Portugal beat the Netherlands 2-1, in the last match of the qualifying round for the European Under-21 Football Championship, played this Wednesday, November 18, in Portimão. The team of quinas managed to qualify, after having won the last three matches that were played in the Algarve.
Rui Jorge's men knew that this triple journey in the South was decisive for qualifying. In the very first game, Portugal won, without difficulty, against Belarus by 3-0.
In the match, played at Municipal de Portimão, Prishchepa (own goal), Fábio Vieira and the Algarvian Gonçalo Ramos scored.
The following game brought Portugal and Cyprus face to face and a draw was enough for the Portuguese team to guarantee the passage to the final stage of the U21 European Championship.
The match, played at the Bela Vista Stadium (Parchal, Lagoa), started badly, with a goal by Artymatas in the 2nd minute, but the young players from Portugal managed to turn the result around, with goals from Gedson and Diogo Queirós. The main thing was done: 2-1 victory and guaranteed qualification.
Even so, the last game, played yesterday in Portimão, had the attraction of deciding who would be the first placed in the group: if Portugal, if the Netherlands.
The team from the corners won 2-1, with an double from Fábio Vieira, and ended up with the same 27 points as the Netherlands. However, in the tie-breaker for goals, the Dutch had an advantage for having won the match 4-2 in the Netherlands.
Portugal failed to be seeded for the draw for the European finals, but the most important thing was achieved: qualification.
It's a case of saying: from the Algarve, towards Hungary and Slovenia (where the European Championship will be played).
Photos: Nelson Ignatius | Sul Informação
Comments