Euro U19s: Portugal and Italy through as Norway pegged back late on
Sunday 22 July 2018 19:37, UK
Moise Kean's 83rd-minute equaliser ended Norway's hopes and saw Italy and Portugal through at the Euro U19 finals.
Norway led group leaders Italy through an Erling Haland penalty with 63 minutes gone, but with themselves, their opponents and Portugal tied level on six points each, needed another goal to overturn a head-to-head record which saw them eliminated.
But in the end, Kean's late leveller relieved the pressure on Italy, whose 1-1 draw sees them top Group A and will face one of France, Ukraine or England in the final four - and so too will Portugal, having finished second.
With so much at stake for both sides, Italy and Norway's game was a matter of who would blink first in the opening period, without a clear-cut chance for either side before the break.
Plucky Norway improved after the break, knowing they needed a result to give themselves any chance of going through, and they got themselves a lot closer to earning one when they were awarded a penalty, which Haland blasted in off the bar.
Italy's qualification was hanging in the balance and it was not until Nicolo Zaniolo picked up a ball played behind the Norway defence and squared for substitute Kean to finish that they again looked assured of progression to the semi-finals.
Portugal also needed a win, and earned a comprehensive 3-0 victory over hosts Finland to bounce back from their late defeat to Italy last time out with two goals before half-time to put themselves in pole position.
They went ahead with 20 minutes on the clock when Joao Filipe's low free-kick beat Rasmus Leislahti, before captain Jose Gomes doubled the advantage soon after.
And they wrapped up a comprehensive win and, it turned out, their path to the semi-finals, when Mesaque Dju tapped home from close-range with almost the last kick of the game from Gomes' centre.
Find out who Italy and Portugal will face in the semi-finals - and whether England will be one of them - on Sky Sports Football on Monday from 4.25pm.
