IFAF U19 EC: Finland overwhelms Italy, Sweden edges Germany

Sweden secured top spot in Group B of the 2024/25 IFAF U19 European Championships and a place in the final group stages with a dramatic 23-22 win over Germany, who almost staged an improbable comeback from being 20-6 down going into the fourth quarter.

Victory on the road in Paderborn, added to a defeat of Denmark (0-2) back in May, puts the 2-0 Swedes into a second round-robin tournament that will be played in 2025 with reigning champion and IFAF U20 World Championships bronze medalists Austria, and the winner of Group A.

That third and final team will be either Finland (1-0) or France (1-0), who will battle on November 10 in the Lille suburb of Villeneuve d’Ascq having both beaten Italy (0-2).

The Finns enjoyed an emphatic victory in Vantaa over Italy (0-2) on Saturday, opening their continental campaign with a 36-16 win. Quarterback Elias Haapamäki threw four touchdowns with two reeled in by Artturi Tähkäpää and one each by Oskari Suoniemi and Rene Rautiainen.

Aleksi Hirvonen scored on the ground and Sebastian Ahonen led the way on defense with 5 tackles and 3 sacks as Finland scored 37 points, conceding only a safety going into the fourth quarter. Italy scored touchdowns through two late pick sixes of backup quarterback Juulio Vahla returned eight and 18 yards to the end zone by Paolo Lazzaretto and Luca Montaresi.

At the Hermann Löns Stadium in Paderborn, Justin Boney set Sweden on their way with a blocked punt that he recovered for a touchdown. Then the receiver caught a screen pass from Hektor Hyden, cut across field and raced down the right sideline for another score and a 14-0 first quarter lead.

Germany held their visitors in check up until halftime, but after the interval quarterback Hyden and Elliot Lindehammer connected for a long gain over the middle, setting up a rushing touchdown from Vilgot Valeskog and a 20-point lead. A 24-yard field goal by Oscar Hardsson increased that advantage to 23-0 before Germany produced a determined fourth quarter comeback that fell agonizingly short on the game’s last play.

Quarterback Lennart Thoma broke free from the pocket to rush for a touchdown but was unable to add two more points on a rushing conversion attempt. Ismael Calatayud Morejon scored on a short rush and David Hoffman reeled in a two-point pass from Thoma to reduce the deficit to nine points.

Thoma and Janne Lange connected on first and goal with 28 seconds remaining and after a successful two-point rush by Thoma, Germany trailed by a single point.

Setting up a dramatic finale, Lange then recovered a perfectly executed onside kick by Max Scheibner and Germany moved the ball down to the Sweden 31-yard mark with 12 seconds remaining. After one shot at the end zone resulted in an incomplete pass and left only three seconds on the clock, 12 caught Thoma’s pass on the final play of the game but was pushed out of bounds by Caj Ekström.