Women's EURO 2022: Netherlands vs Portugal match facts, stats, ones to watch

Netherlands vs Portugal: Head-to-head

• Holders the Netherlands face Portugal on Matchday 2 in Group C at Leigh Sports Village, with the Selecção aiming to defeat the Oranje for only the second time.
• The teams are level on one point having both shown their resolve to salvage a draw in their Matchday 1 games on 9 July.
• The Oranje, forced into two first-half substitutions either side of Sweden's 36th-minute opener in Sheffield, hit back to earn a point thanks to Jill Roord's crisp finish early in the second half.
• Portugal will be buoyed after making Women's EURO history with their impressive second-half fightback to rescue a draw against Switzerland at Leigh Sports Village. The Selecção found themselves 2-0 down after just five minutes – the earliest two-goal deficit at Women's EURO – got back on level terms thanks to strikes from Diana Gomes (58) and Jéssica Silva (65).
• This is the first encounter between the two at a major tournament, although they did meet in qualifying for both the 2003 and 2015 editions of the FIFA Women's World Cup.
• The last meeting between the sides took place in September 2014 in Venlo in a 2015 World Cup preliminary, with the Dutch hosts eventually securing a 3-2 win thanks to Vivianne Miedema's hat-trick. Jéssica Silva and Laura Luís both scored as Portugal equalised twice, through Jéssica Silva and Laura Luís.
• The Netherlands had won 7-0 in the earlier fixture in the section in Maia in October 2013, Miedema again scoring three times (78, 81, 90+4). Renée Slegers (2, 35), Anouk Dekker (55) and Lieke Martens (63) had put the visitors in control before Miedema came on as a substitute with just over 15 minutes remaining.
• The Netherlands have won the last four matches between the sides in all competitions, scoring 16 goals.
• Portugal's only victory against the Dutch was a 2-1 win in December 2001 in Tábua, in a 2003 World Cup qualifier. Sandra Muller gave the visitors a 14th-minute lead, only for Portuguese substitute Sónia (76, 88) to score turn the game around. The Netherlands would seal first place in the group in the return fixture in Gemert, winning 4-1 in May 2002.
• The Netherlands' record in this fixture overall is W7 L1.
• In 2017 the Netherlands became the fourth nation to lift the UEFA Women's EURO trophy, thanks to a 4-2 comeback victory in the final against Denmark in Enschede. Miedema (10, 89), Martens (28) and Sherida Spitse (51) scored for Sarina Wiegman's side, who had fallen behind to Nadia Nadim's sixth-minute penalty. Pernille Harder (33) had levelled for the Danes at 2-2.
• The Oranje have reached the semi-finals or better in two of their three EURO appearances, losing in extra time to England in the last four as debutants in 2009 before a group stage exit in Sweden after failing to win a match four years later.
• Portugal are appearing at their second EURO final tournament following a group stage exit in 2017. The Selecção's only victory at the finals was their 2-1 Matchday 2 win against Scotland in Rotterdam, but Francisco Neto's squad would go on to be eliminated due to their inferior head-to-head record after a three-way tie for second with the Scots and Spain, who qualified along with Group D winners England.
• The Netherlands clinched their spot at a fourth successive EURO thanks to a flawless qualification campaign, winning all ten of their Group A fixtures to top the section and scoring 48 goals – the joint most in qualifying for EURO 2022 along with Denmark and Spain.
• Portugal, who lost 1-0 on aggregate to Russia in the play-offs, were awarded their place at EURO 2022 on 2 May by the UEFA Executive Committee. The Selecção das Quinas reached the two-legged tie by virtue of their runners-up spot in Group E behind unbeaten Finland, Portugal winning 19 points from a possible 24 despite only scoring ten goals. They dropped points only against Finland, drawing 1-1 at home against the eventual group winners in November 2019 before a 1-0 defeat in Helsinki in February 2021.
• The Netherlands' 1-1 draw against Sweden on 9 July maintained the unbeaten record of every reigning Women's EURO champion in their group stage opener.
• That draw ended the Netherlands' six-game winning run at the tournament, the second-longest in finals history behind Germany's 19.
• The Oranje are unbeaten in their last seven EURO matches, since losing 1-0 against Norway and Iceland in their final two group stage matches at the 2013 edition.
• The Dutch have won just two of their nine Women's EURO encounters outside of the Netherlands (D3 L4) and are without a victory in their last six outings (D3 L3) since their 2-1 Matchday 3 defeat of Denmark in Finland in 2009.
• The Matchday 1 draw with Switzerland made Portugal the first side to avoid defeat in the history of the finals having trailed by two goals at the interval.
• Ana Borges equalled the Portuguese appearance record with her 145th outing for her country against Switzerland, moving level with Carla Couto's landmark.
• Portugal have conceded twice in three of their four Women's EURO matches and are still to keep a clean sheet at the finals.

