,autocrop(1200:630) "Portugal Defeats Germany 3-2 in U19 European Championship Qualifier")
Portugal defeated Germany 3-2 on Saturday in Oliveira de Azeméis during the second round of the European Under-19 Championship qualifiers.
Manager Bino Maçães watched his side recover from two separate deficits before securing the win in the 88th minute. The victory guarantees Portugal a top-three finish in Group A3 and advances the squad to the third and final qualifying stage for next year’s tournament in Czechia, according to the Portuguese Football Federation, FPF reported.
Germany opened the scoring in the 19th minute.
Lasse Isbruch dribbled past Bernardo Lima and Diego Coxi before setting up Maik Akumu for a simple finish, as reported by A Bola.
Portugal responded when José Neto earned a penalty in the 29th minute, but German goalkeeper Nico Biedermann stopped Rafael Quintas from the spot. Just before halftime at the 44-minute mark, Duarte Cunha equalized for Portugal following a combination with Eduardo Ferreira.
Jasper Reinhold Scores the Winner for Germany
Germany regained the advantage early in the second half. In the 50th minute, a free-kick from Mathieu Nguefack created chaos in the penalty area, where a clearance by Rafael Quintas deflected to Jasper Reinhold, who beat goalkeeper Romário Cunha.
Portugal leveled the score again at the 79th minute when Tomás Soares converted a penalty awarded after a foul on Quintas. Then, in the 88th minute, the Portugal captain decided the match.
Portugal Leads Group A3 Ahead of Sweden Match
The victory leaves Portugal at the top of Group A3 with six points after two matches. Germany and Sweden each hold three points, while Lithuania sits at the bottom without a point, according to CNN Portugal.
Portugal concludes its Group A3 fixtures against Sweden on Tuesday at the Estádio Marcolino de Castro in Santa Maria da Feira.
The match kicks off at 15:00 local time.
The top three teams from each of the seven groups in this second round advance to the third round, where 28 teams will compete in seven groups of four for a place in the Euro U19 finals in Czechia.