Sporting player hopes to shine for Portugal: it would be incredible | OneFootball

The women’s national team leads Group 3 of the UEFA Nations League with four wins, three more than Finland, and has already secured qualification for the playoff for a place at the 2027 World Cup. Carolina Santiago, a Sporting player, spoke on behalf of the Navegadoras and stressed the importance of not easing up in the next two matches, against Latvia and Finland, so as not to lose first place.

“We know we have already secured the World Cup qualifying playoff, but 1st place is important so we can have a more favorable draw in that stage. The group is very united and we all share the same focus and objective. International matches are never easy and we always go in with that mentality. We will stay focused to give our best and achieve our goal, which is to remain in 1st place,” she stressed.

Nominated for the prestigious “Young Promise” award at the 29th Sports Gala, the youngster is keeping her feet on the ground. “Football is my dream, I work every day to achieve these things and I try not to think too much about it or get carried away. But of course I’m very happy with that recognition and I always try to give my best so I can keep reaching my dreams and goals.”

As for her own performances, Carolina Santiago, only 19 years old, is enjoying a breakout season. The forward has scored 15 goals, 12 of them for Sporting in her second season with the senior team — numbers that earned her the award for best young player in Liga BPI.

“It’s about going in calmly, doing my best and, if it happens, I’ll be very happy,” she said, adding that she would like to maintain the level she showed at Sporting.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.