Portugal beat France 3-0 to claim the 2025 UEFA European U17 Championship title | OneFootball

Portugal cruised to a comfortable 3-0 victory against France in the final to win the 2025 UEFA European U17 Championship.

Duarte Cunha saw an early chance go begging in Tirana before the Equipa das Quinas broke the deadlock in the 30th minute, Bernardo Lima producing an opportunity for Anísio Cabral that he converted on the second attempt.

Portugal doubled their advantage in the 38th minute when Cabral turned provider, heading the ball over the French defence where Cunha broke into the box and beat Ilan Jourdren.

Bino Maçães’ side took an unassailable 3-0 lead in the 60th minute thanks in large part to Lima, the midfielder winning the ball and assisting Gil Neves who beat Jourdren from a tight angle.

Portugal claimed their third U17 Championship following success in 2003 and 2016, adding to the four titles won when it was an U16 tournament.

Fast start

Portugal had a fantastic chance to go ahead in the 2nd minute, Duarte Cunha robbing Lucas Batbedat before a heavy touch in the box allowed Ilan Jourdren to come off his line and claim the ball. Mateus Mide played a 1-2 with Anísio Cabral before firing straight at Jourdren.

The Equipa das Quinas were the superior side and made it count in the 30th minute. Cunha's cross was cleared to the edge of the box where Bernardo Lima pounced and headed the ball to Anisio Cabral, the striker seeing his shot blocked by Abdoulaye Camara before converting the second attempt.

Portugal scored again in the 38th minute following a long ball played out of defence. There didn’t appear to be any danger but Cabral had other ideas, heading the ball over the top to Cunha who held off Hermann Diandaga and beat Jourdren from close range.

Portugal too good

The dominance continued after the break, Daniel Banjaqui releasing Cabral who got to the byline and went close. Bino Maçães made a triple substitution in the 58th minute when Mateus Mide, Steven Manuel and Cabral made way for Yoan Pereira, Gil Neves and Tomás Soares.

The contest was essentially over two minutes later. Bernardo Lima produced a great tackle to dispossess Camara before threading the ball through to Neves, the substitute trying his luck from a tight angle and squeezing the ball through Jourdren.

Lionel Rouxel immediately introduced Ilyas Azizi and Believe Munongo for Camara and Djibril Coulibaly, Maçães responding by bringing on Ricardo Neto for Cunha.

Soares created a chance for Quintas who saw his shot saved, Maçães making his final substitution in the 77th minute when Lima made way for Santiago Verdi. Yoan Pereira and Paul Eymard hit the post in the closing stages but the attention had already turned to the title celebrations.

Impressive victory

Portugal had gone close to winning the European U17 Championship in recent years, suffering a penalty shootout defeat to France in the 2022 semi-finals and losing 3-0 against Italy in the 2024 final. They were on the brink twice this year, scoring two late goals to get past Germany in the group stage and being a penalty away from being eliminated against Italy in semi-final shootout.

Getting past Italy was a significant achievement, the Italians' defending their title and the only team to win all three group games in Albania. The final was a one sided affair with France second best from start to finish and never threatening Romário Cunha, star striker Djylian N'Guessan hardly touching the ball.

Bino Maçães made six changes to the side that started in the 4-0 win against Albania and never looked back, selecting the same starting XI for the final four games. The manager got his tactics and substitutions spot on with credit due to the entire coaching team.

Captain Rafael Quintas won the best player of the tournament award and Tomás Soares bagged three goals, Portugal's top scorer without starting a single match. The Albanian campaign will be remembered for the cohesiveness and team effort rather than relying on standout individuals.

The players showed maturity, poise and most of all humility, a real collective effort to highlight the spirit of this group that will now go on to contest the 2025 FIFA U17 World Cup in Qatar from 3 to 27 November. Força.

Quotes

Bino Maçães: “I want to congratulate my players. They had a fantastic tournament. We can think of a lot of things, we have good ideas, but if they can't put them into practice, nothing will happen.

“I don't think there's anyone who doesn't think Tomás Soares should be a starter, but we have to make decisions based on the players' characteristics. It would be unfair for those who played all the games to be substituted in the final.

“I believe in everyone, they're all part of this great journey. Those who came on decided the games, the others tired out their opponents and we exploited that. Their attitude dignified Portugal.

“We've had a long road and it hasn't always been easy. But they've been growing and this was proof of that. I'd like them to start moving up the ranks, because we have a lot of talent. The higher up they are, the better they'll understand the game.

“We haven't had any rest in this European Championship, but we have a long road ahead of us. We have to think about the World Cup that we're going to have. We'll take it game by game, without fear of our opponents, and try to do what we want to do.”

Duarte Cunha: “We know that winning a European Championship can give us a leap in our career, but we have to seize the moment. The rest is the future. I don't know how to explain this moment. There are no words and I will keep it for the rest of my life.”

Bernardo Lima: “I have no words to describe this moment. The happiest moment of my life. Very few believed in us, but we managed to win this title.”

Rafael Quintas: “It's always great to have this title (Best Player of Euro 2017), but without all these guys, players and staff, I wouldn't have won this award. We managed to have the ball, score goals and now it's time to celebrate. I dedicate it to my family and friends. It's a dream of mine and my grandfather who is excited and proud.”

Anísio Cabral: “Unforgettable feeling, we have worked hard in these years. This team deserves it a lot. I still haven't understood the weight of this achievement, but over the next few hours I will.”

Martim Chelmik: “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. We're thinking about celebrating, I'll cherish this moment forever. I'll never be European Under-17 champion again.

“I couldn't be more grateful for everything that's happening. The thought of thinking this would never happen... Being European champion is every kid's dream. I couldn't be more proud of this group and our work.”

Line Ups

France (4-4-2): Ilan Jourdren, Kyllian Antonio, Hermann Malonga, Emmanuel Mbemba, Lucas Batbedat (Tom Raini 85’); Rudy Matondo (Sanah Camara 78’), Paul Eymard, Abdoulaye Camara (Believe Munongo 61’), Rémi Himbert (Christ Batola 78’); Djibril Coulibaly (Ilyas Azizi 61’), Djylian N'Guessan

Unused substitutes: Léo Paul Bouyer, Elikya Legros, David Boly, Milan Leccese

Portugal (4-4-2): Romário Cunha; Daniel Banjaqui, Martim Chelmik, Mauro Furtado, José Neto; Duarte Cunha (Ricardo Neto 67’), Rafael Quintas (Santiago Verdi 77’), Bernardo Lima, Stevan Manuel (Yoan Pereira 58’); Mateus Mide (Gil Neves 68’), Anísio Cabral (Tomás Soares 58’)

Goals