Portugal wins!!! Eder hands portugal victory over France

• Portugal beat host France 1 - 0
• Portugal win first major trophy 
• Eder scores winning goal
• Ronaldo injured 

Portugal have won their first European Championship – and first major trophy – after beating France 1-0 in extra time Paris at the Stade de France on Sunday night.

A late extra time goal from Éder earned Portugal victory over the host nation after the match finished 0-0 in normal time. Portugal were hampered by the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo to injury midway through the first half. The Portugal talisman Cristiano Ronaldo was hurt in a challenge with France’s Dimitri Payet and despite initially attempting to remain on the pitch, was finally forced from the field in tears.

The problem with Ronaldo sometimes is that his occasional histrionics makes it difficult to know whether he is suffering from faux pain. This time, however, it was quickly apparent he was in trouble. Dimitri Payet’s right kneecap had followed through, at speed, into the side of Ronaldo’s left leg, bending the joint with the force of the impact. Portugal’s medical staff doused the area with magic spray but there was not a single moment from that point onwards when Ronaldo looked pain-free. His body language had sunk. He was unable to run with any freedom and nine minutes later he was down again, signalling for help, and eventually taken off for another round of treatment by the side of the pitch. Had it been any other player he would have been taken off straight away.

This being Ronaldo, there was a desperate attempt to see how far his powers could stretch, but it always felt unrealistic when he blew out his cheeks and made one last attempt to run it off. Ronaldo had been back on the pitch for three minutes when he finally conceded defeat, raised his hand and collapsed to the ground for the third occasion, this time removing his captain’s armband. The tears quickly followed and, for once, the sport’s ultimate showman did not want the crowd’s acclaim. He might not even have noticed in his desolation but it was a long, sympathetic ovation: a crowd not only recognising genuine greatness but that this was no way for a player of that magnitude to be removed from the occasion.

Nani took over as captain but Portugal were shorn of their most important player and Ronaldo’s absence meant being even more dependent on a system whereby all four of their midfielders would routinely drop back into defence when the team did not have the ball.

France had put them under considerable pressure from the start with Payet and Moussa Sissoko given the licence to roam, Antoine Griezmann picking up space and Paul Pogba frequently galloping forward with that long, leggy stride. Yet it was difficult for les Bleus to navigate a way behind the opposition defence and Portugal were troubled only sporadically in that period, most notably when Rui Patrício’s sprawling save turned a flying header from Griezmann over the crossbar.

France needed more wit and creativity around the penalty area and Payet looked absolutely intent on showing them the way. Not everything he tried came off, but Payet played with the drive and energy that made it seem strange Didier Deschamps thought it necessary to take him off after 57 minutes. His replacement, Kingsley Coman, has penetrative qualities of his own but the substitution prompted loud, derisive whistles from the crowd.

France had lost their early momentum, looking increasingly short of ideas and not helped a great deal by Olivier Giroud’s lack of movement in attack. A more ambitious team than Portugal might have sensed this was a good time to show more adventure. Instead, they continued to play with near-unremitting caution and were fortunate that Griezmann misdirected his header after Coman’s cross created one of the game’s few clear opportunities.

Giroud’s only real attempt came shortly before his substitution but Patrício kept out the shot and produced an even better save in the 84th minute to turn away Sissoko’s powerful drive. In between, Lloris clawed away Nani’s cross from beneath his crossbar and then caught Mario’s follow-up effort. The game was belatedly opening up and André-Pierre Gignac, Giroud’s replacement, might have won the match in stoppage time after turning inside Pepe in the penalty area. He scuffed his shot against a post and the game moved into extra time.








Culled from:guardian.com