Portugal blow Austria away in quarter-finals
Saturday, May 14, 2016
Article summary
Portugal 5-0 Austria
José Gomes doubled his total of goals in Baku with a hat-trick as Hélio Sousa's team gave a stunning display in the first quarter-final.
Article top media content
Article body
- Portugal too good for Austria in the first quarter-final of 2016 U17 EURO
- Finals top scorer José Gomes takes his tally to six with a hat-trick
- Hélio Sousa's side have not conceded a goal at the tournament in Baku
- Mesaque Dju taps in the fourth; Miguel Luis's drive makes it 5-0 late on
- Portugal will play Sweden or the Netherlands in the last four on Wednesday
José Gomes scored a hat-trick as imperious Portugal surged into the UEFA European Under-17 Championship semi-finals.
The match was over as a contest inside 18 minutes after Gomes had converted a penalty, awarded for handball by Lukas Malicsek, and headed in a delivery from Mesaque Dju, who had outstripped Dario Maresic down the right.
The Benfica forward completed his treble with a glancing header from Rúben Vinagre's free-kick. Mesaque finished off João Filipe's floated cross, before substitute Miguel Luis powered in the fifth from Gedson Fernandes's corner to the edge of the box.
Another early setback
Beaten 4-0 here by Germany on Wednesday – when they were behind even earlier – Austria needed a steady start, to gain a foothold in the match. What they got was the opposite. They were chasing the game after only seven minutes. It was not long before it was over altogether.
José Gomes strikes again
The No9 is fast becoming the player of the finals. A scorer of seven goals in the 2015/16 UEFA Youth League, the Guinea-Bissau-born striker is now up to 11 for the season in this competition after his hat-trick took his tally to six in four appearances in Azerbaijan.
Quick out of the blocks
Portugal were relentless in the game's formative stages, pressing high up the field and snapping at their opponents' heals. How they were rewarded. Austria never got a second's peace.
Watertight Portugal
Portugal have kept four successive clean sheets in Baku. Marshalled by the classy Diogo Queirós and Diogo Leite, they have rarely looked like being breached such has been their superiority.
Reaction
Hélio Sousa, Portugal coach
No [we are not the favourites]. We are just the first of four teams that will make it to the next stage. It will be difficult to repeat what we've been doing, but we will try.
Andreas Heraf, Austria coach
That is the difference, the quality of these teams. Bosnia and Herzegovina and Ukraine are sides we can defeat; Germany and Portugal are on a higher level than us. We had no chance.