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It was already past two o’clock in the morning in mainland Portugal, when the National Team painted history in motion in Pennsylvania, in the United States. The Quinas team was home to one of the heavyweights of women’s football, surprising everyone and everything and achieving the first victory ever against the second best ranked team in the FIFA rankings.
As in all stories of bravery, the heroines were put to the test. Rose Lavelle, with all the class in the world, finished a venomous quick transition by the Americans, 32 seconds after the opening whistle. Thompson led Macario in the race, the Brazilian-North American forward danced over the Portuguese defense and rolled out the red carpet for the 30-year-old’s opening goal.
The initial blow disoriented the Portuguese team, which only managed to reach the ten minutes of the game losing by two goals because Lavelle, alone, lost the duel against the huge Inês Pereira. Deportivo’s goalkeeper held back the Quinas team and triggered a reaction.
Debutant Carolina Santiago was the offensive reference of the Quinas team, but the baton of every Portuguese move in the opponent’s midfield was on Kika Nazareth’s right foot. The Barcelona creative managed the rhythms, added an artistic note to the Portuguese game idea and was lethal in marking set pieces.
Catarina Amado could have taken advantage of the genius of her former teammate at Benfica to score a goal on two occasions, but she was unable to divert the ball from the path of goalkeeper Tullis-Joyce, in the 24th minute and was inches away from an accidental goal in the 37th minute.
Portugal grew in the game against the reigning Olympic champion, riding on Kika’s creativity. Barcelona’s midfielder put Tatiana Pinto in front of goal with a splendid opening, but Tullis-Joyce was decisive again, in the 40th minute. Following the corner, Portugal still made history.
Kika Nazareth lifted a ball whose tension was relieved by Diana Gomes who wrote a new chapter in the ascending history of the National Team. Benfica’s central defense, through a header in the small area, scored the first ever Portuguese goal against the United States.
In the 13th game, Portugal dodged the North American wall and sealed the draw that occurred at half-time. The United States, who have won 17 of the 20 games they have played under the technical command of Emma Hayes since May 2024, entered the flow in the second half, but the Portuguese mutual help and the attention of Inês Pereira made the difference.
Portugal shook off the North American pressure, began to show offensive boldness after the hour of play and definitely gained comfort in the match, after the departure of Catarina Macario, the home team’s main offensive threat.
The story goes that Portugal had only lost two of the 12 games already played against the USA, but Kika Nazareth and Lúcia Alves were not satisfied with the third draw in history. Barcelona’s creative team scored an excellent corner kick again, the North American defense was unable to relieve it and Fátima Pinto shot a moving penalty into the back of Tullis-Joyce’s net, in the 72nd minute.
The last 20 minutes of the game reflected the mutual help and resilience of the Portuguese team, who in the first game after their disappointing performance in the World Cup, surprised again. Tatiana Pinto was an emergency room, Inês Pereira was a wall and Maísa Correia was the second new character in an Oscar-worthy film.
The final whistle sealed Portugal’s first victory against the United States, the second triumph in ten games played in 2025 and a new glow for a story that has many chapters to tell.
