In the Arena Kombëtare, in the Albanian capital, Tirana, Portuguese player Anísio Cabral scored the first goal at the 30-minute mark of the game. Eight minutes after the first goal, Duarte Cunha reached the goal and scored again, and Portugal was a step closer to a victory.

In the second half of the game, 60 minutes of the match passed when it was time for Gil Neves to shine, and the third goal of the Portuguese team was scored. This pushed the Portuguese Under-17 team, coached by Bino Maçães, to victory after losing the final against Italy in 2024.

To UEFA, the Portuguese coach Bino Maçães said that, given the difficulty of their opponents, the team “prepared a strategy that worked well”, highlighting that the players “interpreted very well” the coach’s message. Regarding the victory, Maçães reveals, quoted by UEFA, said that it is “an incredible feeling to win this tournament”, always underlining how great the players’ performance was, in his opinion. With all the respect to other teams, Bino Maçães is proud of achieving the title in a championship where the team “had to show great consistency”.

Unforgettable

Anísio Cabral, the player who scored the first goal in the final, described the championship as “an unforgettable experience”. While highlighting the team’s hard work, the player thinks the trophy was well deserved. Cabral showed gratitude to the team player, Bernardo Lima, who assisted him in scoring the first goal of the match, in what he admitted to be a set piece. To UEFA, the young player described Portugal as “a very hardworking country that, little by little, is winning a lot more”, believing that the country will “take on the world.”

Portuguese defender, Martim Chelmik, said that the team made every effort to achieve the victory of the championship, which is “a huge source of pride”, something that the player never thought it could happen. The player said that he will “cherish this moment forever”. To Chelmik, it was like living “every kid’s dream” recalling, to UEFA, how proud he was for achieving the title with the Portuguese team he is also representing.

On the other hand, the French coach, Lionel Rouxel, admitted that he was very “proud of the players for giving everything and for their attitude and behaviour.” The coach admits to have “committed mistakes and paying a high price.” Rouxel complimented the Portuguese team, showing that his disappointment is reflected in the players, that wanted to win the title. Nevertheless, Lionel Rouxel believes that the French team “had a very decent run”, having the difficulty of playing “against a better Portugal side”, when compared to the French team.

This way, the Portuguese team assured the seventh continental cup, after winning continental competitions in 2016 and 2023, with Under-17 teams. In 1989, 1995, 1996 and 2000, the Under-16 team achieved their trophies.

To reach the title, Portugal had a winning path, beating Albania, scoring four goals. Portugal also won against Germany, scoring two goals, besides suffering for a while, when Germany scored a goal too. This way, in the qualification phase, Portugal finished Group A with the same score as France, who scored the same goals as Portugal.