Middlesbrough winger Adam Johnson grabbed a second-half equaliser against Portugal to earn the injury-hit England Under-21s a precious 1-1 draw at Estadio Municipal de Agueda.

Stuart Pearce's youngsters conceded their first goal of Euro 2009 qualifying when Vieirinha scored an early penalty, and although they could not preserve their 100% record, a draw puts them on course for the play-offs to reach the finals in Sweden.

Johnson's goal, his first for the Under-21s, came just after the break and England looked the more likely to grab the win despite their injury problems.