Portugal won Euro 2016 after Eder’s
superb extra-time strike gave them a 1-0 victory over hosts France in
Paris, despite Cristiano Ronaldo coming off injured in the first half.
Former Swansea striker Eder, who came on
as a late second-half replacement for Renato Sanches, struck low into
the bottom corner past Hugo Lloris from 25 yards to hand Portugal their
first-ever major tournament crown in dramatic fashion on Sunday.
The sight of Portugal’s captain Ronaldo
in tears after being substituted with a knee injury after 25 minutes was
undoubtedly the key moment from a tame first half, though the majority
of half-chances fell to France.
In the second half, unmarked Antoine
Griezmann’s glancing header went just over the bar from close range,
before substitute Andre-Pierre Gignac hit the post in stoppage time.
Portugal had the better chances in
extra-time, hitting the post through Ricardo Quaresma’s free-kick before
Eder’s stunning winner, his first competitive international goal.
The victory also means Fernando Santos’
side ended a 41-year winless streak against the French, which included
the infamous 1984 European Championship semi-final defeat in Marseille.
France went unchanged from the 2-0
semi-final win against Germany on Thursday, while Pepe came back into
the Portugal side for Bruno Alves, and William Carvalho replaced Danilo.
After the lights of the Stade de France
were left on overnight, a swarm of moths threatened to cause havoc in
the build-up to the match, but the players looked undeterred in the
early stages.
Portugal had the first half-chance of
the game, new Valencia signing Nani striking over the bar from the right
corner of the area with a first-time half volley after Cedric Soares’
searching ball from deep.
Tournament top scorer Griezmann’s
instinctive header inside the area looped towards the top corner moments
later, only for Rui Patricio to acrobatically tip wide, before disaster
struck for Ronaldo.
The three-time Ballon d’Or winner,
hoping to lead Portugal to their first international success, came off
worse after clashing knees with Dimitri Payet following a hefty but fair
challenge from the West Ham man.
Source:PUNCH
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