The Portuguese women’s football coach stated this Friday that he hopes to rediscover in the Nations League the virtues demonstrated by Quinas’ team in the 2023 World Cup, during the publication of the squad list, to continue “making the Portuguese dream.” .
“It is a new competition, with only six matches and a very small margin of error. All matches will have to be seen as finals. (…) We want to reach the last rounds depending only on ourselves, to be able to do things fun,” said Francisco Neto, at a press conference held at the Ciudad del Fútbol, in Oeiras.
The coach has the “dream of reaching the semifinals”, but does not forget the main objective for the first edition of the competition, which is to remain in League A, especially because this “will have implications for qualification for the Euro Cup.” .
Portugal will debut against France, on September 22, in Valenciennes, and will host Norway on the 26th, in Barcelos, in the first two days of Group 2, which also includes Austria, a team that surpasses the Portuguese in the ranking of FIFA. .
“France is super powerful, individually and collectively. They are a very dominant team, which was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the World Championship, in the penalty shootout, and was seen as a strong candidate to fight for the medals,” he observed. .
Francisco Neto recalled that Norway was also present at the World Cup, in which it was eliminated in the round of 16, after having recently changed its coach, which should mean “new ideas and dynamics”, despite the fact that the squad “has not had many changes with respect to the World”.
“They will be two very complicated games,” acknowledged the Portuguese coach, hoping to recover “the same spirit of mutual assistance, capacity for sacrifice and competition” evidenced during the 2023 World Cup: “Many of these things will have to appear.” he pointed out.
Between July and August, Portugal participated for the first time in the tournament, finishing third in group E, after losing 1-0 to the Netherlands, current world runners-up, winning 2-0 against Vietnam and drawing 0-0 with the United States. Unidos, winner of the two previous editions.
Of the group of 23 chosen for the final phase of the World Cup, only goalkeeper Rute Costa, defender Sílvia Rebelo and forwards Carolina Mendes and Jéssica Silva will be left out of the start of the Nations League, in a “message that the group will Never “It was closed, nor will it ever be.”
“We are attentive to all the players who can contribute. (…) We felt that it was time, in the change of cycle, to be able to make some changes, which does not mean that the players who are not present now will not return,” he explained. .
List of 25 summoned:
– Goalkeepers: Inês Pereira (Servette, Sui), Patrícia Morais (Sporting de Braga), Sierra Cota-yarde (University of Arkansas, USA).
– Defenders: Ana Borges (Sporting), Ana Seiça (Benfica), Bruna Costa (Sporting), Carole Costa (Benfica), Catarina Amado (Benfica), Diana Gomes (Sevilla, Esp), Joana Marchão (Servette, Sui), Lúcia Álves (Benfica).
– Stockings: Ana Rute (Sporting de Braga), Andreia Norton (Benfica), Andreia Jacinto (Real Sociedad, Esp), Andreia Faria (Benfica), Dolores Silva (Sporting de Braga), Fátima Pinto (Sporting), Kika Nazareth (Benfica )), Joana Martins (Sporting), Tatiana Pinto (Brighton, England).
– Forwards: Ana Dias (Zenit Saint Petersburg, Russia), Ana Capeta (Sporting), Diana Silva (Sporting), Nádia Gomes (São Francisco Glens, USA), Telma Encarnação (Marítimo).
Source: TSF
