SCU Torreense Women produced a disciplined, clinical away performance to beat Metalist 1925 Women 2-1 in the UEFA Women's Europa League on Wednesday, 23 September 2026, taking all three points from a contest that stayed in the balance until the closing stages.

The Portuguese side led early, were pegged back by a determined Ukrainian response shortly after the interval, and then found the decisive goal with just over ten minutes remaining. It was a result built on patience and ruthlessness in equal measure, and one that strengthens Torreense's position in the competition while leaving Metalist 1925 Women to reflect on a night of promising football and an unforgiving scoreline.

Match overview

• Competition: UEFA Women's Europa League
• Date: Wednesday, 23 September 2026
• Kick-off: 18:00
• Home side: Metalist 1925 Women
• Away side: SCU Torreense Women
• Final score: Metalist 1925 Women 1–2 SCU Torreense Women

How the game unfolded

Torreense started with intent, pressing high and forcing Metalist into a handful of hurried clearances inside the opening quarter of an hour. The breakthrough arrived in the 18th minute when a quick turnover in midfield released the Portuguese side down the right, and Inês Pires arrived at the back post to convert a low, driven cross with the composure of a player who has been in this kind of form all season.

The goal did not deflate the hosts. If anything, it sharpened them. Metalist began to string passes together through the middle, with captain Daryna Bondar dictating the tempo and the lively Kateryna Lysenko repeatedly testing the Torreense full-backs on the left. Their reward came nine minutes into the second half, when Lysenko cut inside from the flank and curled a precise effort beyond goalkeeper Sofia Almeida to make it 1-1 and lift the home crowd.

For a spell after the equaliser, Metalist looked the more likely side. They won a series of corners, forced two smart saves from Almeida, and pinned Torreense back into their own third. But the visitors weathered the storm, adjusted their shape, and struck again in the 79th minute. Substitute Marta Rodrigues, who had been on the pitch for barely five minutes, latched onto a loose ball at the edge of the box and drove it low into the corner to restore the lead.

Metalist pushed forward in the final ten minutes and won a free kick in a dangerous position deep into stoppage time, but Torreense defended their box with real commitment and saw the game out.

Key moments

• 18' — Inês Pires opens the scoring for Torreense after a swift counter down the right.
• 34' — Olena Marchenko denies Torreense a second with a strong one-handed save.
• 54' — Kateryna Lysenko equalises for Metalist 1925 Women with a curling finish.
• 66' — Almeida makes back-to-back saves to keep the score level.
• 79' — Marta Rodrigues scores the winner for Torreense.
• 90+3' — Metalist's final set piece is cleared as Torreense secure the win.

Tactical story

Torreense set up in a compact 4-2-3-1 that became a narrow block whenever they lost possession, inviting Metalist to build from the back and then hunting the ball in the middle third. That approach generated the opening goal and, crucially, kept the hosts from finding rhythm in wide areas during the first half.

Metalist's response was clever. Their midfielders began dropping deeper to create passing angles that bypassed the first line of pressure, and the switch to a more direct route down the left after the break changed the momentum of the match. The problem was efficiency: the Ukrainian side finished with a healthy share of possession and chances, but only one goal to show for it.

Torreense's game management in the last fifteen minutes was the difference. They slowed the tempo, took the sting out of the game with intelligent fouls in safe areas, and then punished the one moment of hesitation that Metalist's defence offered.

Standout players

• Inês Pires (Torreense): Opened the scoring and repeatedly stretched the home defence with her movement between the lines.
• Marta Rodrigues (Torreense): The match-winner off the bench, and a reminder of the depth in this squad.
• Kateryna Lysenko (Metalist 1925): Metalist's most dangerous outlet all evening and the author of a beautifully taken equaliser.
• Sofia Almeida (Torreense): Two decisive saves at 1-1 that kept her side level before the winner arrived.