The next generation of the Selecao will be hoping to emulate their senior counterparts as they attempt to secure a continental crown
Portugal and Italy booked their place in the final of this year’s Under-19 European Championship as the competition heads into the ultimate stage.
The European U-19 Championship is the annual international youth football tournament organised by UEFA for the men’s under-19 national teams of Europe.
The top five teams of the tournament will qualify for the 2019 FIFA U20 World Cup.
A total of eight teams are playing in the Finland-based tournament, with players born on or after 1 January, 1999 eligible to participate.
Goal brings you everything you need to know about the competition in Finland as well as key players, dates, fixtures and the most recent results.
Portugal’s Joao Felipe and Fernando Trincao topped the scoring charts with both players netting in Sunday’s final to bring their totals to five goals in five matches.
Despite playing just 93 minutes over three group matches and drawing a blank in his side’s semi-final defeat, France’s Amine Gouiri has bagged four goals and was atop the scoring charts before the Portuguese stars struck on Sunday.
France’s Rafik Guitane scored twice in the competition, with Les Bleus cruising to a 5-0 wins over Turkey and England in their second and third group fixtures despite falling to defeat in their opener.
England won the tournament last year but are without a number of star players because of clashes with pre-season tours for clubs, with players such as Manchester City’s Phil Foden missing out, and the side failed to make it out of Group B.
Fifty-five UEFA nations entered the competition (including Kosovo, who entered for the first time). Hosts Finland qualified automatically, and the other 54 teams competed in the qualifying competition to determine the remaining seven spots in the final tournament.
The qualifying competition consisted of two rounds: the first qualifying round, which took place in autumn 2017, and the ‘elite’ round, which took place in the spring of 2018.
| Team | Method of qualification | Appearance | Last appearance | Previous best performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finland | Hosts | 1st | – | Debut |
| Norway | Elite round Group 1 winners | 4th | 2005 (group stage) | Group stage (2002, 2003, 2005) |
| England | Elite round Group 2 winners | 10th | 2017 (champions) | Champions (2017) |
| Italy | Elite round Group 3 winners | 6th | 2016 (runners-up) | Champions (2003) |
| Ukraine | Elite round Group 4 winners | 5th | 2015 (group stage) | Champions (2009) |
| Portugal | Elite round Group 5 winners | 10th | 2017 (runners-up) | Runners-up (2003, 2014, 2017) |
| France | Elite round Group 6 winners | 10th | 2016 (champions) | Champions (2005, 2010, 2016) |
| Turkey | Elite round Group 7 winners | 6th | 2013 (group stage) | Runners-up (2004) |
Group A
| Date | Match | Time (UK / US ET) | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 16 | Norway 1-3 Portugal | 3pm / 10am | Hietalahti Stadium, Vaasa |
| Jul 16 | Finland 0-1 Italy | 8pm / 3pm | Hietalahti Stadium, Vaasa |
| Jul 19 | Finland 2-3 Norway | 3pm / 10am | OmaSP Stadion, Seinajoki |
| Jul 19 | Portugal 2-3 Italy | 8:30pm / 3:30pm | Hietalahti Stadium, Vaasa |
| Jul 22 | Portugal 3-0 Finland | 6:30pm / 1:30pm | Hietalahti Stadium, Vaasa |
| Jul 22 | Italy 1-1 Norway | 6:30pm / 1:30pm | OmaSP Stadion, Seinajoki |
Group A standings
| Pos | Team | Played | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italy | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
| 2 | Portugal | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
| 3 | Norway | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 6 | -1 | 4 |
| 4 | Finland | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 | -5 | 0 |
Group B
| Date | Match | Time (UK / US ET) | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 17 | Turkey 2-3 England | 6:30pm / 11:30pm | OmaSP Stadion, Seinajoki |
| Jul 17 | France 1-2 Ukraine | 8:30pm / 3:30pm | Hietalahti Stadium, Vaasa |
| Jul 20 | Ukraine 1-1 England | 6:30pm / 11:30pm | OmaSP Stadion, Seinajoki |
| Jul 20 | Turkey 0-5 France | 8:30pm / 3:30pm | Hietalahti Stadium, Vaasa |
| Jul 23 | Ukraine 1-0 Turkey | 6:30pm / 11:30pm | OmaSP Stadion, Seinajoki |
| Jul 23 | England 0-5 France | 6:30pm / 11:30pm | Hietalahti Stadium, Vaasa |
Group B standings
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| Pos | Team | Played | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ukraine | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| 2 | France | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 9 | 6 |
| 3 | England | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 8 | -4 | 4 |
| 4 | Turkey | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 9 | -7 | 0 |
U-20 World Cup 2019 play-off
| Date | Fixture | Time (UK / US ET) | Stage | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 26 | Norway 3-0 England | 11am / 6am | Play-off | OmaSP Stadion, Seinajoki |
Semi-finals
| Date | Fixture | Time (UK / US ET) | Stage | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 26 | Ukraine 0-5 Portugal | 1pm / 8am | Semi-final | Hietalahti Stadium, Vaasa |
| Jul 26 | Italy 2-0 France | 5pm/12pm | Semi-final | Hietalahti Stadium, Vaasa |
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table.tableizer-table { font-size: 14px; border: 1px solid #CCC; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; } .tableizer-table td { padding: 4px; margin: 3px; border: 1px solid #CCC; } .tableizer-table th { background-color: #00A9CE; color: #FFF; font-weight: bold; }The final of the tournament was be played on July 29 at the OmaSP Stadion in Seinajoki, with Portugal taking a 4-3 win over Italy in extra time.
The top five teams of the tournament will qualify for the 2019 FIFA U20 World Cup in Poland.
| Date | Fixture | Time (UK / US ET) | Stage | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 29 | Portugal 4-3 Italy (AET) | 7:30pm / 2:30pm | Final | OmaSP Stadion, Seinajoki |