LISBON, 22 June 2004 — France and England qualified for the quarterfinals of Euro 2004 yesterday.

France finished top of Group B after their 3-1 victory over Switzerland in Coimbra and will play Greece, the runners-up in Group A, on Friday in Lisbon.

England finished second after their 4-2 win over Croatia in Lisbon and will meet hosts Portugal, the Group A winners, in the Portuguese capital on Thursday.

Croatia and Switzerland were eliminated.

Teenager Wayne Rooney fired England to a 4-2 comeback win over Croatia and a place in the quarterfinals against hosts Portugal after an another astonishing two-goal performance.

With England struggling after Niko Kovac gave Croatia a fifth minute lead, Rooney set up Paul Scholes to score his first goal for his country in three years and then fired home a piledriver himself in first-half stoppage time.

The 18-year-old followed up with a superb run on the break to score his second on 68 minutes before Igor Tudor pulled one back for Croatia and Frank Lampard rounded off a fine victory.

Rooney’s virtuoso performance came four days after he scored twice in a 3-0 win over Switzerland to transform England’s Group B campaign after a 2-1 stoppage time defeat by France.

Rooney won a standing ovation at a Luz stadium dominated by England fans who chanted the youngster’s name when he came off with 20 minutes to go.

England finished on a high after a calamitous start.

Late Henry Double Sends France Through

In Coimbra, holders France secured a safe passage to the Euro 2004 quarterfinals when they overcame stubborn Swiss resistance to win their last Group B match 3-1.

Thierry Henry’s late double carried the French to victory after Switzerland had leveled Zinedine Zidane’s early goal through 18-year-old striker Johann Vonlanthen, who became the youngest scorer in the tournament’s history.

France topped the group and will play Greece in the quarterfinals in Lisbon on Friday.

The French took the lead after 20 minutes when captain Zidane rose virtually unchallenged at the near post to head in a right flank corner from Robert Pires. It was the playmaker’s third goal of the tournament.

For a spell France threatened to add a second. Bixente Lizarazu’s half-volley was deflected wide and Henry missed a decent chance from a Willy Sagnol cross by heading past the post.

Switzerland, fielding five in midfield in a reshaped team, equalized in the 26th minute, Vonlanthen latching on to a shrewdly-angled through pass from Ricardo Cabanas and sliding a low diagonal shot beyond Fabien Barthez inside the far post. Volanthen, at 18 years and four months, was three months younger than England’s Wayne Rooney when he scored against Switzerland last Thursday.