**Georgia holds Croatia to a goalless draw in Euro Under-21 qualifier**
**The Young Lelos put in a spirited performance to earn a point against a strong Croatian side.**
**Georgia's under-21s kicked off their UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying campaign with a hard-fought 0-0 draw against Croatia on Thursday.**
The Young Lelos, who are coached by former Georgian international Giorgi Tsetsadze, were the better side for much of the game and created several good chances to score.
However, they were unable to find a way past the Croatian goalkeeper, Karlo Letica, who made a number of fine saves.
Croatia also had their chances, but they too were unable to find a way past the Georgian goalkeeper, Luka Gugeshashvili.
The draw leaves Georgia in third place in Group I, behind Croatia and Spain, who both have four points from their opening two games.
Georgia's next game is against Spain on Tuesday, 12 October.
**Match summary**
Georgia started the game brightly and created the first chance of the match in the 10th minute when Giorgi Chakvetadze fired a shot just wide of the post.
The Young Lelos continued to press and came close to scoring again in the 20th minute when Levan Shengelia headed a corner just over the bar.
Croatia gradually grew into the game and had their first chance in the 30th minute when Karlo Bartolec shot wide from the edge of the area.
The visitors continued to press and came close to scoring in the 40th minute when Ante Palaversa headed a corner just wide of the post.
Georgia started the second half strongly and created a good chance in the 50th minute when Giorgi Kvilitaia shot just wide of the post.
The Young Lelos continued to press and came close to scoring again in the 60th minute when Levan Shengelia headed a corner just over the bar.
Croatia came close to snatching a winner in the 80th minute when Ante Palaversa headed a corner just wide of the post.
However, Georgia held on for a well-deserved point.
**Reaction**
Georgia coach Giorgi Tsetsadze was pleased with his team's performance.
"I'm very happy with the performance of my players," he said. "We played against a very strong Croatian team and we were able to create several good chances to score.
"We didn't manage to win the game, but I'm confident that we can qualify for the next round."
Croatia coach Igor Biscan was also pleased with his team's performance.
"We played a very good game," he said. "We created several good chances to score, but we were unable to find a way past the Georgian goalkeeper.
"We're still top of the group, so we're in a good position to qualify for the next round."
