Unbeaten Ukraine in fine fettle again

Holders Ukraine displayed the impressive form that brought them a first UEFA European Under-19 Championship triumph last summer to emerge unbeaten from qualifying round Group 12, Montenegro joining them in next year's Elite round despite not winning a game.

Solitary strike
Anatolii Buznik's Ukraine side travelled to Sweden in good heart having become the first hosts to win the U19 title with a 2-0 final defeat of England in Donetsk just over two months ago. Yet they were made to work hard on Matchday 1 by a well-drilled Georgia team and needed a 67th-minute effort from Temur Partsvaniya – a key figure in last year's victorious squad – to finally clinch the points. The other opening fixture was also tight, Sweden sharing a goalless draw with Montenegro in Ljungskile.

Even encounters
If there had been little between the teams in the opening set of fixtures, there was absolutely nothing to separate them two days later, Sweden once again drawing a blank as Georgia held out for a goalless draw at the Edsborgs IP Stadium in Trollhattan. At Udevalla's Rimnersvallen Stadium, meanwhile, it seemed as if Yevgeny Zadoya's 50th-minute effort was going to be enough to earn Ukraine a second successive 1-0 win – a result which would have taken them through as group winners with a match to spare – only for Iaroslav Oliinyk to collect a second yellow card eight minutes from time and Marko Vesović to salvage a draw for Montenegro four minutes later.

Final-day nerves
Ukraine therefore needed a point against Sweden in Udevalla to make sure of progressing, yet claimed all three – and top spot in the section – with another slender success, half-time replacement Yevgen Pavlov scoring the only goal in the 73rd minute. Montenegro looked well set to join them in December's Elite round draw when Stefan Denkovic struck in the 18th minute at the Starke Arvid Stadium yet Georgia's Jano Aananidze levelled 14 minutes later, leaving Miodrag Radulovic's team to survive a tense second half in which nine players were booked to make sure of the runners-up berth.