Last-gasp Sweden join Portugal in U21 EURO semis

• Dramatic draw sends Portugal and Sweden through to semi-finals 
• Gonçalo Paciência fired Portugal in front after 82 minutes
• Simon Tibbling equaliser sparks wild celebrations
• Portugal top Group B and next play Germany in Olomouc
• Sweden edge out Italy on head-to-head record; Denmark up next

Simon Tibbling scored an 89th-minute equaliser to send Sweden through to the U21 EURO semi-finals along with Group B winners Portugal.

Sweden were in the competition, out of it and back in again during a roller-coaster final ten minutes in which Gonçalo Paciência opened the scoring for Portugal and Simon Tibbling pulled Sweden level when all hope looked lost. The goal, coupled with their earlier late comeback win against Italy, proved decisive as the Scandinavians eliminated the Azzurrini on the two sides' head-to-head record.

Much has been said of Bernardo Silva's excellence but William Carvalho also arrived at these finals with a burgeoning reputation after a superb season for Sporting CP. Patrick Vieira-like in stature, he drove forward like the France great in the seventh minute, played a perfect one-two with Ivan Cavaleiro but almost had too much time to pick his spot. His hesitancy cost Portugal as Patrick Carlgren dived in to prevent a certain goal.

That chance came in a bright opening 20-minute spell from Portugal which featured some fine one-touch football and two presentable shooting chances – Sérgio Oliveira and Ricardo, restored to the starting XI after a rest, both drove over when composed heads were needed.

Oscar Hiljemark was similarly wasteful for Sweden although José Sá's first save – a routine one at that – was 40 minutes in the making as he smothered Abdullah Khalili's shot.

Rui Jorge had said on the eve of the game that his team would "do everything to prevent reaching the dying moments of the match still level" and when that threatened to happen, he introduced Gonçalo just short of the hour. The striker responded with a fine goal as the second half looked to be petering out, collecting a pass from fellow replacement Iuri Medeiros, turning inside a defender and firing the ball into Carlgren's left-hand corner.

Yet Sweden were not finished. John Guidetti fired a warning shot straight at José Sá just before Tibbling picked up a headed clearance from Filip Helander's long pass, wriggled between two defenders and scored via a deflection off William's outstretched leg. Another fightback completed.