OSLO, July 28 (Reuters) - Norway’s Equinor posted a sharp rise in second-quarter profits on Wednesday as the price of oil and gas rose, but its earnings fell short of expectations as its domestic Norwegian unit missed forecasts. Adjusted earnings before tax rose to $4.64 billion in the April-June quarter from $350 million in the pandemic-hit year-earlier period, the company said, lagging the $4.8 billion predicted in a poll of 20 analysts compiled by Equinor. (Reporting by Terje Solsvik; Editing by Tom Hogue) Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.