Portugal’s women’s futsal team, boasting a perfect group stage record, is focused on overcoming Italy in their upcoming quarter-final as they target the final of the inaugural FIFA World Cup.
“The final is the big objective,” said Kika, a 25-year-old international winger, according to the Portuguese Football Federation’s press office. She expressed confidence that Portugal would defeat Italy to reach the semi-finals.
The team advanced to the quarter-finals of the first FIFA Women’s Futsal World Cup, held in the Philippines, after achieving a clean sweep of victories in Group C. They scored 23 goals and conceded only one.
Portugal is scheduled to face Italy on Tuesday at the PhilSports Arena in Manila. The match is set for 09:00 AM UTC.
Kika, who plays for Leões de Porto Salvo, acknowledged Italy as a strong and improving team. She noted that their previous qualifying match was not easy and expects a tough encounter this time.
Portugal defeated Italy 4-0 in the Elite Round of qualification for this tournament. However, Kika stressed that Tuesday’s quarter-final would be “different.”
She emphasized the importance of the team focusing on their own performance. “We have to focus on ourselves and do our best to eliminate Italy and move on to the semi-finals,” Kika added.
The winger also shared that she is “trying to enjoy to the fullest” this first-ever Futsal World Cup.
Other quarter-final matches include Spain against Morocco and Argentina facing Colombia, both on Monday. The winner of the Argentina-Colombia match could be Portugal’s potential opponent in the semi-finals.