The U20 women’s national team faced a tough opening match this Saturday. They played against reigning champions France in Matosinhos. Portugal fell to France with a final score of 91-50. This game kicked off their journey in the U20 Women’s European Championship.
The team, led by coach José Araújo, fought hard. They had strong support from the home crowd. Portugal tried to keep the game close in the first half. Quarter scores of 13-19 and 12-21 showed their effort. However, they went into halftime already trailing 40-25.
France continued to build their lead in the third quarter. They stretched the difference even further. By the final whistle, the young Portuguese side had suffered a heavy 41-point defeat. It was a challenging start to the tournament.
Ana Pinheiro was a standout for Portugal. She scored 17 points, with 15 of those coming in the first half. For the French team, Marin Dursus matched Pinheiro’s scoring. Dursus was France’s top scorer, also netting 17 points.
Portugal is in Group B for the championship. Their next challenge comes this Sunday. They will face Germany in the second round of games. Germany also started with a loss on Saturday, falling 84-75 to Slovenia. Details of the game sheet are available through FIBA’s official basketball website.