Spain 5 Portugal 0
July 3 – With an imperious display, world champions Spain waltzed past neighbours Portugal at the Wankdorff Stadion in Bern, winning 5-0 to back up their status as tournament favourites.
Spain have arrived in Switzerland and how. They are the team to beat – that’s the logical conclusion to draw after their masterclass in a mammoth victory against Portugal. The 90 minutes had all the hallmarks of Spanish greatness: possession, passing and positioning. The result was a goal feast and moments of beauty. The rest of the field has been warned.
Yet, the evening had started solemnly with a moment of silence following the death of former-Liverpool player Diogo Jota and his brother, but the Portuguese team were given no time to reflect. Spain showed why they are the world champions and scored with their first attack of the match in the second minute.
Olga Carmona took route one with a diagonal and with the perfect centre-forward play, Esther Gonzalez controlled the ball expertly and stabbed it home. Portugal were two down by the seventh minute. This time, Vicky Lopez stretched every sinew of her body to tap home a Mariona Caldentey assist from the right.
The Portuguese team huddled to regroup and their fans behind the goal chanted in encouragement, but Portugal struggled to clear their lines and Spain constantly recycled the ball to monopolise possession. Life was all too easy for Montse Tome’s team. In the 41st minute, Alexia Putellas, the captain, slalomed her way through the Portuguese defence to burry Spain’s third. Her team then scored a simple fourth when Gonzales finished a rebound from a yard out after Claudia Pina’s attempt ricocheted off the woodwork.
Four goals up at the break and Spain were simply relentless. After the second minute, the result had never been in doubt. Such was La Roja’s dominance that the Portuguese could not get out of their own half as the Spanish toyed with their opponents. At times, the match had the trappings of a practice session with Spain’s dizzying passing and speed of execution leaving Portugal on the back foot, constantly chasing the ball, constantly chasing shadows.
Spain failed to find the net again until added time in the second half, but Aitana Bonmati’s brief run-out lifted the team’s spirits even more. Back to fitness following a bout of meningitis, the number six came on in the 82nd minute to an ovation and delivered an inch-perfect assist that Cristina Martin-Prieto, failed to convert. With the last act of the game, the number 16 however made amends wrapping up Spain’s victory with a fifth goal when she powered home a downward header.
Belgium, La Roja’s second opponent, are unlikely to offer too much resistance following a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Italy. Spain’s true test will arrive in the knockout stages when Germany, England and France, the other main contenders, could cross their path. All three are yet to open their campaigns in Switzerland, but they will have taken note of Thursday’s result.
Spain’s performance was vintage, with Bonmati restricted to a cameo. Before kickoff, the Spain substitutes did a rondo for 15 minutes and Bonmati wasn’t in the middle once. That’s how good she is. Who then is going to stop Spain?
| Grp B | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 |
| Italy | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Belgium | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Portugal | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
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