In the 29 previous finals, including the Euro2016, won by the main team, the 'quinas' team won 13 trophies and lost 16, the last one, precisely, against the 'squadra azzurra', by 1-0, just a year ago, in the dispute for the continental under-19 title. The younger generation can now take revenge on the transalpine players and even improve the negative balance between goals scored and conceded (30-31), when they play the final of the European Under-17 Championship, in a match scheduled for Limassol, starting at 18:30 (Lisbon time). Portugal can reinforce its status as the second country with the most titles won in the category (under-16 until 2001), currently with six, as a result of the successes in 1989, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2003 and 2016, having lost only one final, the first it reached, in 1988. To do so, the team coached by João Santos will have to reverse the negative cycle of recent years, since, in addition to the defeat against the Italians in 2023, the national team was also defeated in 2019, against Spain (2-0), in the European Under-19 Championship, and in 2021, against Germany (1-0), in the Under-21 Championship. The most outstanding result of Portuguese football was achieved in Euro2016, thanks to a goal by substitute Éder, in the 109th minute, against the host France, which, at the time, left the balance in a balanced 12-12 between finals won and lost. In the same year, the under-17 team won the European title, breaking a cycle of five consecutive defeats in finals, which included the only one of the main team, which, on July 4, 2004, lost the decisive match of Euro2004 at home, against Greece (0-1). The others happened in the Under-20 World Cup (2-3 after extra time, with Brazil, in Colombia2011), in the Under-21 European Championship (3-4 on penalties, after 120 minutes without goals, against Sweden, in the Czech Republic2015) and two in the Under-19 European Championship. The previous victory dated back to 2003, the year in which the under-17 team won the respective European Championship in Viseu, beating Spain 2-1 in the final. The world junior titles, from 1989 (Riyadh) and 1991 (Lisbon), in finals against Nigeria (2-0) and Brazil (4-2 on penalties, after 120 minutes without goals), respectively, were, until 2016, the greatest Portuguese achievements. In total, and in addition to those two finals (one under-19 and one under-20), Portugal had also won one in the International Junior Tournament, two in the European Under-18 Championship, two in the Under-17 Championship and four in the Under-16 Championship.