Latvia under-19s beat Moldova as under-17s twice come from behind in Croatia

Latvia’s youth football teams started their 2027 European Championship qualifying tournaments unbeaten on Wednesday, Lāčplēsis Day. The under-19s beat Moldova 3-1 (1-0) in Bulgaria, and the under-17s drew 2-2 (0-0) away to Croatia, the Latvian Football Federation said.

Under-19s: captain scores from a corner

Viktors Dobrecovs’s under-19 side, made up of players born in 2008 and 2009, took the lead in the 24th minute when captain Patriks Toms Brūns scored from Miķelis Krišjānis Menniks’s corner. Nikita Doroņins doubled the lead in the 49th minute. Moldova pulled one back from the penalty spot in the 61st minute, but substitute Aleks Ščerbinskis sealed the win late in normal time.

This is a League B group in the second round, and only the group winners move up to League A. For the other League B teams the qualifying campaign ends with this tournament. Latvia play the hosts, Bulgaria, on Saturday 14 November and Gibraltar on 17 November. In the first round in San Marino in May Latvia drew both their games and stayed in League B.

Under-17s: twice from behind

Andrejs Gluščuks’s under-17s, players born in 2010, could have gone ahead in the first half, but Zahars Maligins missed a penalty. Croatia scored in the 51st minute, and Latvia replied in the 65th when Henrijs Deivids Andris Holtoms finished Miroslavs Mogiļevičs’s pass. The hosts led again in the 79th minute, but two minutes later substitute Artūrs Jevdokimovs converted a pass from Iļja Harlamovs.

The under-17s play Belgium on 14 November and Kosovo on 17 November. As hosts, Latvia are guaranteed a place at the finals whatever happens, but the qualifiers decide which league they play in during the second round: the top two in each group go into League A. The European Under-17 Championship finals will be held in Riga, Jūrmala and Jelgava from 24 May to 6 June.

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