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A late goal was not enough for Sweden as Italy held on to beat their hosts 2-1 in the European Under-21 Championships at the Olympia Stadion in Helsingborg.

Internazionale forward Mario Balotelli (pictured) gave his side a 23rd-minute lead with a stunning strike from the edge of the Sweden penalty area, but if that was the best of the volatile forward, the worst was to follow.

Balotelli petulantly lashed out at Rasmus Bengtsson 15 minutes later while the pair were on the ground following a tussle for the ball, and referee Tony Chapron brandished a straight red card.

Italy doubled their lead through Robert Acquafresca's bullet header from a Sebastian Giovinco free kick in the 54th minute, and the game looked to have been concluded.

Sweden pressed relentlessly, but seemed to possess no cutting edge; that was before Ola Toivonen's clinical 89th-minute strike, which was the culmination of a superbly-worked team effort.

Mattias Bjarsmyr fed the ball in to Rasmus Elm, who in turn zipped the ball to Toivonen after a delightful dummy by Olsson, and the midfielder crashed the shot into the far corner.

Italy leapfrog Sweden into top spot in Group A, with the hosts likely to face a tense final game against Serbia on Tuesday.

Eurosport