News
WED 19.07.2017
Marta Torrejon made it clear the day before the game: "We're well prepared and ready to give our all." That was plain for all to see no sooner than the referee had blown her whistle to get Spain v Portugal underway. In fact, the Spanish girls' eagerness was palpable minutes earlier, when the 23-strong squad gathered in a circle and chanted their now-famous pre-match rallying cry: "What are we? A team. Which team? Spain. What are we going to do? Play, fight and win." They were true to their word, catching the eye with some lovely football, getting stuck in right through to the last minute and being rewarded by opening their Women's EURO 2017 campaign with a victory.
Though the Portuguese had a couple of sighters at goal in the first few minutes, Spain it was who bossed possession. Vicky Losada and Silvia Meseguer pulled the strings, Alexia Putellas oozed flair and the inspirational Irene Paredes was the rock at the heart of an assured backline. With all these ingredients in place, it looked only a matter of time until La Roja struck.
Jenni Hermoso had the Spaniards' first clear-cut chance, in the 15th minute, latching on to the ball around the penalty spot before blazing over the bar. Six minutes later, it was Meseguer's turn to miss a presentable opportunity, following some fantastic play by Alexia in the area. However, they say that third time's the charm and so it proved in a big way midway through the first half. Andrea Pereira dinked a delightful pass over the top for Losada, who took it down superbly before finishing with aplomb. The Terrassa-born 26-year-old is fast turning opening La Roja's account at major tournaments into a tradition, having also scored their first goal at the 2015 Women's World Cup in Canada. With Portugal penned in their own box, 1-0 became 2-0 just before half-time, Mariona Caldentey whipping in an inch-perfect cross and Sampedro nodding into the bottom corner.
The restart brought a much-improved performance from Portugal, who came roaring out of the traps, desperate to reduce the deficit. Their captain, Claudia Neto, had their best opening on 55'. This was a wake-up call for Spain, who gradually reimposed themselves. Vilda looked to the bench to freshen things up and add some pace up the wings, introducing Mari Paz Vilas, Barbara Latorre and Maria Pilar Leon in place of Hermoso, Putellas and Leila Ouahabi respectively.
Vilas went closest to making it 3-0 with a fine attempt from the edge of the box, only for Patricia Morais to pull off a smart save. Nevertheless, La Roja ultimately eased to a convincing win, passing their first test at the EURO with flying colours. Next up, they face England, who promise to provide an even sterner examination.
© LALIGA - 2017