As the Portuguese national team took to the court in Gdansk, Poland, coach Paulo Pereira had warned of the potential difficulties they might face, but even he couldn’t have anticipated the nail-biting drama that unfolded. It wasn’t until the dying seconds of the game that Portugal managed to secure a hard-fought draw, a result that seemed almost out of reach for much of the match.
The opening 20 minutes saw both teams trading blows, with neither able to gain a decisive advantage. Portugal, however, was clearly feeling the absence of some key players, while the Polish team, fueled by a lively crowd and energetic cheerleaders, was determined to make a statement. The scoreboard reflected this back-and-forth battle, with the teams locked at 9-9 after 20 minutes. As the half progressed, despite a spirited performance from Gilberto Duarte, Portugal found themselves trailing, particularly after the introduction of Polish central player Jedraszczyk, at one point falling behind by three goals (10-13).
In an attempt to stem the tide, Pereira shuffled his goalkeepers, with Capdeville and Diogo Valério taking turns, but to little avail. Just before the break, however, Duarte showed his experience, reducing the deficit to 16-14. The second half began with Luís Frade making his mark, scoring and excluding a rival, which allowed Pedro Portela to level the score, and the Sporting player seized the opportunity, restoring parity just two minutes in.
But this equilibrium was short-lived. Two technical errors by the Portuguese allowed the Poles to pull ahead once more, and by the eighth minute, they were leading 23-20. Pereira continued to rotate his goalkeepers, but nothing seemed to work, prompting him to call an immediate timeout. Although the Portuguese team threatened to mount a comeback at intervals, their task was far from easy. João Gomes and Gabriel Cavalcanti took on the attacking responsibilities, but Portugal struggled to close the gap, managing only to prevent it from widening. With five minutes left to play, the Portuguese were still in the hunt, squandering the few chances they had to narrow the deficit to one goal, until Duarte finally managed to reduce the gap to 34-33.
In a stunning turn of events, with two minutes remaining, Capdeville made a crucial save, his fourth and most decisive of the game, setting the stage for Daymaro Salina to equalize (35-35) in the last minute, leaving the Polish team and their lively support in stunned silence. The pivot’s joy was short-lived, however, as he was excluded in the subsequent attack, and Poland took the lead once more, converting a seven-meter penalty (36-35).
With 35 seconds left on the clock, Pereira called a timeout and orchestrated one final attack, placing the ball in the hands of António Areia, who seized the moment, scoring and snatching a 36-36 draw that keeps Portugal atop the group. Even with a second left to play, corrected to three by the referees, Poland called a timeout, but the outcome was all but sealed. The two teams will face off again on Sunday at 17:30, a match that could already define the path to the European Championship 2026.