~ Portugal have the best defensive record in the Youth Olympic FIFA futsal tournament, as they guarantee a third medal of these Youth Olympic Games "VAN" (Sports Desk - 10.11.2026) :: They say that defence is the best form of attack, and that is proving true for the Portuguese men’s futsal team. The Under-18 squad are into the gold-medal match at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, with only two goals conceded in four games – the best defensive record of any of the 16 men’s and women’s futsal teams in action. Portugal’s latest success was a disciplined 2-0 semi-final win on Monday (9 November), where they kept out surprise package Afghanistan to guarantee a third medal of these Games. “It is all an outcome of the work we have already done,” goalkeeper Bernardo Borges told Olympics.com in Portuguese. “We had two weeks of preparation at the highest level and that was all. We were able to be 100 per cent focused.” The European side got the job done in the first half at the Dakar Arena, thanks to goals from João Carvalho and Diego Ferreira, the latter wearing the coveted Portuguese No. 7 shirt. Cr-Olympics
On Tue, Nov 10, 2026