Portugal, Paraguay Intense Battle Ended in a Draw
Portugal and Paraguay played the first International Futsal Friendly in Rio Maior as part of their preparations for the Futsal World Cup 2024. The game ended in a draw with the scores level at 2-2.
Portugal welcomed the Paraguay Futsal team with an intense, action-packed friendly game in Rio Maior. Right from the beginning, both teams tried to control the pace of the game and keep as much ball possession as possible. It didn’t take long for Francisco Martinez to score the first for the visitors, as he managed to net a low shot in the 8th minute. However, the lead didn’t last long as Portugal came up with an equalizer with João Matos converting for Portugal on a throw-in from Bruno Coelho.
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After scoring their first goal, Portugal kept pressing and controlled the momentum of the game. They created many dangerous chances one after the other but luck didn’t seem to be on their side. Fabio Cecilio almost put Portugal in the lead in the 11th minute when he took a brilliant shot after an aerial set piece. But Portugal didn’t have to wait long as they scored their second in the 15th minute when Jorge Espinoza put one in his own goal after Andre Coelho’s rehearsed throw-in.
Just two minutes later, Portugal had a great opportunity to double their advantage, but lucky for the visitors, Tomas Paco’s strike hit the post.
Portugal kept pressing in the second half as well and missed many close chances. Cecilio, Rocha, and Pany all displayed amazing skill, but couldn’t manage to get through the opposition’s defenses. Paraguay created an opportunity in the 30th minute and were able to level the scores after their goalkeeper replaced the ball quickly and Arnaldo Baez beat Edu to score the equalizer for the visitors.
Both teams kept trying to score the winning goal right till the end, but their efforts went in vain and a match full of intensity ended in a draw.
The two teams will meet again on Wednesday at the same venue. The second friendly match, and the last of their preparation games for the World Cup, will begin at 6 pm local time.
Portugal will begin their campaign at the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2024 on September 16, as they take on Panama in their opening game. They will play Tajikistan on September 19 and Morocco on September 22. The top two teams in the group will advance to the knockouts.