Ones to watch: Netherlands

Lieke Martens

• The 29-year-old scored the Netherlands' fourth goal in their 7-0 victory against Portugal in October 2013.
• Martens struck three goals as the Netherlands won EURO 2017, her performances securing her the Player of the Tournament award.
• Only England's Jodie Taylor (five) and Oranje team-mate Miedema (four) scored more goals at the 2017 finals than Martens' three.
• The forward joined Paris Saint-Germain on 16 June after five seasons with Barcelona, where she won eight major honours including the 2020/21 UEFA Women's Champions League.

Jill Roord

• The 25-year-old scored the equaliser in the Netherlands' Matchday 1 draw with Sweden on 9 July.
• That was Roord's first start at a Women’s EURO, having come on as substitute three times in the Netherlands' 2017 triumph.
• The midfielder has eight goals in as many outings for the Oranje, a tally that includes two hat-tricks.
• Those eight goals make her the Netherlands' second highest scorer since coach Mark Parsons took charge.

Sherida Spitse

• The 32-year-old was the Netherlands' leading scorer in qualifying for EURO 2022, with ten goals in nine appearances.
• The midfielder struck three goals as the Netherlands won EURO 2017, including one in the 4-2 final victory against Denmark.
• Spitse was one of three players to feature in every minute for the Oranje at EURO 2017, along with Sari van Veenendaal and Anouk Dekker.
• The Ajax player made her 200th appearance for the national side in the 5-1 friendly defeat to England on 24 June, becoming the seventh European player to reach that milestone.

Ones to watch: Portugal

Ana Borges

• The 32-year-old was the only Portugal player to feature in every minute of their qualification campaign for EURO 2022.
• The Sporting CP attacker was ever-present in Portugal's group stage exit in this tournament five years ago in the Netherlands.
• Borges spent three years in England with Chelsea , and was a team-mate of the Netherlands' Jackie Groenen, after joining from Atlético de Madrid in the summer of 2014.
• The forward scored on her debut for the national side, a 2-1 friendly win against Poland in March 2009.

Carole Costa

• The 32-year-old scored the only goal from the penalty spot in Portugal's warm-up friendly win against Greece on 25 June.
• Costa is Portugal's joint-highest scorer in the 2023 World Cup qualification campaign, with three goals.
• The defender is the only Portugal player to have started all eight of their qualifiers ahead of the 2023 World Cup.
• The Benfica centre-back has won the league title in both seasons with the club since joining from Sporting CP in 2020.

Jéssica Silva

• The 27-year-old struck Portugal's first goal in the last meeting between these sides, making it 1-1 in Portugal's eventual 3-2 World Cup qualifying defeat in September 2014.
• Silva scored in the Selecção's first warm-up match ahead of these finals – the 4-0 friendly victory over Greece on 23 June.
• The forward was named in Portugal's initial squad for EURO 2017 in the Netherlands, but was forced to drop out due to an injury sustained in training ahead of the finals.
• The Benfica attacker made her international debut as a substitute in the 1-0 EURO 2013 qualifying home defeat by Austria in November 2011.