A fierce rivalry is set to ignite once more on the rink. Portugal’s men’s national team finished their Golden Cat group stage with a thrilling 4-4 draw against France on Saturday. This tournament, held in Catalonia, serves as a crucial warm-up for the European Championship in Paredes, which kicks off from September 1st to 6th.
Despite the stalemate, Portugal secured the top spot in the group. France, coached by Nuno Lopes from Sp. Tomar, landed in second place. This setup means the two teams will clash again in Sunday’s final, scheduled for 3:30 PM. Fans can expect another intense battle.
France started strong in the group stage match, quickly building a 2-0 lead. Bruno di Benedetto and Carlo di Benedetto found the net early. Portugal, however, wasn’t ready to give up. Miguel Rocha pulled one back, narrowing the gap. Yet, Roberto di Benedetto restored France’s two-goal advantage, making it 3-1 before halftime.
The second half brought a flurry of action. Alvarinho brought Portugal closer with a direct free hit. Later, Gonçalo Alves leveled the score at 3-3. Alvarinho then gave Portugal their first lead of the game. But the drama wasn’t over. Roberto di Benedetto scored his second goal, securing the 4-4 draw just before the final whistle.
Portugal’s head coach, Paulo Freitas, shared his thoughts after the game. He mentioned the team faced many changes and had to adjust. “I’m happy, not with the result, but with how we adapted and reacted to challenges,” Freitas told the FPP. He stressed that at this stage, the outcome isn’t as important as the team’s growth.
Freitas praised his team’s spirit, noting their comeback from a two-goal deficit. “The team showed competitive maturity and good consistency for this point in our training,” he added. He said the focus remains on getting better. “Our goal is to leave here stronger tomorrow than we are today.” He looks ahead to the European Championship, aiming for a peak performance and a spot in the final on September 6th to become European champions.
Looking to the final, Freitas plans to counter France’s strategies and introduce new challenges. “We’ll explore different tactics,” he explained. “We’ll think things over, talk with the players, and keep experimenting. We need to try new things, even risk making mistakes, so we can keep improving.”
Women’s Team Also in Final
The women’s national team also had a successful Saturday. They dominated France with a convincing 13-1 victory in their final group stage match. This win puts Portugal at the top of their group. They will play the host team in the women’s final on Sunday at 1:30 PM.
Coach Ricardo Barreiros reflected on the women’s performance. “Today’s game was against a team we thought would be as tough as Germany was yesterday,” he said. Barreiros felt his team truly stepped up. “After yesterday’s game, we understood what we could do as a team. We put that into practice today, and the score just kept growing.”
Women’s National Team beats France
