It’s not that Portugal are the most unlikely European Championship winner since – well, probably Greece. It’s just that at no point in the entire tournament did they look likely to do anything remotely interesting.
Confounding all conventional wisdom, they’ve done something very interesting, and beaten the host nation to claim the 2016 Euro title, thanks to a sublime extra time strike from substitute striker Eder. That the striker earns his living playing for French side Lille must be all the more, ahem, galling, for the tournament runners-up.
It would be churlish to say Portugal didn’t deserve their victory in the final. The sight of defender Pepe vomiting at the final whistle signified the enormous physical effort exerted by the entire team to repel the French attack for 120 minutes. It would not be inaccurate instead to say Portugal might not have deserved to be there.
It was one of the strangest, most disjointed tournaments any team have successfully navigated. The writing appeared to be on the wall when Portugal drew 1-1 with Iceland in their first group game, precipitating the churlish post-game assessment of the Icelanders from Portugal’s preening, uber-groomed but sublimely talented captain Cristiano Ronaldo that Iceland were “small-minded.”
That Iceland became the Viking darlings of Euro 2016 would have had Ronaldo chucking reporter’s cameras into lakes at a rapid rate had his nation not hung in there and stunned most observers.
The fact Portugal then barely squeezed into the last 16 courtesy of a third-placed finish in their group seemed likely to be all they would achieve. Let’s be honest, and with all due respect to the other nations involved, but Portugal’s group of Austria, Hungary and Iceland looked overwhelmingly to be the easiest group at the tournament. Instead of coasting, Portugal got through without winning a game, a late equaliser in a thrilling 3-3 draw with Hungary getting them through to an impossible-looking Round of 16 clash with Spain.
Except it wasn’t Spain, thanks to a stirring win by Croatia in the final Group D game. And even though it wasn’t Spain, Croatia had looked strong in winning the group, especially in comparison to the Portuguese. Somehow, in a frankly awful game, Portugal beat the Croatians 1-0 in extra time.
It was about then that neutrals wondered if they could, while possibly hoping they didn’t. As it transpired, the cards fell kindly for Portugal. They needed penalties to eliminate Poland and then faced the other surprise packets of the tournament in Wales.
While the Welsh had been fantastic in beating Belgium in the quarter-finals, the loss of Aaron Ramsey to suspension for the semi-final would prove crucial. Much focus was placed on Gareth Bale, but Ramsey was consistently one of Wales’ best, and for the first time in the tournament, Portugal looked superior, with Ronaldo orchestrating the nation’s first win of the tournament inside 90 minutes.
And so to the final, where Portugal produced one of the most stirring backs-to-the-wall performances in years, after losing their skipper after 20 minutes due to injury. Portugal goalkeeper Rui Patricio was immense, saving his side on at least five occasions and dominating his area when France reverted to playing crosses into the box.
Fans in wine-red shirts will care not a wit for the low quality of the final overall. That Portugal had not beaten France in 41 years will not matter now. That technically, Portugal would not have got out of their group in the championship’s previous format should not detract from their triumph, it should add to it.
They have played what has been put in front of them. Their coach Fernando Santos is unbeaten at the helm. Critics questioned his deployment of Ronaldo as a second striker for most of the tournament but his tactics in the final were masterful. His forced adjustment of the system after Ronaldo succumbed to injury added to the Portuguese performance rather than detracting from it. They defended in numbers but managed to fashion chances. Santos’ introduction of Eder in the 79th minute turned out to be the coaching masterstroke that decided the final.
Portugal’s pantomime captain managed to be the focus of the cameras for much of the game even though he was only in it for just 23 minutes. Tears at the national anthem, more tears as he was stretchered off the pitch, more again as he lifted the trophy.
There is no doubting the man’s passion to go with his talent. He has something his great Ballon D’Or rival Lionel Messi doesn’t have: an international championship medal. And Europe has a brand new champion, as unlikely as that looked for most of the last month.
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