In their debut match at the Women’s World Cup in New Zealand on Sunday, the Portuguese national women’s football team lost against the Netherlands 0-1. Coached by Francisco Neto, the Portuguese squad took on the Netherlands at the Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin, New Zealand.
Both Portugal and the Netherlands are part of Group E, along with the United States and Vietnam. The United States had already played Vietnam and secured a victory with a score of 3-0.
Unfortunately, the Portuguese national team conceded an early goal and struggled to find an offensive response to recover. The decisive goal that secured the 1-0 victory for the Netherlands was scored by Stefanie van der Gragt.
Coach Neto employed a strategy used in the penultimate preparation match against England, with Ana Borges joining the central defenders in a defensive setup, while Tatiana Pinto covered the right side.
The goal of this strategy was to solidify the defense around goalkeeper Inês Pereira, relying on the speed of Jéssica Silva and Diana Silva as attackers.
Para ficar gravado na história: o nosso primeiro jogo de sempre no Mundial Feminino! 🏆🌍#Navegadoras | #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/gn4Y2oTXys
— Portugal (@selecaoportugal) July 23, 2023
The Dutch team came second in the last world cup. On Thursday, Portugal will go ahead and play against Vietnam.
