Portugal's standout performer during qualification, 16-year-old forward
Vanessa Malho has further enhanced her reputation in Antalya with a
string of impressive displays.
by Nick Aitken
from Antalya
The
scorer of Portugal's opener in the 2-1 win against Belgium that secured
Equipa das Quinas' historic first appearance at the UEFA European
Women's Under-19 Championship, Vanessa Malho has continued her
impressive form to leave her country on the brink of the semi-finals.
Quick,
skilful and cool under pressure, the forward also showed a willingness
to track back and defend during Portugal's matches against Group A
rivals Turkey and Romania. Furthermore, it was the Vilaverdense FC
player's clever dummy that released Jéssica Silva to create Micas's
winner just before half-time in the latter encounter.
"We moved
the ball about really well against Romania and I played better too,
because I was able to have a bigger impact on the game," she told
UEFA.com on the eve of Portugal's final group match against Denmark,
from which they need a point to qualify. "But there are always areas
where you can improve, and in our next game we need to show a bit more
belief and be prepared to take a few more risks."
Born in Lyon to
Portuguese parents, Malho moved back to Portugal with her family at the
age of four and within a year was already taking her first steps in the
game. "I'll always have a soft spot for France because I was born there,
but I'm Portuguese and I feel 100% Portuguese," said the No8, before
giving her verdict on the Lusitanians' chances of winning the
competition.
"We're not among the favourites, so we're not setting
any targets," she said. "We just want to put in a good performance
against Denmark and, if we qualify, you never know what can happen."
Malho,
with seven U19 caps to her name, is cherishing being on the big stage.
"I try to listen to the advice of the older girls and learn from them,
to hopefully become as good a player as they are," said the 16-year-old.
"It's
a real privilege to be here, representing Portugal at such a high level
and against such strong teams. I know that by the end of this European
Championship I'll be more mature, more experienced and will have grown
as a player and a person."
