Fryatt seals U19s glory

Matthew Fryatt opened the scoring on 18 minutes and doubled the lead nine minutes from the end only for Nebojša Marinkovic to score an 87th-minute goal to set up a frantic finale.

However Fryatt completed an impressive hat-trick in the third minute of added time, thereby sealing England's passage into the final on Friday.

The game began at lightning pace and England showed their attacking intent from the start, almost taking the lead with just two minutes on the clock.

As Serbia and Montenegro tried to pass their way out from the back, Lee Holmes intercepted a wayward pass. Weaving his way past three defenders with intricate skill and at pace, Holmes unleashed a fierce left footer from just inside the bar that cannoned off the crossbar.

Just three minutes later England were warned against any complacency when Ljubomir Stefanovic had David Martin rapidly backpedalling to tip a shot over the bar.

After such a frenetic start, the game then settled down with England looking comfortable on the ball and working hard to close down their opponents.

They were rewarded on 18 minutes with a swift counter-attack. As a Serbian attack broke down on the edge of England's box, Sunderland midfielder Grant Leadbitter hit a sweet through ball 70 yards, where Fryatt was in acres of space.

The Walsall striker coolly took the ball in his stride before slotting home past Jovic to give England the lead.

England nearly doubled that advantage on 31 minutes when Holmes agonisingly curled a free-kick just over the crossbar.

After England had bossed the first half, it was a cagey start to the second-half which only came alive after the Serbians narrowly failed to convert a corner after 56 minutes.

From then on there was only one team in it - England looking a potent attacking force with Holmes and James Morrison impressing down the flanks, Fryatt showing great movement up front and Leadbitter pulling the strings in midfield.

With 12 minutes remaining England thought they had scored a decisive second but Leadbitter's coolly finished strike was disallowed due to Fryatt standing in an offside position.

It looked to be a tough call but it didn't matter as three minutes later Fryatt made up for his error with his second goal of the afternoon.

Again it was Leadbitter with a raking pass that created the chance. Fryatt's first shot was blocked by Jovic but the ball fell kindly back to the Walsall man who gleefully rammed the rebound into an empty net.

With Martin Hunter's young squad thinking they had sealed the win, they endured an agonising last five minutes.

First Nebojsa Marinkovic pulled a goal back on 85 minutes with a clinical finish after getting the wrong side of Andrew Taylor and then Predrag Pavlovic saw his header from a right-wing corner drift just wide of the England goal with David Martin rooted.

With just seconds remaining on the clock, a loose ball fell to Fryatt on the halfway line and he sealed a fine win, and his hat-trick, calmly rounding the keeper to take England into their first final at any level since 1993.

Serbia & Montenegro v England, UEFA European U19 Championship, 26 July 2005

Serbia and Montenegro: Jovic, Pavlovic, Kacar, Perendija, Smiljanic, Bogdanovic ( Lazareski, 51), Veselinovic, Marinkovic, Markovski, Pavlovic, Stevanovic.
Subs not used: Mustur, Djurovic, Tomovic, Durovic, Arsenijevic.

Goals: Marinkovic 87

England: David Martin - MK Dons, Tony McMahon - Middlesbrough, Matthew Mills - Southampton, Martin Cranie - Southampton (capt), Andrew Taylor - Middlesbrough, Richard Jones - Manchester United, Grant Leadbitter - Sunderland, Mark Noble - West Ham United (Ryan Jarvis - Norwich City, 45), James Morrison - Middlesbrough, Matthew Fryatt - Walsall, Lee Holmes - Derby County.
Subs not used: Philip Ifil - Tottenham Hotspur, David Wheater - Middlesbrough, John Ruddy - Everton, Laurence Wilson - Everton, Ryan Smith - Arsenal.

Goals: Fryatt 18, 81, 90+3

Booking: Cranie, 24; Jones (31); Velesinovic (31)

Referee: Viktor Kassai (Huingary)

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