Portugal put faith in team prowess

Nélson Oliveira paid tribute to Portugal's collective will after opening the scoring in what was an ultimately comfortable victory against Italy on the opening day of action at the UEFA European Under-19 Championship.

The Rio Ave FC forward applied the finishing touch to an incisive break from right-back Cédric six minutes into the second half in Mondeville, giving Portugal a lead from which Italy never recovered and leaving Ilídio Vale's team well placed to reach the semi-finals for the first time since losing to the Azzurrini in the 2003 final. "We started well and completely deserved to win," Oliveira told UEFA.com. "We got our reward for what we did on the pitch, so we are all to be congratulated."

The 18-year-old was keen to emphasise the victory had been achieved by teamwork rather than the efforts of individuals, explaining: "I think I played well, but even more important than the personal achievement is the collective achievement. Our whole team was good, and we were able to play our football. We showed a lot of unity and put in a lot of work, because that makes those individual qualities which every team has come out."

Following Nélson Oliveira's opener, Sérgio Oliveira effectively made the points safe for Portugal just past the hour with a thunderous effort from distance, although the FC Porto midfielder echoed his team-mate's description of the win as a collective effort, adding: "We're a very strong side and we give our maximum. Europe's eight best teams are here; any of them can beat any other, and we're not the favourites – there are several other teams who are. We're here to compete and give our all."

Next up for Portugal is an Iberian derby against neighbours Spain in Saint-Lo on Wednesday afternoon, a fixture Nélson Oliveira is relishing. "It'll be a tough game, but then all matches at this tournament are difficult because of the standard of the competition. The first match is history – we won it but now we're thinking about Spain."