forced over the line – only for the assistant referee to raise his flag and disallow Fabio Zamblera's effort.

Ebb and flow
Last season's beaten finalists almost doubled their advantage through Papadopoulos, but his 56th-minute drive was smartly palmed away by Fiorillo. The dancing feet of Panathinaikos FC starlet Ninis, aided and abetted by Stergios Psianos, nearly played in Pavlis as the Greeks continued to threaten on the break. At the other end, a superbly-timed tackle by the inspirational Papadopoulos denied a clear chance to Paloschi. The defender would not be so fortunate the next time as the Italian pressure finally paid off to earn a point that leaves them in excellent heart ahead of Thursday's meeting with England when the Czech hosts are Greece's opponents.

©uefa.com 1998-2008. All rights reserved.

 

[Andor]

Final tournament - Group stage - 14 July 2008 17:30 CET (17:30 local time) - Strelnice - Jablonec nad Nisou

Czechrepublic 2:0 (0:0) England

Venue:

[mot]x64pwi&related=1[/mot]
Uploaded by HajraAndor TV
​

 

[Andor]

:star: Group A :star:

Final tournament - Group stage - 17 July 2008 18:00 CET (18:00 local time) - Na Litavce - Pribram

Spain : Hungary

Venue:

Shown on:

Final tournament - Group stage - 17 July 2008 20:30 CET (20:30 local time) - Štruncovy sady - Plzen

Germany : Bulgaria

Venue:

Shown on:

:star: Group B :star:

Final tournament - Group stage - 17 July 2008 18:00 CET (18:00 local time) - U Nisy - Liberec

Czechrepublic : Greece

Venue:

Final tournament - Group stage - 17 July 2008 20:00 CET (20:00 local time) - Strelnice - Jablonec nad Nisou

England : Italy

Venue:

​

 

[Andor]

Czechs frustrated by ten-man Greece

The Czech Republic had to settle for a point from a Group B game they largely dominated against a Greece side reduced to ten men by the second-half dismissal of Sotiris Ninis.

No way through
Despite their territorial supremacy and the support of a large crowd enjoying Liberec's first taste of UEFA European Under-19 Championship action, the Czechs were unable to conjure the moment of magic that would have broken Greece's brave resistance.

All change
Coaches Jakub Dovalil and Alexis Alexiou both made changes. Centre-back Vassilis Lampropoulos and midfielder Nikolaos Boutzikos came in for Greece following their draw with Italy. Petr Wojnar was a novelty in the Czech Republic midfield, Lukáš Mareček continued where he had left off there as a substitute against England, while Miroslav Štěpánek and Jan Lecjaks replaced the two suspended defenders. The hosts' defence was, however, still half-asleep when first Michail Pavlis, then Ninis failed to take advantage of a loose ball in the Czech area.

Czech pressure
Wojnar's clever ball reached the grateful arms of Greece goalkeeper Nikos Babaniotis just before the stretching boot of Jan Vošahlík. Then a Kyriakos Papadopoulos slip nearly let in the Czechs' match-winner against England, Tomáš Necid. Wojnar was being asked to provide a similar right-sided threat to that of Martin Zeman down the left. Babaniotis had to tip over a looping Wojnar header, then stretched to divert from danger Radim Řezník's cross-shot. Lefteris Matsoukas responded for Greece with a darting run rudely interrupted on the edge of the Czech box. Savas Gentzoglou's header also required the reflexes of Tomáš Vaclík. All the while, though, the Czech stranglehold was tightening and on the stroke of half-time, Babaniotis had to get down low to touch behind Jan Lecjaks' strike.

Sending-off
That Greece were not on top of their game was indicated by Kyriakos Papadopoulos miscontrolling the ball and allowing a chance to Vošahlík. The same player missed a more glaring opportunity when he broke the offside trap, only to flick his shot straight at Babaniotis. Ioannis Papadopoulos's long-range attempt which Vaclík fumbled represented a rare foray forward. Indeed, the expectation among the 6,623 spectators at FC Slovan Liberec's U Nisy Stadion was of a Czech breakthrough. Home hopes were boosted by the sending-off of Greece starlet Ninis soon after the hour – his booking for a foul being followed directly by a second caution for dissent. However, the nearest thing to a goal was Radim Řezník's stoppage-time thunderbolt which Babaniotis deflected against the underside of the crossbar.

©uefa.com 1998-2008. All rights reserved.

 

[Andor]

Hungary's Nagy sinks Spain again

Hungary left Spain's hopes of defending the UEFA European Under-19 Championship hanging by a thread as Olivér Nagy's second-half strike inflicted a second successive Group A defeat on the holders in Pribram.

Second win
In contrast to Spain's opening defeat against Germany, Tibor Sisa's Hungary side had opened their first U19 finals campaign with victory against Bulgaria and put in another hard-working and disciplined performance against the Iberian side. Clear chances were hard to come by at either end, until the 71st minute when Nagy took advantage of a fumble from goalkeeper David de Gea to scramble in what proved to be the only goal. Hungary are therefore on the verge of reaching the last four for the first time, while Germany must lose to Bulgaria in tonight's other fixture for Spain to have any hope of staying in the competition.

Aarón impresses
Spain coach Ginés Meléndez had warned his players they needed to show more attacking invention and the holders made a promising start with Aarón Ñíguez a lively presence early on, embarking on three promising runs inside the first ten minutes and nearly getting on the end of a through-ball from Fran Mérida. Aarón then played in Emilio Nsue but, from a tight angle the forward pulled his attempt across the face of goal and also shot too high when well placed later in the half, while Iván Bolado headed wide from a corner.

