Italy oust Dutch to face Spain in U21 final

Fabio Borini of Italy celebrates scoring the first goal during the UEFA European U21 Championships, Semi- Final match between Italy and the Netherlands at Ha Moshava Stadium on June 15, 2013 in Petah Tiqwa, Israel. (Getty Images)

Italy defeated the Netherlands 1-0 on Saturday to set up a clash with defending champions Spain in the UEFA under-21 championship final.

A late goal in the 78th minute by Liverpool‘s Fabio Borini earned the Italians a date on Tuesday with Spain, who earlier eliminated Norway 3-0 to secure a stab at retaining the title.

In a slow-paced first half, Group A winners Italy struggled to make headway against a dominant Netherlands, who were creating chances but not managing to follow through.

With little change in tempo in the second half, Italy’s disorder looked like it could cost them dear although they began to fight back after Manolo Gabbiadini came on in the 65th minute.

Even then, the Azzurrini missed several chances to score, with a Gabbiadini attempt on goal in the 74th minute landing neatly in the arms of Dutch keeper Jeroen Zoet.

But their fortunes changed just minutes later when a low pass from Lorenzo Insigne found Borini who finished it off by bolting the ball into the bottom right corner of the net.