Portugal beats North Macedonia in preparation for the European Championship
The national futsal team won, this Thursday, North Macedonia, by 3-1, in Rio Maior, in the penultimate game of preparation for the European Championship that dominated and failed to finish.
Portugal, world and European champions, prevailed during the Balkan selection period, but only managed to take the lead near half-time, with a game equal to André Coelho, allowing equality in the restart, to Ramadani, and only ensured the triumph in the last 10 minutes, with goals from Erick Mendonça and João Matos.
In the first half, from the first game, from the single minute, the first game shot at goal defended by Antonio Petrovski.
The Portuguese coach, Jorge Braz, renewed the ‘five’ and three ‘shots’ followed by Fábio Cecílio, one by Tomás Paçó and the other by Pauleta. In the middle, North Macedonia’s first and only shot in the first half, with captain Dragan Patrovikj shooting a direct free-kick into the hands of goalkeeper Edu Sousa.
The ‘quinas’ team came to test the Balkan resistance, with the attacks y Varela, reaching 17 and 18 minutes, first after a ‘slalom’ over Pan and, later, with a shot to the side of the goal, to the side of the goal first goal.
André Coelho scored the first shot, over the right sideline, after replacing the ball on the opposite side of Bruno Coelho, the correction was still a deflection, over the goal line, by Patrovikj, who could not better than confirm the Portuguese goal.
The second half ‘started’ with Macedonia equalizing, in a cross shot by Jakup Ramadani, at 21, beating André Sousa, who had replaced the holder Edu Sousa.
Again equal, Portugal ‘ruling’ the game against the combative North Macedonia team, without arguments to counter the strong Portuguese pressure, which maintained an almost constant possession of the ball.
After twice on the post, in the 22nd and 25th shots, respectively with Fábio Cecílio and Afonso Jesus, who, in another shot, in a frontal position, shot over the goal, Portugal returned to take the posteriori of the marker.
It was in the middle of the second half, in the 30’s, that Erick Mendonça, in the rebound after Petrovski’s save from a shot by Miguel Ângelo, managed to put Portugal in the lead, anticipating Leveski and passing the ball over the Macedonian goalkeeper. .
In the last minutes, the team led by Miroslav Todorovskiu a “5-4, test the result of possession of the ball in the Portuguese midfield, without practical effects, until captain João Matos fixed the final, in 3-1, in an organized attack move that started, after the assistance of Erick Mendonça.
The Portuguese team will face North Macedonia again, on Friday, again in Rio Maior, from 18:45, in the last preparation game of the final phase of the European Championship.
The quinas team begins the defense of the continental title won in 2018 against Serbia, on Wednesday, in the first game of Group A, in which they will also face the hosts Netherlands, on the 23rd, and Ukraine, on the 28th. .