England Women’s Under-17s edged Russia 1-0 to progress to the final stage of Euro qualifying.
With only the top two teams in each group making it through to the elite qualifying round, Lydia Bedford’s side started the day in third place in Group 8, behind Russia and Slovenia.
They opened their campaign with a remarkable 14-0 win over host nation Lithuania.
Euro qualifiers
England 14-0 Lithuania
England 0-1 Slovenia
England 1-0 Russia
Lauren Hemp and Nicole Douglas each scored four goals in the rout.
But they slipped to a 1-0 defeat by Slovenia two days later, courtesy of Adrijana Mori’s 16th-minute strike.
Hemp had a chance to rescue a point for the Young Lionesses but missed a penalty in added time.
And with Slovenia racing into a 3-0 lead over Lithuania in the final game, England knew they had to defeat Russia to qualify.
Arsenal youngster Jessica Ngunga netted with 17 minutes remaining to secure top spot in Group 8.
The elite qualifying round will take place next spring.
Last season’s U17s finished third in the Euros and then went on to reach the quarter finals of the World Cup in Jordan where they were beaten by eventual runners-up Japan.
