Quentin Merlin and Portugal's defender Rodrigo Pinheiro vie for the ball
Group C heavy-hitters Portugal and France played out a tense 0-0 draw on matchday one of the 2025 UEFA European U21 Championships, as Rui Jorge’s side avoided a third successive defeat with an assured display in Trencin.
In a first meeting between the two heavyweight nations since 2011, it was Portugal who edged a cagey opening quarter-hour, with Roger Fernandes seeing a dangerous effort blocked and Tiago Tomas firing straight at Guillaume Restes from the edge of the box.
Esperancas continued to threaten as the first half progressed, but the lively Fernandes spurned a glorious opportunity to break the deadlock, blazing wastefully over the bar from close range.
Having won all three of their warm-up friendlies prior to the tournament – including an eye-catching 5-3 victory over England – France unsurprisingly grew into the contest with the break approaching.
Les Bleuets thought they’d been awarded a penalty when Rafael Rodrigues hacked down Matthis Abline, only for VAR to adjudge that the foul took place narrowly outside the area.
Portugal - France match stats
Gerald Baticle’s side carried their improvement into the early stages of the second period, with Kiliann Sildillia and Ismael Doukoure both missing the target when well-placed in the box. Chances continued to flow for France as time ticked into the final half-hour, but Samuel Soares stood firm in the Portuguese goal, thwarting substitute Thierno Barry and Mathys Tel in quick succession.
The contest remained finely poised heading into the closing stages, with Tel seeing another effort saved by Soares, while at the other end, Restes comfortably dealt with Paulo Bernardo’s tame strike.
Despite another late opportunity for France through Johann Lepenant, a match-winner ultimately proved to be elusive as both sides kicked off the tournament with a hard-fought point, setting themselves up nicely in Group C alongside Poland and Georgia.
Meanwhile, in the other game in Group C, Vasilios Gordeziani scored a 94th-minute winner for Georgia to see off Poland in a 2-1 win.
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[(Rangers F.C.) Strength]: 1. Playing at home this time, Rangers F.C. will do their utmost to win and gain an advantage in advancing, so their fighting spirit is beyond doubt.2. James Tavernier performed outstandingly in the last game. He scored a goal shortly after the game started, helping his team take the lead over their opponents for a while.3. In a recent domestic league match, Rangers F.C. ...
[(FC Machida Zelvia) Strength]: 1. FC Machida Zelvia are on a 7-game winning streak, showing strong recent form.2. FC Machida Zelvia scored 12 goals in the last 5 games, averaging over 2 goals per game, which revealed full attack.3. FC Machida Zelvia conceded 2 goals in the last 5 games, with an average of less than 1 goal per game, indicating outstanding defense.[(FC Machida Zelvia) Neutral]: 1. ...
[(FC Dynamo Kyiv) Strength]: 1. Mykola Shaparenko and Vladyslav Vanat both notched 1 goal and 1 assist in the last 2 games, showing their good shape.2. FC Dynamo Kyiv won 1-0 over Veres Rivne in the last Ukrainian Premier League game, starting the new season's league with a win.3. FC Dynamo Kyiv won 6-0 over Hamrun Spartans F.C. in two legs in the last Champions League round, advancing smoothly.4....
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[(FC Rubin Kazan) Strength]: 1. FC Rubin Kazan have had a decent start to the new season, remaining unbeaten after two league matches and one Russian Cup game, achieving a record of two wins and one draw.2. FC Rubin Kazan have shown a stable offensive performance at the start of the new season, scoring two goals in each of their last three matches.3. FC Rubin Kazan have performed steadily at home....
[(Hearts) Strength]: 1. Hearts are motivated to start with a win in this home game.2. Hearts won 3-0 over Sunderland A.F.C. in the last warm-up game. They also kept all wins in the previous 4 Cup games, showing decent form.3. Hearts won the last 5 home games, revealing high scoring efficiency and outstanding home performances.4. Hearts scored 19 goals and conceded one in the last 5 games, boasting...
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[(IFK Goteborg) Strength]: 1. IFK Goteborg scored 3 goals from open play in the last league game, with each goal scored by a different player, showcasing their multiple scorers on offense.[(IFK Goteborg) Neutral]: 1. IFK Goteborg had BTTS in 3 of the previous 4 games, showing a high likelihood of goals from both ends lately.2. IFK Goteborg got 2 wins and 2 losses in the previous 4 home games, reve...
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