Under-19 EURO semi-final highlights & report: Spain outclass Croatia, Germany squeeze past Ukraine

Germany squeezed past Ukraine in Wrexham via a late Francis Onyeka winner to join Spain in Saturday's final as the semi-finals of the 2026 European Under-19 Championship concluded.

Earlier in the day, Spain had continued their superb Under-19 EURO campaign with an assured win against Croatia at Central Park in Denbighshire.

The final: Saturday 11 July

Spain vs Germany (Wrexham, 20:00)

All times CET, local time is one hour behind

UEFA via Getty Images

Ukraine 1-2 Germany

A tense, cagey first half burst into life in the 43rd minute as Vitaliy Hlyut headed home from Nikita Kaliuzhnyi's cross to give Ukraine the lead with their first attempt of the game. Germany equalised moments before the break, though, Otto Stange cutting inside two defenders before curling low into the corner with practically the last kick of the half.

Germany applied pressure throughout the second half, but it looked like they would be held off by stubborn Ukraine defending – most of all when Stange raced through in the 88th minute but was denied by a heroic Yehor Sherstiuk tackle. They were not to be denied three minutes later, though, captain Francis Onyeka powering in the winner from close range.

Key stat: Germany are through to their first final since 2014, when they won the most recent of their two titles.

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Christian Wörns, Germany coach, speaking to UEFA: "I feel that we dominated the whole match. Once again, we conceded a goal out of nowhere. That was Ukraine’s only shot on our goal. In the second half, we had a spell of around ten minutes where we created three big chances and really should have decided the match early. Of course, the good thing about a lucky punch like that is that there is not much playing time left at the end. So now we are happy to have reached the final and to have our rematch against Spain."

Francis Onyeka, Germany captain, speaking to UEFA: "It means a lot. To score in the last minute was a great feeling. We worked hard for this moment, to be in the final now. It's two or three years we've been working and we're so happy."

Otto Stange, Germany striker, speaking to UEFA: "It's unbelievable. We spoke before the game about how much we wanted to reach the final and now we've made it to the biggest stage in youth. It's top."

Dmytro Mikhailenko, Ukraine coach, speaking to UEFA: "I'm very proud of the boys. It was a tough game and it's really sad to lose in that way, conceding twice in stoppage time [once in the first half, the other in the second]. It's a big disappointment for us to lose this game."

Vitaliy Hlyut, Ukraine goalscorer, speaking to UEFA: "It's not the result we wanted, we obviously wanted to win and go all the way, but that's football and it happens. Regardless, I'm really happy for the journey that we had and we'll keep working to get better."

Spain 3-0 Croatia

Spain threatened early in a first half they firmly controlled, Daniel Yañez cutting in to test Maroje Kostopeč after Quim Junyent's neat third-minute set-up. Paco Gallardo's charges took the lead less than ten minutes later, Xavi Espart finding the bottom-right corner with a driven effort from the edge of the box.

Croatia gained some footing in the game late in the first half and early in the second, but never seriously threatened the Spanish goal, and Jorge Salinas doubled La Roja's lead from a gorgeous Thiago Pitarch assist in the 54th minute. Croatia responded with their best period of the match and forced goalkeeper Manu González into action through Noa Mikić but substitute Ousmane Diallo then put Spain's victory beyond doubt by converting Hugo López's low cross in the 83rd minute.

Key stat: Spain are celebrating their 11th Under-19 EURO semi-final win and now have their sights set on a landmark tenth title. They are still yet to concede at these finals and have scored 17 goals.

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Paco Gallardo, Spain coach, speaking to UEFA: "Since that day [losing the 2025 final] I’ve been dreaming of getting the trophy. But we’re a long way away. We’ll surely have a tough opponent. Both Ukraine and Germany are very hard opponents. But let’s hope we can make it."

Xavi Espart, Spain goalscorer, speaking to UEFA: "To be honest, it’s a real honour to be here in the final of this European Championship. I think we’ve worked incredibly hard to get here, and in the end we’ve earned it because we’ve been playing outstanding football. We’re going into the final full of confidence."

Thiago Pitarch, Spain midfielder, speaking to UEFA: "I'm really happy. This is the goal we set when we arrived here, and we’ve reached it now. We only have to win one more game to win this tournament, and we’ll give it our all."

Siniša Orešcanin, Croatia coach, speaking to UEFA: "It's been huge emotions for us, being here [at the Under-19 EURO finals] for the first time in 10 years and reaching the semi-finals. It was just the second time in our history and we also qualified for the [Under-20 World Cup], which was our goal before the tournament."

Patrice Čović, Croatia midfielder, speaking to UEFA: "I think in this moment we're all very disappointed because of the game. We wanted to win, despite knowing that Spain had so much quality. We tried to defend and hurt them with some counterattacks, but it didn't work. It's hard to look now at the whole tournament, but we had a successful one. I think today and the next few days it will hurt."