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Portugal are champions of a largely forgettable Euro 2016

10th July, 2016
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Cristiano Ronaldo is back for Real as they start their Champions League final defence. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
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10th July, 2016
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Congratulations to Portugal for beating France this morning and winning a Euro 2016 that was high on drama but largely devoid of world-class international football.

The underdogs prevailed 1-0 to register a stunning upset in Paris, with substitute Eder blasting home a low strike from distance to stun the host nation in extra time.

More Euro 2016:
» Re-live the action with our live blog
» Match report: Portugal stun France to win Euro 2016

The French came agonisingly close to winning it in normal time when substitute Andre-Pierre Gignac skipped around Pepe before beating goalkeeper Rui Patricio, only to see his scuffed shot rebound back off the inside of the post.

After overcoming reigning world champions Germany in a gripping semi-final, France were red-hot favourites to defeat a Portugal side boasting the singular talents of Cristiano Ronaldo and not a whole lot else.

Of course, with Ronaldo limping off injured midway through the first half at packed Stade de France, the Portuguese were always likely to be on the back foot in Paris.

Yet a striker born in Guinea-Bissau who had scored just three international goals prior to this morning stole the show, as Eder smashed home a winner that sent shock waves around Europe.

Defender Raphael had almost nicked it seconds earlier when he curled a free-kick over the wall and off the underside of the crossbar, although a global audience of millions – if not referee Mark Clattenburg – could see the free-kick should never have been awarded in the first place.

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Portugal’s shock win goes some way to exorcising the ghosts of Euro 2004, where they were ambushed on home soil in Lisbon, going down to rank outsiders Greece in another stunning upset.

Just like 12 years ago, it was another unorthodox triumph this time around, with Portugal finishing third in their group behind tournament minnows Hungary and Iceland.

They needed extra-time to down Croatia in the Round of 16, while it took penalties to separate them from Poland in the quarter-final, with the subsequent 2-0 win over Wales the only time they won a Euro 2016 match inside 90 minutes.

And they triumphed in the final without their talisman Ronaldo, who limped from the field after being clattered into by Dimitri Payet early on.

Ronaldo spent what seemed like the rest of the match wiping away tears on the bench, and for all his pouting and posturing, he once again had little impact on a major final.

That said, so too did most of France’s big guns.

Antoine Griezmann might have announced himself as a major international talent with six goals during the tournament, but he was largely kept quiet by a fragile Portuguese back four held together by veteran goalkeeper Patricio.

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The diminutive Griezmann saw one header saved early in the first half, before missing a gilt-edged opportunity to open the scoring midway through the second with another off-target header, while the cumbersome Olivier Giroud likewise found Patricio a tough man to beat.

How different would things have been had Gignac taken his chance shortly before full-time, in a tournament in which the slow-burn French always threatened to ignite while others burned out around them.

Instead the 2-0 semi-final win over reigning world champions Germany was the hosts’ high point, with the weight of playing a final in front of their home fans appearing to suffocate the French.

The tournament itself continued the recent trend of largely negative international football, with most teams setting themselves up to avoid defeat instead of pushing on to victory – a tactic Portugal will no doubt claim worked wonders for them.

The jury is still out on whether Ronaldo is a truly world-class superstar – at international level, at least – although the Portuguese talisman clearly inspires those teammates around him.

But the Euro 2016 outcome is unequivocal. Portugal are champions, albeit unorthodox ones, following a morning of nervy action at the Stade de France.

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