Vervaeke opens door to last four for Belgium

After heading Belgium's late equaliser against Turkey, Jonas Vervaeke said the goal "had opened the door to the semi-finals for us" at the UEFA European Under-19 Championship.

Marc Van Geersom's side lost Igor Vetokele to a red card just before half-time and looked to be slipping to their second Group B defeat as their ten men trailed to Ali Dere's 77th-minute goal for Turkey, a result which would have left Belgium's hopes hanging by a thread. With the match moving towards added time, however, KV Kortrijk centre-back Vervaeke took advantage of confusion in the Turkish defence to get on the end of Tom Pietermaat's long free-kick and earn what could prove an invaluable point.

"We started well, but it's not easy to keep your composure when you're a player short," Vervaeke told UEFA.com. "It was hard to play against Turkey with that numerical disadvantage, although they were a bit lucky to get in front as we had a few chances to score too, especially the one for Paul-José Mpoku."

Mpoku was unable to make the most of a headed opportunity early in the second period, and instead it was Vervaeke who proved the Belgian hero at the last. "The goal came because of a mixture of timing and communication errors from a couple of the Turkey defenders," he said. "The goalkeeper was a long way out and I got to the ball first, heading it into the net. It was important as we knew an equaliser would open the door for the semi-finals to us."

For his part, Pietermaat believed the draw was reward for Belgium's tireless effort and commitment, telling UEFA.com: "We've been down to ten men in both our games so far and that means you have to do more running. In games like that, you need to take any chance you get. Turkey moved the ball very well and their players were physically strong, but we fought hard and didn't allow them many opportunities and they couldn't stay focused until the final whistle."

Belgium's ability to haul themselves back from the brink means they have a genuine chance of reaching the U19 semi-finals for the first time ahead of their final fixture on Tuesday, Vervaeke saying: "If we beat Serbia, we can continue on our way." Pietermaat believes the fact that Spain have already guaranteed first place in the section means all three other teams can harbour hopes of claiming the second qualification berth, adding: "Now that Spain have beaten Serbia too, anything can happen in this group. If we beat Serbia, there's a great chance that we advance into the semi-finals."