**[Chelsea](https://sportwitness.co.uk/category/premier-league/chelsea/) forward Pedro Neto has strengthened his case for a starting place at the World Cup after scoring for Portugal in their final warm-up match before the tournament.**
The 26-year-old opened the scoring in Portugal’s 2-1 victory over Nigeria in Leiria on Wednesday night, helping Roberto Martínez’s side complete their preparations with back-to-back wins ahead of the competition in the United States.
**The end of the drought**
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Pedro Neto started on the left wing and was one of Portugal’s most active attacking players during the first half. His goal ended a lengthy wait for an international strike. The Chelsea player had not scored for Portugal since a 5-1 victory over Poland in November 2024.
The goal was Neto’s third for the senior national team and came on his 25th appearance for Portugal. It also arrives at an important moment, with competition for places still ongoing ahead of the World Cup opener against DR Congo.
Speaking after the match, as relayed by [**A Bola**](https://abola.pt/), Neto admitted finishing is not the strongest aspect of his game, but insisted his focus remains on helping the team in whatever way he can.
_“The finishing area is not my favourite, but it has to be like that. We’re here to help and I scored to help the team,”_ he said.
**Preparation complete**
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Pedro Neto repeatedly stressed that Portugal’s recent matches against Chile and Nigeria were primarily about improving understanding within the squad after a period apart.
The Chelsea winger pointed out that several players missed Portugal’s training camp in Mexico earlier this year, making these latest fixtures particularly valuable.
_“These matches were about taking on ideas. We had not been together for some time,”_ Neto explained.
_“Some players missed the camp in Mexico in March and these camps are for working on processes. We’re here to help. I managed to score and help the team.”_
Neto was also pleased with the overall outcome of Portugal’s preparations, believing the squad achieved what it set out to do before travelling to the World Cup.
_“We leave with good feelings, with two victories from two matches. That was what we wanted – to work on the process and improve the things we had to improve.”_
_“We’re focused on making the dream come true.”_
The winger revealed that Portugal’s work is far from complete, with the players planning to analyse the Nigeria match in detail before turning their full attention to the opening group game.
_“We’re going to watch this match again with the objective of improving in some aspects and being ready for the first World Cup match.”_
**World Cup dream**
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Pedro Neto was equally clear when discussing Portugal’s ambitions for the tournament itself. The Chelsea player argued Portugal should embrace expectations, pointing to the quality available throughout Roberto Martínez’s squad.
_“The objective is to win. We have to go game by game, but the dream is there and that’s the mentality,”_ Neto said.
_“I think we have to accept that dream. The Portuguese people know the quality we have in this team.”_
_“We have to believe, go game by game, do our work and go all the way.”_