Benfica striker scores against Italy, but Portugal lose 3-2 | OneFootball

The Portugal under-17 football team threw away a two-goal lead this Wednesday as they lost 3-2 to Italy on Italian soil, in a qualifier for the European Championship in the age group. The side now coached by José Lima is at serious risk of missing out on first place in Group A2.

The match could not have started better for the young Portuguese, as in the 11th minute Gustavo Guerra, in a central area inside the box, fired home on the turn to open the scoring. Just three minutes later, following a long throw, Afonso Ferreirinha, a Benfica player - who received an update on Amar Dedic’s injury -, beat the defender in behind and took advantage of the goalkeeper’s rushed run-out, dribbling past him outside the box and finishing into an empty net.

What had looked well on track came undone after the break, as the Italians needed just 34 seconds to score, with Diego Perillo getting ahead of the defence in the six-yard box to turn in a cross from the right. Playing in front of their home crowd and now clearly on top, Italy equalised in the 51st minute after a cross from the left was met by Gianluca Okon with a precise finish.

With everything still open, Italy turned the game around after benefiting from a mistake by goalkeeper André Marques, who came out towards the corner flag, failed to shield the ball and allowed Jacopo Landi to steal it from him, run into the box and shoot beyond the reach of the defenders, completing the comeback.

, with the only consolation for the four best runners-up being a place at the World Cup in the age group, to be held in November in Qatar, a competition in which Portugal are the reigning champions.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.