While Spain had defeated Italy earlier in the afternoon, France and Ukraine were battling it out for the last ticket to reach the final of the Euro U19. Facing an opponent who was still undefeated in the tournament and who finished in 2nd place in their group, the Bleuets coach, Bernard Diomède, lined up his best assets. After a good French start on the Belfast pitch, the match was rebalanced. Despite two clear chances for the French before the break, it was Ukraine who came close to opening the scoring with a shot from Husiev hitting the crossbar (45th + 2).
After the break, the Bleuets pushed to take control of the game. It was necessary to wait until the hour mark to see Edoa victoriously take a corner from Mayulu to concretize the tricolor domination (0-1, 61st). Desiring at all costs to get out of harm’s way, the Bleuets kept up the pressure in the Ukrainian camp, Kroupi narrowly missing the break (73rd). In control, Bernard Diomède’s protégés did the job until the end to secure their ticket for the final (1-0) and will meet Spain.
