With the triumph achieved today in Teplice, 2-1, with goals from Diana Silva, served by Joana Marchão, Portugal closed the qualifying phase undefeated.
The Portuguese women’s football team today took another firm step in its affirmation at the highest level, by guaranteeing a third consecutive presence in the European Championship, one year after its historic participation in the World Cup.
In an ‘interconnected’ classification with the League of Nations, the team led by Francisco Neto was the best team in the ‘second division’, totaling 16 points out of a possible 18 in Group B3 and, in the knockout stages, eliminated Azerbaijan and the Czech Republic.
With the triumph achieved today in Teplice, 2-1, with goals from Diana Silva, served by Joana Marchão, Portugal closed the qualifying phase undefeated, with eight wins and two draws, one against Bosnia-Herzegovina (0-0), in the group stage, and another at home against the Czechs (1-1), in the first leg of the last classification play-off.
In that first clash of the final duel towards the final phase of the 14th edition of the European Championship, which Switzerland will host from July 2nd to 27th, 2025, Portugal also ‘scored points’ off the field, in front of the presence of 40,189 spectators at Estádio do Dragão.
The record attendance at a women’s game in Portugal, which almost doubled the previous record of the ‘quinas’ team (20,123 in a friendly against Ukraine, at Bessa, on July 7, 2023), also shows the growth of the Portuguese team.
The ‘quinas’ formation is not yet at the level of the best, but it has shown that its place is in the first European division, to which it will return after the triumph in Group B3, and that it is capable, consistently, of qualifying for the final stages.
In the group stage, Portugal gave no chance to Northern Ireland, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Malta, winning the group with five wins and a draw, for a total of 16 points, six more than the Northern Irish, second placed.
The Portuguese team started with three clear victories, and without a single goal conceded, 3-0 against the Bosniaks, 2-0 in Malta and 4-0 against the Irish.
Portugal showed that it was stronger than all its opponents and, in the second round, confirmed this, with a 2-1 in Northern Ireland, with a turnaround, sealed after half an hour, a sufficient 0-0 in Bosnia-Herzegovina and, closing, a 3-1 in Malta.
After all, the ‘quinas’ team got 16 out of a possible 18 points, with 14 goals scored and two conceded, to rank as the best team in League B, seconded by Scotland, with the same 16 points and 13 to 1 in goals, in Group B2.
With the triumph in the group, Portugal was seeded in the draw for the first play-off and had no problem overcoming Azerbaijan, who had been fourth in Group B1, by scoring victories away (4-1) and at home (4- 0), for a conclusive 8-1.
The biggest difficulties, as announced, came in the second and decisive knockout stage, with the Czech Republic, who had been fourth in Group A2, but, between a draw and four defeats, had managed to beat world champion Spain (2-1). at home).
Portugal, despite being supported by more than 40,000 spectators, only managed to draw at home, with Kika Nazareth ‘cancelling’, in the 47th minute, Katerina Svitkova’s opening goal, in the 33rd, but, today, in Teplice, in the decisive game, the ‘eleven’ Portuguese did not fail.
Two goals from Diana Silva, the biggest novelty in the ‘eleven’, instead of Jéssica Silva, sealed the classification, with goals in the 13th and 76th minutes, both assisted by Joana Marchão, with Svitkova’s penalty in the 35th minute being of no use to the hosts. .
In the campaign towards Euro2025, individual highlights go to the ‘ubiquitous’ Carole Costa, the only totalist, with 900 minutes, and the six goals from Diana Silva, the top scorer, even though she only started in half of the games.
Coming from the ‘second division’ of the qualifiers, Portugal will be in Pot 4 of the draw for the final stage of Euro2025, but even so, the objective for the fourth consecutive presence in a major competition will certainly be to overcome the group stage.
The Brazilian team, on its debut, was fourth in Group D at Euro2017, losing to England (1-2) and Spain (0-2) and beating Scotland (2-1), and, at Euro2022, it was fourth again , in Group C, losing to Sweden (0-5) and the Netherlands (2-3) and drawing with Switzerland (2-2).
In 2023, at the World Cup, Portugal once again failed to get past the group stage, but was almost there, with a shot at the post from Ana Capeta in the game against the United States (0-0), after a 0-1 with the Netherlands and a 2-0 in Vietnam.
The final phase of the 2025 Euro Cup takes place in Switzerland, from July 2nd to 27th, with the draw scheduled for December 16th, in Lausanne.
