Portugal recovered from the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo to a
knee injury to beat France 1-0 in extra time and win the
European Championship.
Ronaldo lasted only 25 minutes and although France
dominated for most of the game they could not find a goal,
and the sucker punch came in the 109th minute through
The first chance of the game fell to Portugal, as Nani raced
onto a long ball over the top from Cedric in the fifth minute.
The winger took the shot on early from just inside the area but
fired over the bar.
Moussa Sissoko then had a wild effort at the other end,
blazing high over the crossbar, before Antoine Griezmann
slashed at an effort from the angle that went well wide.
Portugal had cause for concern when Ronaldo and Dimitri
Payet collided on the halfway line in the ninth minute. The
Real Madrid forward went down in pain after an apparent
clash of knees in a robust challenge and needed treatment,
but seemed to be able to continue.
Griezmann had another chance moments later as he tried to
loop a header past Rui Patricio from a Payet delivery, but the
goalkeeper got across to tip over the bar. Olivier Giroud then
had a header from the resulting corner, but nodded weakly
at Patricio from a good position.
Ronaldo had continued to look in discomfort after suffering
the knock to his knee, and he sank to the ground again in
tears in the 17th minute. He left the pitch for more treatment
as the medical staff made one last attempt to patch him up.
He was off the field for three minutes before jogging back into
the action to jeers from the home crowd.
The football took centre stage again as Sissoko had another
shot deflected over after a bursting run through the midfield.
Adrien Silva then had a snap shot which flew off to the right.
But Ronaldo's game was finally over in the 25th minute when
he again slumped to the ground and the captain's armband
was passed to Nani. On came the stretcher and he was
replaced by Ricardo Quaresma, with the Stade de France
crowd all standing to applaud him off.
The departure of Ronaldo seemed to have an effect on both
sets of players as France lost some of their flow, before
Sissoko tested Patricio with a powerful effort that the keeper
was equal to.
Portugal showed some rare attacking intent in the 37th minute
as Raphael Guerreiro saw a shot deflected well wide. Fonte
had a good headed chance from the corner but planted his
effort too high and the rest of the half passed without
incident.
The second half was eight minutes old before the first shot,
Paul Pogba blasting well over from distance, before Cedric
showed good recovery in a race with Griezmann as the
tournament's top scorer could only hit a shot low into the
gloves of Patricio.
Coach Didier Deschamps brought on Kingsley Coman for
Payet just before the hour in a bid to kickstart his team into
life as the second half continued to meander.
France created the best chance yet in the 66th minute, as
Griezmann missed a gilt-edged opportunity. Coman crossed
from the left and found the Atletico Madrid man unmarked dix
yards out, but he could only head over.
Portugal then made their second change as Joao Moutinho
replaced Sliva.
Coman then failed to keep an effort on target as France
continued to do all the pressing. The Bayern Munich forward
then slipped Giroud in on goal, whose shot was kept out by
Patricio. It was a decent chance for the Arsenal forward but
he couldn't find the corner.
With 12 minutes left and extra time looming, both sides made
another change. The ineffective Giroud came off for Andre-
Pierre Gignac, while Portugal made their final substitution as
Renato Sanches was replaced by Eder.
Portugal finally sprang to life as Nani's cross from the right
drifted towards goal and Hugo Lloris had to claw it away from
under his bar. The loose ball fell to Quaresma but his
overhead kick was straight into the grateful gloves of the
France goalkeeper. It was the first work Lloris had to do all
evening.
Nani then had a shot over the bar from 25 yards, before
Sissoko brought the best out of the Portugal goalkeeper. The
Newcastle United midfielder made another strong run from
midfield and unleashed a powerful drive from distance, but
Patricio got across to his right well and palmed the ball away.
Just when extra time appeared a certainty, Gignac came
within a whisker of a dramatic, injury-time winner. He turned
Pepe inside out, leaving the Real Madrid defender on the
deck, but hit the post from six yards out. The Tigres forward
scuffed his shot with the goal at his mercy, and may well have
scored with a clean connection.
French hearts were in mouths five minutes into the additional
30 as Pepe headed a yard wide from a free kick, but it would
not have counted as the flag went up for offside.
Portugal had only the one chance of the first period, and it
came from a corner. Quaresma produced the dangerous
delivery from the right and Eder rose highest to head
goalwards from six yards out, but it was straight at Lloris and
the goalkeeper was able to repel it.
Raphael Guerreiro almost stole a controversial opening goal in
the 107th minute as his superb free kick crashed back off the
underside of the bar. Referee Mark Clattenburg had booked
Laurent Koscielny for handball but it was a case of mistaken
identity as the ball actually struck the arm of Portuguese sub
Eder.
And Eder was back in the action two minutes later as he
finally broke the deadlock. The Lille forward showed great
composure outside the area after picking up a pass by
Moutinho, cutting inside onto his right foot and finding the
bottom left corner from over 20 yards out. Goalkeeper Hugo
Lloris dived full stretch but could get nowhere near Eder's fine
strike.
The goal seemed to give Portugal a new lease of life, while
France were unable to summon the energy to find a way back
into the game.
Eder's goal proved to be the winner as Portugal claimed their
first major title.
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