2025 UEFA Under-17 EURO final report: France 0-3 Portugal

Portugal have have won the UEFA European Under-17 Championship for the third time thanks to a dominant display against France in Tirana, taking a 2-0 half-time lead through Anísio Cabral and Duarte Cunha before Gil Neves struck their third.

Match in brief: Portugal take command

Both teams named unchanged sides from their semi-final victories and Portugal made the brighter start, Mateus Mide finding his range from just outside the penalty area. With half an hour gone, Anísio Cabral then opened the scoring with his second goal of the finals, firing in at the second attempt after Bernardo Lima's header reached the forward in front of goal.

The team who knocked out holders Italy on penalties in the semis had all three attempts between the finalists before the break, scoring a scintillating second when Anísio Cabral turned provider to nod a long ball from Romário Cunha on for Duarte Cunha, who held off Hermann Diandaga to surge inside the box and fire past advanced goalkeeper Ilan Jourdren.

Anísio Cabral celebrates the opening goalUEFA via Getty Images

Tomás Soares had been the supreme impact substitute of the tournament by scoring three times off the bench, but this time it was Gil Neves who struck two minutes after coming on, coolly slotting in after Bernardo Lima had won a tackle on the left and spotted the Benfica midfielder's clever run.

France almost replied when Antonio's close-range shot from a tight angle was kept out by a smart save by Romário Cunha, and Paul Eymard fired against the woodwork from distance after Jourdren had palmed a Yoan Pereira effort against the post at the other end. Ultimately, though, Portugal had done enough to end a nine-year wait for the trophy in swaggering style.

Key stats

• Portugal added a third U17 title to their list of honours after triumphing in 2003 and 2016. They also claimed four titles in the predecessor U16 tournament, with only Spain, on nine, winning more combined than Portugal's seven.
• France had been looking to secure their fourth crown at this level. This was their fourth final defeat.
• Three goals took Portugal one clear of France as the 2025 tournament's top scorers with 11 goals.
• In total, 54 goals were scored at the 2025 finals, beating the record for an eight-team U17 tournament of 52, set in 2004.
• Italy's Samuele Inacio finished as the tournament's top scorer on five goals, one ahead of France's Djylian Nguessan and England's Alejandro Rodriguez.

Reaction 

Bino, Portugal coach: "We knew France had very fast wingers and were always getting lots of players into the box and we prepared a strategy that worked well. More importantly, it was interpreted very well by my players – that was the key. It's an incredible feeling to win this tournament with an excellent performance from my players. We faced great teams and, to become European champions as we did, we had to show great consistency."

Anísio Cabral, Portugal forward: "It's an unforgettable experience. The team worked so hard to achieve this. We deserve it a lot. The feeling can't be described. The goal was about resilience; the team always believed. [Bernardo] Lima headed it and I scored. That’s teamwork. The assist was rehearsed; we worked on that. Portugal is a very hard-working country that, little by little, is winning a lot more. I believe we're going to take on the world."

Martim Chelmik, Portugal defender: "It's a huge source of pride – I never thought it would be possible. We gave our all every day and today was the reward we deserved. I'll cherish this moment forever. I'll never be a European U17 champion again. I couldn't be more grateful for everything that's happening. Being a European champion is every kid's dream, and I couldn't be more proud of this group and our work."

Lionel Rouxel, France coach: "I'm very proud of the players for giving everything and for their attitude and behaviour. We committed mistakes and paid a high price. Having said that, we came up against a very good Portugal side – we knew they were. We're mainly very disappointed for the players, but I think we've had a very decent run. They've lived up to their expectations, qualities and hopes in this tournament. We came up against a better Portugal side than us tonight."

Line-ups

France: Jourdren; Antonio, Diandaga, Mbemba, Batbedat (Raiani 84); Matondo (S. Camara 77), Eymard, A. Camara (Munongo 61), Coulibaly (Azizi 61); Himbert (Batola 77), Nguessan

Portugal: Romário Cunha; Daniel Banjaqui, Martim Chelmik, Mauro Furtado, José Neto; Mateus Mide (Gil Neves 58), Rafael Quintas, Bernardo Lima (Santiago Verdi 77); Duarte Cunha (Ricardo Neto 67), Anísio Cabral (Tomás Soares 58), Stevan Manuel (Yoan Pereira 58)