A late strike by Diana Gomes helped Portugal salvage a dramatic 1-1 draw against Italy Monday night at the UEFA Women’s European Championship to end a run of seven consecutive head to head defeats for the Selecção das Quinas.
With the draw Portugal kept their slim hopes of qualification to the knockouts alive.
Having picked up a narrow 1-0 victory over Belgium in their group opener, Italy looked full of confidence in the early stages as Cristiana Girelli saw a long-range effort smartly tipped over by Patrícia Morais.
Le Azzurre continued to assert their authority on proceedings as the first half progressed, and they came within inches of a breakthrough when Lisa Boattin’s inviting delivery was headed against the bar by Cecilia Salvai.
Winless in their last six matches, Portugal tried to gain a foothold in the contest before half time with plenty of possession in midfield – however, it was Andrea Soncin’s side who remained the more threatening in the final third.
Notably, Emma Severini saw a close-range finish ruled out for offside, while Morais stood firm in the Selecção das Quinas’ goal, denying a dangerous low strike from Girelli.
The early stages of the second period followed a similar pattern to the first, with Italy’s Arianna Caruso firing a powerful effort narrowly over the bar.
Undeterred by that missed opportunity, Le Azzurre’s pressure finally paid dividends in the 70th minute, as Girelli created a yard of space for herself on the edge of the box and curled a spectacular strike into the top corner for her first goal of the tournament.
