Sweden won the European U21 championship after a nerve-wracking penalty shootout

Goalkeeper Patrik Carlgren became the hero for Sweden with two successful saves in the penalty shootout, helping the home team beat Portugal 4-3 in the European U21 final.

Before that, the two teams drew 0-0 throughout 90 minutes of official play as well as two extra periods.

In the nerve-wracking shootout, Calgren saved Ricardo Esgaio's third and William Carvalho's fifth penalties, helping Sweden U21 win 4-3 after five kicks. This result helped Sweden win the European U21 Championship for the first time.

Sweden U21 players rush towards Carlgren (green shirt, right) to celebrate after the penalty shootout. Photo: Reuters.

Losing the penalty shootout was a somewhat regrettable result for Portugal U21, as they were the better team for most of the time. Cristiano Ronaldo's men created many chances and could have scored at least one goal if Ricardo had finished a little better instead of sending the ball wide or if captain Sergio Oliveira's free-kick had not been denied by the crossbar.

Sweden started the game slowly, often losing possession in the first half. It was not until early in the second half that they created their first chance, with John Guidetti's shot going just over the bar. The Man City striker missed another good chance towards the end of the match.

Entering the two extra periods, when both sides' physical strength declined, Sweden and Portugal could not create clear opportunities, leading to a penalty shootout to determine the winner.

Here, Portuguese goalkeeper Jose Sa also shined with a successful save in the fourth round. But that was not enough, because his Swedish colleague Carlgren was more excellent, denying two penalty kicks, bringing victory to the young team from Northern Europe.

VNE