Portugal triumphed over France, clinching the title of European champion.

Portugal Wins European Championship in Thrilling Final

In a historic night for Portuguese roller hockey, the national team clinched the European Championship title in Paredes, Portugal, defeating France 4-1. This victory marks Portugal's 22nd European title in the category and ends a six-year wait since their last triumph in 2016.

The match started with a promising beginning for Portugal as Rafa Bessa scored the opening goal at the 14th minute, followed by Alvarinho's goal at the 19th minute, both capitalising on France's ten fouls. Gonçalo Alves added a third goal for Portugal at the 29th minute of the second half, securing a comfortable lead for the home team.

France struggled to regain control after Portugal's third goal, with their offensive impetus stifled by the Portuguese defence. Despite opportunities to reduce the deficit in the last two minutes, France was reduced to four units due to a blue card given to Luís Querido for a foul inside the area.

Portugal, now playing with a numerical inferiority, held on to their lead, with Xano Endo making crucial saves during the penalty kick taken by Rémi Herman to prevent France from scoring. Gonçalo Alves scored the fourth and final goal for Portugal in a penalty kick sequence resulting from a foul by Bruno Di Benedetto on Rafa Bessa in the area.

The starting five for Portugal included Xano Edo, Zé Miranda, Rafa, Gonçalo Alves, and Hélder Nunes, under the guidance of coach Paulo Freitas. The team had previously played two other finals in Paredes, but this was their first victory in the city.

The victory was made even sweeter as Portugal broke the home curse by winning the European Championship in Paredes, having lost the last two home finals. This triumph also marks the third European champion title for the Portuguese women's roller hockey national team, with Oriol Manzanero as their coach.

The national roller hockey team of Portugal will undoubtedly return home as heroes, having won the European Championship in a thrilling final against France. The team's determination, skill, and resilience shone through in their victory, making this a night to remember for Portuguese roller hockey fans.