Komán goes close
The Iberian side did not have everything their own way as Hungary's tactic of getting the ball forward quickly from the back led to a series of promising situations, Vlagyimir Komán shooting wide from the edge of the area as early as the sixth minute. Midway through the half the Hungary captain nearly caught out De Gea with a clever free-kick that the goalkeeper blocked at his near post, and András Gosztonyi and Márk Nikházi both narrowly missed the target.

Nagy opportunism
Hungary continued to threaten as the second period unfolded, De Gea punching away a fierce Gosztonyi drive while Meléndez introduced Jordi Alba and Daniel Aquino in a bid to pep up his attack. Hungary stilll looked the more likely scorers, however, and Zsolt Korcsmár just failed to prod in after De Gea had dropped a corner. The goalkeeper was not so fortunate 19 minutes from time as he failed to hold another cross and this time Nagy turned the ball over the line to spark wild Hungarian celebrations, although it took excellent saves from Péter Gulácsi to deny Daniel Parejo and Nsue twice in a thrilling finale.

©uefa.com 1998-2008. All rights reserved.

 

[Andor]

Glorious Germany sweep into semi-finals

Germany reached the semi-finals of the UEFA European Under-19 Championship for the third time in four seasons with a highly impressive victory against Bulgaria in Plzen.

Progress assured
Horst Hrubesch's side recorded their second Group A win in straightforward fashion, Dennis Diekmeier and Savio Nsereko finding the net at either end of the first period and Lars Bender adding a third eleven minutes into the second. The result also confirmed that Germany's next opponents Hungary – 1-0 winners against holders Spain in the day's early game – will also reach the semi-finals for the first time, with the top two meeting in Pribram on Sunday to determine who wins the section. For Bulgaria, there could yet be the considerable consolation of a place in next year's FIFA U-20 World Cup, although to do that they will have to beat Spain in Zizkov in their final fixture.

Diekmeier delight
Having opened the finals with an impressive victory against Spain, it was little surprise Germany were in buoyant mood and, although they were initially unable to find a way through the Bulgarian back line, they scored with their first real attack in the 16th minute. Bender broke down the right and crossed to Diekmeier, who was given the time to control and pick his spot from eight metres, sweeping his shot across Ivan Karadjov and into the bottom corner. The roles were almost reversed moments later when Diekmeier cut back a cross that Bender stabbed over.

Advantage doubled
Bulgaria welcomed back strikers Ismail Isa Mustafa and Radoslav Vasilev after suspension yet struggled to penetrate a typically well-organised Germany defence, and their plans were further disrupted when Tsetelin Panov had to be replaced by Mihail Aleksandrov five minutes after the opening goal. Nsereko and Richard Sukuta-Pasu both missed the target from distance as half-time approached but Germany did double their lead two minutes before the interval. Nsereko retrieved Dennis Naki's right-wing cross on the edge of the area, turning and bursting past Daniel Zlatkov to drive a fine low effort inside the far post.

Bender on target
The pattern continued into the second half, Germany substitute Rahman Soyudogru racing clear on to Kristian Uzunov's loose header and forcing a diving save from Karadjov. Bulgaria's reprieve was short-lived, however, as from the resulting corner Bender volleyed in a third from the edge of the area. The goalkeeper subsequently made a fine save to deny Timo Gebhart but Germany had already done more than enough.

©uefa.com 1998-2008. All rights reserved.

 

[Andor]

Italy hold out against lively England

There was no way through for either England or Italy as the two sides played out the second goalless draw of the day in Group B.

Deadlock
The first-half pressure applied by England gave no indication of the stalemate to come, but Italy looked better able to handle their opponents in the second period when they might have scored themselves. The result left both countries in contention to qualify for the UEFA European U19 Championship semi-finals ahead of Sunday's third round of matches.

England pressure
England made the early running. Daniel Sturridge had the first of a series of first-half chances for Brian Eastick's team, before Freddie Sears ruffled the side-netting from Sturridge's cross. Then Victor Moses's shot deflected off the back of Italy captain Massimiliano Tagliani and into the path of Kieran Gibbs whose angled attempt was blocked first by the leg of goalkeeper Vincenzo Fiorillo, then by the post.

Near misses
Francesco Rocca's side finally upped their sphere of operations to provide an opening for recalled forward Stefano Okaka Chuka, but his strike rolled harmlessly wide. There was greater menace in the low cross delivered by Sears which somehow eluded both Sturridge and Moses. Sears went close again, yet England's inability to convert territorial superiority into a lead nearly cost them minutes before half-time. Okaka Chuka broke clear of his markers and was just about to shoot when James Tomkins slid in to save his team.

Key change
The Azzurri dealt better with the English forward movement after the break. Coach Rocca introduced holding midfielder Silvano Raggio, who like Okaka Chuka had been suspended for the first game. This helped to restrict the front running of Sears, Moses and Danny Rose in support of Sturridge. Gibbs failed to take advantage of time and space in the area, before Moses let fly from 20 metres with a shot that Fiorillo saved well.

Parity reigns
With the earlier Group B fixture finishing 0-0 between Czech Republic and Greece, the opportunity was there for either side to make an impact on the section in Jablonec. Italy threatened to do it late on when Okaka Chuka drove at the England centre-backs before playing in Fernando Martin Forestieri. However, Krystian Pearce made a vital interception as the No10 shaped to shoot. There was no ending the deadlock.

©uefa.com 1998-2008. All rights reserved.