For the second time in their history, Portugal have qualified for the final of the Men's 20 EHF EURO, after a hard-fought win, 25:24, in the semi-final against Sweden.
The hosts clinched the berth after Francisco Mota da Costa, their top scorer, converted a penalty in the last second.
SEMI-FINAL TWO
Portugal vs Sweden 25:24 (12:10)
- a 5:0 run for Portugal – fuelled by three goals from left back Martim Mota da Costa – looked to set the tone for the entire match, as the hosts only relinquished the lead in the 46th minute
- although Sweden bounced back, their 50 per cent efficiency in attack was undoubtedly their undoing, as they failed to scored in the last five minutes of the game
- Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Marques, who saved 13 shots for a 37 per cent efficiency, was the recipient of the Player of the Match award. Marques made three key saves in the crunch minutes of the match
- despite missing a penalty during the match, Francisco Mota da Costa took the last-gasp shot and scored his 47th goal of the tournament to put Portugal through to the final
- Portugal have qualified for the final of the M20 EHF EURO for the second time, 12 years after they won the silver medal in 2010. Portugal lost 30:24 in the M20 EHF EURO 2010 final against Denmark
Portugal eye repeat over Spain
Buoyed by over 3,000 fans, who definitely made their mark on the game, Portugal were smiling and dancing after the final whistle, as this golden generation duly delivered in the semi-final against Sweden.
It was not easy, nor pretty, but a win is a win. Portugal's attack was stopped in its tracks by a plucky Sweden side, who are arguably the top defence in the competition, but this time around, Portugal also delivered in defence.
After a day’s rest, Portugal will try to seal the gold medal on Sunday in a crunch final against neighbours and rivals, Spain. When the two sides met in the preliminary round, Francisco Mota da Costa sealed the win for the hosts in the last second, 36:35.
