This 25th edition of the Algarve Cup has been surprising. After the very nice surprise of the host country, Portugal, who finishes third beating Australia (2-1), it is the grand final that has reserved an unpredictable outcome. The Portuguese weather has made its own, and the ground being flooded the two teams could not decide between them.


Due to impractical terrain, the final between the Netherlands and Sweden had to be canceled. An unprecedented decision in the annual Portuguese tournament, which brings the two teams to share the title.

Neto, voted best player of the tournament


Author of his best tournament in 25 years, Portugal concludes in the best way by taking the third place in front of Australia. And if Portugal does not win the title, the captain of the Seleçao Claudia Neto gets her the trophy of the best player of the tournament.

In the pool match, the two teams were separated on a draw and blank. This time, against the 4th FIFA nation - as a reminder, the Seleçao is 38th - the Portuguese won 2-1. Many places separate them in the FIFA rankings, but on the ground it was not so. Even if it is the Matildas who make the best start to match with Chloe Logarzo and Tameka Butt very active.


Cooper at fault, then decisive


The clearest opportunity for Australians will come from this shot on the crossbar Elise Kellond-Knight (32). But it is the Portuguese who will open the score four minutes later. Nadia Gomes intercepts a pass from Caitlin Cooper to Lydia Williams, too short, and manages to push the ball towards goals. The Australian defender catches up with her error of inattention just before the break, equalizing. Cooper ends his head on a good Kellond-Knight ball and sends the two teams back to the locker room.

In the second half, Portugal will come back with even more envy. Diana Silva will miss the 2-1 on a beautiful pass from Jessica Silva (52), but this is only part discount. The Iberians will quickly take the lead with this shot by Vanessa Marques (56th). Diana Silva, voted best Portuguese player of the tournament, inherits the ball in the surface, but well encircled it goes back to Marques which triggers then a tense and crossed shot which fuse at the flush of the right post of Williams. The door of the Matildas dives on the right side but is beaten.

Jessica Silva will miss the break for Portugal, losing her face-to-face with Williams (72). An opportunity to aggravate the score that could have been expensive at the end of the meeting, since the players of Francisco Neto will concede a penalty after a foul on Samantha Kerr. Emily van Egmond is in charge of the shoot, but Inês Pereira goes on the good side and stops him (85th). A decisive stop that will allow local to climb on the third step of the podium.


Canada takes fifth place


Finalist of the two previous editions, Canada takes the best of Japan by winning 2-0 in the match for fifth place. Two Canadian goals that are the result of the nervous excitement of the Japanese. First, on a center of Janine Beckie, the ball seems blocked by the hand in the surface, the referee does not whistle. The Japanese seem to stop playing for a while, but not Janine Beckie. The ball comes back to her, and she takes the opportunity to find the left corner of Ayaka Yamashita. of a sublime wound wound (20th).

In the second half Ashley Lawrence will allow Canada to take the break. The player of Paris Saint-Germain recovers a ball at the entrance of the surface. She loses it, then pulls out to finally propel him in the goals before it is cleared by Saki Kumagai (50th). The Japanese goalkeeper was then out of goal to try to intercept the ball, leaving her cage empty.

In the additional time Nadeshiko get a penalty, after a foul by Canadian goalkeeper Stéphanie Labbé. An opportunity for Mina Tanaka to narrow the gap. But Labbé will divert the ball with the foot and, supplemented by its crossbar, allow his team to keep the score as is. Like last year Japan finished in 6th place.

South Korea - Norway canceled at half-time


The kickoff had been given between South Korea and Norway in the match for seventh place. But with the rain and the ground getting worse and worse, the Portuguese organizers in common with both teams decided to stop the game at half-time, mainly for security reasons. There was then 0-0 between the two teams, Norway having been denied the opener. The referee thought there was a Norwegian foul on a South Korean defender. With this stoppage of the match, the two teams share this seventh place.


Another meeting planned at the same time, that for the ninth place between Iceland and Denmark. The rain was still surprise surprise, but the match could go to the end. After a draw (1-1) with a first Danish goal of Sanne Troelsgaard-Nielsen (63) and an equalizer of Hlin Eiriksdottir (70), it is the Icelanders who will win on penalties 5-4, in missing none of their attempts. After finishing third in the previous edition of the Algarve, the Danish finalist of Euro 2017 will have had some difficulties in this 25th edition and therefore leaves Portugal in 10th position.

Finally, in the match for eleventh place, it is China who wins 2-1 against Russia. Despite a first half where they dominated, the Chinese were led to score following a goal by Sofiya Shishkina at the end of the period (41). But China reacted after the break to finally win with goals from Liu Shanshan (53) and Duan Song (79).

Algarve Cup 2018 - The final standings:

1st (ex-aequo): Netherlands / Sweden

3rd: Portugal

4th: Australia

5th: Canada

6th: Japan

7th: South Korea / Norway

9th: Iceland

10th: Denmark

11th: China

12th: Russia


=> Algarve Cup 2018 - Program & Results