Tuesday: Portugal v Spain, Serbia v FYR Macedonia
Monday, June 19, 2017
Article summary
The four Group B contenders are back in action in northern Poland on Tuesday when Portugal and Spain vie for top spot and Serbia and FYR Macedonia seek their first points.
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How can I follow the games on UEFA.com?
UEFA.com will have reporters on the ground at both of Tuesday's Group B fixtures, with live analysis, photos, minute-by-minute commentary and reaction in the build-up, during the game and after full time. There will also be extensive coverage on Twitter (@UEFAUnder21) and Facebook (@under21).
Follow here: Serbia v FYR Macedonia (kick-off 18:00CET)
Follow here: Portugal v Spain (kick-off: 20:45CET)
PORTUGAL V SPAIN
When and where?
Portugal have travelled two hours north to Gdynia on the Baltic coast for the showdown with their Iberian neighbours and early Group B leaders Spain, which kicks off at 20:45CET on Tuesday.
Knowledge to impress your friends
The rival coaches met as players in the 2000/01 UEFA Champions League first group stage when Rui Jorge's own goal ensured Albert Celades's Real Madrid earned a 2-2 draw at Sporting in a match they had trailed 2-0 at half-time.
Matchday one
Portugal 2-0 Serbia (Gonçalo Guedes 37, Bruno Fernandes 88)
Rui Jorge's men struck towards the end of each half in Bydgoszcz. Midfielder Renato Sanches said: "It was a hard-fought match, against a very strong Serbia team. The game went well for us – we were able to score twice and get the victory and that's what matters the most."
Portugal: Varela; Cancelo, Ié, Semedo, Rodrigues; Carvalho (Sanches 59), Neves, Fernandes; Guedes, Podence (Medeiros 68), Jota (Bruma 46).
Spain 5-0 FYR Macedonia (Ňíguez 10, Asensio 16 54 72, Deulofeu 35pen)
Real Madrid's Marco Asensio was the star man for Spain as he struck a brilliant hat-trick as the four-time winners showcased their finishing ability against the tournament newcomers. Coach Celades said afterwards: "We have to be realistic. We have to play with the same enthusiasm as today but improve some of the things we did to play against a team as strong as Portugal."
Spain: Arrizabalaga; Bellerín, Meré, Vallejo, Gayà; Llorente; Suárez, Ňíguez; Deulofeu (Ceballos 63), Ramírez (Williams 74), Asensio (Oyarzabal 81).
Previous meetings
Played: 3
Portugal : W2 D0 L1 F4 A2
Spain: W1 D0 L2 F2 A4
Who said what?
Rui Jorge, Portugal coach: "Spain are strong in all aspects and it will be difficult to stop them, but we'll try to score goals and be strong defensively. I hope and I believe we'll have a great game. We'll have a full house with players with tremendous quality and so it's going to be a great spectacle."
Albert Celades, Spain coach: "Before the draw I thought Portugal were the strongest team in this EURO. Together with Germany, they had the best qualifying campaign, they're a team who've not lost – in 90 minutes – for I don't know how long. We will need to produce the very best version of ourselves to win."
Form guide (including friendlies, most recent first)
Portugal: WWWDW
Spain: WWWDD
How did the teams qualify?
Portugal: Group 4 winners (P10 W8 D2 L0 F34 A5)
Spain: Group 6 runners-up (P10 W7 D2 L1 F31 A9); play-off win v Austria
How can I watch the game?
In Portugal: Sport TV
In Spain: Mediaset
The full list of broadcast partners is available here. Games will also be streamed live on UEFA.com and UEFA.tv in some territories.
SERBIA V FYR MACEDONIA
When and where?
These teams are both in need of a victory to revive their hopes after opening defeats. FYR Macedonia's tournament debut brought a five-goal loss to Spain and now they face their more experienced neighbours Serbia at 18:00CET on Tuesday in the northern city of Bydgoszcz.
Knowledge to impress your friends
David Babunski was just 18 when he was sent off during the last U21 meeting between these nations, a 5-1 home victory for Serbia in September 2012 which confirmed them as group winners in their qualifying campaign for the 2013 U21 EURO.
Matchday one
Portugal 2-0 Serbia (Gonçalo Guedes 37, Bruno Fernandes 88)
Serbia conceded a goal towards the end of each half, having missed good chances in between through Marko Grujić and Nemanja Radonjić. Midfielder Nemanja Maksimović said afterwards: "We played against a good opponent and didn't take our chances while they did. The new tournament format is very tough and we have to win both of our remaining matches."
Serbia: V. Milinković-Savić; Gajić, V. Jovanović, Veljković, Antonov; Grujić (Radonjić 68), Maksimović; Živković, Gačinović; Djurdjević (Ožegović 74), Čavrić (Plavšić 46).
Spain 5-0 FYR Macedonia (Ňíguez 10, Asensio 16 54 72, Deulofeu pen 35)
FYR Macedonia had more goal attempts than their celebrated opponents but lacked the finishing power of Spain's forwards and ran out of energy in the latter stages. "We had a great first half," said captain Babunski, who hit the crossbar after the break. "We had the ball, we created chances, but what made it difficult was their individual quality."
FYR Macedonia: Aleksovski; Bejtulai, Zajkov, Velkoski, Demiri; Nikolov, Bardi; Radeski, Babunski (Kostadinov 76), Markoski (Gjorgjev 46); Angelov (Elmas 46).
Previous meetings
Played: 4
Serbia: W3 D1 L0 F16 A2
FYR Montenegro: W0 D1 L3 F2 A16
Who said what?
Nenad Lalatović, Serbia coach: "Macedonia are a good team. They lost their first match heavily but they had almost the same possession as Spain and had many shots yet conceded a lot of goals. We have to go into the match high on motivation."
Blagoja Milevski, FYR Macedonia coach: "We've prepared well and are looking forward to this match. I'm sure everybody will do his job. We have to focus and to present Macedonia in the best possible light. I can say they're a tough team, difficult to beat – especially in a big tournament. They stand together. Serbia are a very aggressive team, but we have to respond in the same manner in order to show our quality."
Form guide (including friendlies, most recent first)
Serbia: LLWLW
FYR Macedonia: LWWWW
How did the teams qualify?
Serbia: Group 2 runners-up (P10 W7 D2 L1 F27 A8); play-off win v Norway
FYR Macedonia: Group 3 winners (P10 W6 D3 L1 F13 A7)
How can I watch the game?
In Serbia: Arena Sport
In FYR Macedonia: TV Nova and Arena Sport
The full list of broadcast partners is available here. Games will also be streamed live on UEFA.com and UEFA.tv in some territories.