Does Portugal deserve to win Euro 2016?

The team that almost went out in the group stage ended up winning Euro 2016 despite winning just one game in their first season, playing some dreadful defensive football. But they deserved their victory in the final.

Portugal won the Euro 2016 championship with the only victory in 90 minutes of official play. Photo: Reuters.

Portugal have long been known as the “Brazil of Europe” because their traditional style of play has also been technical. But in the Euro campaign in France this summer, Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates have reached the pinnacle of glory mainly thanks to defensive counter-attacking tactics that are probably enough to be considered a trademark.

Fernando Santos's team would have been sent home early if they had not drawn 3-3 with Hungary on the final day of the group stage, thereby securing the right to continue as one of the four best third-placed teams. In the entire tournament, seven matches, they only won once in the official 90 minutes (beating Wales 2-0 in the semi-finals). From head coach Santos, captain Ronaldo, to young talent Renato Sanches, none of them denied the criticism that Portugal played poorly at Euro 2016. They even declared that they were ready to sacrifice their identity if necessary, as long as they got the desired result and continued playing until the last minute.

Portugal were runners-up at Euro 2004, and bronze medallists at Euro 2012, but their European Championship triumph was a major shock. They were not among the favourites before the tournament kicked off. The odds on Portugal winning were initially as high as 17/1. Their run to the final and triumph in Paris was met with mixed reactions. Some have suggested that Euro 2016 has seen the rise of negative football. The best player of the final was Portugal centre-back Pepe, who has a reputation for being rough and dramatic.

But in fact, Portugal were the winners in the final, albeit by only a single goal in the second period of extra time. "And they deserved that minimal victory, not by luck. France could not prevent the shock from happening, even though they had home field advantage and many other chances,"Goal expert commented.

Portugal has much less advantage than the French team. Photo: Reuters.

France had almost everything going for them: a more star-studded squad, better form heading into the final, the support of the home crowd. When the game finally started, Portugal suffered an early setback when captain Ronaldo was stretchered off with a knee injury. The Blues were given the chance to play out the final 95 minutes without having to deal with a real leader. But Didier Deschamps’s team couldn’t do it. The home side lost, with no convincing excuse.

After Ronaldo left the field in the 24th minute, Portugal showed almost no effort to win, until entering extra time. But in that context, France with its famous attacking stars could not find an effective way to attack the goal. Portugal's approach to the match was not surprising, especially after they lost their attacking superstar.

France dominated possession before Ronaldo's injury, but they faltered when faced with a well-organised defence. And while they did create a few chances to open the scoring, the hosts were wasteful in their finishing. Antoine Griezmann, the top scorer, headed over the bar from the middle of the area after a pass from Kingsley Coman. Andre-Pierre Gignac beat centre-back Pepe but hit the left post.

When it was necessary to make an effort to settle the match in extra time, avoiding a fateful penalty shootout, France attacked superficially. In fact, in the two extra periods, it was Portugal who showed more initiative in attack and had a few chances before scoring the only goal. Left-back Raphael Guerreiro's free kick hit the crossbar, making the French fans gasp. And less than a minute later, substitute striker Eder fired a low shot beyond the reach of goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, deciding the victory for Portugal. France had nearly ten minutes to equalize, but they did not create any good chances. They could not press the field to at least create situations that could explain the loss as bad luck.

The French players can only blame themselves after missing out on the chance to win the championship. Photo: Reuters.

The pillars, the players who were expected of France, all played below their best in the final. Dimitri Payet was a terrible disappointment, before being substituted in the second half. Griezmann, the striker who scored five goals in three consecutive matches before, only occasionally threatened the Portuguese defense in the final. Midfielder Paul Pogba, Mourinho's transfer target this summer, was also a big disappointment for the home team on the Cup night. In this case, coach Didier Deschamps was also partly at fault, when he arranged for Pogba to play deep to take on the task of launching attacks from home. But the Juventus midfielder was not suited to this role. He was even pulled away from the areas on the pitch where he usually appeared most dangerous.

There have been plenty of complaints on social media about Euro 2016 not being able to welcome a champion who plays beautiful and convincing football. There is a view that Portugal were lucky in some matches, and that luck was in the easier bracket of the knockout stage. But if France were to win, it would be because of beautiful football. In fact, France were not unlucky on their way to the final. Luck smiled on them in the semi-final against Germany, when Bastian Schweinsteiger seemingly gifted them the opening goal. The veteran midfielder made a silly mistake when he handled the ball while defending a corner, leading to a penalty in first-half stoppage time. France were thus 1-0 up at the time when they lost control of the midfield to their opponents. Ronaldo was also ruled out of the final early due to injury, which was also a blessing in disguise for France.

France can only blame themselves for not seizing the big opportunity at Euro 2016.

According to VNE