Portugal's Women's Euro 2025 campaign remains alive after a dramatic 1-1 draw with Italy in Geneva. Diana Gomes's late equalizer in the 89th minute canceled out Cristiana Girelli's stunning second-half goal, keeping Portugal's hopes of reaching the quarter-finals alive.
The game was a hard-fought battle, with both teams displaying determination and skill. Italy had the better of the early chances, with Cristiana Girelli's superb effort from distance tipped over the bar and Cecilia Salvai's header rattling the crossbar. Portugal, however, grew into the game after the break, with Kika Nazareth becoming more influential.
Girelli broke the deadlock in the 70th minute, unleashing a curling shot into the top right corner. The 35-year-old was emotional after the goal. However, Portugal responded with relentless pressure. Diana Silva had a goal ruled out for offside by VAR. Moments later, Diana Gomes scored the equalizer with a looping shot that eluded the Italian goalkeeper.
The draw means that Spain has guaranteed a quarterfinal spot from Group B. Italy has four points, while Portugal has one. Portugal must now find its scoring touch and hope that Spain beats Italy heavily in the final round of games.
Portugal coach Francisco Neto praised his team's performance, saying, "We were solid, we were brave,". "We played high, pressed our opponents, and played like a team in the European Championship. We're a team with personality and ambition".
The Portuguese players wore warmup jerseys with Diogo Jota’s name on the back in a pre-game tribute after his death in a car crash last week. They also wore black armbands during the match.