Portugal shocked France to secure their first European Championship title, winning 1-0 after extra time thanks to substitute Eder.
Unsurprisingly, it was France who started the match as the aggressor, with Moussa Sissoko, in particular, looking especially dangerous for the host nation.
However, Portugal were struck a cruel blow, as Cristiano Ronaldo was forced off the field with a knee injury. Ricardo Quaresma replaced his captain, but it was Renato Sanches who seemed to step up under the added responsibility, surging across the field to link up with his teammates.
France continued their dominance of possession and field position in the second half, with substitute Kingsley Coman providing a new proposition for the Portuguese defence. The Bayern Munich winger produced a superb cross for Antoine Griezmann, but the usually clinical striker saw his glancing header miss the top corner.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
The match was nearly won in the 92nd minute through French substitute Andre-Pierre Gignac, but the striker saw his shot kept out by the post, sending the match to extra time. Portugal took a shock lead in the second period of extra time after substitute Eder, who had only scored three goals for the national team going into the final, beat Hugo Lloris with a low drive from distance.
Having struggled to break down their opponents all match, France could not find a way back into the match in the remaining minutes, handing Portugal a famous win in Paris.
Portugal’s shock victory
The script was written for France. Hosting the final and boasting a star-studded line-up, once Portugal’s talisman Cristiano Ronaldo left the field it looked to be a matter of time before Didier Deschamps’ side would secure the trophy.
Portugal did not read the script though, staying strong defensively to deny the French many clear scoring chances. Les Bleus could not convert the chances they did create, setting the stage for Eder to break the deadlock in extra time to seal the result.
Portugal, beating France for the first time since 1975, exorcised the demons of the 2004 final, which they lost to Greece on home soil. That pain is now transferred to France, who will wonder when they will next find themselves with a chance like this to secure international silverware.
Ronaldo injury sours occasion
It was nearly a case of what might have been for Portugal, after their captain and leading goalscorer succumbed to a knee injury in the 25th minute. The Real Madrid man was left on the deck after colliding with Dimitri Payet, and after coming off for treatment attempted to play through the pain. However, the alarm bells were truly ringing when the 31-year-old could not break into a run to trigger a Portuguese counter-attack, being stretchered off moments later.
Regardless of how you feel about Ronaldo, the loss of player of his level provided a dampener on the match. The Portuguese did secure the trophy in the end thanks to an unlikely source in Eder, but Ronaldo’s absence perhaps robbed the game of the quality deserving of a final. However, based on the Real Madrid man’s post-match celebrations, it was one occasion where he was happy to share the spotlight.
Bayern youngsters shine
Aside from Portuguese goalkeeper Rui Patricio and French midfielder Moussa Sissoko, perhaps the best two players on the park were Bayern Munich duo Renato Sanches and Kingsley Coman. Portugal’s Sanches, usurping his captain Cristiano Ronaldo as the youngest player to feature in a Euro final, provided much of the drive forward in the midfield and was surprisingly pulled off the field towards the end of the second half.
For France, despite their impressive results heading into the match, the usual attacking spark of Antoine Griezmann and Dimitri Payet failed to inspire in the first half. Enter Kingsley Coman, brought on after 58 minutes for Payet. The winger, on-loan at Bayern from Juventus, brought speed an penetration to his side’s attack and should have grabbed an assist with a beautiful cross to Griezmann that was headed wide. Carlo Ancelotti will be rubbing his hands together with glee at the prospect of working with both these youngsters over the coming years at the Allianz Arena.
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