By Eniola Olatunji reporting for Patmos Media Line
…China bow to Italy 4-5 on penalties
FORMER U20 Women’s World Cup champion, Spain deported Portugal back to Lisbon with a 2-0 win on the round of 16 match played at Arena Sasnowiec in Poland Wednesday night.
Marisa scored the 1st goal in the 9th minute from Bejarano Noemi pass before Braga (W) Goalkeeper, Nair Pina scored an own goal that sealed it for Spain though Agote Daniella had missed a penalty kick in the 52nd minute after Marta Grego fouled in the box. Portugal played with ten women from the 45+8 minute when Neide Guedes got a straight red card for serious dangerous play.
Spain tormented Portugal dominating play with 16-3 shots at goal with 7-1 on target holding ball possessions of 66-34 and running rings around the Portuguese with 548-81 passes.
The pressure was so much on the Portuguese defence that conceded 1-9 corner kicks, made 14-8 foul calls but despite playing 10 to 11 players, their goalkeeper Nair Pina who scored an own goal save six glaring chances Spain should have scored.
Spain had beaten Nigeria 2-0; walloped New Caledonia 11-0 and outplayed China 3-1 at the group stages. Spain were champions in 2022; Runners up 2018; quarterfinalists twice in 2016 and at the last tournament in 2024 but were ousted at the group stage in 2004. Portugal are debutantes in Poland and never met Spain before.
In the other round of 16 clash, the last missed penalty kick of the shootouts by Shanghai RCB (W) Defender Li Chenyu sent out the Chinese. The Chinese had forced Italy to a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes of play.
Italy scored first through Karen Appiah in the 34th minute but China pressure made Inter Milan FC Goalkeeper, Elena Beilli in goal for Italy score an own goal for the equalizer.
China scored their first four penalty kicks through Ye Tong, Jiaxin Huang, Xinyi Zhou and Yafei Xiao before Chenyu missed her kick. Italy scored all her kicks through Cherubini, Ventrigha, Zamboni, Bressan and Langella.
Spain will meet Brazil on 19th September in the quarterfinals and Argentina will same day play against Italy at the same stage.
Tomorrow at 2.00pm, Nigeria will play England that has never beaten them while at the same time France will meet Canada.
At 5:30pm defending champions North Korea will fight against Japan while hosts Poland will tackle Columbia at the same time.
#FIFA #2026U2OWWORLDCUP
#CAF #CONMEBOL #CONCACAF
#AFC #EUFA #RSFF #FPF
#IFF #CFF #NFF.
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