France vs Portugal set for U-17 Euro final showdown

France reaches the grand final of the UEFA U-17 European Championship “Albania 2025”, which will be played on June 1 at the National Arena.

Portugal secured their spot in the final after defeating Italy in the semi-final through a penalty shootout, winning 4-3, CE Report quotes ATA.

Regular time ended in a 2-2 draw, and the match was decided by penalties, where the Portuguese were more precise.

Italy started the match better and took the lead in the 20th minute through Samuele Inacio. Portugal equalized eight minutes later with a goal from Stevan Manuel, and the first half ended 1-1.

In the second half, Italy regained the lead in the 59th minute through Alessio Baralla, but Portugal responded once again, equalizing with a goal from Tomas Soares in the 67th minute.

As the score remained unchanged until the end, the teams proceeded to penalties, where the Portuguese goalkeeper was decisive with his saves, securing Portugal’s place in the grand final against France.

Meanwhile, France defeated Belgium in the semi-final with a score of 3-2 and booked their place in the June 1 final.

A very entertaining match took place at “Elbasan Arena”. The first half was intense, with Belgium creating more clear scoring opportunities.

Two goals were scored at the end of the first half. France took the lead with Abdoulaye Camara in the 42nd minute, while in injury time, Belgium equalized with a penalty converted by Noah Fernandez. The first half ended 1-1.

The second half started better for France, who scored two quick goals through Rudy Matondo and Djyilian N’Guessan, making it 3-1.

Belgium reopened the match in the 79th minute with a stunning free-kick goal by Axl Wins. The Belgians fought until the end to equalize, but were unsuccessful. The match ended 3-2 in favor of France.