The U21 World Cup semi-finals delivered two unforgettable matches. Both games went all the way to overtime, as Denmark and Portugal secured their places in the final.
Denmark vs Sweden
Denmark entered the match as heavy favorites, having defeated Sweden by 14 goals in a pre-tournament friendly. But it only took a few minutes for Sweden to show that this would be a completely different game.
Arvid Skoog made several early saves, and with Axel Månsson leading the attack, Sweden jumped to an early three-goal lead. Denmark slowly worked their way into the match, and by halftime Sweden’s lead had been cut to just one.
The second half was a tight back-and-forth battle, with the teams trading goals. Denmark showed their strength in depth, using their bench to match Axel Månsson’s scoring efforts. Sweden tied the game with forty seconds left, and Fredrik Petersen had a shot to win it, but couldn’t find the target.
In overtime, Sweden struggled to score. Axel Månsson scored Swedens only goal in overtime after seven minutes. Denmark had better luck, converting their chances and pulling away to a three-goal win (40–37), securing a spot in the final.
Faroe Islands vs Portugal
Portugal came in as strong favorites, but the Faroe Islands, led by the tournament’s standout player Oli Mittun, had every reason to believe they could reach a historic final.
Portugal looked like the better team in the first half, going into the break with a 15–12 lead. But the Faroese refused to give up and fought their way back, with Niklas Gaard tying the game at 29–29.
In the first overtime, Portugal held a two-goal lead with under a minute to go. But once again, the Faroe Islands showed resilience and forced a second overtime.
The second overtime was a back-and-forth affair. Portugal again took the lead, this time by a single goal. Faroe had a chance to take it to penalties, but Portugal’s goalkeeper Diego Marques saved Vedelsboel’s penalty, securing a historic final place for Portugal.
Bronze Match and Final
On Sunday, the four teams will fight for the medals. Sweden and the Faroe Islands will meet in the bronze medal match, with the teams being led by the tournament’s two top scorers, Oli Mittun and Axel Månsson. It promises to be a thrilling battle between the two star centre backs. The match starts at 17:00.
In the gold medal match, two unbeaten teams go head-to-head. On paper, Denmark are slight favorites, but very little separates the sides. Expect a close and exciting final. The game starts at 19:15.