Netherlands U19’s have started the elite round of qualifying for this years European Championships with a 1-0 win over Serbia.
- By Michael Bell
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Ajax striker Richairo Zivkovic was a late omission from the Netherlands squad for the tie with Serbia after the forward was disciplined for turning up to the match late. This is the 2nd time coach Aron Winter has had to discipline the talented forward in the past year.
On the pitch Netherlands started brightly with Twente winger Bilal Ould-Chikh testing the Serbian goalkeeper with a free kick, before sending another effort wide. Ten minutes before the break, a Riechedly Bazoer free kick was headed in by Heerenveen striker Pelle van Amersfoort to give the young Dutch side a half time lead.
After the break Bazoer and Van Amersfoort were denied by the Serbian keeper, while at the other end Joel Drommel saved from Nemanja Radonjic, while he was relieved to see a goal chalked off for offside. Serbia pushed for a late equaliser late on, but Netherlands held on for victory.
Netherlands will now face Norway, who beat Switzerland in the other group game, on Saturday. Only the team that comes top of the group qualifies for the tournament in Greece next July.
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