Soccer-Portugal's Seica hails fans after battling draw with Italy
After suffering a 5-0 loss to world champions Spain in their Group B opener in Bern on Thursday, Portugal would have been forgiven for being low on confidence heading into the clash with Italy.
Not so their fans, and the drums of the Navegadoras pounded across the Stade de Geneve long before kickoff while chants and cheers urging the players to resist the Italians continued until the final whistle.
"Our fans are amazing," Seica, who was an unused substitute, told Reuters after the game. "Even in the warm up, they're already there. They're already making noise ... it's what keeps us going until the 90th minute."
The Portuguese players responded to the cacophony of support with a performance of true grit as they held back wave after wave of Italian attacks.
"In this game, we came in a lot harder. We won more duels, something that we needed to improve, and it was shown on the pitch that we fought for it," Seica said.
Goalkeeper Patricia Morais roared in relief to the crowd after making a save just before halftime but she was unable to stop Cristiana Girelli's beautiful, curling finish in the 70th minute that looked to have sent Italy into the quarter-finals.
Portugal and their fans had other ideas.
Diana Silva's header hit the back of the net in the 80th minute only to be disallowed for offside but, with only a minute left on the clock, the Portuguese fans exploded in delight as Diana Gomes equalised.
"We kept pushing, we kept our heart. That's what we are known for ... and we got that goal," said Seica.
The drums are sure to pounding again in Sion on Friday when Portugal face an already eliminated Belgium, looking for the victory they need to have a chance of staying in the tournament.
(Reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin, editing by Nick Mulvenney and Peter Rutherford)
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