Belarus 1-2 Italy
UEFA European U21 Championship
Group A
7.45pm, Tuesday 23 June 2009
Helsingborg, Sweden Italy will play Germany for a place in the final of the Championship after they came from behind to beat Belarus 2-1, in Helsingborg, in their final Group A game. Few gave Belarus a chance against the unbeaten Italians, but they held their own for much of the match and took a surprise lead in the 45th minute through Sergei Kislyak.
If Italy were stunned, they did not show it for long as they hit back just three minutes later - in time added on at the end of the first half - with a penalty and the first of two goals from Robert Acquafresca.
The Cagliari striker then secured Italy’s place in the last four when he scored with 15 minutes to go.
Kislyak gave Belarus the lead when he converted from an Igor Shitov cross, but their celebrations were cut short when Mikhail Afanasiev handled the ball in the area soon after and Cagliari striker Acquafresca scored from the resulting penalty kick.
Chances came and went at either end before the relatively quiet Sebastian Giovinco and Antonio Candreva combined to present Acquafresca with an easy tap-in from a couple of yards out.
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