Portugal's U-15 team ended their first World Cup campaign with a 2-5 defeat to Zambia in the Path B final in Baku. Coach Tiago Matos saw his side start brightly but were ultimately overpowered by a hat-trick from Zambia's Maxen Msimuko.
João Salgado put Portugal ahead in the 6th minute, but Zambia turned the game around before half-time with goals from Benson Bwalya (12') and Msimuko (17'). Thomson Mwashilinji extended the lead in the 26th minute of the second half. Rúben Tavares pulled one back for Portugal in the 33rd minute, offering hope, but Msimuko sealed the result with two more goals at 37 and 40 minutes to complete his treble.
Tournament review
Portugal played ten matches in seven days in Azerbaijan, recording eight wins and two losses. In the group stage, the team beat Burundi (1-0), Bangladesh (3-1), Fiji (8-0), Indonesia (2-1), South Africa (2-1) and Argentina (3-1). Their only defeat before the final was a 1-2 loss to Wales. The campaign finishes with six wins and two defeats, a positive record for a debut in a tournament that featured 189 teams.
The focus for Portugal's senior national team now shifts to preparing for their next challenge, a home friendly against Denmark on 14 November. Roberto Martinez's side enters that match on a perfect run of four consecutive wins, the most recent a 2-1 victory over Norway on 4 October. In that match, Portugal's goals were scored by João Cancelo and Gonçalo Ramos, who was also key in the 4-2 win over Denmark on 1 October, scoring one goal and providing an assist. This positive sequence also includes a 2-1 win over Norway and a 1-0 victory against Wales, both in September.
The World Cup experience is an important milestone for the development of Portugal's young talents, who now return to their clubs.
This story first appeared at A Bola
