Portugal v Romania play-off: dates, venues

The dates and venues for the UEFA Women's EURO 2017 play-off between Portugal and Romania have been confirmed.

Both sides are seeking a major tournament debut after finishing second in their qualifying groups but not ending among the six runners-up with the best record against the top four in their respective sections. In a draw last Friday, Portugal were picked out to stage the first leg.

First leg: Friday 21 October, Estádio do Restelo, Lisbon
Second leg: Tuesday 25 October, Stadionul Dr. Constantin Rădulescu, Cluj

Belenenses' Restelo staged the 2014 UEFA Women's Champions League final while the second-leg venue is the home of former UEFA Champions League contenders CFR Cluj. The final tournament draw takes place in Rotterdam on 8 November. The finals in the Netherlands run from 16 July to 6 August.

Already qualified: Netherlands (hosts), Germany (holders), Austria, Belgium, Denmark, England, France, Iceland, Italy, Norway, Russia, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland

©FPF

Play-off guide

• Both these teams upset the odds to reach the play-offs, the only countries from outside the top two seeding tiers to earn a top-two finish in their groups (Romania were in Pot 3, ranking 22nd, and Portugal in Pot 4, ranking 26th).

• The key result for Portugal (who lost three of their first four Group 2 fixtures) was a 3-2 win over Finland on 16 September, with Cláudia Neto's hat-trick overturning a 2-0 deficit. That took them within three points of second spot and they snatched it on head-to-head record after a 1-0 victory in the Republic of Ireland – secured by Neto's 78th-minute goal – aligned with Finland (veteran of every final tournament since 2005) losing 5-0 in Spain.

• Romania made sure of the runners-up slot in Group 3 by beating Ukraine 2-1 in their penultimate game; although they then signed off with a 4-0 thrashing of Greece, they were pipped to automatic qualification by Russia after the latter's 5-0 success against Croatia.

©FRF

• Whoever qualifies will make it five debutants in the expanded 16-team finals alongside Austria, Belgium, Scotland and Switzerland.

• Portugal previously contested the play-off for the finals of 2001 (losing 3-0 in Italy before winning the home second leg 1-0) and 1997 (succumbing 12-1 on aggregate to Denmark).

• Romania are within a play-off of a women's final tournament for the first time.

• The two nations have met twice before, both times at the Algarve Cup in Parchal – drawing 0-0 in 2010 and 1-1 the following year, Edite Fernandes's 41st-minute opener cancelled out five minutes from time by Ştefania Vătafu.

©Sportsfile

• Portugal have qualified for two female youth tournaments – the 2011/12 UEFA European Women's Under-19 Championship, where they got to the semi-finals, and the 2013/14 UEFA European Women's U17 Championship.

•  Romania have played in just one women's final tournament at any level – the 2012 WU19 EURO, where they lost 1-0 in the group stage to Portugal, who pipped them to the last four.

• That is the only victory for any Portugal team in a women's final tournament, Micas scoring the goal.