Switzerland and Portugal ended in a 2-2 draw in the opening match of Group C, although both teams had their chances to score the winning goal.
The first group C of the EC football kicked off on Saturday in Leigh, located near Manchester, with the meeting between Portugal and Switzerland. The match, which ended in a 2–2 draw, saw competition records from both teams.
Switzerland started the match by striking two goals in lightning speed. First it worked Coumba Sowwhose aiming Long shot surprised the goalkeeper By Ines Pereira from the bottom left corner and gave Switzerland the lead.
Rahel Kivic doubled the lead just minutes later. The ball fell precisely in the back area, from where the Swiss striker headed it into the net.
The two-goal lead collected in five minutes made competition history at the same time. Finland’s somewhat dubious record was erased from the history books, as the previous fastest two-goal lead – 8 minutes – came from Germany in the European Championship semi-final against Finland in 2005.
Based on the first half, it already looked like Switzerland would settle for their lead and try to minimize Portugal’s chances to score by keeping the ball. At the same time, the attacking play of the alpine country calmed down significantly, and there were hardly any threatening scoring opportunities in either direction.
A historic rise from Portugal
However, a completely different looking Portugal marched onto the field at Leigh Sports Village for the second half.
The team, which was considered one of the weakest teams in the tournament in advance, unleashed attacks on Switzerland’s half of the field one after another. In the 58th minute of the match, Portugal’s sixth corner kick finally produced a result, when Diana Gomes continued the Swiss goalie with the ball on his knee into the net by Gaëlle Thalmann of the fight.
The pressure that grew minute by minute showed as Switzerland fumbled, and the goal lead only lasted a few minutes. In the 65th minute, the game was tied when Portugal’s cross hit the spot and Jessica Silva continued the ball with one touch to the goal.
After the equalizing goal, both teams still had top chances to score. However, the end result was a thin draw for both teams.
In ‘s studio, the change seen in the second half was corrected after the match.
– Switzerland became completely passive and did not put pressure on the players with the ball. On the other hand, Portugal improved, moved better on the field and found the spaces that could not be found in the first half, stated Urheilu’s expert Linda Nyman.
Sports expert Jonne Kunnas on the other hand stated that Switzerland had problems in defending special situations.
– The players mainly defended the area (in front of the goal), but forgot where the Portuguese players to be marked were, Kunnas estimated.
Portugal made history in the match by being the first team to come back from a two-goal deficit at half-time. The match saw history from both teams.
Saturday’s matches continue in Group C with the match between Holland and Sweden. The match is broadcast on Areena and TV2. You can find everything about the competition on the EC competition page here.