August 1st 2023.
Ana Capeta was inches away from making history when her shot rebounded off the post in stoppage time during Tuesday's Women's World Cup match between Portugal and the United States. The Portugal striker was the width of the post away from knocking out the defending champions.
Having already achieved the dream of competing in the World Cup, Capeta was itching to spoil the United States' Netflix series. She was disappointed but still proud of her team's performance.
"It was by mere centimetres that we didn't make another dream come true," said Capeta. "We had already achieved the biggest dream of all football players by being the first Portuguese team to play at the Women's World Cup. I think we were competent and deserved more, not only for what we did today but also for what we produced in all three matches."
The United States were surprisingly nervous throughout the match, despite having 56% of the possession. Capeta felt that her team could have reversed the roles in the Netflix series had they won.
"Honestly, I ended up not even seeing my shot because I fell to the ground and only saw the ball bounce off the post," she said. "Every time I take to the field and take a shot I'm dreaming. I dreamed that we could make history and eliminate the United States in the group stage for the first time."
Capeta added that the Portuguese team more than made up for their lack of technique and tactics with spirit and desire. She was proud of their performance and hopeful that this would be the first of many World Cups for her team.
The United States scraped through as runners-up and will likely face Sweden in the next round, while Netherlands progressed as group winners after a thumping 7-0 win over Vietnam.
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