OEIRAS, Portugal (Interstat) — A second-half substitute provided the decisive moment as Portugal U19 began its UEFA U19 Championship qualification campaign with a 1-0 victory over North Ireland U19 on Sunday.

The match, played at Cidade do Futebol, was a defensive struggle far closer than pregame projections. Interstat’s game simulator had predicted a 4-1 Portugal win, but the lone goal came in the 81st minute. Substitute Joana Valente scored the winner, finishing an assist from midfielder Emily Cassap, who received a yellow card on the same play.

The result gives Portugal a winning start in Group 7 of the European qualifiers, moving its record to 1-0-0. North Ireland falls to 0-1-0 after the narrow road defeat.