“Despite the result, the President of the Republic believes that the young athletes, as well as the entire technical team, have honored the name of Portugal and of all Portuguese, with the certainty that they will achieve new conquests during their promising future,” it said. in a note published on the official website of the Presidency of the Republic on the Internet.
According to the note, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has already spoken to the president of the federation and congratulated the players and coach of the national under-19 football team, “for the hard work and dedication that have made it possible to reach the highest level that is a final of European football”.
Also on the social network ‘Twitter’, the President of the Assembly of the Republic, Augusto Santos Silva, congratulated the young players.
“Congratulations to the young Portuguese runners-up in European under-19 football. They had a wonderful championship,” he wrote.
Portugal were beaten 1-0 by Italy today in the final of the European Under-19 Football Championship, held in La Valletta, Malta, failing to lift the trophy they had clinched in 2018.
At the Ta’Qali National Stadium, the Portuguese team, which had won all games played up to the final, including a thrashing against Italy (5-1) in the group stage, conceded the only goal of the game in the 19th minute. , scored by transalpine winger Michael Kayode.
The Portuguese team, crowned champions of Europe under 19 only once, in 2018, also in a final with Italy, was now defeated in the decisive game by the transalpines as in 2003 and has now lost five finals in the competition , while the Italians raise the scepter for the second time.
Source: DN
