England’s women’s national football team kicked off their UEFA Women’s Nations League campaign with a frustrating 1-1 draw against Portugal at Estádio Municipal de Portimão on February 21, 2025. Despite a promising start, the Lionesses were unable to secure all three points, as Portugal mounted a late comeback.
Early Lead for England
The match began with England displaying their usual attacking intent. Sarina Wiegman’s side found the breakthrough in the 15th minute when Alessia Russo converted a well-placed cross from Lucy Bronze. The early goal seemed to set the tone for England to dominate proceedings, as they controlled possession and created several promising opportunities.
Portugal’s Resilience
However, despite England’s first-half dominance, Portugal grew into the game as the match progressed. Their defensive resilience kept the scoreline manageable, allowing them to remain in contention. In the 75th minute, substitute Kika Nazareth stunned England with a superb finish, looping a shot over goalkeeper Mary Earps to level the game. The equalizer shifted the momentum, with Portugal gaining confidence and forcing England to defend in the closing stages.
Missed Opportunities for England
England had several chances to reclaim the lead, but a combination of missed opportunities and strong goalkeeping from Portugal denied them. Manager Sarina Wiegman acknowledged after the match that while England started strong, they needed to be more clinical in front of goal and adapt better to their opponents’ tactical changes.
Looking Ahead
The result leaves England with work to do as they prepare for their next fixture against Spain at Wembley Stadium on February 26. The Lionesses will need to regroup and find ways to convert their dominance into victories if they are to progress further in the tournament.
Portugal, on the other hand, will take great confidence from their performance, proving they can compete against Europe’s top sides. Their next challenge will be to build on this result and continue their positive start in the competition.
With the group stage still in its early days, both teams remain in contention, but England will feel they have missed an opportunity to start with a win. Their upcoming clash with Spain will be crucial in determining their fate in the UEFA Women’s Nations League.