Euro 2016 has finally come to a close, and it is Portugal who reign victorious over the continent.
To the horror of Portuguese players and fans alike, Cristiano Ronaldo was stretchered off in tears on the 25-minute mark, but his side were unfazed and went on to win their first ever major trophy.
The game itself wasn’t one of the classics and was only settled in the second half of extra time, but there were still plenty of talking points, bar the thousands of moths that invaded the stadium because the lights had been left on (seriously).
Here’s five things we learned:
1) Ronaldo will make a great manager one day. He may not have been able to make much of an impact on the pitch, but despite his knee injury, CR7 was seen prowling the touchline urging on his team-mates. According to the Mirror, he was also instrumental in the team-talk, telling the players: “I’m sure we will win this Euro so stay together and fight for it.”
2) Portugal are more than a one-man team. Ronaldo’s injury was feared by many to be the end of their hopes in the final, but as a unit, on the night, they were more disciplined, better energised, and more creative than France. The passion of the French fans has been tangible throughout the tournament, but in the final, the players seemed a little lacklustre.
3) Éder has proven that the Premier League isn’t the be all and end all. Swansea fans will be waking up with bewildered expressions on their faces, remembering that it was their former misfit who got the winning goal. Last season, he made just 13 appearances, scoring no goals, but having gone on loan to Lille, Éder has enjoyed much better fortunes.
4) France’s tactics have to be called into question. A quick look at the team sheets would have suggested the hosts should have dominated, but despite an attack of Antoine Griezmann, Olivier Giroud, and Dimitri Payet, they just couldn’t find a way through.
5) The format of the whole tournament was frankly ridiculous. Portugal were the better team on the night, but that doesn’t really disguise the fact that they shouldn’t have even been there. The champions won just one game in normal time – the semi-final against Wales – but lifted the trophy all the same. They also came third in a group with Hungary, Iceland, and Austria. If truth be told, this wasn’t one of the great tournaments, so UEFA may want to consider the whole format ahead of 2020.
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