The Portuguese beach soccer team wasted several advantages this Friday and lost, in a penalty shootout, against Switzerland, so that on Saturday they will discuss the bronze medal in the European Games.
Champion in Minsk 2019 after winning bronze in Baku 2015, Portugal had just beaten Switzerland 4-2, but allowed the tie, which was not broken in extra time: they were ahead on penalties, but then missed two and agreed the comeback, falling 4-3.
On Saturday they will face the loser of the semifinal between Spain and Italy
Portugal started on the right foot and took the lead in the 4th minute, after a striking shot by Jordan Santos, with a free kick still executed in the defensive zone.
The Portuguese were more dangerous, but it was Switzerland who equalized, with Sandro Spaccarotella, at 11, touching the far post with a cross from Noel Ott (1-1), seconds before, in a confused play, Léo Martins saw the post return . Your turn.
The proof of the consistency of the Portuguese team was given by Mário Narciso who, in a hotter period, changed all the outfield players, with the exception of the goalkeeper, and it was with that freshness that he scored two goals.
The first, at 17, by Miguel Pintado, a free kick from the left and, in the following minute, when the goalkeeper incompletely stopped his shot, a fact that Rodrigo Pinhal took advantage of to make it 3-1.
With 36 seconds to go in the second half, Michael Cabral, with an acrobatic kick, cut the difference to 3-2, relaunching uncertainty.
The genius of Léo Martins returned the two goals ahead, in an individual shot in which, on the left, he unseated a defender before beating the goalkeeper (4-2).
It was a direct free kick, from midfield, that Tobias Steinemann reduced again, after 26 minutes, with the ball glued to the ground and deceiving Elinton Andrade, who at 29 saw the opposing goalkeeper, Elliot Mounoud, advance No pressure until the end. midfield and sent a ‘bomb’ that tied the game 4-4, forcing a three-minute extension, which changed nothing, leading to a penalty shootout, decided with the decisions of Coimbra and Léo Martins.
In the previous match, the women’s team lost 3-1 to Ukraine and will fight for the bronze medal on Saturday with the defeat in the clash between Poland and Spain.
Portugal has 13 podiums in Krakow 2023, namely three golds, seven silvers and three bronzes.
The third edition of the European Games takes place until Sunday in Krakow and in the Polish region of Malopolska, with 30 sports on the program and 48 participating countries, including Portugal, which has a delegation of more than two hundred athletes.
Source: TSF
