France and Portugal hit four as Spain draw with Italy

The summer’s European Under-21 Championship did not disappoint once again on Tuesday with goals flying in all over the tournament.

France and Portugal were both in action and top goalscoring form, to the disappointment of their opponents.

Spain faced off against Italy in a crucial Group A clash, as Slovakia also took on Romania.

Read on to see how each match unfolded.

France 4-1 Poland

France delivered a brilliant performance to defeat Poland 4-1, with a brace from Djaoui Cisse and a late goal from Matthis Abline capping off successful night for the French.

France struck early through Nathan Zeze, who headed home from close range in the 18th minute to set his side on the path to knockout qualification.

Just a minute later, Cisse doubled the lead with a stunning long-range strike into the top corner. He repeated the feat in the 29th minute, this time with his left foot, driving a low shot into the bottom corner to make it 3-0.

Poland had a goal ruled out by VAR early in the second half when Mariusz Fornalczyk was judged offside. They finally pulled one back in the 61st minute through Ariel Mosor’s header from a corner, giving the visitors brief hope.

However, France’s dominance continued, with Matthis Abline restoring the three-goal cushion in the 82nd minute, heading in from close range after Noah Edjouma’s well-placed corner.

Georgia 0-4 Portugal

Portugal eased to a comfortable 4-0 victory over ten-man Georgia, topping Group C ahead of France.

The turning point came just five minutes in when Georgia defender Lasha Odisharia was sent off following a VAR review for a reckless foul on Flavio Nazinho. From that moment, Portugal controlled the tempo and territory.

The breakthrough arrived in the 24th minute. Geovany Quenda found Rodrigo Pinheiro in space, and the right-back threw a low shot in from a tight angle to give Portugal a deserved lead.

The visitors dominated possession for the remainder of the half, with chances falling to Tiago Tomas and Paulo Bernardo, though they were unable to extend their advantage before the break.

Portugal’s pressure told again just after the hour mark. Gustavo Sa made an immediate impact off the bench, setting up Quenda for a simple finish from close range.

Rodrigo Gomes added a third in the 87th minute, heading home following a corner after hitting the post just moments earlier. The rout was completed in stopping time when Sa won a penalty after being brought down in the box. Henrique Araujo stepped up and tucked away the spot kick.

Spain 1-1 Italy

Spain and Italy played out an entertaining 1-1 draw in a showing of plenty of young talent.

After a goalless first half filled, the game came alive after the break. Spain struck first in the 53rd minute through Jesús Rodriguez, who finished from the center of the box after a quick break led by Raal Moro. The goal gave Spain momentum, but Italy responded well.

Just six minutes later, Niccolo Pisilli leveled for the visitors with a composed finish into the bottom corner after being teed up by Daniele Ghilardi. It was a deserved equalizer after Italy had created several half-chances earlier in the game, with Michael Kayode and Jacopo Fazzini both going close.

Both teams made a flurry of substitutions in the final 20 minutes as coaches looked to test their depth. Spain’s Roberto Fernandez and Pablo Torre impressed off the bench, while Italy’s Cesare Casadei and Matteo Ruggeri added steel to midfield.

Late efforts from Pisilli and Riccardo Turicchia nearly won it for Italy, but Spanish goalkeeper Pablo Cunat did well to keep the scores level and send his side through top.

Romania 1-2 Slovakia

Slovakia edged past Romania with a 2-1 win in Group A.

Slovakia took the lead early, breaking the deadlock in the 11th minute when Adam Obert pounced on a set-piece delivery from Tomas Rigo to slot home from close range.

Romania struggled to respond, and Slovakia nearly doubled their lead through multiple chances from Suslov and Adrian Kapralik, but goalkeeper Otto Hindrich kept the hosts in the game with several key saves.

After the break, Slovakia continued to press and were rewarded in the 57th minute when Suslov fired in a superb left-footed effort from distance, again assisted by the influential Rigo.

Romania responded just ten minutes later as Umit Akdag lashed home a powerful finish from a corner to halve the deficit.

Despite late pressure and a flurry of corners, Romania couldn’t find the equalizer. Louis Munteanu came closest in stopping time, dragging a shot just wide. Matei Ilie and Akdag also had promising chances, but none good enough to break through.