First step: enter better. Second step: keep improving. Third step: get better. Portugal’s decisive match against Sweden in Leigh, which would mark a possible historic presence in the round of 16 of the European Women’s Football Championship, It was one of the most important in the history of the National Team and it came after a defeat against Holland, champion in title, but there was no less conviction in what could be another step in the exponential growth of sport in the country in the face of the great exhibition that the team had against one of the candidates for the title.
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“Our players make us dream. What they are capable of doing on the pitch, what they have shown in this European Championship, they make us believe. To the technical team, staff, but especially the Portuguese. We will do everything to stay in the competition”, summed up Francisco Neto, a national coach proud of his path to the decisive match, who had previously had a 2-2 draw with Switzerland that he was learning little by little in the face of the great Recovery in the second part, and aware of what it was.
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“This game has extra weight. It is the possibility of continuing in the competition or ending our path. Above all, we see this meeting as a great opportunity to grow and show competence again. It is with great satisfaction that we take on this challenge. EITHER feedback that we have received from everyone here at the European Championship is encouraging and gives us confidence. To move forward, we have to do more and better, knowing that, as my dear friend Jorge Braz said [selecionador de futsal]we have a very big and difficult mountain to climb and we have this ambition and this courage to try to climb this mountain”, he had highlighted before the match against the Olympic runner-up, with better classification FIFA at a European level and “the team with the most experience present in this competition”.
Their @VisaUK Player of the match winners ????
???? Kosovo Asllani
???? Sherida Spitz???? Which captain performance did you prefer today?#WEURO2022 | #WEUROPOTM pic.twitter.com/huUsOGgZZ3
— UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 (@WEURO2022) July 17, 2022
In statistical terms, the probability of victory and progress to the quarterfinals for Sweden was 92%. In a disputed match, even without reaching the 50% threshold, Portugal managed at times to equalize the obvious difference it had with the Scandinavians. However, and in an image that has little or nothing to do with what the National Team did in this second final round of a European Championship, the cards on the table were not enough to prevent a rout against almost all goals from set pieces (0-5).
⏹ 90′ We fell in the group stage, but nothing takes away the dedication, passion and football that we brought to the European Championship. We will meet again, even stronger ✨ #SWEPORT | 5-0 | #Let’s go with everything #WEURO2022 pic.twitter.com/RCdAoBg9y4
— Portugal (@selecaoportugal) July 17, 2022
Francisco Neto promoted only two changes in the team but they were able to translate more than that. The first, in goal, was direct: Patrícia Morais entered, Inês Pereira left. The second, ahead, forced other changes: Kika Nazareth, who had not started the European Championship in the best physical condition, started for the first time as a false center forward, putting Diana Silva and the versatile Ana Borges on the left. as a lateral in the vacancy of Joana Marchão. However, these moves did not prevent the usual chills of the first minutes, with Asllani falling into the area asking for a penalty in the first minute and Patrícia Morais to avoid the initial goal by Rytting Kaneryd in the box shortly after (3′). In the middle, and in the first good start in transition, Tatiana Pinto finished off from mid-range to defend Hedvig Lindahl.
????????? Filippa Angeldal gives Sweden the early lead against Portugal ⚽️#WEURO2022 | #SWE https://t.co/J1kt7Lpa6l pic.twitter.com/ta7f4T1rDT
— UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 (@WEURO2022) July 17, 2022
The game then had several stops in its initial part to help the players but the first objective was achieved compared to previous games: the void was left and Portugal did not have to run after the defeat as before. In fact, it was even the National Team that came close to scoring, with Carole Costa taking advantage of a second ball after a corner to shoot a little to the side (16′). However, it was enough for Sweden to win the first corner for this whole strategy to fall apart with Angeldal, taking advantage of an exit without being able to relieve the ball from Patrícia Morais, push into the empty goal with the right foot for 1-0 without the Swedes deserving the advantage (21 ‘).
????????? The moment Filippa Angeldal scored her second goal of the night to double Sweden’s lead????#WEURO2022 | #SWE https://t.co/fgCIwQQHRF pic.twitter.com/lpbxPRgziJ
— UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 (@WEURO2022) July 17, 2022
The team once again has to recover from a disadvantage by not having Catarina Amado, who had to leave on a stretcher in a bid in which the national players requested another sanction via VAR due to the intensity of the lateral step (which does not happen). And Portugal still had a chance to equalize, in a move that started with Kika Nazareth, they had a center from the right by Jessica Silva and a deflection in the area by Diana Silva to defend Lindahl (40′). However, the final minutes of the first half ended up being fatal for the national aspirations: after a goal annulled for offside by Stina Blackstenius (42′), Angeldal scored twice after a free kick with a delayed pass for the shot without hypothesis (Four. Five’). ) and Carole Costa, after another corner, deflected into own goal (45 + 7 ‘).
Filippa Angeldal???? Kosovo Asllani
???? How good have both been in the first half? #WEURO2022 | #SWE pic.twitter.com/UzW4fKCh1e
— UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 (@WEURO2022) July 17, 2022
The meeting was resolved and the worst scenario occurred when Asllani, after a handball in the Diana Silva area, increased the penalty to 4-0 (54′). Whenever Sweden had a set piece in the national midfield, there was danger and that’s how they scored yet another goal later disallowed by VAR for offside, Portugal having the opportunity to at least reduce the difference on the scoreboard but Andreia Norton’s shot ended. until leaving the side when the game was more broken. The farewell to the European Championship was marked by a performance tainted by defensive errors and that did not affect the result taking into account the skill he had in the match played against the Swedes, who still reached 5-0 in added time in a quick exit to the attack completed by Stina Blackstenius.
???? Both are now on the record ⚽️#SWE currently lead #BY 4-0 at Leigh Sports Village…#WEURO2022 https://t.co/vaEL7MnSNU pic.twitter.com/tsZxAjHNnk
— UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 (@WEURO2022) July 17, 2022
Source: Observadora
