Portugal beats Costa Rica 3-0 to reach Under-20 Women's World Cup knockout stage

Group stage decider in Sosnowiec

Portugal secured its first victory at the FIFA Under-20 Women's World Cup on Sunday, defeating Costa Rica 3-0 at the Zagłębie Sports Park in Sosnowiec, Poland. Making its debut appearance in the 12th edition of the tournament, the Portuguese team entered the final group matchday needing a victory after an opening 2-0 defeat to North Korea and a 0-0 draw against Colombia. The three-goal win elevated Portugal to second place in Group E with four points and a plus-one goal difference. Defending champion North Korea won the group with nine points after defeating Colombia 3-0 in the concurrent match. Colombia finished third with four points and a minus-three goal difference, while Costa Rica exited in fourth place with zero points, extending its tournament record to 15 defeats in 15 matches.

Early pressure and first-half goals

Portugal established attacking control from the opening whistle, creating its first opportunity in the third minute when Mafalda Mariano struck the post from a direct free kick. Four minutes later, Portugal scored when Francisca Castro headed a corner kick toward the centre of the penalty area, allowing Anna Marques to loop a header over Costa Rican goalkeeper Ashley Quesada. The Portuguese side continued to press down both flanks through Carolina Santiago and Iara Lobo, while Mariano forced another save from Quesada on a 17th-minute free kick. In the 34th minute, midfielder Carolina Tristão received a through pass from Érica Cancelinha, dribbled past four Costa Rican defenders inside the penalty area, and scored with a low drive. Tristão nearly added another goal before halftime, shooting narrowly over the crossbar in the 43rd minute and hitting the post in the 45th minute.

Second half and qualification

Costa Rica head coach Patricia Aguilar made an attacking change at halftime, substituting Raquel Recio for Rihanna Solano. Portugal maintained defensive control throughout the second half, leaving goalkeeper Nair Pina without a save to make across the 90 minutes. Portugal extended its lead to 3-0 in the 58th minute when Anna Marques capitalized on a loose ball in the penalty area to record her second goal of the match. Marques, who was named player of the match, addressed the team's tactical execution after the final whistle.

What made us win this game today was the unity of the team, we knew we had to win and give everything, we had not managed to play with confidence in the other games, but today we showed that on the pitch and we have more to give.

Knockout fixture against Spain

Portugal head coach Marisa Gomes fielded a starting lineup featuring four players with previous senior national team appearances, including Inês Meninas, Érica Cancelinha, Carolina Santiago, and Maísa Correia, while Joana Valente was ruled out due to physical limitations. The team advances directly to the Round of 16, where it will face Group F winner Spain on Wednesday at 19:30 local time (17:30 in Lisbon) at the stadium in Katowice. Gomes reviewed the team's performance and looked ahead to the knockout stage.

We are very proud of what the team's performance has been, but we also know that we have more to give.